President Donald Trump’s administration has placed further pressure on Venezuela by sanctioning three nephews of the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro, a day after the U.S. seized one of its oil tankers in a dramatic escalation of existing tensions.
Franqui Flores, Carlos Flores and Efrain Campo will all be sanctioned, as will Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero, six firms and six Venezuela-flagged ships, all of which are accused of transporting sanctioned oil, according to a list published by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Thursday.
The White House has meanwhile said the U.S. will keep the oil being carried aboard the Skipper supertanker that was seized by American forces Wednesday but will release its crew once it docks at the Port of Galveston in Texas.
The administration posted dramatic footage of the joint operation that saw members of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard lowered onto the deck of the vessel from a helicopter to take it over.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday the ship is “a sanctioned shadow vessel, known for carrying black market sanctioned oil” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the U.S. considers a foreign terrorist organization.
Read MoreTrump is pictured with heavy makeup on the back of his hand at White House Congressional Ball
Key Points
- Trump administration sanctions Maduro's nephews and says tanker crew will be freed
- White House calls ship 'sanctioned shadow vessel' carrying 'black market oil'
- Karoline Leavitt on defensive over president's call for fewer toys this Christmas
- President issues ineffective federal pardon for Colorado election-denier Tina Peters
- Trump’s attempt to strong-arm Indiana Republicans over redistricting fails miserably
Trump to honor ice hockey heroes today
15:00 , Joe SommerladNot a great deal on the docket for the president today but he is holding a ceremony at 3pm ET to hand out congressional medals to members of the 1980 Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey team who beat the USSR in the storied “Miracle on Ice” game.
Marking the 45th anniversary of the Cold War face-off, captain Mike Eruzione, goaltender Jim Craig, forward Buzz Schneider and 10 of their teammates will be in attendance, as will the widow, son and daughter of deceased coach Herb Brooks, according to CBS News.
“President Trump will honor the legendary Olympic men's ice hockey team whose ‘Miracle on Ice’ resulted in a historic and symbolic victory against the Soviet Union,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.
“This triumph fueled a resurgence of national pride as Americans across the country watched Team USA unexpectedly take home the Gold Medal.”
Scoop: Pres. Trump will host members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team — famous for defeating the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” — today at the White House to award congressional medals to the players. https://t.co/GfHgblpDGR
— Olivia Rinaldi (@olivialarinaldi) December 12, 2025
Senate parents shred Trump’s call to limit doll purchases: ‘What is this, the Soviet Union?’
14:40 , Joe SommerladHere’s more from Andrew Feinberg on the president’s call for Santa Claus to place fewer toys under the tree this year, with Senate parents adding their own voices to the outcry.
‘What is this, the Soviet Union?’: Senators rip Trump’s call to limit doll purchases
Trump announces new delivery date for White House ballroom
14:20 , Joe SommerladDuring his address at the Congressional Ball last night, the president also offered a construction update on his new ballroom.
Kelly Rissman has the latest.
Trump announces new delivery date for White House ballroom
In pictures: Emotional Kilmar Abrego Garcia pledges to 'continue to fight’ Trump administration
14:00 , Joe Sommerlad“I’m here as a free man,” the wrongly-detained Maryland resident said at a rally ahead of his mandatory check-in with ICE’s Baltimore office this morning, a day after he was finally released under judge’s orders.
Here he was being released last night.
Watch: Trump issues rare bipartisan call for Democrats and Republicans to work together
13:40 , Joe SommerladThe president was evidently feeling the Christmas spirit, foregoing his customary name-calling to ask his political allies and foes to work together to “make the nation stronger.”
Trump pictured with heavy makeup on back of his hand at White House Congressional Ball
13:20 , Joe SommerladThe president’s appearance at another black-tie holiday bash last night only served to raise further questions about his health, a subject about which he has become increasingly defensive while offering few answers.
Owen Scott has the latest.
Trump seen with makeup-smeared hand at White House Congressional Ball
Trump’s attempt to strong-arm Indiana Republicans fails miserably as state GOP rejects gerrymandering bill
13:00 , Joe SommerladThe president’s attempt to bully Republicans in the Hoosier State into passing a redistricting bill backfired disastrously on Thursday when GOP rebels in the state Senate sank it.
