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U.S. seizes oil tanker off Venezuela coast

admin - Latest News - December 11, 2025
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President Trump announced the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast. Video showed an elite coast guard team boarding the vessel, executing what Attorney General Pam Bondi said was a “seizure warrant” issued by a judge. NBC News’ Garrett Haake reports.



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Dec. 10, 2025, 6:52 PM ESTBy Yasmin Vossoughian It’s hump day and rate cut day, so I tapped senior business correspondent Christine Romans to share her reporting from the briefing with Chairman Jermone Powell. Her takeaway? There seems to be no magic bullets for some of the economic issues affecting everyday people. But the Fed has to do something, so here we are. Though if you are visiting the U.S. from overseas, and you have some questionable social media posts, you may want to reconsider your travel plans. On Here’s The Scoop, I spoke with Julia Ainsley, who is reporting on a new social media policy that may affect many travelers coming to the States. Today’s newsletter was produced with senior editor Michelle Garcia. Let’s get into it. We hope you’ve enjoyed this free trial of our new subscriber-only newsletter. For full access, plus ad-free articles, podcasts and exclusive video briefings, become an NBC News subscriber.FIRST THINGS FIRST As expected, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates this afternoon by a quarter point, to help stabilize the softer labor market without stoking inflation. The members of the Fed are trying to thread quite a needle. “There is no risk-free path for policy as we navigate this tension between our employment and inflation goals,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in a news conference. “Our obligation is to make sure that a one time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem.”Is the math adding up?: The economic data that these decisions are usually based on is a little fuzzy this time around, thanks to the six-week government shutdown earlier this fall. The federal offices that chart key information, like the unemployment rate or the consumer price index, remained closed for the entirety of October. So today’s voting members of the Fed had to rely on alternative sources of data, which have indicated a slowing job market. JPMorgan Chase executive Marianne Lake told NBC News yesterday, “The data looks good, consumers look resilient, small businesses are resilient, but there’s less capacity to weather an incremental stress.”This is the third time the Fed has cut rates this year, and the decision was not unanimous, which is pretty unusual for this generally unified board. Two members wanted no cuts while Stephen Miran, on temporary leave from the White House, voted for a half-point cut.Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesWhy it matters: One of the Fed’s jobs is to steer us away from a terrible job market. One of the ways its board members do this is by adjusting interest rates up and down, making it cheaper or more expensive to borrow cash. Speaking of which, a rate cut is also likely to push down interest rates on loans for major purchases, like a car or a mortgage on a house. So if you happen to have enough money for a down payment on a house, this might be your time to strike. But Christine Romans, who was at the Fed news conference, asked Powell about whether this will help people looking to buy a house. Powell said he doesn’t expect immediate relief for homebuyers, since there are so many factors at play when it comes to the housing market. “The housing market faces some really significant challenges,” Powell told her. “I don’t know that a .25 basis point decline is going to make much of a difference for people. Housing supply is low.” (In fact, the nation’s housing market is so tough that the average age of the first-time homebuyer is 40, an all-time high. I like the idea of 40 being the new 30, but maybe not in this respect). There’s also the worries about inflation. While the president said last night in Pennsylvania that inflation is no longer a problem, the rate is at 2.8%, meaning things are still a little more expensive than they were a year ago — and above the Fed’s 2% target. The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index — another very cool, and obviously hip data set that the Fed uses as an inflation indicator — shows people’s spending has been relatively flat for the last few months. Even with the cut, the Fed is signaling caution around the persistence of inflation, which is why experts say it may not cut interest rates again anytime soon. Powell said today that the board is banking on inflation dropping down to 2.3% next year. He told Christine too that, with his term ending in May, he is focused on handing a strong economy and stable inflation over to his successor. INSIDE SCOOP The U.S. may require foreign tourists to share five years’ worth of social media history with the federal government before entering the country. