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-The US pirated ANOTHER ship off the coast of VZ Saturday (and, evidently, it was Chinese-owned and Panamanian-flagged), just two days after two almost-pass-moments for House Resolutions to push the Prez close, just CLOSE, to what the Constitution requires: either a Declaration of War against a nation state or Letters of Marque and Reprisal to let the Prez hire mercenaries to go after non-state combatants. The bills were H.J.Res. 61, (sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY): This resolution would have directed the president to terminate U.S. Armed Forces hostilities against any presidentially designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere unless explicitly authorized by Congress. It failed on a vote of 210-216) and H.J.Res. 64, (sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): This resolution would have directed the president to remove U.S. Armed Forces from all hostilities in or against Venezuela unless explicitly authorized by Congress. It failed on a vote of 211-213). They came close to passage and should have signaled Trump that, even if he didn’t care about his lovely Constitution, his political fortunes might be souring due to his criminal bellicosity. LINK MORE LINK
-Hegseth says the piracy will continue, the blockade will continue. He openly states that the Executive Branch intends to continue breaching the US Constitution and attacking anyone it wishes. LINK

Please recall that Friday at an EU summit in Brussels, EU “leaders” did not steal Russian assets held at Euroclear Bank. Instead, they voted to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion ($106 billion) interest-free, taxpayer-backed loan to cover most of its military and budgetary needs for 2026 and 2027. This decision required unanimous approval from all 27 member states, as is standard for major EU budget-related decisions.
The loan was pushed because Ukraine has an estimated €137 billion shortfall identified by the International Monetary Fund, and this will help prevent Ukraine from facing bankruptcy amid its ongoing war with Russia. The original plan was to fund this support through a “reparations loan” secured directly against approximately €210 billion in frozen Russian assets (mostly held in Belgium via the Euroclear depository). However, this unraveled due to strong objections from Belgium, whose Prime Minister Bart De Wever deemed it “legally risky” with “a lot of loose ends,” citing potential harm to Euroclear’s operations and ongoing lawsuits from Russia’s central bank. Concerns also included Russian retaliation and broader risks to global legal certainty. As a fallback, the loan will instead be raised on capital markets and backed by the EU budget, with a provision allowing the use of Russian assets for repayment only if Russia fails to pay war reparations (estimated by the corrupt govt of Ukraine at over €600 billion).
While all 27 EU members approved the overall deal, not all will contribute funds due to built-in exemptions. Specifically, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic insisted on and received assurances that the loan guarantees “will not have an impact on [their] financial obligations.” These countries opposed the package initially (with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stating it would mean “war” for the EU) but agreed not to block it in exchange for protection from any financial fallout or contributions. This structure allows the EU to borrow collectively without mandating equal participation, ensuring the deal could proceed unanimously while exempting objectors from bearing costs. The remaining 24 members will effectively shoulder the guarantees, though the EU as a whole reserves the right to tap Russian assets for ultimate repayment.
-Orban also noted that Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield. LINK
More on the “EU DEAL” - LINK
Jeffrey Sachs has some choice words for the EU warmongers, and German Chancellor Merz, in particular. LINK

-A new report tells us that Netanyahu and Trump planned the Iranian bomb attack many months ahead of the action. This might be a leak that serves ulterior purposes. LINK
-How the government of Egypt can make energy deals with Israel is unfathomable. LINK

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Please remember that on the 18th, the Trump Admin approved the transfer (sale) of $11.1 BILLION in arms to Taiwan. This actually represents just a portion of what they plan to send, and it was NOT part of the NDAA. LINK This particular “arms package” to Taiwan (comprising eight separate Foreign Military Sales notifications announced on December 17) is not part of a specific already-passed piece of appropriations legislation that directly funds or mandates this exact transaction. - You read that right. Not only is there no declared War, meaning that the US should not be sending weapons to anyone, this weapons transfer is based on Congress, in essence, ceding budgetary power to the Executive branch when it comes to sending arms to Taiwan.
Since 1979, the executive branch has claimed authority to simply SEND WEAPONS TO TAIWAN, and various Presidents have done it under two key previously passed statutes from the 1970s!
One is the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-8; 22 U.S.C. § 3301 et seq.), which commits the U.S. to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character to maintain its self-defense capabilities, and the other is the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-329; 22 U.S.C. § 2751 et seq.), which governs the overall process for foreign arms sales. Under this framework, the Trump administration (via the State Department) initiated and approved the sales, with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notifying Congress of the potential deals - how nice of them! Congress has a 30-day window to potentially block them via joint resolution but does not need to actively approve them for the sales to proceed. Taiwan funds the vast majority of these purchases from its own defense budget, with no direct U.S. taxpayer allocation involved in this package—it’s a commercial sale, not grant aid. Separately, the recently enacted National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (enacted as Public Law 119-XXX after being signed by President Trump on or around December 19, 2025; originated as S. 2296 in the Senate) does include additional U.S.-funded commitments to Taiwan beyond the $11.1 billion sales package. Key Taiwan-related provisions in the FY2026 NDAA include:

• Authorization of up to $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, which supports security assistance, training, and capabilities such as uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems, medical equipment, and supplies.

