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The Trump administration says the U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker linked to Venezuela. This action is the latest in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government. The move is also part of the administration's effort to enforce a blockade against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
The Justice Department continued its partial release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over the weekend, unveiling some previously redacted information. Lawmakers criticized the DOJ for missing its full release deadline, and some are threatening to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.
Thousands of immigrants without legal status have skipped immigration court this year, and NPR found that these absences are driving a surge "in absentia" deportations. This comes as immigration courts face intense pressure, as the administration has fired judges, the government has deported some people to countries they've never lived in, and more.
When you picture New Orleans music, Christmas carols are probably not the first genre that comes to mind. You likely associate the Big Easy with brass bands and bounce, but many local musicians have deep roots in the church. This Christmas, NPR network station WWNO's Rosemary Westwood chatted with a few of the city's favorite stars, from jazz singer John Boutte to bounce queen of New Orleans Big Freedia about which holiday songs they like to listen to around this time. Listen to snippets of those songs or read the transcript here.
Anxiety, distraction, and vulnerability can rise during the last-minute frenzy of holiday gift shopping and travel. In a recent AARP survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults, nearly 9 out of 10 reported that someone had targeted them or they had fallen for some type of scam during the holiday season in the past year. Common schemes include fake shipping notifications, stolen packages and fake donation requests. Amy Nofziger, a fraud specialist with AARP, shares with Life Kit the top schemes she's been seeing this season and tips on how to protect yourself.
For more on what holiday scams to be aware of this season, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.