Podcasts about Panama

****Apologies, y'all.  This episode is several days late. Better late than never! ANOTHER episode dropping tomorrow on the murder of Renee Nicole Good.The Donroe Doctrine: America Invades Venezuela While you were nursing a New Year's hangover, the U.S. launched its biggest military operation in Latin America since Panama. Nicolás Maduro has been snatched, Trump has promised America will “run the country” of Venezuela, and a new foreign policy flex has arrived: the Donroe Doctrine. In this episode of We Saw the Devil, Robin breaks down how we got here, what actually happened during Operation Absolute Resolve, and why this isn't just “serving a warrant” on a dictator. It's a constitutional crisis, an international-law nightmare, and a blueprint future presidents can point to when they want to do the same thing somewhere else. We cover:The hour-by-hour raid that captured MaduroThe three clashing justifications: law enforcement, “Donroe Doctrine,” and oilHow Congress was lied to and cut out of the decisionGlobal condemnation from Latin America, Europe, and beyondCracks forming inside MAGA over yet another foreign warTags:Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump, Donroe Doctrine, Monroe Doctrine, Operation Absolute Resolve, CIA, Delta Force, U.S. invasion, war powers, Congress, Tim Kaine, Marco Rubio, U.S. foreign policy, Latin America, oil, resource colonialism, international law, regime change, We Saw the Devil, politics, authoritarianismBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/we-saw-the-devil-a-true-crime-podcast--4433638/support.Website: http://www.wesawthedevil.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/wesawthedevilDiscord: https://discord.gg/X2qYXdB4Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/WeSawtheDevilInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/wesawthedevilpodcast.

Rosana Laviada habla con el periodista de El Mundo Alberto Rojas sobre las interceptaciones de EEUU de petroleros de origen dudoso.

Cilia Flores’ Role: Far from being a symbolic first lady, Flores is a mastermind behind corruption and drug trafficking. She was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury and linked to major criminal activities, including her nephews’ cocaine smuggling. Western Hemisphere Strategy: The discussion emphasizes the Monroe Doctrine and its modern interpretation under Trump (“Donroe Doctrine”), asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere to counter Russian, Chinese, and Iranian influence. Military Operation: The arrest of Maduro was a highly precise Delta Force mission, compared to past U.S. interventions like Noriega’s capture in Panama. The podcast praises Trump’s decisiveness and military success without U.S. casualties. Regional Impact: Cuba: Faces severe pressure due to loss of Venezuelan oil and the death of Cuban guards during the raid. Other Leftist Regimes: Leaders in Nicaragua, Colombia, and Brazil are considered weakened. Mexico: While not a failed state, concerns about narco-terrorism and water treaty disputes are highlighted. Future of Venezuela: Interim President Delcy Rodríguez is described as another Marxist figure, raising concerns about continuity of corruption. Advocates for free and fair elections to restore stability and attract foreign investment, especially in oil and gold sectors. Venezuela’s vast natural resources make it a prime candidate for rapid economic recovery if governance shifts toward pro-market policies. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tommy and Ben discuss: the fallout from the Trump administration's strikes on Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, why President Trump chose Maduro's VP Delcy Rodríguez to run the country instead of opposition leader María Corina Machado, how the DOJ's new indictment of Maduro shows that the administration has been lying about him being the head of a drug cartel, and the comparisons between the Venezuela operation and the 1989 invasion of Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega. Then they dig into the (unfortunately named) “Donroe Doctrine” and what Trump's embrace of regime change means for the world, including how seriously we should take his threats against Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Greenland. Finally, they explain why Iranians have been protesting in huge numbers for over a week, how serious of a threat the protests pose to the regime, and debate whether we should take seriously Trump's threat to respond militarily if the regime kills protesters. Then Ben speaks to Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) about President Trump's lack of transparency to Congress about the attack on Venezuela, how much it's costing American taxpayers, and how Democrats are trying to stop him from future invasions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NOTE: This interview was recorded a week prior to the U.S. operation to capture the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Cillian Dunne is an author whose work looks at hidden worlds, from the political landscape of Central America to the streets of South Central Los Angeles. His latest book is called “The Right Hand Man: Noriega, Castro, CIA, DEA, MOSSAD: They Held the Power, He Held the Secrets It tells the story of how Manuel Noriega rose to power in Panama while secretly working as a U.S. intelligence asset during the Cold War. . Sponsors: Firecracker Farm Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/ DeleteMe Go to https://www.joindeleteme.com/IRONCLAD and use coupon code IRONCLAD, or scan the QR code Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped by the DEA and Donald Trump is threatening the world. We compare to the capture of Manuel Noriega in Panama 36 years ago.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- On Monday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced he will no longer seek election for a third term. His announcement comes after Minnesota, under his leadership, misappropriated billions-of-dollars to fraudulent welfare claims. 3:10pm- According to reports, on Friday at 10:46pm ET President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead on an extraction mission to capture Venezuelan authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. The successful raid consisted of 150 aircrafts—which eliminated air defense systems and cut power to infrastructure in Caracas. On Monday, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before a New York City judge—charged with narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies. 3:30pm- David Gelman— Criminal Defense Attorney, former Prosecutor, & a former surrogate for Donald Trump's Legal Team—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to recap Venezuelan authoritarian Nicolas Maduro's appearance in a New York court where he pled not guilty to drug trafficking charges. Gleman jokes that Maduro has a better chance of winning the Powerball than being granted bail. 3:40pm- Can the Trump administration legally target other tyrannical regimes? In an article for The Free Press, Yale Law Professor wrote “under Supreme Court case law, the decision about whether or not to recognize a foreign government belongs exclusively to the president.” Which is important because “foreign heads of state are immune from prosecution…but as the courts held in [Panama leader Manuel] Noriega's case, head-of-state immunity does not apply to a dictator whom the U.S. doesn't recognize.”

