US intercepts Venezuelan tanker; Ukraine responds to peace proposal

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00:00The U.S. grabs a massive oil tanker off Venezuela, a move turning up the heat on Maduro.

00:06Does this push the region closer to an American ground strike?

00:09Plus, a relentless atmospheric river slamming the Pacific Northwest.

00:15Washington State underwater, and the worst may not be over.

00:19And a fierce fight for a Hollywood giant, and the president signals he may help decide who buys Warner Brothers.

00:25The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.

00:34These are your Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow News.

00:39Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrali.

00:41The Trump administration has taken its Venezuela crackdown to a new level,

00:46seizing what the president calls the largest oil tanker ever taken in a federal crackdown.

00:51During an event at the White House on Wednesday, the president confirmed the takedown and hinted at more to come.

00:58As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela.

01:05A large tanker, very large.

01:08Largest one ever seized, actually.

01:11And other things are happening, so.

01:14Can you all explain a little more about this Venezuelan oil tanker and share a little more information?

01:20Well, I'll let the people do it, but you see the result, and I guess they probably have released the pictures by now, pretty soon.

01:28You'll discuss that with the appropriate people later on, but no, it was seized for a very good reason.

01:34And now we're seeing video of the operation, right here.

01:38Attorney General Pam Bondi posted this video on X, saying the tanker had been moving sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran

01:45and was part of an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.

01:50She says the seizure was carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Coast Guard,

01:56with support from the Department of Defense, and that it was done safely and securely.

02:01U.S. officials say the ship, identified as the skipper, was intercepted in international waters on Wednesday morning.

02:08They say it was carrying Venezuelan crude from PDVSA and had been previously linked to smuggling Iranian oil.

02:15A federal judge signed the seizure warrant about two weeks ago,

02:18tied to the vessel's past involvement in that global smuggling network.

02:23Venezuela's government is blasting the seizure, calling it a bare-faced robbery

02:27and an act of international piracy aimed at stripping the country of its oil and wealth.

02:33Caracas has repeatedly accused the U.S. of trying to strangle Venezuela's oil industry.

02:38This comes after more than 20 U.S. strikes on boats the administration says were moving drugs for the Venezuelan military,

02:45operations that have killed more than 80 people since September.

02:49Ukraine has now formally responded to the latest U.S.-backed peace plan meant to end the war with Russia,

02:55as President Trump sets a Christmas deadline for a deal.

02:58Ukrainian and American officials tell CNN that Kyiv has sent back its feedback on the 20-point draft proposal,

03:06a plan the U.S. crafted and Russia has signaled it could entertain.

03:10This comes as leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, Ukraine's close European partners,

03:15hold a video call today on how or if a final agreement can be reached.

03:19President Trump told reporters he, quote, discussed Ukraine in pretty strong words

03:24with his British, French and German counterparts, but not giving any specifics.

03:29European leaders have been negotiating security guarantees for Ukraine if a deal is struck,

03:34and they're pushing for a meeting with Trump and Zelensky in the coming days.

03:37The president, however, indicated he may skip it.

03:40We said before we go to a meeting, we want to know some things, you know.

03:44They would like us to go to a meeting over the weekend in Europe,

03:50and we'll make a determination depending on what they come back with.

03:56We don't want to be wasting time.

03:59Sometimes you have to let people fight it out.

04:01On the ground, the war is still active.

04:04Ukraine says its sea drones disabled a Russian-linked oil tanker moving through the Black Sea.

04:09And overnight, Russia claimed it shot down at least 287 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions,

04:15more than 40 over Moscow alone.

04:18In the Pacific Northwest, evacuations are underway as parts of Washington state face historic flooding.

04:25An atmospheric river is parked over western Washington,

04:28unloading torrential rain and creating life-threatening conditions.

04:32Governor Bob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency,

04:35requesting National Guard support as first responders race to handle water rescues,

04:40road washouts, and mudslides.

04:42Look at all that water there.

04:44At least 18 river points are forecast to hit major flood stage.

04:48The Skagit River, one of the region's most monitored waterways,

04:52is expected to rise six feet above its previous record, according to the governor.

