By Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — An oil and chemical tanker sanctioned by the United States has entered Venezuelan waters, ship tracking data showed, despite US President Donald Trump declaring a “total and complete blockade” of such vessels transiting the country.

The Gambia-flagged ship, named the Hyperion, was seen near a refinery off Venezuela’s Amuay Bay on Friday after sailing through the Caribbean, according to ship tracking data.

The ship had been sanctioned by the US on January 10, 2025, as part of efforts to reduce Russian revenues from energy.

CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.

Venezuela slammed the blockade earlier this week, calling it “a reckless and serious threat.” It said it would continue to defend its sovereignty and national interests.

Trump ordered the blockade after the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast last week.

Blockades are considered an act of war under some international treaties.

Last week, the US announced sanctions on shipping companies and vessels it says help move Venezuelan oil. Three nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, as well as another Maduro-affiliated businessman were also named in the sanctions list.

The US imposed additional sanctions Friday on other Maduro family members, including his sister-in-law.

The sanctions are part of a monthslong pressure campaign against the Venezuelan government. The US has carried out deadly military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific and mounted economic pressure against Caracas as part of what it has described as a war against drug trafficking.

Maduro has said that the US is seeking regime change along with ownership of Venezuela’s territory and resources. The US has resisted that characterization, accusing Maduro of being illegitimate and a narco-trafficker.

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CNN’s Avery Schmitz contributed to this report.

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Por Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español

Los hondureños votaron el 30 de noviembre para elegir a un nuevo presidente, pero a 19 días de los comicios aún no saben quién gobernará el país después de que la presidenta Xiomara Castro termine su mandato.

El conteo de votos ha avanzado con lentitud desde el mismo cierre de casillas, una situación que el Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) atribuyó a fallas técnicas en el sistema para procesar la información.

Frente a la incertidumbre y las críticas, el CNE también recordó entonces que la ley le da un plazo de 30 días para dar a conocer los resultados oficiales.

A casi tres semanas de que se realizaron las votaciones y mientras existe apenas una estrecha diferencia entre los dos candidatos punteros, Nasry “Tito” Asfura y Salvador Nasralla —ambos de derecha—, el CNE comenzó el jueves un escrutinio especial de 2.792 actas con inconsistencias, un proceso que algunos observadores consideran que puede resultar decisivo para saber a favor de quién se inclinará la balanza.

Hasta las 8:30 pm et de este viernes, con el 99,84 % de las actas computadas, Asfura encabeza la contienda. El candidato del Partido Nacional, respaldado por el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, tiene el 40,24 % de los votos. En tanto, Nasralla, del Partido Liberal, cuenta con el 39,65 %. La diferencia por ahora es de solamente 19.544 papeletas.

En este contexto, Nasralla pidió este viernes que el escrutinio especial se amplíe a otras 8.845 urnas pues, según dijo en su cuenta de X, los números que se han publicado hasta ahora “no corresponden a la voluntad del pueblo hondureño”.

Bajo esta misma línea, durante una entrevista con el programa Conclusiones, de CNN, realizada la semana pasada, Nasralla denunció la existencia de un posible fraude y pidió un recuento voto por voto. Días después, el CNE respondió que la ley no lo faculta para llevar a cabo un recuento de este tipo.

Asfura no ha emitido pronunciamientos este viernes. Fue su partido el que dijo en X que sus candidatos a alcaldes que ganaron el cargo en los comicios del 30 de noviembre cierran filas con su abanderado y con lo que ya perfilan como un triunfo.

“Nuestros alcaldes defienden cada acta, cada voto y la voluntad del pueblo hondureño, convencidos de que con Papi habrá desarrollo, respeto y apoyo para los 298 municipios del país, sin exclusiones. El Partido Nacional está unido, firme y organizado. La voluntad del pueblo hondureño se respeta”, señaló la formación política.

Mientras el escrutinio avanza, Ana Paola Hall, una de las consejeras del CNE, dijo este viernes que el órgano se mantiene en comunicación con las Fuerzas Armadas para el resguardo del proceso y pidió que todos los actores políticos respeten las tareas aún en marcha.

