Month: January 2026

U.S. forces seized a sixth oil tanker tied to Venezuelan oil shipments during a pre-dawn operation Thursday, continuing the Trump administration’s stepped-up enforcement campaign in the Caribbean. The vessel, Motor Tanker Veronica, was taken without incident as part of Operation Southern Spear, according to U.S. Southern Command and the Department of Homeland Security.

Southern Command said Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to intercept the tanker. “Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from [the aircraft carrier] USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident,” the command said in a social media post. It added, “The Veronica is the largest tanker operating in defiance of President [Donald] Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” and emphasized that “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the operation, saying a Coast Guard tactical team carried out the boarding. “Early this morning, a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn boarding and seizure of Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean,” Noem said, noting the ship had “previously passed through Venezuelan waters” and was operating in violation of U.S. sanctions. Video released by U.S. officials shows helicopters hovering above the vessel as troops fast-roped onto its deck.

The Veronica is the largest tanker seized so far and the latest in a series of interdictions targeting what U.S. officials describe as a “ghost fleet” used to move oil from sanctioned countries. Last week alone, U.S. forces seized three other tankers — the Russian-flagged Marinera in the North Atlantic, along with the Olina and Sophia in the Caribbean.

The seizures come amid broader U.S. efforts to control Venezuela’s oil exports and revenues. Administration officials have said the U.S. is selling the oil cargos taken from the vessels, completing an initial sale worth $500 million and planning additional transactions in the coming weeks. The White House has outlined a strategy to market tens of millions of barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil, with proceeds overseen by the U.S. government.

Officials framed Thursday’s operation as both a legal enforcement action and a warning. Noem said the repeated seizures demonstrate that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice,” while Southern Command described the interdiction as further proof of the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear.

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Federal prosecutors have charged 26 men in a sweeping alleged point-shaving operation that authorities say compromised at least 29 college basketball games and involved players from 17 Division I programs, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Investigators allege more than 39 current and former college players participated in or attempted to influence games during the 2023-24, 2024-25 and current seasons. Schools named include Tulane, Buffalo, DePaul, Eastern Michigan, New Orleans, Kennesaw State, La Salle, Nicholls State, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Coppin State, Fordham, North Carolina A&T, Northwestern State and Robert Morris. Additional programs were identified as being affected, including Butler, Georgetown, Kent State, Ohio and others.

At the center of the case are non-athletes Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, who prosecutors say orchestrated the scheme alongside several co-conspirators. Both men were previously charged in a separate federal gambling case tied to the NBA. The group faces charges including bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud, conspiracy and aiding and abetting.

According to the indictment, the operation began overseas in 2022 by manipulating Chinese Basketball Association games. Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney, then with the Jiangsu Dragons, allegedly accepted bribes to underperform and helped recruit teammates. Prosecutors say the group later expanded the scheme to NCAA games, focusing largely on mid- and low-major programs and targeting first-half or full-game point spreads.

Federal authorities allege players were offered between $10,000 and $30,000 per game, often paid in cash, and that multiple players on the same team were sometimes recruited to ensure bets succeeded. Wagers were placed across numerous sportsbooks to avoid detection, though betting activity totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars on individual games quickly raised red flags.

Four active players are named in the indictment: Kennesaw State’s Simeon Cottle, Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Hart, Delaware State’s Camian Shell and Nicholls State’s Oumar Koureissi. Former New Orleans players Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavion Short, who were previously sanctioned by the NCAA, are also among those charged.

U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described the case as an unprecedented breach of competitive integrity, stating, “This was a massive scheme that enveloped the world of college basketball,” and added that it represented “a significant and rampant corruption of college athletics.”

The NCAA said the allegations largely align with its own findings. President Charlie Baker emphasized the organization’s ongoing efforts, saying, “Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA,” and noted that many of the teams and players cited had already been under investigation. Baker said the NCAA has examined approximately 40 student-athletes from 20 schools over the past year, permanently banning 11 players and continuing to cooperate with law enforcement.

Prosecutors allege the defendants deliberately targeted players with limited NIL earning potential and teams more likely to miss betting lines, calling the scheme one of the largest gambling conspiracies ever uncovered in college sports if proven in court.

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The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that it will temporarily stop processing immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tighten standards for who may permanently enter the United States. The announcement from the State Department was first reported by Fox News,

The suspension, set to begin Jan. 21, applies only to immigrant visas for people seeking to live permanently in the U.S. Officials said the pause will not affect non-immigrant visas, including those for tourists, students, temporary workers, or visitors attending major sporting events such as the World Cup. However, applicants from some countries may still face hurdles if other travel restrictions apply.

The countries affected by the immigrant visa suspension include: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

According to the State Department, the move is tied to a review of how immigration officials determine whether an applicant is likely to rely on public assistance. Long-standing immigration law bars entry to individuals deemed likely to become a “public charge,” but the administration is working to formalize and broaden how that standard is applied.  A post on social media read: “The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”

Officials said consular officers have been instructed to halt processing while procedures are reassessed. “The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a separate statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”

The action follows guidance issued in November by the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that expanded how officers evaluate whether an applicant could become dependent on government aid. Under the proposal, officials would weigh factors such as age, health, finances, education, job skills, family situation, English proficiency, and any past or potential use of benefits, including Medicaid, SNAP, CHIP, and even some non-cash programs. The threshold for denying applications was also lowered.

Officials said the pause will remain in place until the government determines that new immigrant admissions from the affected countries meet the revised standards.

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Denmark and Greenland remain firmly opposed to President Trump’s push to bring Greenland under U.S. control, despite what Danish officials described as direct but respectful talks with senior members of the Trump administration at the White House.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Wednesday that discussions with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials were “frank but also constructive,” though they failed to resolve what he called a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland’s future. Rasmussen said the meeting was requested by Denmark in an effort to challenge Washington’s narrative and lower tensions.

Rasmussen told reporters:“There is clearly a disagreement. e agree that it makes sense to try to sit down on a high level to explore whether there are possibilities to accommodate the concerns of the president while we at the same time respect the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark .. Whether that is doable, I don’t know,” but said he hoped the process could “take down the temperature.”

Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, echoed that position, saying closer cooperation with Washington does not mean surrendering sovereignty. “It’s never been more important to strengthen ties with the United States, but that doesn’t mean that we want to be owned by the United States.”

President Trump has repeatedly said the mineral-rich Arctic island is critical to U.S. national security and has refused to rule out using force to acquire it, alarming European allies and raising fears of a deeper fracture within NATO. On Wednesday, Trump again tied Greenland to his planned missile defense initiative, writing on Truth Social: “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – Not even close! They know that, and so do I. NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable.”

Ahead of the meeting, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen made clear that they have no interest in joining the United States. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. Greenland will not be part of the USA,” he said, adding, “If we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.” Asked about Nielsen’s remarks, Trump responded dismissively, saying, “I don’t know who he is. Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”

While no breakthrough was reached, the parties agreed to form a high-level working group that will meet in the coming weeks to explore whether cooperation on Arctic security can move forward without crossing Denmark’s red lines. Rasmussen stressed that any demand involving U.S. ownership or political control of Greenland is “totally unacceptable,” adding that Denmark and Greenland remain open to dialogue but resolute on sovereignty. “It is not easy to think innovatively about solutions when you wake up every morning to different threats,” Rasmussen said, underscoring just how far apart the two sides remain.

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