By Kevin Liptak, Donald Judd, CNN

West Palm Beach, Florida (CNN) — President Donald Trump said Monday the US remains in active pursuit of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, more than 24 hours after the chase began, while repeating his threats against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“It’s moving along and we’ll end up getting it,” Trump told CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg during remarks in Palm Beach.

He said the ship “came from the wrong location, it came out of Venezuela,” though the vessel — called Bella 1 — was in fact sailing toward Venezuela when the US Coast Guard attempted to interdict it.

The US has intercepted two other tankers off the coast of Venezuela this month. Those interdictions have come amid a massive US naval buildup in the Caribbean Sea as Trump applies pressure on Maduro, including attempts to cut off his oil revenues.

Trump on Monday declined to answer a question about his endgame in Venezuela, even as he again raised the threat of land strikes and said it’d be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

“There’s no answer. He can do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada — the biggest we’ve ever had, and the biggest we’ve ever had in South America,” Trump said. “He can do whatever he wants. It’s all right, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’d be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”

Pressed on whether he’s trying to force Maduro from power, Trump added, “Well, I think it probably would. I can’t tell that,” adding: “That’s up to him what he wants to do. I think it’d be smart for him to do that.”

Trump – who last week ordered a “complete” blockade of sanctioned tankers going in and out of Venezuela – noted the US will keep oil seized during the interdiction of oil tankers in the Caribbean, leaving the door open to adding it to the US’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

“We’re going to keep it,” Trump said.

“Maybe we’ll use it in the Strategic Reserves – we’re keeping it. We’re keeping the ships also,” he added.

Trump also said he had spoken to American oil companies who have had their assets seized about what a post-Maduro Venezuela would look like.

American officials view the Bella 1 as part of the shadow fleet that transports oil from sanctioned nations, and a warrant had been issued for its seizure. Trump noted Monday that the vessel was sanctioned as he discussed the attempts to stop it.

On Saturday, the US Coast Guard intercepted the Centuries tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. A White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, said it was carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, though the ship itself did not appear on a list of sanctioned vessels.

The US seized a large oil tanker called the Skipper, which had been under sanctions for its ties to Iran, on December 10.

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The post Trump says US remains in pursuit of oil tanker and i

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump bemoaned Monday the potential reputational damage inflicted on people who appear in photos released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which he insisted were only made public because of an effort to distract from his accomplishments.

The comments mark the first time Trump has addressed the files since his Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of them on Friday pursuant to a new law compelling them to do so. The measure cleared both the House and Senate with support from all but one Republican and Trump signed it into law; his administration had previously said it did not plan to release any more Epstein materials after a thorough review.

“A lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein. But they’re in a picture with him because he was at a party, and you ruined a reputation of somebody,” Trump said during an event in the library at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach club that he claims to have ejected Epstein from in the early 2000s.

“A lot of people are very angry that this continues. A lot of Republicans,” he said, claiming the issue was meant to “deflect against a tremendous success.”

Trump has long sought to downplay his own connection to Epstein – noting, as he did Monday, the two had a falling out years ago – and he has previously warned that releasing files might be unfairly damaging to those referenced in them. He notably said at Mar-a-Lago he even “hated” to see so many photos of former President Bill Clinton contained in the latest batch of documents released by the Justice Department. Clinton has never been charged with any crimes or accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein; one of the most publicized images in the DOJ release last week was a picture of Clinton in a hot tub with his arms folded behind his head. Beside him is a person whose faced is redacted.

“I think Bill Clinton’s a big boy. He can handle it,” Trump said.

A representative of Clinton, meanwhile, shared a statement Monday before Trump’s remarks calling on the Justice Department to “immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton.”

“Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation – using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties,” said the spokesperson, Angel Ureña, in a statement posted on X.

The Justice Department is facing criticism from survivors of Epstein’s sexual abuse and lawmakers on Capitol Hill over how it has released materials from its investigation of the convicted sex offender. Though the law required the department to make public “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials,” officials did not do so on the Friday deadline, instead releasing a first tranche of files. Lawmakers of both parties said that was unacceptable, with some indicating they would explore legal action. Survivors asserted that the disclosures were incomplete and improperly redacted.

The department has said lawyers will work in the coming weeks to make redactions to protect victims and alleviate other possible concerns.

As for the photos of himself contained in the Epstein files, Trump shrugged off

CNN

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump bemoaned Monday the potential reputational damage inflicted on people who appear in photos released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which he insisted were only made public because of an effort to distract from his accomplishments.

The comments mark the first time Trump has addressed the files since his Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of them on Friday pursuant to a new law compelling them to do so. The measure cleared both the House and Senate with support from all but one Republican and Trump signed it into law; his administration had previously said it did not plan to release any more Epstein materials after a thorough review.

“A lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein. But they’re in a picture with him because he was at a party, and you ruined a reputation of somebody,” Trump said during an event in the library at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach club that he claims to have ejected Epstein from in the early 2000s.

“A lot of people are very angry that this continues. A lot of Republicans,” he said, claiming the issue was meant to “deflect against a tremendous success.”

Trump has long sought to downplay his own connection to Epstein – noting, as he did Monday, the two had a falling out years ago – and he has previously warned that releasing files might be unfairly damaging to those referenced in them. He notably said at Mar-a-Lago he even “hated” to see so many photos of former President Bill Clinton contained in the latest batch of documents released by the Justice Department. Clinton has never been charged with any crimes or accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein; one of the most publicized images in the DOJ release last week was a picture of Clinton in a hot tub with his arms folded behind his head. Beside him is a person whose faced is redacted.

“I think Bill Clinton’s a big boy. He can handle it,” Trump said.

A representative of Clinton, meanwhile, shared a statement Monday before Trump’s remarks calling on the Justice Department to “immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton.”

“Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation – using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties,” said the spokesperson, Angel Ureña, in a statement posted on X.

The Justice Department is facing criticism from survivors of Epstein’s sexual abuse and lawmakers on Capitol Hill over

Por Iván Pérez Sarmenti, CNN en Español

El argentino Rafael Grossi, director general de Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), quiere ser el próximo secretario general de las Naciones Unidas “porque es muy importante rescatar el papel del organismo en un mundo afectado por fragmentación, guerras, conflictos y graves peligros”, según dijo este lunes en una entrevista con CNN en Buenos Aires, momentos antes de la presentación oficial de su postulación por parte del Gobierno de Argentina.

El diplomático, de 61 años, se define como un “multilateralista convencido” que ha dedicado su vida a la diplomacia y dirige ahora la agencia de la ONU encargada de velar por la seguridad nuclear y la no proliferación. “Ahora, como director del OIEA, que es una de las instituciones más importantes de la familia de organismos internacionales, hemos estado involucrados en una serie de crisis internacionales con un impacto bastante efectivo y esto me llevó a creer que, en este punto, cuando la institución básica, la institución madre, se encuentra en una encrucijada, podemos hacer una contribución. Estoy convencido de que puedo hacerlo”, afirma.

El sucesor del portugués Antonio Guterres se elegirá en 2026, para asumir el 1 de enero de 2027. El último latinoamericano al frente de las Naciones Unidas fue el expresidente peruano Javier Pérez de Cuellar, entre 1982 y 1991, y muchos señalan que en la ONU existe la costumbre no escrita de rotar las regiones. Si eso se cumpliera, de América Latina debería salir la nueva conducción del organismo.

En ese sentido, en la región Grossi enfrenta al menos dos adversarias, acorde con las voces que reclaman que una mujer conduzca la ONU. La dos veces presidenta de Chile y ex alta comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos Michelle Bachelet y la ex vicepresidenta segunda de Costa Rica y actual directora de la Agencia para el Comercio y el Desarrollo Rebeca Grynspan fueron propuesta para el cargo

-Hay muchos que creen que ya es momento de que una mujer lidere la ONU. ¿Cree que esto podría afectar su candidatura?

-Hay quienes creen eso. Mi impresión es que, cuando se trata de una elección para un cargo, ya sea a nivel internacional o nacional, todo pasa por seleccionar a la persona adecuada para el puesto. Puede ser un hombre, puede ser una mujer también. En este caso, tenemos candidatas mujeres distinguidas, por lo que creo que este principio de igualdad entre hombres y mujeres, que al final del día es lo que importa, estará muy bien contemplado. Pero la idea de que tenemos que elegir a una mujer, no importa quién, no me parece que esté tomando este proceso con la seriedad que merece. Puede ser una mujer. Puede ser un hombre. Vayamos por la mejor persona que pueda cumplir este rol crucial para la paz y la seguridad internacionales.

-¿Cómo puede la ONU recuperar credibilidad después de todas las críticas recibidas por parte de algunos Estados miembros, como Estados Unidos e Israel? ¿Estas críticas están justificadas?

-No sé si están justificadas o no, pero existen y están ahí. Son de Estados Unidos e Israel, como usted mencionó, y hay otros que se lo están cuestionando. Incluso iría un poco más allá y le preguntaría a usted: si le pregunta a su entorno, a sus amigos, a sus seres queridos, ¿qué piensan de la ONU? No creo que vaya a recibir una respuesta especialmente elogiosa. Probablemente la gente diga: bueno, es una buena idea, pero en realidad no está funcionando muy bien. Entonces creo que, especialmente cuando vemos a las naciones más influyentes del mundo diciendo que esto no está funcionando bien, tenemos que detenernos y escuchar, independientemente de que estemos o no de acuerdo.

Yo creo que la ONU, de alguna manera, olvidó la premisa inicial sobre la cual fue creada: velar por la paz y la seguridad internacionales. Hay otras áreas muy importantes —el trabajo hu

By Kevin Dotson, CNN

(CNN) — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf has been given a two-game suspension without pay after an altercation between the first-year Steeler and a fan at Ford Field in Detroit, the NFL announced Monday.

The incident between the two was captured on CBS’s broadcast of the Pittsburgh-Detroit game on Sunday.

The punishment could result in Metcalf missing the Steelers’ final games of the regular season as the team pursues its first AFC North division title since 2020. Metcalf has elected to appeal the league’s decision, according to multiple media reports.

It’s unclear what prompted the incident, but CBS cameras showed Metcalf appearing to grab the collar of the fan’s shirt as the fan leaned over the railing of the front row. Metcalf then took a swipe at the fan, though it’s unclear if he actually hit the individual.

CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson said during the game, “I was watching it. (Metcalf) came over because the fan in the stands was holding a ‘4’ Pittsburgh jersey,” referring to Metcalf’s jersey number.

“He went over and the fan said something to him,” Wolfson continued. “Obviously, Metcalf did not like what he said, and you saw the swipe there. No Steelers came over to him and mentioned anything.”

Metcalf did not speak to the media after the Steelers’ 29-24 victory over the Lions.

In a statement Monday, the league said the discipline was due to “conduct detrimental to the NFL for initiating a physical confrontation with a fan during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions,” which constitutes a violation of league rules.

League policy states, “players may not enter the stands or otherwise confront fans at any time on game day and…if a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any way that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd-control issues and/or risk of injury, he will be held accountable.”

CNN has reached out to the Steelers for comment on the situation.

If the two-game suspension is upheld, Metcalf would miss the Steelers’ Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns on December 28 and their Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens on January 4. Pittsburgh needs to win one of those two games to clinch the division crown.

In 15 games played this season, Metcalf has 59 receptions for 850 yards and six touchdowns.

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