• A requirement for the Department of Defense to establish a joint program with Taiwan by March 1, 2026, focused on fielding uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed systems.

• Authorization for U.S. forces to conduct training with Taiwan (and other Indo-Pacific partners) to resist China’s aggression and malign influence.

These NDAA provisions represent U.S.-funded aid and cooperation (these, distinct from sales), and actual funding would require separate appropriations bills to allocate the money. Here is more. LINK AND MORE, showing some of the Chinese reaction. LINK

White House National Economic Advisory Council Director (such a wholly “constitutional” title, isn’t it?) Kevin Hasset threw himself in front of a camera to gush that the US economy is doing great, calling the latest fake inflation report (the data for most of October and half of November is missing, so the government just made up a number) “blockbuster”. LINK The recent November CPI report (released December 18) indicates headline inflation at 2.7% year-over-year, down from 3.0% in September, but, as I mentioned, “less steep rise in prices” is attributed to methodological adjustments due to the government shutdown in October, which skipped data collection for that month and combined September-November changes. Core inflation (excluding food and energy) stands at 2.6% year-over-year. This is not good. It is not “blockbuster” inflation data. Cumulative price increases since 2021 mean many goods are still 20-30% more expensive than pre-lockdown levels. Unemployment has risen gradually throughout the year to 4.6%, signaling a dying labor market. Beef prices are up appx16% yoy , coffee 35% depending on terport, and eggs (+49.3% due to culling mandates from the USDA and their bogus “avian flu” bogeyman) drove upward pressure. Overall, groceries are up ~29.5% since 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Grocery “inflation” typically is measured by combining prices for many products rather than singling out individual items. And overall grocery prices were up 1.9% over the 12 months ending in November, according to the Consumer Price Index.

-New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he’s prepared to face consequences if he defies President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and that he will not have the NYPD assist the Immigration and Customs Enforcement with enforcement. LINK
-FOUR more people, dying in ICE “custody”, this week. LINK
-The Trump Admin fired ANOTHER “immigration judge” who had been brought over from the US military, but who did not conform to the Trump push to simply kidnap and expel people without even the “immigration court” pretense of its fake, not-real-court version of “due process.” LINK
**Please keep in mind that the Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump Administration could NOT stop “immigration judges” from speaking out against Trump policies when outside of their offices, such as at public speaking engagements.
This policy, originally enacted during the Biden administration in 2020, prohibits “immigration judges” from making public statements—even in their personal capacities—about immigration matters, the EOIR (Executive Office of Immigration Review), or related agency policies. Critics, including the judges themselves, describe it as a “gag order” that acts as an unconstitutional prior restraint on their First Amendment rights, preventing them from activities like guest lecturing at universities, speaking to community groups, or commenting on matters of public concern. The policy also implicates the public’s right to hear from these experts on immigration issues. As a result, the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), a labor union representing about 500 immigration judges, filed a lawsuit in 2020 challenging the policy’s constitutionality. The suit was brought with support from the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, arguing that the restrictions violate free speech protections and should be struck down.
This legal action is tangentially related to the Trump administration’s recent firings of appx 100 immigration judges (out of around 700) since taking office this year. Those firings, often targeting judges in liberal-leaning areas with higher asylum approval rates, have been criticized as an effort to purge the bench and accelerate deportations, potentially in retaliation for judges’ resistance to certain policies that dismiss the Bill of Rights.
While the firings have sparked additional controversy and may tie into individual retaliation claims, the core free speech lawsuit focuses on the broader speaking restrictions rather than the terminations themselves. The Trump administration has defended the muzzle-policy and sought to halt the NAIJ’s lawsuit, arguing that any disputes over employment conditions (including speech restrictions) must first be channeled through administrative processes under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA), specifically via the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The administration’s position is that allowing direct federal court challenges could disrupt government operations.
The case, formally known as National Association of Immigration Judges v. Executive Office for Immigration Review (or referenced in Supreme Court filings as Margolin, Daren K. v. Nat. Assn. of Immigration Judges, where Margolin is a DOJ official acting on behalf of the government), has progressed through multiple levels of the federal judiciary:
FIRST -District Court (Eastern District of Virginia): In 2023, the district court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the CSRA required the judges to exhaust administrative remedies through the OSC and MSPB before seeking judicial review.
SECOND -U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit: In June, a three-judge panel revived the case, finding uncertainty about whether the OSC and MSPB could effectively handle such claims. The court noted that Trump’s firings of key officials at these agencies (e.g., the former special counsel and MSPB chair) might have compromised their independence and functionality, potentially allowing the judges to bypass the administrative process and proceed directly in federal court. The case was remanded back to the district court for further fact-finding on this issue. In November 2025, the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s request for a full (en banc) rehearing.
THIRD -Supreme Court: On December 5, the Trump administration filed an emergency application for a stay on the Court’s “shadow docket” (used for urgent matters without full briefings or arguments), seeking to pause all lower court proceedings while preparing a petition for certiorari (full review). The government argued that the Fourth Circuit’s ruling could cause “havoc” by opening the floodgates to similar lawsuits. But, on Friday, the 19th, the Supreme Court denied the stay in a brief order, stating that the government had not demonstrated “irreparable harm” at this stage. The denial was without prejudice, meaning the government can reapply if the district court advances to discovery (evidence-gathering) before the certiorari petition is resolved. There were no noted dissents, and an earlier temporary stay issued by Chief Justice John Roberts was vacated. Currently, the case is back in the district court, where the judge must evaluate whether Trump’s firings of OSC and MSPB officials have indeed undermined those agencies. If so, the free speech challenge can proceed directly in federal court; otherwise, it may be routed back to administrative channels. No timeline has been set, but the government’s certiorari petition is expected soon, which could lead to full Supreme Court review in the 2025-2026 term.
This is a big matter, encompassing freedom of speech, freedom to receive info, and the larger, unaddressed issue of federal claims of power over immigration policing…

