POTUS on Truth Social: "I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America. This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States! I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately. It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The Venezuelan oil Trump claims to control is not exactly a huge windfall. 30 to 50 million barrels of oil is roughly equivalent to the amount of oil the U.S produces every three to four days.
-- The Briefing with Jen Psaki (@briefingwithpsaki.bsky.social) Jan 6, 2026 at 11:36 PM
[image or embed]
Pet Shop Boys - Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) (1986)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
... [Chorus]
I've got the brains, you've got the looks
Let's make lots of money
You've got the brawn, I've got the brains
Let's make lots of...
[Verse 1]
I've had enough of scheming
And messing around with jerks
My car is parked outside
I'm afraid it doesn't work
I'm looking for a partner
Someone who gets things fixed
Ask yourself this question:
Do you want to be rich?
[Chorus]
I've got the brains, you've got the looks
Let's make lots of money
You've got the brawn, I've got the brains
Let's make lots of money
...
(sounds to me like what Big oil has been saying to Pres trump of late ...)
Mose Allison Your Mind Is on Vacation (1976)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
You sittin' here and yakkin' right in my face
You comin' on exactly like you own the place
You know if silence was golden
You couldn't raise a dime
Because your mind is on vacation and your mouth is workin' overtime
...
@#8 ... Piracy ...
Looks that way.
US could run Venezuela for years, Trump says
www.politico.com
... The U.S. government may head up Venezuela for years, President Donald Trump told The New York Times in an Oval Office interview Wednesday, as the White House works to sell its plans for the future of the country after a successful operation to capture Nicols Maduro in Caracas over the weekend. ...
In the interview, Trump said "only time will tell" how long the administration would oversee Venezuela. But when asked for a time frame -- three months, six months, a year or longer -- Trump replied "I would say much longer." ...
Trump's "I'll Control the Money" Venezuela Oil Claim
www.cato.org
... The Trump administration says that it will sell Venezuelan oil at market prices and oversee the allocation of the proceeds.
Trump framed it as a new presidential revenue stream:
This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!
Having already demonstrated a disregard for Congress's power of the purse, the president's "controlled by me" framing raised eyebrows. The executive branch can administer programs and executive laws, but it generally cannot create a new source of funding and then decide how to spend it. ...
@!2, 13
You pose most excellent questions.
Here's one thing I saw this afternoon, not an answer, but reporting of what is happening ...
Trump's Venezuela oil grab pushes Chinese refiners to Canada
financialpost.com
... China's refiners, all but cut off from Venezuelan crude in the past week as the U.S. positions itself for access to the world's largest oil reserves, are eying a pricier alternative source -- Canada.
Chinese inquiries around Canadian supply have increased since the snatching of President Nicolas Maduro at the weekend, traders said, with processors considering the country's grades seen as among the best replacements for Venezuela's Merey crude. ...
&npsb
@#14 ... a filet-o-fish in each tiny fist ...
FTFY
a filet-o-fish with more tartar sauce in each tiny fist.
Trump, one of McDonald's 'all time most loyal customers,' offers Filet-O-Fish suggestion
www.foxbusiness.com
... President Donald Trump gave McDonald's leadership a not-so-subtle hint at how the massive chain could improve the iconic Filet-O-Fish.
"I like the fish. I like it. You could do a little bit more tartar sauce, so please," Trump said while delivering remarks at the McDonald's Impact Summit 2025 in Washington, D.C. He added that he hates having to ask for more sauce. ...
Then there's this ...
Russia Harshly Condemns US Seizure of Oil Tanker, Warns of a Spike in Tensions
www.military.com
... Russia on Thursday strongly condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker, heralding a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington that could spread to other areas and affect President Donald Trump's efforts to persuade Russia to end its nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
The seizure Wednesday of the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic "can only lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as a visible lowering of the threshold for the use of force' against peaceful shipping," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. ...
@#25
Pres Trump's House mouthpiece said ...
Protesters decry Trump administration policies in No Kings rallies across the U.S. (October 2025)
www.npr.org
... House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, slammed the demonstration as a "hate America rally," and other Republicans have derided the movement as anti-American.
"It's all the pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the antifa people," Johnson said last week on Fox News. "They're all coming out." ...
@#27,28
Found this ...
Crude Petroleum in Israel
oec.world
... In 2023, Israel imported $3.23B of Crude Petroleum, becoming the 37th largest importer of Crude Petroleum (out of 157) in the world. During the same year, Crude Petroleum were the 3rd most imported product (out of 1,198) in Israel. In 2023, Israel imported Crude Petroleum primarily from: Azerbaijan ($1.39B), Gabon ($680M), Nigeria ($552M), Kazakhstan ($340M), and Brazil ($139M).
The fastest growing origins for Crude Petroleum imports in Israel between 2022 and 2023 were: Gabon ($456M), and Nigeria ($338M). ...
In 2023, Israel exported $394M of Crude Petroleum, making it the 51st largest exporter of Crude Petroleum (out of 150) in the world. During the same year, Crude Petroleum were the 29th most exported product (out of 1,147) in Israel. In 2023, the main destinations of Israel's Crude Petroleum exports were: Chinese Taipei ($153M), Netherlands ($147M), Austria ($40.7M), Bulgaria ($24.6M), and Italy ($17.2M).
The fastest growing markets for Crude Petroleum exports from Israel between 2022 and 2023 were: Netherlands ($147M), Austria ($40.7M), and Italy ($17M). ...
@#32
More ...
Behind the Barrel: An Update on the Origins of Israel's Fuel Supply (November 2025)
oilchange.org
... Behind the Barrel: An Update on the Origins of Israel's Fuel Supply, details the global fuel shipments that fuel Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The report tracks over 21 million tonnes of crude oil and refined fuels delivered to Israel between November 2023 and October 2025, including jet fuel used for military aircrafts.
The data shows that Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the United States were among the largest suppliers of oil and refined products during this period.
While direct shipments from Brazil appeared to end in early 2024, evidence suggests that Brazilian crude may have continued reaching Israel indirectly via Italy's Sarroch refinery in Sardinia. ...
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