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a 60-day notice in the Federal Register yesterday, requesting public comment on this plan, so it’s not final, and it could change. CBP said this potential change is in line with an executive order issued in January to collect information about foreign visitors applying through the U.S. Visa Waiver program. As part of this program, which applies to people from countries including the U.S., Japan, Australia and France, travelers would be asked to share email addresses from the last decade, telephone numbers, names and information of family members, and social media information. For more on this plan, I turned to senior Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley. BTW 🛢️ Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as the country continues to escalate military presence in South America. 🌍 During a rally in Pennsylvania on affordability, President Trump described Somalia as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” and asked why more people from Norway, Sweden and Denmark don’t migrate to the U.S. instead. 📚 Sophie Kinsella, the author of the bestselling “Shopaholic” novels died at age 55, just 18 months after revealing she had an aggressive form of brain cancer.🗳️ Eileen Higgins will be Miami’s first Democratic mayor in nearly three decades, boosting the national party before the midterm election cycle kicks off.💸 The Department of Education will end a major student loan repayment program launched by President Joe Biden. 👩🏼‍⚖️ An Army gynecologist has been criminally charged following an investigation into allegations that he secretly videotaped patients during exams, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said yesterday.⚽ Egypt and Iran are not pleased about being paired up for an LGBTQ Pride-themed match during a World Cup match scheduled in Seattle.✒️ In 2023, the State Department adopted Calibri, a typeface easier to read for some people with disabilities. State Secretary Marco Rubio ordered the return to the “more formal” Times New Roman, rejecting “immoral, radical, wasteful” diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives. 👠 Former “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah was released from federal prison today, more than four years early from her 6.5-year sentence. She leaves behind prison mates Ghislaine Maxwell and Elizabeth Holmes. Thanks for reading and if you’re a subscriber, see you tomorrow.Yasmin VossoughianYasmin Vossoughian is an NBC News correspondent.Michelle Garcia contributed.
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Dec. 6, 2025, 6:00 AM ESTBy Mithil AggarwalHONG KONG — As smoke quickly filled the corridors of a 31-story tower in Hong Kong last week, Rhodora Alcaraz found herself trapped alone with a 3-month-old baby.The 28-year-old migrant worker had arrived in the Chinese territory from the Philippines only a day earlier to work for a family living in a high-rise housing estate. When a massive fire ignited in the middle of the afternoon, tearing across seven of the estate’s eight buildings, Alcaraz shielded the baby in her arms and was rescued by firefighters just in time, along with her employer’s elderly mother.Hong Kong, an international financial hub of 7.5 million people, is home to hundreds of thousands of domestic helpers like Alcaraz, mostly women from low-income Asian countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.The bravery of Alcaraz and other domestic helpers during the Nov. 27 blaze at Wang Fuk Court in the northern district of Tai Po, which killed at least 159 people, has put a spotlight on the critical role they play in the city, where they work for low wages and often live in cramped homes alongside employers who heavily rely on them for housework and caregiving.At least 10 domestic helpers were killed in the fire, including nine from Indonesia and one from the Philippines.