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (01/05/2026): 3:05pm- On Monday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced he will no longer seek election for a third term. His announcement comes after Minnesota, under his leadership, misappropriated billions-of-dollars to fraudulent welfare claims. 3:10pm- According to reports, on Friday at 10:46pm ET President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead on an extraction mission to capture Venezuelan authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. The successful raid consisted of 150 aircrafts—which eliminated air defense systems and cut power to infrastructure in Caracas. On Monday, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before a New York City judge—charged with narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies. 3:30pm- David Gelman— Criminal Defense Attorney, former Prosecutor, & a former surrogate for Donald Trump's Legal Team—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to recap Venezuelan authoritarian Nicolas Maduro's appearance in a New York court where he pled not guilty to drug trafficking charges. Gleman jokes that Maduro has a better chance of winning the Powerball than being granted bail. 3:40pm- Can the Trump administration legally target other tyrannical regimes? In an article for The Free Press, Yale Law Professor wrote “under Supreme Court case law, the decision about whether or not to recognize a foreign government belongs exclusively to the president.” Which is important because “foreign heads of state are immune from prosecution…but as the courts held in [Panama leader Manuel] Noriega's case, head-of-state immunity does not apply to a dictator whom the U.S. doesn't recognize.” 4:05pm- Rich, Matt, and Justin return from Christmas break. Rich got a dog, Justin still had to work, and Matt is in Scottsdale enjoying the 70-degree weather. 4:20pm- Following the United States' successful capture of Nicolas Maduro, the Colombian defense minister invited Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to Colombia for a firsthand look at the country's fight against drug trafficking. While speaking to the press, President Donald Trump warned that Colombian President Gustavo Petro should “watch his ass” if he doesn't stop sending drugs to the U.S. 4:30pm- Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the operation to successfully capture Venezuelan authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. Could the Trump administration target other problematic despots in Colombia or Iran, for example? Dr. Coates is author of the book: The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win. 5:00pm- John Yoo—The Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest article for National Review, “The Trump Administration's Actions in Venezuela Are Constitutional.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/the-trump-administrations-actions-in-venezuela-are-constitutional/. 5:30pm- Rich's BIG announcement: Beginning next week, The Rich Zeoli Show will take on a new form! The show will become a one-hour, nationally focused podcast which can be heard locally on 1210 WPHT from 6pm to 7pm! 6:05pm- Daniel Turner—Founder and Executive Director of Power the Future—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to respond to the news that the U.S. will take control of Venezuela's oil. Will this lower gas prices? 6:20pm- According to reports, on Friday at 10:46pm ET President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead on an extraction mission to capture Venezuelan authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. The successful raid consisted of 150 aircrafts—which eliminated air defense systems and cut power to infrastructure in Caracas. On Monday, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared before a New York City judge—charged with narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies. 6:30pm- Democrat Hypocrisy: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ...

Frank and David discuss the US intervention in Venezuela and look at historical precedents, focusing on the 1989 invasion of Panama. Last Drops Frank: Robert Elder's bio of John C. Calhoun David: New coins for 250th

Although geographically distant from Chinese shores, Latin America and the Caribbean occupy an important place in Chinese foreign policy. In the past decade, China has significantly expanded its influence in the region. The main vector of Chinese involvement has been economic, including securing access to commodities such as soybeans, copper, oil, and lithium, creating markets for Chinese companies, and deepening financial ties through trade, lending, and infrastructure investment.  On December 10, China released a new white paper on its relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean, the third such document following earlier editions in 2008 and 2016. The White Paper characterizes the region as “an essential force in the process toward a multipolar world and economic globalization.” Its release came on the heels of the Trump Administration's release of its National Security Strategy, which places unprecedented emphasis on the Western Hemisphere and asserts that the US seeks a region “free of hostile foreign incursion or ownership of key assets,” highlighting the growing strategic salience of Latin America and the Caribbean in US-China competition.  To discuss the new White Paper and the implications of China's policies in the LAC for the United States and US-China relations, we are joined by Dr. Evan Ellis. Dr. Ellis is a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. He previously served on the Secretary of State's policy planning staff with responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as international narcotics and law enforcement issues.Timestamps:[00:00] Introduction[02:07] US and China on a Collision Course? [04:50] Chinese Priorities in Latin America [08:33] U.S. Security Risks from Chinese Port Investments[11:45] How China Uses CELAC to Advance Its Agenda[14:27] How Latin Americans View China's Growing Presence[17:22] Honduras and the Republic of China[21:22] How Beijing Might Address U.S. Concerns [25:09] China's Reaction to US and Venezuela  