This is a very good piece on economic fundamentals, from Don Boudreaux LINK

Thomas Massie spells out what we expected, even after already expecting that most of the important and damning material would not be included in the entire universe of the “files”. From his X POST: “Compare Language of Epstein Files Transparency Act directing DOJ to provide internal communications regarding their decisions — Versus — DOJ letter to Congress asserting privilege to omit materials related to decisions, because they weren’t specified by law. THEY ARE FLAUNTING LAW”

ONE - This conversation with Scott Horton about warmongering US, — excellent.

TWO! This conversation between Garland Nixon and Dr. Jim Cavanaugh, mostly about Trump’s ties to Israel and the aggressive behavior of that political entity, is great, as well. LINK!!

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Greetings, fellow Conspirators!!

It was a great night on the program tonight, as we broke down the EU machinations that failed, the plot to steal Russian assets in the Euroclear Bank… We hit on that, and even the 249th anniversary of a big document in the history of the American Revolution! Check it out!

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UKRAINE -The EU leadership gang has dropped its attempt to subsidize Euroclear to take 200 Bil Euros of Russian assets deposited in the bank and then hand them to Ukraine. Instead, they voted today to have each member nation cough up more loans to Ukraine. LINK Here is Aaron Mate on it. LINK Hungary, Slovikia, and Cechia stood against the original idea to do it via Euroclear. LINK Orban has key comments LINK
-Of course. Trump signed the NDAA w 400 +400 mil to go to Ukraine. LINK
-And this member of the EU Parliament is calling out Ursula and the thieves. LINK
-PUTIN held his annual press Q and A for many hours. LINK he answered a foolish q from an NBC hack, and had to remind the guy of the truth. LINK
-PUTIN also tried to set NATO head Rutte on the right track. LINK
Ukraine claims to have hit a Russian tanker. LINK

