Charges include narcotics trafficking and weapons possession, Attorney General says

from Birch Gold Group: Gold didn’t jump to $4,530 on panic or headlines – it moved because currencies are quietly failing worldwide. Now silver is following. As governments debate gold audits and analysts forecast $100 silver, the real story is simpler – and harder to admit… Your News to Know rounds up the most important […]

JUST IN – Trump says the United States is going to be "very strongly involved" in Venezuela's oil industry in the wake of the regime change operation to capture Maduro. — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 3, 2026

from Health Ranger Report:  TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

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PHOENIX – A suspect in a deadly confrontation between rival motorcycle riders in Phoenix has been extradited to Arizona and booked into jail. The backstory: The incident happened just before 1 p.m. on Nov. 28. Phoenix Police say officers responded to a motorcycle crash near Interstate 17 and 7th Avenue and found a motorcyclist with multiple gunshot wounds. Another motorcyclist was also found with life-threatening injuries. A third man involved, who was driving a car, was not hurt, but was at the scene. Both motorcyclists were taken to a hospital where they died. They were identified as 53-year-old Job Martinez and 36-year-old Scott Kikes. Read More Suspect in deadly shooting between rival motorcyclists extradited  Bandidos MC RICO Case EXPLODES — War With B*EAST MG Officials seize 62 motorcycles in case against ex-Olympic snowboarder Several Harley-Davidson dealerships are shutting down for good in 2025 after another tough year for the iconic brand. Pagans MC member from Johnson City criminally charged in Tazewell convenience store incident