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for January 1, 2026. 0:30 A controversial appointment in New York City is raising serious red flags as the new mayor — Zohran Mamdani — installs a Democratic Socialist housing activist who has openly called for the seizure of private property and labeled homeownership a form of “white supremacy.” We break down why this move goes far beyond tenant advocacy and strikes at the heart of American freedom, private property rights, and constitutional principles. From New York’s iconic skyline to immigrant success stories, property ownership—not government control—is the foundation of liberty and prosperity. As radical housing policies gain traction in America’s largest city, the question becomes unavoidable: Is New York exporting socialism—and what does that mean for the future of the country? 9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. The former dictator of Venezuela appeared in a New York City Courtroom to plead not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has abandoned his race for a third consecutive Term. A man was arrested after damaging property at Vice President JD Vance's home in Cincinnati, Ohio. 12:30 Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 13:00 We revisit Chuck Schumer’s 2020 attacks on President Trump over Venezuela, when Schumer accused Trump of being too weak for failing to remove dictator Nicolás Maduro. At the time, Schumer demanded tougher action and mocked Trump for not delivering regime change. Fast-forward to 2026, and the tables have turned. Trump did exactly what Schumer claimed to want—after Maduro was indicted by the Trump Justice Department in 2020 and then ignored for four full years under the Biden administration. Yet now that Trump has acted, Schumer is still unhappy. 16:00 American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson discuss the situation in Venezuela after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro. The Mamas describe watching videos of Venezuelans celebrating in the streets—both inside Venezuela and across places like Miami, Chile, and Buenos Aires—after decades of repression, food shortages, and stolen wages. Even as Venezuelan expatriates openly celebrate his removal, left-wing protests defend Maduro. Is this another case of Trump Derangement Syndrome? If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button. 23:00 Here’s something you won’t hear much about: car theft in the United States is down nearly 25%, and the timing isn’t accidental. Since the Trump administration began cracking down on illegal immigration and international theft rings, stolen vehicle numbers have dropped sharply compared to the same period last year. 25:00 There are a lot of unanswered questions swirling around Venezuela—and we're digging deep. Why did President Trump say the U.S. is “running” Venezuela? Why isn’t Washington immediately backing the opposition leaders who reportedly won the 2024 election? Why are Venezuelans celebrating abroad, but the streets inside Venezuela remain eerily quiet? The answer is Cuba. We lay a theory that explains the loose ends: Maduro didn’t trust his own military, so his inner security was handled by Cuban operatives, trained by the old Soviet KGB. That explains why most of those killed during Maduro’s ouster were Cuban, not Venezuelan—and why fear still grips the country. The Cubans, not Maduro alone, were effectively the deep state of Venezuela, controlling intelligence, security, and enforcement. 32:00 Get Performlyte from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 32:30 About a third of Venezuela’s oil has been going straight to China—not out of friendship, but leverage, discounts, and a shot at the United States. With U.S. sanctions in place, Beijing was scooping up embargoed oil on the cheap while thumbing its nose at Washington. Win-win for China. But that game may be ending. As global dynamics shift, President Trump signals a different approach: sell Venezuela’s oil on the open market, rebuild its broken energy infrastructure, and let prosperity replace poverty. And make no mistake—Venezuela should be rich. It has more proven oil reserves than any country on Earth and massive gold reserves, yet its people are poor because socialism turned a resource powerhouse into a failed state. 35:30 The U.S. raid to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro isn’t unprecedented—it closely mirrors America’s 1989–1990 operation to arrest Panama’s dictator, Manuel Noriega. Back then, Noriega was indicted for drug trafficking, rejected a deal to step aside, lost a monitored election, and was ultimately seized by U.S. forces and brought to trial. Sound familiar? The parallels are striking, right down to the date: Noriega was captured on January 3, 1990—exactly 36 years before Maduro was taken into custody on January 3, 2026. 39:30 The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board says Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal isn’t about Somali immigrants—it’s about a bloated welfare state that invites corruption. There’s some truth there. Big government does create big temptation. But that explanation stops short of the uncomfortable question: why is so much of this fraud concentrated in one specific demographic? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Event Summary (WATCH: PRESIDENT TRUMP PRESS CON HERE) The U.S. military executed a highly complex and precise operation in Caracas, Venezuela, to apprehend Maduro. The mission involved over 150 aircraft, advanced coordination across multiple military branches, and cyber and space operations. The operation was completed without any American casualties, which is emphasized as a major success. Geopolitical Context Venezuela’s significance stems from its vast oil reserves (largest in the world) and strategic location near the U.S. Maduro’s regime is portrayed as illegitimate, corrupt, and deeply involved in drug trafficking and alliances with U.S. adversaries (Russia, China, Iran, Hezbollah). The discussion highlights Venezuela’s decline from being one of the wealthiest nations in the 1950s to a failed state under socialist rule. Legal Justifications President Trump acted within his constitutional authority under Article II as Commander-in-Chief. References are made to historical precedents, notably the 1990 capture of Manuel Noriega in Panama. The legal basis includes: FBI’s extraterritorial arrest authority. Precedents like the Ker-Frisbie doctrine and United States v. Alvarez-Machain. DOJ opinions (including one by Bill Barr) affirming presidential power to authorize such actions. Anticipated legal challenges include head-of-state immunity and UN Charter arguments. Future Implications (WATCH HERE: Is Cuba Ready to Fall?) There will be geopolitical ripple effects in Latin America, especially Cuba and Colombia. Avoiding prolonged U.S. military occupation in Venezuela is key Discussion of possible democratic elections and leadership changes in Venezuela. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

VENEZUELA AS A POTENTIAL SINKHOLE AND THE END OF AMERICAN OMNIPOTENCE Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 91 AD. The speakers analyze a failed US"decapitation" strike in Venezuela intended to replace Maduro with Delcy Rodriguez, a move that resulted in confusion regarding the loyalty of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. They argue that the "omnipotence" the US displayed in Panama or during Desert Storm has vanished, leaving the empire unable to easily topple regimes. Venezuela is described as a potential "sinkhole" defined by complex terrain and heavily armed, "uncontrollable" guerrilla groups that would make intervention a "gigantic mess." The discussion concludes that the US is "hoist by its own petard," having relied on "military theater"—the illusion that waving a wand creates authority—which is now failing against a fractious reality. Unlike the 1990s, the US lacks the force capacity to manage such a conflict without facing an "impossible guerrilla war" that could destroy its remaining reputation. NUMBER 1 1954