The US just added four more bombing strikes in the last 24 hours, LINK

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Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan Thursday was convicted by a federal jury of felony obstruction for allegedly directing an undocumented immigrant to a back room to evade ICE arrest during an April 2025 courtroom proceeding. She was acquitted on a misdemeanor concealment charge. Not only is ICE unconstitutional and immoral (Note, of course: the US Constitution doesn’t contain the word “immigration”, and, even if it were amended to claim feds had power to police immigration, all politically-based policing is predicated on taxation, which is immoral, and the policing is intended to interfere with voluntary human interaction, which is a further attack by the state/polis) — Yeah, not only is ICE unconstitutional and immoral, the document presented by ICE agents in this case was an administrative warrant (Form I-200 or similar), not a judicial warrant signed by a neutral magistrate. Administrative warrants are issued by DHS/ICE officers based on what they confer onto themselves, a claim of probable cause of removability under the unconstitutional federal immigration law (8 U.S.C. § 1226(a)). They authorize federal immigration officers to arrest and detain individuals for civil immigration violations, including in public spaces like courthouse hallways. However, unlike judicial warrants (which require Fourth Amendment probable cause review by a judge), these unconstitutional “administrative warrants” (there is no such thing as such a term) do not allow entry into private homes or non-public areas without consent. Judge Dugan reportedly questioned the agents about whether they had a judicial warrant, told them an administrative one was insufficient for their actions in the courthouse, and directed most of them to the chief judge’s office. Prosecutors argued this created a delay, allowing her to escort the defendant (Eduardo Flores-Ruiz) and his attorney out a restricted jury door. The defense contended she was navigating unclear courthouse policies on ICE operations and asserting judicial authority. The jury instructions falsely and explicitly stated that an administrative warrant qualifies as valid for the charges, and the jury convicted her of felony obstruction (18 U.S.C. § 1505) while acquitting on the misdemeanor concealment charge. And, of course, Article IV, Section 4 of the US Constitution was not triggered, meaning that the feds should not have been invading Wisconsin. That portion of the so-called Rule Book states:
“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.”
This clause (the Guarantee Clause) obligates the federal government to ensure states have republican governments, protect against foreign invasion, and—only upon request from the state legislature or governor—intervene against domestic violence (meaning large-scale insurrection or rebellion, not routine law enforcement). Sentencing is pending; she faces up to 5 years on the felony but likely less, and the defense plans post-trial motions and appeals. This case highlights ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and local judicial practices, but the jury was only given instructions that would lead to them overlooking the Constitution and the criminal actions of the feds. LINK

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Rebel News might not agree with our position on Israel and government support of the genocide machine, but they have done good work exposing the Canadian lockdowns, suppression of free speech, and climate change idiocy. Here, we see that Rebel has come up with a good, creative, way to help Tamara, who came to many people’s attention thanks to her work supporting the Freedom Convoy. She was convicted of “criminal mischief” earlier this year, and sentenced to almost total house arrest with only a few exceptions. Rebel found a way to allow her to work for them, which facilitates much wider movement outside. Good for them. LINK

- 249 Years to the day, Tom Paine released “The American Crisis” opening with the timeless truth, “These are the times that try men’s souls…” Link
We shifted Fiction Friday tonight, to read his entire essay, do him honor, and offer a different kind of Friday experience.
-Here is Michael B of the Tenth Amendment Center, on the anniversary and the impact the essay had. LINK

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We also devoted special time to this essay tonight. LINK

Those sixteen states that have been trying to work legal magic to sue for “charging station” money from the feds? They are at it again… LINK
-Stellantis just reached a 96-year low. LINK

As we discussed about a month ago, GM is shutting one of the biggest auto-making plants in the US for a period of weeks as it tries to cut costs. The closure period is starting. LINK
- A midwestern grain giant just started staring at bankruptcy, and cannot pay employees. LINK
-Farm Bankruptcies have surged 60% this year. LINK

Scott Bessent claims that Trump’s insane and economically disastrous tariffs must be upheld by the SCOTUS for “national security” of “stopping Fentanyl…” LINK
-Imports Tumble LINK

Trump again flouted a judge’s order to NOT DEPORT. LINK
ICE BRUTALITY - LINK and Link

LINK

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Liberty Conspiracy News Notes:

Greetings, fellow Conspirators!

From the Trump pull-back (for now) from a full-on invasion of Venezuela, to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine actually being right about something, we got to cover a large number of key breaking news stories, stories that offered learning opportunities to see key principles of liberty! Join us, live, m-f at 6 pm on Rumble and on X (“at” gardgoldsmith) and be sure to subscribe at Substack! Here are some of the key breaking stories we got to investigate…