“We are truly grateful for their selflessness and also their heroic acts during the fire,” Chris Sun, Hong Kong’s secretary for labor and welfare, told reporters Tuesday.He added that families of the domestic helpers who died will receive about 800,000 Hong Kong dollars ($100,000) in condolence and compensation payments.Firefighters work Saturday outside one of the charred housing blocks at Wang Fuk Court.Philip Fong / AFP via Getty ImagesThe Tai Po fire, the deadliest in Hong Kong in almost 80 years, has shocked and angered the public amid accusations of corrupt business practices and failures in government oversight. Authorities say the rapid spread of the five-alarm fire was caused by the use of highly flammable materials around the buildings during renovations. Hong Kong’s top leader, John Lee, said this week that a judge-led independent committee would be set up to “review” the fire, which displaced thousands of people from their homes. Almost two dozen people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and fraud in separate investigations.Alcaraz was still recovering in the hospital and was seen wearing purple scrubs and a mask in a picture posted by Philippines Sen. Imee Marcos.“I salute you, Rhodora, and all overseas foreign workers who continue to sacrifice for their families even while far from home,” she said in a Facebook post Sunday after visiting Alcaraz in the hospital.While authorities and aid agencies announced several support measures for affected residents, including transitional housing and a donor-supported reconstruction fund that has raised about 2.8 billion Hong Kong dollars ($360 million), the fire creates additional uncertainty for domestic helpers, who live in Hong Kong on dedicated visas and are entitled to far fewer rights than a typical resident.A helper’s salary starts at about $650 a month.Even with an additional food allowance of about $160, they still earn below the minimum wage in Hong Kong, which at about $5.40 an hour amounts to $860 a month for a 40-hour workweek. They are also ineligible for permanent residency, which in most cases can be obtained by living in the city for seven years.Many domestic helpers are mothers themselves, sending most of their earnings to their children back home to support their education.“They have deep trauma now. Whenever they pass by the building, they always cry. Some had friends who died in that building,” said Sring Sringatin, a domestic helper in Hong Kong who is chair of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union.Sringatin said helpers from Wang Fuk Court were still residing with their employers, either in temporary shelters or alternative housing. Previously, they would often share a room with the family’s children. Now that their employers are homeless, accommodating helpers has become even more difficult, according to Sringatin and other aid workers who have met with affected helpers.Thick smoke and flames rose from Wang Fuk Court on Nov. 26.Tommy Wang / AFP – Getty ImagesIt is also unclear whether employers whose homes have been destroyed will be able to pay their salaries on time, even as the workers — who are so embedded with families that they often act as the primary caregivers to children and elderly relatives — continue providing care.“They just follow the families if there is care to be given,” said Johannie Tong, a community relations officer for the nonprofit group Mission for Migrant Workers.“It’s like a default for them. The disaster has happened, but they are still working. They don’t have this question, whether I should work,” said Tong, who visited some of the displaced workers over the past week in government-run temporary shelters that journalists could not access.Before the fire, workers got little time to themselves. In most cases they worked six days a week, meeting fellow workers on Sundays at parks and other public places to sing karaoke, do each other’s nails or enjoy picnics. Now they are not only traumatized, but they may also be facing more pressure at work and feeling isolated at a time when they are far away from their families, Tong and Sringatin said.The fire, which killed at least 159 people, has shocked and angered Hong Kong.Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images“They are trying their best to perform their duties, but at the same time they need to be strong, because as a domestic worker there is this feeling that they don’t have anyone in here,” Sringatin said.Tong said her charity was trying to determine what kind of long-term help workers might need, including immigration assistance or support for their families back home. In the short term, she said, there are ample donations at their center in Hong Kong’s Jordan neighborhood, where workers on Monday were sorting through clothes, toiletries, medicines and more.Mission for Migrant Workers said it had obtained a SIM card for Alcaraz to use to communicate with her family back in the Philippines.“Since she hasn’t recovered her voice yet, she just gave a thumbs-up and smiled to express her joy and appreciation,” the charity said Wednesday.Mithil AggarwalMithil Aggarwal is a Hong Kong-based reporter/producer for NBC News.