The United States' decision to seize Nicolás Maduro and bring him to New York marks one of the most dramatic assertions of American power in the Western Hemisphere in decades. In this episode, I focused on what actually happened, why it happened now, and what it signals about how the Trump administration views regime change, legality, and leverage.The facts, as we know them, are stark. In a rapid operation lasting roughly two and a half hours, U.S. forces assisted federal authorities in arresting Maduro and removing him from Caracas. He now faces sweeping federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and large-scale cocaine trafficking tied to terrorist organizations and major cartels. The indictment is notable not just for its scope, but for what it omits. There is no fentanyl count. This reinforces what many analysts suspected: the recent pressure campaign against Venezuela, including interdictions at sea, was less about opioids and more about systematically strangling Maduro's remaining sources of revenue until something broke.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What broke appears to be internal loyalty. It is difficult to believe a head of state with military protection is removed this quickly without acquiescence from inside the regime. That reality shapes everything that comes next. Rather than immediately installing an opposition leader, the administration has left much of the existing government in place while asserting overwhelming control over money flows, shipping, and oil exports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been careful to say the United States is not “running” Venezuela, while also making clear that the people still in charge have no meaningful freedom to act. This is not Iraq or Afghanistan. It more closely resembles Panama and the Noriega arrest: criminal charges paired with brute leverage, not nation building through occupation.The unanswered question is whether this produces reform or simply swaps one strongman arrangement for another. Venezuela remains a petrostate with enormous reserves, crumbling infrastructure, and a population exhausted by corruption and repression. Removing Maduro may be morally satisfying and strategically defensible, but history offers little comfort about what follows. This is a high-risk bet that coercion can force democratic outcomes without igniting prolonged instability. Whether that gamble pays off, or whether it opens the door to a different kind of failure, is the story that now begins.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:04:16 - Maduro's Arrest00:11:51 - Marco Rubio00:54:28 - Everyone Else01:10:08 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe

In the early hours of Saturday morning, January 3rd, Venezuelans were awoken by the sounds of bombs falling. US helicopters whirled overhead. Explosions struck across the capital Caracas and in surrounding states. Hours of chaos, fear, and uncertainty.President Donald Trump would post over social media that the US had “captured” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores amid a “large-scale” strike against the country.This is the first US invasion of another country in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama, when the US kidnapped and detained Panamanian President Manuel Noriega under charges of drug trafficking. The Trump administration used the same excuse to detain Maduro, despite lack of evidence linking Maduro to drug trafficking.With this strike, the United States has taken an unprecedented step: This is the first time the United States has used its own military to invade a South American country.Today, we go to Caracas to look in-depth at the January 3rd US invasion of Venezuela. Host Michael Fox speaks with Caracas-based reporter Ricardo Vaz.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump Administration's onslaught in Latin America.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Monte Perdido's new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Resources for Under the Shadow:You can check out the first season of Under the Shadow by clicking hereThe Beginning: Monroe And Migration | Under The Shadow, Episode 1Panama. Us Invasion. | Under The Shadow, Episode 13The Legacy Of Monroe | Under The Shadow, bonus Episode 4 Michael Fox's recent reporting on the boat strikes and the ramp-up for war in Venezuela: With the Strike on a “Drug-Carrying Boat,” Trump Returns to a Dangerous US Policy for Latin AmericaCaribbean Leaders Call for Unified Latin American Resistance to US AttacksTrump's Monroe Doctrine 2.0 Outlines Imperial Intentions for Latin AmericaYou can check out Ricardo Vaz's reporting at www.venezuelanalysis.com.You can follow them on X at https://x.com/venanalysis For more English-language reporting on Venezuela, you can follow the Orinoco Tribune, Kawsachun News, and Sovereign Media.You can check out Michael's recent episode of Stories of Resistance about the protests against US intervention in Venezuela.Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox's reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.Written and produced by Michael Fox.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

On January 3rd, 2026, the U.S. military performed the most high-stakes extraction in modern history. Operation Absolute Resolve didn't just remove a dictator; it reset the geopolitical map of the Western Hemisphere. In this episode, host Kevin Muñoz explores the dual realities of the Venezuelan strike. On one side, a "surgical" removal of a narco-terrorist leader to face justice in New York. On the other, a nation in crisis, a defiant Vice President in Delcy Rodríguez, and a looming corporate battle over the world's largest oil reserves. We dive into: The Tactics: How 150 aircraft blinded a nation in 30 minutes. The History: Why this feels like Panama 1989 and Guatemala 1954 all over again. The Economy: Trump's "Reimbursement Model" and the $110 billion price tag to fix a rotting industry. Is this the dawn of Venezuelan democracy, or the return of the Monroe Doctrine? Stay Informed. Stay Empowered. BONUS EPISODES Patreon: ✨www.patreon.com/latinamericaneo✨ 

Steve is joined by Jeremy Rosenthal, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney, to break down the serious U.S. charges facing Venezuelan Dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Rosenthal explains the potential narco-terrorism penalties, what prosecutors must prove, and how this case compares to the takedown of Panama dictator Manuel Noriega. Is this an open-and-shut case, or do federal prosecutors still have heavy lifting ahead?

2025 was a unique year for markets. Natalie Gill, Portfolio Strategist at the BlackRock Investment Institute, unpacks the three key lessons we see for 2026.General disclosure: This material is intended for information purposes only, and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities, funds or strategies to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The opinions expressed are as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Investing involves risks. BlackRock does and may seek to do business with companies covered in this podcast. As a result, readers should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this podcast.In the U.S. and Canada, this material is intended for public distribution.In the UK and Non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries: this is Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2DL. Tel:+ 44 (0)20 7743 3000. Registered in England and Wales No. 02020394. For your protection telephone calls are usually recorded. Please refer to the Financial Conduct Authority website for a list of authorised activities conducted by BlackRock.In the European Economic Area (EEA): this is Issued by BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V. is authorised and regulated by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. Registered office Amstelplein 1, 1096 HA, Amsterdam, Tel: 020 – 549 5200, Tel: 31-20- 549-5200. Trade Register No. 17068311 For your protection telephone calls are usually recorded.For Investors in Switzerland: This document is marketing material.In South Africa: Please be advised that BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited is an authorised Financial Services provider with the South African Financial Services Board, FSP No. 43288.In Singapore, this is issued by BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (Co. registration no. 200010143N). This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. In Hong Kong, this material is issued by BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. In Australia, issued by BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 (BIMAL). This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should assess whether the material is appropriate for you and obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL's Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdictionIn Latin America: this material is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice nor an offer or solicitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of any Fund (nor shall any such shares be offered or sold to any person) in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of that jurisdiction. If any funds are mentioned or inferred to in this material, it is possible that some or all of the funds may not have been registered with the securities regulator of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay or any other securities regulator in any Latin American country and thus might not be publicly offered within any such country. The securities regulators of such countries have not confirmed the accuracy of any information contained herein. The provision of investment management and investment advisory services is a regulated activity in Mexico thus is subject to strict rules. For more information on the Investment Advisory Services offered by BlackRock Mexico please refer to the Investment Services Guide available at www.blackrock.com/mx©2026 BlackRock, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BLACKROCK is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.BII0126-5094604