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- Word from DC is that Trump was preparing to announce last night an invasion of Venezuela, but the negative outcry from about noon to night (prompted by people such as Tucker C and AntiWar) was so potent, White House Advisors warned him off it, delaying any such announcement, but continuing the sea attacks and military build up in an overall attempt to get Maduro to step aside. Instead of pushing his military marauding, Trump spent 18 minutes tooting his own “economic horn”. Of course, he filled the time with self-congratulatory lies and half-truths, avoiding key data points, and avoiding his own oath to protect and defend his Constitution.
Trump touted rapid economic progress under his administration, claiming he inherited soaring prices from the Biden era but was now driving them down dramatically. Key assertions included:
…”gasoline prices falling sharply” (implying averages under $2.50/gallon nationally, with some states at $1.99); “groceries and eggs plummeting” (eggs down 82% since March, Thanksgiving turkey down significantly); “car prices, hotel rates, and airfares declining quickly”; “inflation ‘stopped’” after being the worst in history; “wages rising much faster than costs”; and “a record $18 trillion in new investments secured”, largely via tariffs bringing factories home.
…Many claims were misleading, exaggerated, or false. National gas averaged ~$2.90/gallon on December 18, far above Trump’s implied figures, with no states averaging $1.99. Inflation stood at ~2.7-3.0% year-over-year in late 2025, similar to levels when Trump took office in January (3.0%), not halted nor inherited as a historic peak (it peaked at 9.1% in 2022).
…Grocery prices rose ~1.9-2.7% year-over-year; the egg drop reflected recovery from “avian flu peaks” (really, fake PCR claims of flu, and government orders to cull millions of birds), not broad declines. Wage growth marginally outpaced inflation, not “much” faster, with average hourly earnings up 3.5% year-over-year in November but slowing to just 0.1% monthly amid broader labor market weakness. And that does not include the higher number of unemployed. Unemployment has risen over the past few months, reaching 4.6% in November—a four-year high—up from 4.3% in August, signaling a crashing job market with payroll growth stalling since April. As a result, the “wage” measurements by the government are useless. The unemployed are not counted in wage rate statistics, which focus solely on employed workers, making these wage figures misleading as they fail to reflect the full economic strain on the broader labor force, where rising joblessness can mask underlying wage pressures or distortions.
…The $18 trillion figure overstated announced (not committed) investments, mostly from businesses that are being forced to shift operations into the US to avoid Trump’s tariff terrorism, in turn meaning that the investments are not being made on the back of decisions re productivity, but because of government coercion... This is not “investment” - it is extortion.
…. Here is CNN with a good X based check, and here are some sources you can utilize to refute Trump’s claims.

• NYT Fact Check & Transcript: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/us/politics/fact-check-trump-economy-address.html

• CNN Fact Check: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/fact-check-trump-prime-time-address

• CNN Fact-Check Video (Daniel Dale): https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/video/donald-trump-fact-check-politics-affordability-immigration-kaitlan-collins-daniel-dale

• NBC News Fact Check: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-speech-fact-check-economy-immigration-rcna249837

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-”INFLATION” - The US government, which told us they were “shut down” for most of October, through November 12, one wonders how the federal bureaucracy can measure “inflation” (inflation already has occurred, these would be the price increases due to the inflation of the money supply. LINK This news likely will see the Federal Reserve lower rates again in a few weeks. Since the govt-granted monopoly of the Fed and the vast debt of the US both rule over the buying power of our money, it’s key to be aware of their terminology. The “federal funds rate” is the interest rate at which banks lend reserve balances to each other overnight. The Federal Reserve does not set a single precise rate but instead announces a target range (currently 3.50% to 3.75% as of the December 10 announcement). The Fed influences the actual market rate—known as the effective federal funds rate (a volume-weighted median of transactions)—to stay within this range using so-called “tools” like interest on reserve balances (IORB) and the overnight reverse repurchase agreement rate. Last week’s move to lower rates to 3.50%–3.75% was the third consecutive rate cut in 2025. The decision passed in a divided 9-3 vote, with some officials dissenting for no change and one favoring a larger cut. Here is a good piece from the MISES Institute on it: LINK

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UKRAINE -The EU is preparing to vote (likely tomorrow) to seize the Russian assets being held in Euroclear, in Brussels. The EU leadership has been able to change the manner of the vote, which will make it easier to steal the money. The EU previously renewed the freeze on approximately €210 billion in Russian sovereign assets (mostly held by Belgium-based Euroclear) every six months under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) sanctions regime. This process required unanimous agreement among all 27 member states, giving any single country (e.g., Hungary) veto power.In December 2025, EU leaders shifted the legal basis to Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This article allows the Council to adopt measures “appropriate to the economic situation” in cases of severe difficulties or exceptional crises, acting on a Commission proposal in a spirit of solidarity.
Why Article 122 Enables Weighted Voting: Article 122 justified the change by arguing that suddenly releasing the assets could trigger a liquidity crisis for Euroclear and broader eurozone instability. It requires only qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council, bypassing unanimity and the European Parliament. Here is more, via RT LINK
-AND, as we suspected, the European Union leaders want to use this war-money system to help their friends at arms contracting corporations. LINK
-The Polish PM is vowing military action against Russia. LIN

K
VENEZUELA - The Trump gang went silent last night, as we mentioned, re VZ….
-And Maduro ordered the VZ Navy to escort tankers, thumbing his nose at Trump. Well done! LINK
-And the House did not pass Massie’s bill to require Trump to abide by the Constitution and NOT attack VZ in any way, without a “authorization by Congress” (itself a step away from the Constitutionally mandated Declaration of War). LINK
-In fact, both War Powers Resolutions failed in the U.S. House of “Representatives” yesterday. The two actually were Democratic-led measures, invoked under the 1973 War Powers Resolution to require congressional authorization for military actions:

1. One focused on Venezuela specifically (led by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass, and Massie.): It aimed to direct the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in or against Venezuela. It failed narrowly, 211-213 (with a few Republicans like Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene joining most Democrats in support).