Senators rejected the push to gerrymander Indiana’s nine-seat map ahead of next year’s midterms – by effectively eliminating its two remaining Democratic districts – by 31 to 19, despite Republicans holding a 40-10 supermajority in the chamber, as 21 conservatives broke ranks to vote with Democrats.
The upset came despite the bill passing the Indiana House last week and despite the president engaging in an intense pressure campaign to try to force it through, threatening to support primary challenges to any Republicans who failed to fall in line and dispatching Vice President JD Vance to lobby on the issue in person.
Asked about the disappointment by reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump claimed to be nonplussed, saying, “It’s funny because I won Indiana all three times by a landslide. And I wasn’t working on it very hard. Would’ve been nice. I think we would’ve picked up two seats if we did that.”
He could not hide his fury at Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray, however, adding: “You had one gentleman, the head of the Senate, I guess, Bray, whatever his name is. I heard he was against it. He’ll probably lose his next primary, whenever that is. I hope he does, because he’s done a tremendous disservice.”
Here’s more.
Trump’s attempt to bully Indiana Republicans fails as Senate snubs redistricting bill
Trump issues ineffective federal pardon for ex-Colorado election official Tina Peters, who was convicted on state charges
12:45 , Joe SommerladThe president last night announced a pardon for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, currently serving a nine-year jail sentence for her part in the plot to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
However, Trump’s clemency gesture carries no weight, as Peters, 70, was convicted on state charges, not federal charges.
Nevertheless, the president wrote on Truth Social:
“Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest. Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!”
It was met with a withering response from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Attorney General Phil Weiser.
Peters was convicted in August 2024 of seven out of 10 charges, four of which were felonies, for allowing an associate of MyPillow salesman Mike Lindell to access a secure room to make a copy of a hard drive containing data from the state’s 2020 presidential election results in support of Trump’s false claims of fraud.
Despite repeatedly protesting her innocence, Peters was told by District Court Judge Matthew Barrett at her sentencing hearing in October 2024: “You are no hero. You’re a charlatan who used, and is still using, your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again.”
Here’s more.
Trump issues ineffective federal pardon for jailed election-denier Tina Peters
Watch: Leavitt gives testy answer to Independent reporter on Trump’s wealth
12:30 , Joe SommerladHere’s the aforementioned exchange over the president’s “go without” messaging.
Karoline Leavitt on defensive over president's call for fewer toys this Christmas
12:15 , Joe SommerladAlso during yesterday’s briefing, the White House press secretary came under pressure about Trump’s remarks to an audience in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, earlier this week in which he suggested that they should consider buying fewer toys this Christmas because young girls “don’t need 37 dolls” and can make do with “two or three” in response to the impact of his tariffs.
Leavitt initially answered that the president had meant to encourage parents to spend more on better quality, American-made gifts but was put on the spot by The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg, who questioned whether it was appropriate for a billionaire to be lecturing the public on austerity.
Here’s his report on what followed.
WH confronted over Trump’s suggestion to limit kids’ Christmas gifts
Watch: White House calls ship 'sanctioned shadow vessel' carrying 'black market oil'
12:00 , Joe SommerladPress Secretary Karoline Leavitt had this to say about the tanker during yesterday’s briefing session with journalists:
Trump administration sanctions Maduro's nephews and says tanker crew will be freed
11:45 , Joe SommerladPresident Donald Trump’s administration has placed further pressure on Venezuela by sanctioning three nephews of the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro, a day after the U.S. seized one of its oil tankers in a dramatic escalation of existing tensions.
Franqui Flores, Carlos Flores and Efrain Campo will all be sanctioned, as will Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero, six firms and six Venezuela-flagged ships, all of which are accused of transporting sanctioned oil, according to a list published by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Thursday.
The White House has meanwhile said the U.S. will keep the oil being carried aboard the Skipper supertanker that was seized by American forces Wednesday but will release its crew once it docks at the Port of Galveston in Texas.
The administration posted dramatic footage of the joint operation that saw members of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard lowered onto the deck of the vessel from a helicopter to take it over.
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 10, 2025
Here’s Graig Graziosi on the reasons given by the administration for its aggressions towards the country, which threatens to spill over into all out war.
Why is Trump going after Venezuela? Three big reasons behind his pressure campaign
Good morning
11:30 , Joe SommerladHello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of President Donald Trump and his administration with the latest on the seized Venezuelan oil tanker and the escalating tensions between the two countries.