Something big is going on in Venezuela right now, but so far there is no confirmation of who is doing the attacking. The assumption is obvious: a large-scale US military operation against Maduro’s regime, which President Trump has repeatedly threatened. That may well prove accurate as things progress. Things are happening fast, and I want to emphasize up front that there is already a lot of SPECULATION masquerading as FACT. At the moment, there is no official confirmation that it is indeed the US military striking Venezuelan targets. Here’s what we do know. Fox News is reporting multiple explosions, low-flying aircraft, and power grid failures in and around Venezuelan military bases: BREAKING: Explosions reported in Venezuela pic.twitter.com/mv0Flfn2Hm — Fox News (@FoxNews) January 3, 2026 Journalist Nick Sortor shared this footage, which is purported to be “US Apache attack helicopters” unleashing firepower on a military base in Caracas, Venezuela: BREAKING: Suspected US Apache attack helicopters seen TOTALLY DOMINATING the skies above Caracas, Venezuela while explosions ring out Trump seems to be going for the jugular here. Venezuelan air defenses look to be COMPLETELY disabled by the U.S. military already. Maduro… pic.twitter.com/GLtz5RoXjz — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 3, 2026   Here’s the full screen version of that clip for easier viewing, which actually seems to show CH-47 CHINOOKS to me, which have also been reported in the area: BREAKING: Suspected US Apache attack helicopters seen TOTALLY DOMINATING the skies above Caracas, Venezuela while explosions ring out Trump seems to be going for the jugular here. Venezuelan air defenses look to be COMPLETELY disabled by the U.S. military already. Maduro… pic.twitter.com/GLtz5RoXjz — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 3, 2026 Sortor has also updated within the last few minutes that President Trump did order these strikes, though I am still yet to see official confirmation of that as fact. Here’s Sortor’s reporting, nonetheless: UPDATE: President Trump ordered air strikes on facilities all throughout Venezuela, COMPLETELY overwhelming the country within minutes ZERO reports of return fire at this point. Total shock and awe. No reports of US troops injured pic.twitter.com/7UwuiaBqxx — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 3, 2026 Just a short time ago, the President of Colombia confirmed SOMEONE is bombing neighboring Venezuela… But even he only specified the attacking force with a vague “they”: Here’s the full text of Gustavo Petro’s post, presumably confirming that an attack is taking place, in case that’s hard to read: Right now they are bombing Caracas. Alert to the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela They are bombing with missiles. The OAS and the UN must meet immediately. As I am writing, CBS is also now reporting that the strikes are being conducted by the American military, and that President Trump ordered the strikes: Here’s the report that just popped up from CBS, citing “sources”: U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela as Trump escalates pressure on Maduro regime, sources say. President Trump ordered strikes on sites inside Venezuela, including military facilities, U.S. officials told CBS News, as the administration early Saturday ratcheted up its campaign against the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. As the U.S. carries out strikes in Venezuela, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. commercial air carriers from operating at all altitudes over Venezuela, citing “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.” The notice was issued at 2 a.m. local time in Caracas (1 a.m. Eastern) on Saturday, and was set to end at 1 a.m. Caracas time on Sunday. Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that it has reporters on the ground in Venezuela who are watching the attacks happen: CNN: We have major breaking news. CNN just learning of explosions in Caracas, Venezuela… We have now have CNN’s own teams that have personally witnessed explosions. We’re told it’s several of them in Caracas, started around 150 in the morning local time…we know that there are… pic.twitter.com/YslE5HCQB9 — Acyn (@Acyn) January 3, 2026 CNN is also reporting confirmation that one of the Venezuelan military facilities hit was the headquarters of the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense. If true, that would show a high degree of capability by the attacking force. Here’s that report, which just aired on CNN: CNN: CNN just getting report that the smoke appears to be rising from the vicinity of Fort Tiona, which is where the Venezuelan ministry of defense is headquartered, which would seem to indicate that somebody is targeting the defenses of Venezuela. It certainly seems like a… pic.twitter.com/WAR7XXR5j8 — Acyn (@Acyn) January 3, 2026 Another video is also being reported by Nick Sortor — and many others on X.com — as showing US Apache helicopters unleashing firepower on targets in Caracas. If accurate, this is the same military installation which CNN’s reporters on the ground have reported seeing smoke rising from in the previous clips: BREAKING: U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters are absolutely ANNIHILATING Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela This is a key military installation in the country’s capital I mean, was… pic.twitter.com/BoQUGO4Ccy — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 3, 2026 Information is coming across the board fast and furious. But I want to be clear that I still cannot independently confirm that the attack is being carried out by the US military, regardless of how safe that bet may seem. At the moment, the most that the AP will commit to saying is that President Trump has “threatened” to attack Venezuela. Here’s that current report which completely lacks any “confirmation” that the attacking force is the US military — per the Associated Press: At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. It was not immediately clear what was behind the explosions. Venezuela’s government, the Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power. Venezuelan state television did not interrupt its programming and aired a report on Venezuelan music and art. U.S. President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The U.S. has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy. Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the U.S. Another report coming out of CNN also indicates that WHOEVER is attacking Venezuela… They aren’t only attacking Caracas. Explosions are reportedly occurring in multiple Venezuelan cities — not only in the Capital — according to this report from CNN: A CNN team witnessed several explosions early Saturday in Caracas, and reported that some areas of the city were without electricity. The first blast was recorded at approximately 1.50am local time (0.50aET). “One was so strong, my window was shaking after it,” CNNE correspondent Osmary Hernandez said. Several areas of the city were without power and CNN journalists in the Venezuelan capital could hear sound of aircraft after the explosions. One video obtained and verified by CNN showed two plumes of smoke rising into the night sky amid city lights. An orange glow can be seen at the base of one of the plumes. Then a flash in another location is briefly seen, followed by a dull booming sound. Venezuelan news outlets Efecto Cocuyo and Tal Cual Digital reported explosions were also heard in La Guaira state north of Caracas and on the country’s coast, and at Higuerote a city on the coast in Miranda state. (Emphasis added.) Venezuela has released an official statement, condemning the attack. And that statement does presume that the operations are being carried out by the United States, calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets and resist. Here’s that statement, shared on X: “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the grave military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and its population in the civilian and military areas of Caracas, the capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations, especially Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of states, and the prohibition of the use of force. Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people at grave risk. The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to forcibly break the nation’s political independence. They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate government stand firm in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny. The attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a “regime change,” in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail, as all previous attempts have. Since 1811, Venezuela has confronted and defeated empires. When foreign powers bombarded our shores in 1902, President Cipriano Castro proclaimed: “The insolent foot of the foreigner has profaned the sacred soil of the Fatherland.” Today, with the morale of Bolívar, Miranda, and our liberators, the Venezuelan people rise up once again to defend their independence against imperial aggression. People to the streets The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack. The people of Venezuela and their Bolivarian National Armed Forces, in perfect popular-military-police unity, are deployed to guarantee sovereignty and peace. Simultaneously, the Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace will raise the corresponding complaints before the UN Security Council, the Secretary-General of that organization, CELAC, and the Non-Aligned Movement, demanding the condemnation and accountability of the US government. President Nicolás Maduro has ordered all national defense plans to be implemented at the appropriate time and under the appropriate circumstances, in strict adherence to the provisions of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Organic Law on States of Emergency, and the Organic Law on National Security. In this regard, President Nicolás Maduro has signed and ordered the implementation of the Decree declaring a state of External Disturbance throughout the national territory, to protect the rights of the population, the full functioning of republican institutions, and to immediately transition to armed struggle. The entire country must mobilize to defeat this imperialist aggression. Likewise, the immediate deployment of the Command for the Comprehensive Defense of the Nation and the Governing Bodies for Comprehensive Defense has been ordered in all states and municipalities of the country. In strict adherence to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, Venezuela reserves the right to exercise legitimate self-defense to protect its people, its territory, and its independence. We call upon the peoples and governments of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the world to mobilize in active solidarity against this imperialist aggression. As Supreme Commander Hugo Chávez Frías stated, “In the face of any new difficulties, however great they may be, the response of all patriots…is unity, struggle, battle, and victory.” Something else to watch for is the pushback regarding the constitutionality of an attack by the US, without a Congressional declaration of war, if that proves to be what is happening. Senator Mike Lee, for example, is already asking that question. In response to Nick Sortor’s reporting, which emphasized that President Trump ordered the strikes against Venezuelan military targets… (And which I still can not confirm!)… Sen. Lee indicated that he would be looking forward to hearing the constitutional argument for such an attack, if that’s indeed what is going on: I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force https://t.co/f5ackJn5Mi — Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026 With that in mind, Fox News just aired a segment emphasizing the foreign adversarial activities within Venezuela. That would include not only Iran, Russia and China, but also terror groups like Hezbollah. That could potentially become a key point going forward, if this does turn out to be a US attack, in terms of arguing the Constitutional authority of President Trump to order such an attack under the basis of a clear and present danger to the United States. Here’s that clip, which just aired from Fox News, even as the attacks are unfolding: NOW – Fox News pundit says the unconfirmed U.S. invasion of Venezuela is for national security against Hezbollah and Iran, as well as Russia and China. pic.twitter.com/nYBsX0Nwti — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 3, 2026 Meanwhile, I am seeing tons of reports attributing AMERICAN BOOTS ON THE GROUND to Reuters — which I also can not confirm at this time. Nick Sortor is just one of many who have reported that and attributed it to the Reuters News Agency on social media, though I can not currently find anywhere that Reuters has so far made that claim: BREAKING: U.S. troops ON THE GROUND in Venezuela along with U.S. Air Force assets overhead, per Reuters Virtually ALL US Air Force planes on the globe have now turned off their transponders. This isn’t over… pic.twitter.com/Ib1KraqLgX — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 3, 2026 But there is also footage being widely shared purporting to show US Chinooks operating over Caracas, blacked out — which are generally used to carry TROOPS into battle: Footage which appears to show U.S. Army CH-47G “Chinook” Special Operations Helicopters, likely with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), over the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/60DCRoTeFQ — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026   As I said early on, things are happening fast. There are also rumors that this could be cartel pushback against the Maduro regime, infighting among narco terrorists and the authorities. At the point of this report I still can not fully confirm who is actually attacking targets in Venezuela. Though the consensus across most media outlets is that it is in fact an American strike. Currently, the closest I can get to a confirmation is “unnamed officials” who have supposedly told Reuters that it is a US strike, being reported by The Guardian: The Reuters news agency says it has been told by a US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that the US carried out strikes inside Venezuela on Saturday. The unnamed official did not provide details. As mentioned earlier, the White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to request for comment on Saturday morning. The obvious answer would be that President Trump ordered the strikes — but so far, no official word has been forthcoming. One oddity that I am noticing, which Fox News just pointed out as well, is that there has been no videos or reports showing RETURN FIRE. In other words, whoever is attacking Venezuela is doing so without much pushback. Could that be because their defenses were taken “off-line” before hand?  Possibly. Here’s the moment Brent Sadler, a former US Navy Captain, discussed the strangeness of Venezuela’s apparent failure to counter-attack: BREAKING: Maduro was caught OFF GUARD and is POWERLESS against our forces. Their air defenses are FECKLESS against our equipment. This isn’t just some off-the-rip operation. We caught them sleeping, just as Trump and Hegseth planned to do. EXTREME. PREJUDICE! pic.twitter.com/YCc5sBcxuK — Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) January 3, 2026 I’m still looking for answers, and waiting on official confirmation from President Trump that this attack is — or isn’t — being conducted by the U.S. military. This is a developing story, and we will keep you up-to-date as the situation plays out.