2. The other broader one (led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. and Massie): It targeted hostilities with presidentially designated terrorist organizations (e.g., drug cartels) in the Western Hemisphere, including ongoing strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. It failed 210-216.

These votes occurred amid escalating U.S. military actions in the region, including airstrikes on boats and buildup near Venezuela. No votes on these resolutions have been reported today (December 18, 2025).Sources:

• New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/us/politics/trump-venezuela-house-vote.html

• Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-defeats-bids-rein-trump-venezuela-campaign-2025-12-17/

• The Hill: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5653973-house-resolutions-venezuela-caribbean-boat-strikes/

• NOTUS: https://www.notus.org/foreign-policy/house-trump-war-powers-vote-venezuela

• House Clerk Roll Calls: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025345 (for one of them)

ISRAEL - Funding fiends inside Gaza, of course. LINK
-Sweeping through E. Jerusalem. LINK

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The U.S. Supreme Court is addressing a dispute over a Justice Department policy restricting immigration judges from publicly discussing immigration matters in their personal capacity, even off-duty. This policy, originating from the Trump era, was challenged by the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) as a First Amendment violation. A D.C. federal district court ruled in their favor, allowing the lawsuit to bypass administrative exhaustion requirements. On December 17, 2025, Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily stayed that lower court decision, granting an emergency request from the administration to maintain the speech curbs while the Supreme Court considers the case. The NAIJ urged the Court to lift the stay, arguing it silences judges amid rising caseloads and policy pressures. As of December 18, 2025, no full Court ruling has been issued, but the stay highlights ongoing tensions in immigration enforcement and free speech rights for federal employees. Related rulings, like a judge easing congressional access to ICE facilities, underscore broader oversight battles. LINK
-Gov Mike D is unlikeable and wrong on many things but he is correct here. LINK
-New legal allegations of the already illegitimate ICE engaging in ugly activity. LINK

-More misallocations of capital due to govt climate fascism. LINK

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Welcome, fellow Conspirators!

As we waited (and still wait) to find out what Trump might unilaterally add to his already criminal actions around VZ, we got to dig into the monumental amount of ESTABLISHED criminality of the US, EU, NATO, Israel, and more. Big thanks to the diligent journalists whose work helps us produce our program. Thanks, again, and, to all, feel free to join us m-f 6 pm on Rumble and on X. Here are some of the big stories we got to discuss and explore…

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VENEZUELA -****BREAKING****, separate DC sources have told AntiWar and told Tucker Carlson that Trump will get on TV tonight to announce that the US magically is engaging in hostilities inside VZ, without acknowledging that the Congress has no declared War n without acknowledging that his attacks already are acts of war without a Declaration of War. Rand Paul stood in opposition to that and to Lindsay Graham trying to designate Russia as a “terrorist state” (Graham has tried that before) today LINK
- Trump last night spouted that he is imposing a total blockade on any fuel-carrying ship coming to or from Venezuela. This is a threat of kinetic attack on not only Venezuelan vessels, but Chinese, Russian, and others. LINK And Daniel McAdams notes this morning that a Russian vessel is on the way, posing a first example of opposition and challenge to Trump’s tyranny. Will the US fire on it? LINK I can confirm the same rumblings, from my sources in DC.
MORE, including a very well-written commentary posted on X - LINK
-Trump blasted three more boats in the Caribbean yesterday. LINK
-Dave DeCamp offers key information about the US and UK oil companies that have been doing business in Venezuela, and about the Chavez “nationalization” of many of those oil interests. Some of the companies are back in Venezuela, operating, while others are continuing lawsuits against the Maduro government. But that should have nothing to do with the US government and US taxpayers. What we see here is an international-corporate-fascist example of Public Choice Economics, whereby special interests who can gain concentrated benefits work to get government to help them, at the expense of the taxpayers, who are diffuse but multitudinous, and, as a result, the costs are socialized onto the taxpayers, who are diffuse, and who, individually, would find it more expensive, short-term, to spend their own cash to lobby against the policy. LINK