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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleNov. 5, 2025, 12:34 PM ESTBy Bracey HarrisGeorge Barnett’s work as a small-town pastor means folks probably won’t challenge him when he tells of the day he picked up a hunting rifle and took aim at an escaped rhesus monkey in rural Mississippi.What started as a routine visit to his mom’s house in Vossburg on Monday is now the latest chapter in the not-so-tall tale that captivated much of the state, after a transport of research primates overturned in Jasper County just before Halloween. Barnett’s wife spotted the runaway monkey as a blur of fur crossing near a highway exit ramp late Monday afternoon. Once in the woods, it scampered into a tree and flashed its teeth. Barnett, 45, grabbed his rifle and fired twice, he said, sending the animal crashing to the ground. “As soon as I saw it, the only thing I thought about was, ‘What if this thing attacks one of those people that I grew up with, or my children,’” Barnett said.George and Kerri Barnett.Courtesy George BarnettThe monkey was one of three escapees from last week’s accident, when a truck crashed while carrying 21 primates from the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center near New Orleans. Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands. On Sunday, Jessica Bond Ferguson opened fire after her 16-year-old son saw a monkey outside their home near Heidelberg, killing the animal. “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” she told The Associated Press.That leaves one runaway still missing, according to the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, which warned that it may be aggressive. Residents’ fears were partly driven by incorrect information that circulated just after the crash, when the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office warned that the monkeys carried diseases, including Covid, hepatitis C and herpes. Authorities killed five of the monkeys near the crash scene based on those concerns, which turned out to be false, Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said.He confirmed the latest monkey shooting on Monday. Tulane clarified after the crash that the monkeys “had not been exposed to any infectious agents” and sent a team to assist. Thirteen of the monkeys reached their planned destination last week, according to the university. Animals rights organizations, like PETA, said the accident highlighted the plight of animals used in research and called for more transparency, including the release of the monkeys’ veterinary records.On Monday, PreLabs, a biomedical research company, said the monkeys were theirs.“We are cooperating with authorities and reviewing all safety procedures to ensure the continued wellbeing of both the animals and the community,” the statement said.The company did not respond to questions from NBC News.On Oct. 28, a truck carrying rhesus monkeys from Tulane University crashed in Mississippi.Jasper County Sheriff’s DepartmentKristen Moore, director of wildlife for the Hattiesburg Zoo, said she understands the worries, but she hopes the public will heed officials’ advice to stay clear of the last monkey. The primates, native to Asia, generally prefer running away over attacking.And for those wondering, they’re typically herbivores. So, pets should be OK.“If you have a cat, they’re not going to chase that,” she said.Barnett initially thought his wife, Kerri, was joking when she pointed out the furry creature running across the road shortly after 4 p.m. Monday. They had just taken the exit to his mother’s house, with their two young sons in the car.“Babe, there’s one of those monkeys,” he recalled Kerri saying.She was right. “This monkey was just walking across the street,” Barnett said. “Almost like he owned the neighborhood.”One day earlier, Barnett was getting ready for church when he heard about Ferguson’s story.Now, he was dialing 911 to report his own sighting in Vossburg, about 100 miles east of the state’s capital.“We just saw one of the monkeys right off Exit 118,” he told the dispatcher, according to a recording obtained by NBC News. “It’s sitting on the side of the road right off the exit.”Barnett’s 7- and 8-year-old boys in the backseat became hysterical. Normally they love playing outside at their grandmother’s, but they’d been staying indoors the past few days while the primates were on the loose.Barnett dropped his children off at his mom’s, grabbed a rifle and headed back.He walked into the woods, where the monkey had taken refuge in a tree.An experienced squirrel and deer hunter, he estimates the animal was 35 to 40 pounds. (Generally, the monkeys are 17 to 20 pounds, Moore said.) After he took two shots, the monkey dropped to the ground and took off, he said. Barnett didn’t chase after it.George Barnett, shown with his wife, Kerri, said he usually hunts squirrel and deer. Courtesy of George BarnettTwo men in a white truck who Barnett believes were with a transport company soon arrived. They tried to track the monkey based on a trail of blood, then got an assist from a drone that could detect the animal’s body heat, Kerri said. It was dark by the time a worker emerged with the deceased primate.Kerri documented the night on Facebook Live. The videos drew some pushback interspersed with praise, but Barnett believes he made the right choice. Most critics weren’t locals.“They’re not close around here, so they don’t have that fear,” he said.Meanwhile, he said he’s heard from congregants at his church in Buckatunna, about 40 miles away, who were excited about his adventure. He’s anticipating some questions at Wednesday night’s Bible study. Back in Heidelberg, a short distance from the accident site, Mayor Robert Barnett (no relation to George) said online jokes about the apocalypse have been circulating among the town’s roughly 600 residents. Crews in protective equipment have been spotted on the area’s highways. The mayor noted lightly there’s no quarantine in effect — he doesn’t want locals to be afraid or visitors to stay away.“I hated it happened in this type of way,” he said, “but at least people know about Heidelberg right now.” Bracey HarrisBracey Harris is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Jackson, Mississippi.
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