“Esperamos que el resto de la institucionalidad del país, también actúe bajo el mandato constitucional y legal que les corresponde. ¡Honduras es primero!”, dijo Hall en X.

Un día antes, la presidenta Xiomara Castro señaló en un acto público que, a pesar de lo que llamó “difíciles circunstancias”, respetará el resultado y a quien el CNE declare ganador, con lo que a partir de ese momento comenzará una “transición pacífica” para que el nuevo Gobierno arranque funciones en 2026.

Previamente, la mandataria Read more

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Susan Garcia of Santa Maria is the lucky winner of this year's News Channel 3-12 Holiday Giveaway.

"It's like winning the lotto especially when you don't win anything," said Garcia after picking up her winnings at the News Channel 3-12 Santa Maria station on Friday. "It was a surprise. I am so excited and I am appreciative that I was the winner and I was chosen."

The annual contest has been held for the past several years by the station.

This year, 16 local businesses contributed to the grand prize package of gift cards or certificates that totaled an impressive $3,400.

"It was such a big surprise to see the different sponsors that gave so much," said Garcia. "I just could not believe that."

Participating businesses included Rio Vista Chevrolet, V. Lopez Junior and Sons General Electrical Contractors, Auer Real Estate, Mario Juarez Attorney at Law, The Yes Store, Santa Barbara Museum of History, La Sumida Nursery, Lemos Pet and Feed Supply, California Fresh Market, Flooring 101, Diamond Jewelry and Loan, Santa Barbara Loan and Jewelry, Anthony's Jewelers, Ensemble Theatre Company, Westmont College and Jedlicka's Western Wear.

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By MJ Lee, Devan Cole, CNN

(CNN) — The Justice Department’s partial release of its files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday marked a moment of triumph for Epstein survivor Maria Farmer and her sister Annie, who have said for years that Maria had filed one of the first complaints against Epstein in the 1990s.

An FBI document released Friday included a 1996 description of a criminal complaint against Epstein related to child pornography.

While the name of the complainant is redacted in the document, Maria Farmer’s lawyer, Jennifer Freeman, confirmed on CNN that the complaint was in fact made by her client.

The “facts of complaint” part of the document says that the woman — who describes herself as a professional artist — had taken photos of her underage sisters for her own personal artwork.

“Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers,” the document reads. “Epstein at one time requested (redacted) to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools.” It continued: “Epstein is now threatening (redacted) that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down.”

Hours after the DOJ’s partial release of the Epstein files, it was not clear whether Farmer’s triumph would end up being an exception in the broader world of Epstein survivors.

Multiple sources close to the survivors told CNN described frustration as they struggled to navigate the DOJ’s public “Epstein Library” in search of information about their own abuse and cases. It was a disappointment for a group that had waited anxiously for 30 days since the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act for the chance to search for information about their own experiences.

With the DOJ’s online search system challenging to navigate, sources said survivors had not had much luck in coming across validating information about their years-old experiences.

Epstein survivor Jess Michaels spent hours trying to find her victims’ statement and communication she had after she called the FBI tip line.

“I can’t find any of those,” she told CNN. “Is this the best that the government can do? Even an act of Congress isn’t getting us justice.”

Freeman had previously told CNN that Maria Farmer’s original complaint was one of the key documents she would be searching for when the DOJ’s Epstein files were released.

She said Friday evening that she is looking for more information from the files, including what the authorities did in response to Farmer’s complaint, when and why.

“Why didn’t they act to stop this?” Freeman said in an email to CNN.

What authorities did in response to the complaint is unclear. CNN has reached out to the FBI for comment.

The complaint, stamped September 3, 1996, underscores the fact that Epstein had been on the radar of law enforcement years before federal and state charges were brought against him in New York and Florida.

In a statement provided by the law firm representing Maria Farmer, the Epstein accuser said the FBI had “failed” her and other victims over the years.

Farmer’s sister, Annie, has previously said she was 16 when Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell abused her.

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