ISRAEL - Trump appeared at a Hannukah celebration and was embraced by talk host Mark Levin, who promptly repeated his previous claim that Trump was “our” first “Jewish President”. Mr. Levin and Trump both flout the US Constitution, despite Levin being a lawyer and Trump swearing to “protect and defend” the Constitution per his oath of office. LINK Aaron Mate makes good points here, concerning Trump’s focus on pro-Israel policies that distort the US Constitution, take from our progeny, and support genocide. LINK MORE, on Mrs. Adelson’s $250 Mil and wanting more Trump… LINK And Trump’s words from 2015 come back to haunt him (well, they would, if he cared…) LINK
-And, in the past 24-hours, Trump has banned Palestinian and Syrian visitors from entering the country LINK and LINK
-Israel is increasing the violence in the West Bank. LINK
-This is a valuable piece of historical scholarship focusing on the withdrawal of the British Empire, it’s final influences in creating the Israeli state, and the plight of Palestinians and corralling of Gaza. LINK
-After the Australian attack last weekend, Lindsay Graham called for the Israelis to attack Iran, full on. LINK

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UKRAINE- As we recently have discussed on Liberty Conspiracy LIVE, it looks like the heads of most nations in NATO and the EU believe they can bolster their economies — or, at least, their own bank accounts — by extending the Ukraine War and by getting their nations to fund arms manufacturing. Likely these politicians also have friends at corporations that will benefit from NATO, EU, or their own nation’s funding of their particular line of endeavor. This approach will not bolster the economy in the long-term, because it is drawing money away from personal choice in a free market and targeting it at arms makers. This is not bettering living standards. It harms the productive creation of things that people might want to better their living standards. Here, we see Dialogue Works’ Nima Alkorshid with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who stresses that he is sensing the same tactic. LINK
-Zerohedge has a good piece on the TROUBLE any Euroclear seizure of Russian assets will create. LINK

Yep. Some RINOS are siding with the Dems, so the subsidies might not die. LINK

-In Germany Volkswagen announced the first plant closing in 88 years, removing 1/10th of its number. LINK

That’s it for now, all! MANY, MANY thanks for supporting freedom, and for sharing the links! And remember, you can back us here by becoming a paid subscriber if you would like, and feel free to watch Liberty Conspiracy LIVE on Gardner’s X @gardgoldsmith and on Rumble! Spread the word! Thanks, again! Please feel free to SHARE the links, and join us every M-F at 6 PM on Rumble, and my X @gardgoldsmith — and you also can donate to help the Liberty Conspiracy, itself! Just visit PayPal to help out! You also can mail GG at:

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Thank you, Supporters! Join the Conspiracy, m-f 6 PM on Rumble or X “at” gardgoldsmith and visit the “Former Star Trek Writing Fellow” ch on YT or Rumble for great book suggestions and insights into television and film writing!

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Welcome, fellow Conspirators!
It was a fast-moving night tonight, as we dug into 2.5 hours worth of news and background information, covering issues such as Donald Trump attacking ships in the Caribbean and possibly attacking Venezuela on the ground, to the EU thirsting to steal Russian assets, to Trump’s materialist government-Christmas celebrating, get this, 12 days of federal programs, and starting with FDR’s insane “Works Progress Administration”… Here are some of the major items!

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David Knight mentioned this on the David Knight Show this morning, the story of “Christmas Bells” a song that actually started as a poem by Longfellow. It’s valuable to think about how Christ’s all-powerful presence, and the manifestness of His presence in the material world even existing at all both bring us peace internally in physical form and peace eternally, in our souls. This is a good piece on the song. LINK

The first day of celebrating? FDR’s “Works Progress Administration” (aka the WPA) - one of the most corrupt and unconstitutional ideas promulgated since the Federal Reserve. And Trump is celebrating it, so is FoxNews. LINK As I mentioned on David’s chat this morning, “An organization that claims power over you and operates only through threats and theft and extortion wants to celebrate statist materialism for Christmas… I see.”

As Natali Morris put it in her Redacted morning news email: ‘After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, hundreds of people were fired, suspended, or publicly shamed for comments deemed celebratory or callous. Phrases like “zero sympathy,” “this made me giggle,” or even literary quotes about reading obituaries with satisfaction were enough to cost people their jobs. Conservatives largely applauded those punishments, insisting that celebrating or rationalizing political violence crossed an unforgivable line. Now consider what happened this weekend. Actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were brutally murdered, reportedly by their own son. It is a horrific crime. Whatever anyone thinks of Reiner’s politics, (he was an outspoken critic of President Trump), there is no moral universe in which implying he somehow deserved this is acceptable. And yet that is exactly what President Trump did. In a Truth Social post, he suggested that Reiner’s “hatred” and so-called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” contributed to his death. He doubled down on that when asked by reporters. Strip away the phrasing and the message is unmistakable: this is what happens to hateful people. This is what Matthew Dowd was fired from MSNBC for. Here’s the problem. President Trump just did the very thing his supporters demanded liberals be canceled for after Charlie Kirk’s death. Free speech principles don’t change based on who’s speaking. You can defend Trump’s right to say it but you cannot defend the double standard.’