This Day in Legal History: Federal Court Strikes Down “Balanced Treatment” Law in ArkansasOn January 5, 1982, a federal district court in Arkansas issued a landmark ruling in McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education, striking down a state law that required public schools to give “balanced treatment” to both evolution and creation science. The law, known as Act 590, had been passed in 1981 and mandated that schools teach creationism—defined in the statute as a scientific model based on a literal interpretation of the Bible—alongside evolution. The law was immediately challenged by a coalition of clergy, educators, and scientists who argued that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.Judge William Overton ruled that Act 590 was unconstitutional because it advanced a particular religious viewpoint under the guise of science. In his decision, Overton provided a clear and influential definition of what constitutes science, stating that scientific theories must be guided by natural law, testable, and subject to falsification. He found that “creation science” failed all of these criteria and was therefore religious in nature, not scientific. The court also concluded that requiring its teaching in public schools constituted state endorsement of religion.The ruling marked one of the first major judicial rejections of efforts to include religious doctrine in public school science curricula following the U.S. Supreme Court's earlier decision in Epperson v. Arkansas (1968), which struck down laws banning the teaching of evolution altogether. McLean v. Arkansas would go on to shape the legal and educational landscape in future church-state separation cases, including the pivotal 1987 Supreme Court decision Edwards v. Aguillard, which similarly invalidated a Louisiana law promoting creationism in schools.Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York court after a surprise U.S. military operation captured him in Caracas. The high-stakes raid, likened to the 1989 Panama invasion, involved U.S. Special Forces breaching Maduro's security and flying him to Manhattan, where he faces drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. His wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured. Maduro is accused of running a cocaine network in collaboration with major criminal groups like Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and Colombia's FARC.The capture sparked international outrage. Russia, China, Cuba, and other allies condemned the raid, while U.S. allies cautiously emphasized legality and diplomacy. The U.N. Security Council is set to review the operation's legality. Meanwhile, Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, shifted from initial outrage to signaling willingness for cooperation with the U.S., a notable pivot considering her past as a fiery Chavista loyalist.President Trump justified the move as a counter to drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and the past nationalization of U.S. oil assets. He also made clear his aim to reopen Venezuela's oil sector to U.S. companies. However, he has sidelined Venezuela's opposition leaders, disappointing figures like María Corina Machado. Despite Maduro's removal, his political allies remain in power, and the military's loyalty appears unchanged. Venezuelans at home are wary, bracing for possible unrest.Venezuela's Maduro due in court, loyalists send message to Trump | ReutersTrump's efforts to further reshape the federal judiciary in 2026 are facing a slowdown due to a shortage of vacancies. After returning to office in 2025, Trump secured the confirmation of 26 judicial nominees—more than in the first year of his initial term. However, only 30 new judicial seats have opened since then, compared to the 108 vacancies available when he first took office in 2017. This is largely due to aggressive judicial appointments by both Trump and former President Biden over the past decade, which filled many potential retirements with younger judges.Some judges eligible for senior status—a form of semi-retirement—have opted to remain active. Experts suggest this could be due to either personal preference or distrust among conservative judges about Trump's choices for replacements. The appellate court nominations have particularly slowed, with only three judges announcing retirements in 2025. Still, Trump managed to flip the balance of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and strengthen conservative influence in district courts across states like Missouri, Florida, and Mississippi.Despite the low number of available seats—currently 49—Trump still has opportunities to make appointments, especially in Republican-led states. However, 13 of those vacancies are in states with at least one Democratic senator, triggering the “blue slip” custom, which allows senators to block judicial nominees from their states. While this tradition doesn't apply to appellate courts, it still limits district court nominations. Senate Republicans remain divided on whether to uphold the blue slip norm.Trump's ability to further reshape judiciary in 2026 hindered by few vacancies | ReutersIn 2026, U.S. law schools are facing a mix of rising interest in legal education and mounting regulatory and financial pressures. A major shift comes from President Trump's 2025 budget, which capped federal loans for professional degrees at $50,000 annually and $200,000 total. With many law schools charging over $50,000 per year (excluding living costs), incoming students may need to seek private loans, which often come with higher interest rates and stricter credit requirements. In response, some schools—like Santa Clara University—are offering across-the-board scholarships to help bridge the gap.Law school accreditation is also in flux. The American Bar Association (ABA), traditionally the primary accreditor, is facing political attacks over its diversity standards and regulatory burden. Texas is planning to develop its own law school approval system for bar eligibility, and other states like Florida and Ohio are exploring similar options. The ABA is now working to streamline its standards amid this pressure.July 2026 will also see the debut of the “NextGen UBE,” a shorter, skills-focused national bar exam that replaces some memorization with practical assessment. Some states, however, are opting out or creating their own licensing alternatives.Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is gaining traction in legal education. A growing number of law schools are integrating AI training into their curricula, and platforms like Harvey are being adopted by faculty and students alike.Despite the looming challenges, interest in law school remains strong. Applicant numbers rose 20% over the previous year, building on an 18% increase in 2024, and first-year enrollment is also trending upward.US law schools face loan limits, oversight pressures in 2026 | ReutersU.S. courts are poised to play a decisive role in shaping how copyright law applies to generative AI this year, as lawsuits from major publishers, creators, and tech companies come to a head. At issue is whether AI developers like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and others can invoke the legal doctrine of fair use when training models on copyrighted materials, or whether they must pay license fees—potentially amounting to billions.The legal landscape shifted dramatically in 2025. A class action by authors against Anthropic resulted in a $1.5 billion settlement, the largest of its kind, while The New York Times, Disney, and other major rights holders filed fresh lawsuits. Judges began issuing preliminary rulings on whether AI training qualifies as transformative fair use, with conflicting outcomes. One judge called AI training “quintessentially transformative,” supporting tech companies' claims, while another warned that generative AI could harm creators by saturating the market with competing content.Several high-profile cases remain active in 2026, including those involving AI-generated music and visual art. Meanwhile, some copyright holders are choosing collaboration over litigation. Disney, for example, invested $1 billion in OpenAI and granted use of its characters, while Warner Music dropped lawsuits against AI firms to co-develop music tools. These deals hint at possible industry-wide licensing frameworks, though ongoing litigation could still dramatically reshape the economic and legal norms governing AI.AI copyright battles enter pivotal year as US courts weigh fair use | Reuters This is a public episode. 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Retired Command Sargeant Major Bert Puckett from the US Army was on the phone with Chaz and AJ this morning to talk about the military's successful mission in Venezuela. Bert was directly involved with a similar objective in Panama in 1989.  Photo credit: Bert Puckett 