04:56More than 17,000 customers are without power.

04:59And a level three evacuation order, leave now, seek higher ground, is in effect for several communities.

05:06The heavy rain is expected to last into tomorrow morning,

05:08and NOAA warns floodwaters might linger for days as rivers stay swollen and unstable.

05:15This morning, the battle to buy Warner Brothers, Discovery, and the future of CNN is getting even louder.

05:21And President Trump is now weighing in.

05:23With an all-out bidding war underway and questions swirling about his son-in-law, Jared Kushner's financial stake,

05:30the president was asked how much he intends to steer himself and changes he'd want at CNN.

05:35Well, I'm not involved in that.

05:37I will be probably involved, maybe involved in the decision.

05:41It depends.

05:42You have some good companies bidding on it.

05:44I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace.

05:52I think it's imperative that CNN be so, because you certainly wouldn't want to put people,

05:59just leave those people with some money, good money, and CNN,

06:04so that they can spend even more money spreading poison, because it's lies.

06:08Trump's comments come as Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison,

06:15launched a hostile takeover bid to buy the entire Warner Brothers company.

06:19That bid directly competes with Netflix, which just struck a deal for Warner Brothers studio and streaming business,

06:25but not CNN.

06:27Under that plan, CNN and the Turner networks would be spun off into a new company.

06:32One wrinkle getting attention?

06:33Paramount's offer has financing from Jared Kushner's private equity firm,

06:37though Trump says he has not talked with Kushner about it.

06:41Ellison has also signaled he would make major editorial changes at CNN if he wins,

06:46a shift Trump has publicly praised, and one that could loom large as the White House weighs the deal.

06:52Calling it a deceptive scheme, the Trump administration is ending a popular

06:57Biden-backed student loan repayment plan, known as the SAVE program.

07:01The Education Department announced a settlement with the state of Missouri this week

07:05that effectively shuts down the Saving Unvaluable Education Plan,

07:09a program created under President Biden that's been helping about 7 million borrowers.

07:15SAVE offered $0 payments for people earning $16 an hour or less,

07:20lower monthly payments for many others,

07:22and protections against interest ballooning as long as borrowers made their payments.

07:26Missouri sued to block the program, and the settlement now ends it.

07:30Opponents of loan forgiveness, including President Trump,

07:34have argued that borrowers should pay back what they owe, not shift the cost to taxpayers.

07:39Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on X that Biden's plan was illegal

07:44and would have cost taxpayers more than $342 billion over 10 years, writing,

07:49we won't tolerate it.

07:51Finally this morning, one of the most iconic images of the 20th century

07:55just sold for a record-setting price.

07:58The original painting that introduced the world to Star Wars

08:01sold on Wednesday for just under $3.9 million.

08:05Yep, close to $4 million.

08:07Wow.

08:07Setting a new record, not only for Star Wars memorabilia,

08:10but for any movie artwork ever sold.

08:13The first piece appeared in newspaper ads on May 13, 1977.

08:18Yep, I was just a 10-year-old boy at the time,

08:20but boy did I love that movie.

08:22A couple of weeks before the film's release, it hung for decades in the office of producer Gary Kurtz,

08:27who later passed it down to his daughter, and the family eventually put it up for auction.

08:31Bidding opened at $1 million and quickly shot past the previous record.

08:36Until now, the spot belonged to Darth Vader's lightsaber, do you know that?

08:40Which sold for $3.6 million back in September.

08:43And we should say this morning, may the Force be with you.

08:47In fact, may the Force be with all of us.

08:50How about that?

08:50All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.

08:53At 10, a House hearing on worldwide threats to the homeland,

08:56including testimony from HHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

09:00At 1, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt holds a briefing.

09:04At 2, the Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk is back in court,

09:08as his attorney signals whether he'll push for a preliminary hearing.

09:12At 3, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell says he'll reveal whether he's jumping into the Minnesota governor's race.

09:18Hey, be the one who nails the small talk without having to pretend to read the newspaper.

09:23Sign up for the Unbiased Updates newsletter at san.com slash newsletters.

09:28Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.

09:30We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.

09:31We love that.

09:32For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrowley.

09:35Have a great day.

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