Amuse on X makes key points about the EU’s attack on Diana Panchenko, a journalist from Ukraine who steadfastly has exposed the corruption there. The EU has “sanctioned” her for exposing the corruption in Ukraine — and the EU wants to continue funding the corruption in Ukraine. No wonder they try to silence the woman exposing it as best she can. LINK I follow her X feed, and she has provided mountains of excellent information over the years.
-And journalist Cyrus Janssen writes: “The US government is condemning China for violation of international law for using water cannons against Filipino fishing boats, while simultaneously blowing up Venezuelan fishing boats. The UK government is accusing China (of) freedom of speech violations, while simultaneously arresting 9700 British citizens this past year for speech offences.
Make it make sense.” LINK
-AND, Trump just “designated” Fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction”. Though Ross Ulbrecht should never have been in trouble for allowing people to trade on the virtual Silk Road he created, this man does make a point about Trump’s hypocrisy when it comes to his public statements and his political actions re “deadly drugs”. LINK
-HEGSETH says he will not release the video of the “second tap” on Sept 2 in the Caribbean, because it’s so classified, unlike the FIRST ALSO IMMORAL UNCONSTITUTIONAL WAR CRIME STRIKE? WOW. LINK

This is worth noting - USAID paid TIME magazine to chooze Zelinslyyyyyy to be “Man of the Year” or “Person” of the Year, or whatever they want to call it. Parasite of the year? LINK

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UKRAINE - Zelinsky is finishing his visit to Germany and meeting with Mertz and EU cronies, while Trump says a “deal” (his “deals” re tariffs have seen higher tariffs for us) is in the offing. LINK
-AND… Ukraine just arrested the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - because Ukraine is such a bastion of freedom. LINK
VENEZUELA - TRUMP THE PIRATE: The House will vote on a “war powers” resolution tied to Trump acting against VZ LINK
-Trinidad and Tobego to allow US to use space to launch aggressive incursions against VZ LINK (that is vid, from Dave D of Antiwar!)
- Trump’s piracy has prompted oil tanker captains to change their routes. LINK
ISRAEL- Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) December 8 introduced a Resolution condemning Tucker Carlson for interviewing Nick Fuentes. Seriously. One wonders if Schumer understands that it is not his place to use other people’s money to make government “resolutions” about anything, and that, on top of such a fundamental baseline, the First Amendment frowns upon this move, and it is not antisemitic to criticize the nation of Israel. Finally, one wonders if Schumer understands that using the machine of statism to portray people like Carlson as fascists or Nazi-National-Socialists is to engage in the kinds of tactics fascists through the ages have employed… LINK

Ford is “scaling back” its EV production, because the EV idea is not valuable to consumers. LINK

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Trump’s tariffs have surpassed the $200 billion mark, that’s a lot of taxation. LINK
-And this little info-graphic vid notes that GM costs are rising, because they had to choose between getting slammed by tariffs for importing some of the cars they make outside the US as a way to be competitive, or spending oodles of money to move and open plants in the US as a way to avoid the tariffs. Some might think that this “move” will be good for US labor, but they miss the “unseen” as Bastiat would say, the extra cash that consumers and the company have to spend just to get what they wanted before. That is cash which will not be spent on other businesses, here or in other nations, and, thus, it is cash which will not help a new set of jobs get started. LINK
-David Stockman makes a key note about Trump supposedly “draining the swamp” and points out that Trump’s government has as many employees as Obama’s did, and that does not count the overall spending level, which is record-breaking. LINK
-Trump’s fascism expands, this time with a 10% stake in a Korean Zinc smelter. LINK

To follow-up on our coverage of the Bondi Beach, Brown U attacks and the calls from leftists to further attack the right to keep and bear arms, here is Part Two of our 2018 MRCTV series “INTELLECTUAL AMMUNITION”. Check it out!

That’s it for now, all! MANY, MANY thanks for supporting freedom, and for sharing the links! And remember, you can back us here by becoming a paid subscriber if you would like, and feel free to watch Liberty Conspiracy LIVE on Gardner’s X @gardgoldsmith and on Rumble! Spread the word! Thanks, again! Please feel free to SHARE the links, and join us every M-F at 6 PM on Rumble, and my X @gardgoldsmith — and you also can donate to help the Liberty Conspiracy, itself! Just visit PayPal to help out! You also can mail GG at:

Gardner Goldsmith
PO Box 581
Amherst, NH, 03031

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