U.S. Readies Major Escalation Against Europe's Top Tech Firms

Trump declares Venezuelan oil tanker blockade

U.S. prepares major EU tech company fines

Norman Podhoretz dead at 95

The blockade targets all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers entering or leaving the country, aiming to stop the Maduro regime from using oil revenues to fund terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other criminal activity.

Trump announced the U.S. has already seized the oil tanker Skipper, which was transporting roughly 200,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil in defiance of sanctions.

The Skipper’s cargo is valued at $60–100 million, and U.S. forces have carried out at least 22 strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats near Venezuela since September, killing 87 traffickers.

Brent crude futures are up $1.41, or 2.4%, at $60.33 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.42, or 2.6%, to $56.69 a barrel.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Labor data show all net U.S. job gains over the past year accruing to native-born Americans, with 2.6 million positions added while foreign-born employment edged lower. (BN)

National average gasoline prices are projected to fall to $2.79 per gallon on Christmas Day, the lowest level in five years. (GB)

Bessent credited mass deportations with driving down apartment rents by 1.1% year-over-year and 5.2% from their 2022 peak. (X)

U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 64,000 in November, exceeding expectations, with the unemployment rate edging up to 4.6%. (FBN)

Trump will interview Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller for the central bank's chairmanship on Wednesday. (WSJ)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: TD Cowen analyst Ritu Baral highlighted Insmed, Praxis Precision Medicines, and Palvella Therapeutics as biotech stocks to watch, citing upcoming approvals and launches for underserved lung and neurological conditions. (BBG)

Infrastructure Capital Advisors' Jay Hatfield highlighted Cheniere Energy and Targa Resources as top energy infrastructure picks, positioned to capitalize on surging natural gas demand from LNG exports and data centers. (BBG)

MarketBeat spotlighted three underrated robotics stocks—Stereotaxis, Knightscope, and PROCEPT BioRobotics—as poised for substantial gains, citing recent FDA approvals, and revenue acceleration. (MB)

Morningstar added Choice Hotels International to its 5-star stock list, trading 33% below its $128 fair value estimate after a recent decline. (MS)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing to reject Paramount's $108 billion hostile takeover bid, citing uncertainties in financing and unfavorable terms. (BBG)

Howard Stern signed a new three-year deal with SiriusXM, granting him greater flexibility and potentially fewer on-air days, with financial terms undisclosed. (THR)

Older Americans lost an estimated $81.5 billion to financial fraud in the past year, with social media emerging as the leading scam vector amid romance schemes. (FBN)

Kraft Heinz named former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane as its new chief executive effective January 1, 2026. (FP)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan and Grayscale predict Bitcoin will break its traditional four-year cycle and hit new all-time highs in 2026. (CN)

Bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to establish a federal task force aimed at coordinating efforts to combat crypto fraud. (TB)

Visa launched stablecoin settlement services for U.S. banks, enabling institutions to use Circle's USDC on the Solana blockchain. (PE)

Trump will review the case of Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez for a potential pardon. (BNKL)

U.S. officials accused the EU of discriminatory lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives targeting American tech firms like Google, X, Amazon, and Meta.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative warned it is readying to impose fees and restrictions on European service companies, naming Accenture, DHL, Mistral, SAP, Siemens, and Spotify as potential targets.

The dispute follows recent fines against X and ongoing EU investigations into major American tech firms.

Similar tensions have arisen with the U.K., where U.S. officials paused a tech collaboration deal over online safety rules and digital services taxes.

Ofcom, the U.K.’s communications regulator, has imposed restrictions that disproportionately affect U.S. tech firms.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Sources detail Mark Zuckerberg's all-in bet to make Meta an AI leader, with some saying Alexandr Wang has found Zuckerberg's micromanagement of AI work suffocating. (FT)

OpenAI updated ChatGPT with enhanced image generation capabilities, enabling up to four times faster creation and more precise edits. (BBG)

Google launched CC, an experimental Gemini-powered AI agent that delivers personalized "Your Day Ahead" morning briefings to users' inboxes. (VER)

Former UK Chancellor George Osborne joined OpenAI to lead its new "OpenAI for Countries" division, focusing on forging government partnerships worldwide. (TG)

NYU Abu Dhabi scientists developed LA⁴SR, an AI tool that identifies hidden microalgae proteins with near-perfect accuracy and 10,000 times faster than traditional methods. (TRI)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Shenzhen is set to launch China's first "robot-friendly" demonstration zone, promoting real-world applications of humanoid robots under a provincial embodied intelligence initiative. (GT)

The Verge reviewed the Posha robot chef as an impressive first-generation device that autonomously prepares flavorful one-pot meals better than the reviewer. (VER)

Researchers unveiled SwagBot, an AI-powered robotic "smart cow" equipped with sensors for farmers to monitor herd health and pasture conditions. (CNN)

Researchers developed tiny, enzyme-loaded soft robotic strips that can be magnetically guided to dissolve uric acid kidney stones on-site. (UW)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: A congressional report found that China is exploiting U.S. Department of Energy-funded research partnerships to grant its military access to sensitive nuclear technologies. (AP)

Mystery surrounds a luxurious Boeing 737-8 business jet, repainted in patriotic livery with a VVIP interior, that appears to be operating for the Department of Homeland Security. (TWZ)

HavocAI achieved the world's first fully autonomous cross-domain mission, synchronizing surface vessels and aerial drones in a GPS-denied environment for target detection. (NGD)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Waymo is seeking to raise more than $15 billion in new funding at a valuation approaching $100 billion, with Alphabet leading the round. (BBG)

Databricks raised more than $4 billion in a Series L at a $134 billion valuation, led by Insight Partners with backing from Andreessen Horowitz. (SR)

OpenAI is in talks to raise at least $10 billion from Amazon, with the funding contingent on committing to use Amazon's AI chips. (TI)

Ankar, an AI startup using LLMs to help patent attorneys draft applications, secured $20 million in a Series A led by Atomico. (FM)

Omeed Malik, Donald Trump Jr., and Chris Buskirk discuss how 1789 Capital's $2 billion fund is dedicated to "patriotic capitalism," investing in U.S. defense firms like Anduril to enhance American competitiveness. (NYP)

Podhoretz passed away peacefully Tuesday night, according to his son John Podhoretz, now editor of Commentary; the cause of death was not immediately released.

He was among the last of the mid-20th century “New York intellectuals,” a circle that included Norman Mailer, Hannah Arendt, and Susan Sontag, though he later broke from their liberal politics.

Named editor-in-chief of Commentary at 30, Podhoretz transformed the magazine from a liberal publication into a key platform for conservative ideas, influencing figures like Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Jeane Kirkpatrick.

His writings and stewardship of the magazine connected him to presidents including Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.

Podhoretz came to support Trump by viewing his hardline stance on immigration, national sovereignty, and combating political correctness as aligned with his long-standing concerns about liberal cultural influence.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Declassified emails reveal the FBI doubted probable cause existed for the 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid but proceeded amid pressure from the Biden-era DOJ, which dismissed concerns about optics. (FOX)

Europe’s push for “digital sovereignty” amounts to a protectionist bid that U.S. officials say unfairly targets American tech firms through complex regulation and censorship, a new report warned. (WEX)

U.S. universities saw a record number of attempts to silence constitutionally protected student speech in 2025, according to a FIRE report. (UH)

Netflix canceled its military dramedy Boots after one season amid criticism from the Pentagon, with Hegseth branding the LGBTQ‑focused series “woke garbage.” (DL)

A viral clip showed a woman verbally berating a Target employee for wearing a Charlie Kirk “FREEDOM” shirt inside the store. (NW)