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe [CB] is panicking, Trump is now reversing their entire system, The D’s have no choice but to fold and go along with Trump’s no tax on tips etc, they resisted but the people complained, this will not work out well for them. Trump is now lowering the fuel prices by unleashing Venezuela’s oil, this will be used to go against the [DS]. Trump is in the process of dismantling the [DS], Venezuela has been released from the [DS] grasp. Maduro was arrested and brought to the US to stand trial. Maduro will most likely assist with the overthrow of the US government in 2020. The flow of money, training of terrorist happened in Venezuela, it is all coming to an end, soon the other countries will fall and the people will take them back. The world is being returned to the people. Economy (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Kathy Hochul Caves On ‘No Tax On Tips’ Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill made a straightforward promise: more money in workers' pockets. The plan eliminated the federal tax on tips and overtime pay for linemen and factory workers, and created a new deduction for seniors relying on Social Security. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it “the most pro-worker, pro-family legislation in a generation.”   several blue-state governors were refusing to reciprocate by eliminating state taxes on tips, including Govs. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.), and Jared Polis (D-Colo.). Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused them of “deliberately blocking their own residents” from the bill's benefits at the state level. Bessent made clear that states that refused to comply with the law should expect consequences. “Treasury stands ready to work with any state committed to delivering on that promise, but we will not stand idly by as this obstructionism drags down the national recovery,” he said. “This is about fairness. This is about opportunity. And this is about putting America first, starting with the families and workers who make our economy the envy of the world.” Kathy Hochul has now caved. On New Year's Day, she announced that New York will finally move to exempt service workers' tips from state income taxes on up to $25,000 in tipped income.   “Starting today, tax rates for the vast majority of lower and middle-class New Yorkers will be cut, families with children will see a sweeping increase in the child tax credit, and minimum wage workers across the state will see their wages go up. I'm kicking the new year off with a proposal of no state income tax on tips, continuing my efforts to make New York more affordable for hard working New Yorkers.” The change comes only after months of outrage from restaurant owners and service workers who accused Albany of putting politics ahead of paychecks. Service industry workers noticed and called it a slap in the face to people barely scraping by in such an expensive state.   Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2007496574889537687?s=20 https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2007500910277325260?s=20 https://twitter.com/TKL_Adam/status/2007468568619696559?s=20  damaged last night. On top of this, President Trump says the US will be “very much involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry going forward and China is “going to get oil.” In 2010, Venezuela was producing over 3 million barrels of oil per day, now down to ~900,000. If the US truly takes control of Venezuela’s oil industry, MUCH more supply is coming to market. Oil and gas prices would head much lower. Geopolitical https://twitter.com/KatieMiller/status/2007541679293944266?s=20 https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1274910217508196352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1274910217508196352%7Ctwgr%5E7e79690e7ff94a98319d1a5f7cef15f68e12ceb9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fjoe-bidens-old-tweet-claiming-trump-admires-thugs%2F https://twitter.com/willchamberlain/status/2007652410077086175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2007652410077086175%7Ctwgr%5Ee26360c03ca670b2e4da2b86849c02fab10ca741%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fjust-kamala-harris-gets-lit-up-x-after%2F Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces on January 3, 1990, after seeking refuge for 10 days in the Vatican’s embassy (Papal Nunciature) in Panama City.  This event marked the end of Operation Just Cause, the U.S. invasion of Panama that began on December 20, 1989, under President George H.W. Bush, aimed at deposing Noriega and bringing him to face U.S. charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering.  To pressure Noriega into surrendering, U.S. psychological operations teams blasted loud rock music—including tracks like Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and Van Halen’s “Panama”—at the embassy nonstop, contributing to his decision to give up.   He was immediately flown to Miami, where he stood trial, was convicted in 1992, and initially sentenced to 40 years in prison (later reduced).  After serving time in the U.S., Noriega was extradited to France in 2010 for money laundering charges, and finally to Panama in 2011 to face additional sentences for murder, corruption, and human rights abuses during his rule.   He died in Panama in 2017 while under house arrest for medical reasons.   The invasion itself involved around 25,000 U.S. troops, resulting in 23 American deaths, hundreds wounded, and estimates of 200–4,000 Panamanian civilian casualties, drawing international criticism despite achieving its primary objective. https://twitter.com/BillAckman/status/2007796748631314839?s=20 https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/2007549887098040495?s=20  https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2007518675641983427?s=20   advance. Trump Admin's Top Secret Maduro Military Operation Plans Reportedly Leaked To Legacy Media Outlets Despite an unidentified party leaking plans of the Trump administration's top secret military operation targeting Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela to both The New York Times and the Washington Post, neither publication decided to expose it, Semafor reported Saturday night. Two anonymous sources, described as familiar with the communication between the administration and media outlets, told Semafor that both outlets declined to break the news on the operation before it happened out of concern for U.S. troops involved. The military incursion, carried out early Saturday, resulted in the capture and ouster of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, whom a grand jury later indicted on four charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. The identity of the leaker or leakers was not made public as of Sunday morning. Source: dailycaller.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2007811723013603611?s=20 Russia, China Demand That US Immediately Release Maduro From Custody Within mere hours after President Trump announced the Saturday capture by US forces of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife after a brief shock bombing campaign and special forces operation in Caracas, Russia has demanded from Washington his immediate release. “We firmly call on the U.S. leadership to reconsider this position and release the lawfully elected president of a sovereign country and his wife,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, and described that the crisis should be resolved through diplomatic means. “Russia will continue to support the course pursued by its Bolivarian leadership to defend the country’s national interests and sovereignty,” the Foreign Ministry said, while also calling for restraint and cautioning against further escalation. China has joined Moscow’s calls for the immediate release of Maduro from US custody: China has called on the United States to immediately releaaljazeera.com/…/china-urges-us-to-stop-toppling-venezuelan-government-release-madurose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after Washington carried out massive military strikes on the capital, Caracas, as well as other regions, and abducted the leader. Beijing on Sunday insisted the safety of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores be a priority, and called on the US to “stop toppling the government of Venezuela,” calling the attack a “clear violation of international law“. https://twitter.com/alaynatreene/status/2007491168389525809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2007491168389525809%7Ctwgr%5E1cec862879fed0a0919d0a99238a33d07975d1bb%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Frussia-china-demand-us-immediately-release-venezuelas-maduro Source: zerohedge.com China has embedded operational control into critical mineral extraction that feeds weapons manufacturing  Iran has established drone production facilities within strike range of the continental United States. Russia has deployed military advisers and integrated air defense systems in the Caribbean. Venezuela represents the only location where all three adversaries operate