After President Trump expanded immigration restrictions on third-world countries last month, the new ban has just officially gone into effect. The Department of Homeland Security announced that all immigration has been paused from 20 countries, primarily in Africa. That includes applications for visas and green cards, as well as asylum and citizenship. Here’s the map of countries that the ban applies to: BREAKING: Trump’s DHS halts immigration from 20 countries. pic.twitter.com/RZWYITmFSL — Leading Report (@LeadingReport) January 3, 2026 And, here’s the full list: Angola Antigua and Barbuda Benin Burundi Cote d’Ivoire Cuba Dominica Gabon The Gambia Malawi Mauritania Nigeria Senegal Tanzania Togo Tonga Turkmenistan Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe These 20 countries are in addition to President Trump’s original ban on 19 third-world countries. For reference, here’s the list of other countries that President Trump ordered a full immigration ban on: Afghanistan Burkina Faso Burma (Myanmar) Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Laos Libya Mali Niger Sierra Leone Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Yemen President Trump first imposed the ban after the horrific terror attack on National Guard members in November by an Afghan nation. NPR has more on the specifics: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, in a memo released Thursday, said it would pause the review of all pending applications for visas, green cards, citizenship or asylum from immigrants from the additional countries. The memo also outlines plans to re-review applications of immigrants from these countries as far back as 2021. The list, which is composed mostly of countries in Africa, includes Angola, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Last month, the Trump administration expanded the list of countries with travel restrictions to the U.S. from 19 to 39, plus the Palestinian Authority. The move comes as the administration is bringing sharper scrutiny of those who have followed legal steps to seek permanent status in the U.S. “USCIS remains dedicated to ensuring aliens from high-risk countries of concern who have entered the United States do not pose risks to national security or public safety,” the memo states as rational for the pause and reviews. “To faithfully uphold United States immigration law, the flow of aliens from countries with high overstay rates, significant fraud, or both must stop.” There are some exceptions outlined in the memo, including athletes and members of their teams competing in the World Cup and Olympics.