Morning news brief

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the navy to escort ships carrying oil-based products out of port, directly challenging the blockade imposed by the Trump administration. This move signals a potential escalation in tensions between Venezuela and the United States, particularly following the recent seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by U.S. forces.

The Department of Justice is reportedly working to redact sensitive information from thousands of pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, ahead of a deadline to release these files. This effort comes as Democratic lawmakers, led by Congressman Robert Garcia, threaten to release additional photographs from Epstein's estate if the deadline is not met.

President Trump has granted federal workers an unprecedented five-day holiday break by signing an order for additional days off on December 24 and 26, marking a significant departure from the usual single-day holiday grants. This decision is seen as a rare bonus for federal employees during the Christmas season.

Top Senate Republicans have urged President Trump to permit Ukraine to utilize approximately $5 billion in frozen Russian assets in the U.S. for purchasing American weapons, as the Kremlin continues to oppose the White House's peace initiatives aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

President Trump signed an executive order to reclassify marijuana for legitimate medical uses, transitioning it from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. This move is part of a broader legislative agenda as he prepares to sign a significant Defense funding bill passed by Congress.

A deadly ambush by ISIS in Palmyra, Syria, resulted in the deaths of two U.S. Army soldiers and one civilian interpreter, marking a significant escalation in U.S. military involvement in the region. This incident has raised questions about the future of U.S.-Syria relations and the effectiveness of current strategies against ISIS.

Jeffry Schneider, a conspirator in the GPB Capital fraud case, has requested clemency from the trial judge, citing President Trump's recent commutation of co-conspirator David Gentile's six-year sentence as a precedent for his own appeal.

A recent Fox News poll indicates that 86% of voters are concerned about rising healthcare costs, while former President Trump's health approval rating stands at a low 37%, highlighting a significant bipartisan anxiety regarding healthcare affordability.