simultaneously https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2007644800779169936?s=20   legitimate, outstanding US drug charges from 2020, the real reason for the military operations early this morning is that neutralizing Maduro’s Venezuela had become a strategic imperative for the USA. Under Maduro, Venezuela had become the Latin American crossroads for all of the USA’s principal enemies. Maduro was nurturing relationships with Russia, Hezbollah and Iran. Worst of all, Venezuela was eagerly becoming a part of Red China’s Belt & Road initiative. As America’s enemies were lining up Venezuela as their base of operations in the Western Hemisphere to cause mischief and destruction for the USA, Maduro was at the same time making Venezuela a crossroads, safe haven and enabler for all manner of narcoterrorist operations, ranging from Colombia’s FARC to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. On top of all that, Venezuela had become a key player in the illegal alien invasion of the USA, shipping its very worst to the USA in a deliberate and comprehensive destabilizing operation that might have worked had Donald Trump not won in 2024. Next in importance: oil. The global and regional ambitions of both China and Russia are in large part dependent on the politics of petroleum, and the USA just deprived both of the cudgel afforded by friendly Venezuelan oil. Trump opponents say “It’s about oil” as if that was a bad thing. Yeah, it’s about oil. Finally, all of this was in keeping with the most essential and fundamental foreign policy mandate of the USA almost since the nation’s inception: the Monroe Doctrine. Operations like what Maduro was running simply cannot be allowed in the Western Hemisphere. Trump was right for falling back on this most basic of doctrines that protects the USA’s sovereignty. So was Maduro seized because of some five year-old drug charges? Yes. Legally–yes. However, like so many strategic issues in the world today, an action needed to be backed by the fine points of law, and it was. But the reality is that the Maduro takedown was a Monroe Doctrine-driven necessity that has greatly enhanced the power and national security of the USA. Congratulations, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth and the rest of the Trump national security team: you boldly took the steps necessary to defend the USA. Well done. https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2007597322549469370?s=20  Uh… but what about America 1st!!!!” Dominating our hemisphere is America 1st.  READ: Maduro Indictment Unsealed  https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2007468832567222274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2007468832567222274%7Ctwgr%5Ea380e4654af6dbcd0ced13d78085deb2a2a57e8d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fread-maduro-indictment-unsealed%2F Read the indictment here. The grand jury indicted Maduro, his wife, Cilia Flores and four others on four counts: Narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. “Nicolas Maduro Moros, the defendant, now sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking,” the indictment read. “That drug trafficking has enriched and entrenched Venezuela's political and military elite, including Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace Diosado Cabello Rondon, the defendant, and former Minister of the Interior and Justice Ramon Rodriguez Chachin, the defendant,” the charging document read. The White House absolutely savaged Maduro on Saturday. Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/2007459071985676697?s=20 https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2007412199132934453?s=20   with it. Go America! https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/2007404924393697601?s=20 https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2007510867307626848?s=20 https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2007503643453559225?s=20 https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2007737447631945888?s=20 https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2007759220851327278?s=20 War/Peace https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2007814479892111690?s=20  Years after he left office, a reflective Barack Obama admitted that he and his administration made a “mistake” in not forcefully supporting an Iranian civilian uprising in 2009 that could have ousted that country's ruing mullahs. Faced with a fresh protest movement 16-plus years later led by street vendors, President Donald Trump has taken the opposite tact in a robust embrace of everyday Iranians that caught the attention of Tehran. If Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote in a 3 a.m. post Friday on his TruthSocial platform. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”  The president was not more specific about his intentions, but Iranian dissidents and non-official Trump advisers cheered the statement and said it set the stage for tougher sanctions or other actions by the administration. Interesting Timing – Zelenskyy Planning to Remove Head of the Security Service of Ukraine This is very interesting timing considering the recent denial by Zelenskyy that Ukraine had anything to do with the attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence. According to Politico, Zelenskyy is removing Vasyl Malyuk as head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the state's top counterintelligence agency. Malyuk previously worked with British intelligence on operation “Spiderweb” where Ukrainian drones hit Russia's strategic bombers on several protected airfields (USA not informed). Source: theconservativetreehouse.com [DS] Agenda  President Trump's Plan FBI Thwarts ISIS-Inspired New Year’s Eve Terror Plot In North Carolina The FBI said it foiled an ISIS-inspired New Year's Eve terror attack in North Carolina. Suspect Christian Sturdivant, 18, was arrested on Dec. 31 and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said at a Jan. 2 press conference. Sturdivant appeared in court on Jan. 2. A U.S. citizen, Sturdivant had allegedly planned the attack for about a year, according to Ferguson. A hand-written document titled “The New Year's Eve Attack 2026” was found in Sturdivant's bedroom trash can and included a section labeled, “martyrdom Op,” court papers claim.  Sturdivant read ISIS material online, visited the terrorist group's websites, and made TikTok videos, Ferguson said. Source: zerohedge.com Former CBS Reporter Catherine Herridge Reveals How Executives Delayed Her Reporting On Hunter Biden Laptop Former CBS investigative reporter Catherine Herridge said Thursday CBS News executives postponed airing her reports on the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop. https://twitter.com/C__Herridge/status/2006795554471186519?s=20   always do the story when it’s ready to go. You should not be dictated by the political cycle.” At that time, CBS News was under different management, and did not respond to our questions seeking comment.   Source: dailycaller.com  https://twitter.com/bread_n_caviar/status/2007473725331960305?s=20 how much Jeb Bush is connected to drug trafficking. Here's my Substack article on that subject: https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/2007377888858062869?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2007528129988862028?s=20 is undoing the damage the CIA has been used to do over the last 78 years around the world. The Deep State network is being dismantled. Trump did the same thing with Iran. Who enabled and paid Iran to make nukes? Obama via the Iran Deal. Neutralizing Iran's nuclear capabilities was Trump cleaning up another Deep State mess created by past administrations. Trump knows where all the Deep State assets and proxies are, and he is uprooting them. It's actually happening. Trump is obliterating the Deep State! Maduro a Cartel/Deep State puppet for a while  Wants out  Negotiates exit with Trump  U.S. military extracts him  Trump rugs the Deep State’s regime change op with his own regime change op https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2007682086271103487?s=20   Maduro played a large role in the destabilization efforts, sending drugs and murderous gangs into our country. Is it considered one crime syndicate?   https://twitter.com/TheQNewsPatriot/status/2007662811296731504?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2007516103950414317?s=20   nations and regions that past US administrations have destabilized and destroyed. If there is no instability, the Deep State cannot operate. Therefore, Trump is going to neutralize those causing the instability, ie, the cartels. Trump is essentially undoing the decades of damage caused by the Deep State, and creating a new world the way it should be.  https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2007547290035302659?s=20   MIL in their cities? Now do you see why they have been panicking about the Insurrection Act? The Dems are Deep State puppets just like Maduro. They fear that what just happened to Maduro, is going to happen to them. THEY FEAR THE RECKONING! (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

January 3rd, 2026, U.S. Delta Force operators captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a pre-dawn raid in Caracas. Was this about cocaine and strong-arm Democracy, or something more strategic? A dive into America's most brazen intervention in Latin America since Panama, 1989. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this explosive bonus episode of The Alan Sanders Show, host Alan Sanders breaks down the stunning January 3, 2026 U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during large-scale strikes on Caracas. Dive into the full history of U.S.-Venezuela tensions, historical precedents like the 1989 Panama invasion of Manuel Noriega, and the legal basis tied to long-standing narco-terrorism indictments. What does this mean for Venezuela's future, U.S. interim administration, oil reserves and is Cuba going to be the next domino to fall? Alan provides sharp analysis on the implications and what's next in this rapidly evolving crisis. Subscribe to The Alan Sanders Show to stay informed, engaged and entertained. Please take a moment to rate and review the show and then share the episode on social media. You can find me on Facebook, X, Instagram, GETTR,  TRUTH Social and YouTube by searching for The Alan Sanders Show. And, consider becoming a sponsor of the show by visiting my Patreon page!

For roughly half a century, the singer Rubén Blades has been spreading the gospel of salsa music to every corner of the globe. “You could say that Blades did for salsa what Bob Marley did for reggae,” says The New Yorker's Graciela Mochkofsky. “He brought it into the global consciousness.” This year, Blades's record “Fotografías” is up for a Grammy Award; should he win, it would be his thirteenth. Blades once ran for President of Panama and later served in the country's cabinet; he's also notable for bringing social commentary to the dance floor, from his earliest work to the recent “Inmigrantes,” a song about the impact of the climate crisis on refugees. And yet, he tells Mochkovsky, songwriters should beware of political messages. “Political songs are propaganda by definition. If you start singing about political ideology, you're not an artist—you're doing propaganda, basically. I try to be as close to a newspaper [reporter] as I can.”This segment originally aired on October 6, 2023.New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Rabbi David Peretz, the Chief Rabbi of the Shevet Achim Sephardic Jewish community in Panama City, and I was truly blown away by the strength of his community and the powerful lessons Jewish communities around the world can learn from it.Join Our Whatsapp Channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GkavRznXy731nxxRyptCMvFollow us on Twitter: https://x.com/AviAbelowJoin our Telegram Channel: https://t.me/aviabelowpulseFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pulse_of_israel/?hl=enPulse of Israel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsraelVideoNetworkVisit Our Website - https://pulseofisrael.com/Donate to Pulse of Israel: https://pulseofisrael.com/boost-this-video/

This week's show features stories from NHK Japan, France 24, Radio Deutsche-Welle, and Radio Havana Cuba. http://youthspeaksout.net/swr260102.mp3 (29:00) From JAPAN- China conducted major military drills around Taiwan- they lasted 3 days and were a counter measure to the US approval of $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, whose current president who is seen as pro-independence. China condemned the demolition of a monument honoring the Chinese contribution to building the Panama Canal. The US government pledged $2 billion in humanitarian aid to the UN in 2026, down from $17 billion in 2022. It was reported thatr the CIA launched a drone strike on port facility in Venezuela. Israel says it will bar 37 aid groups from Palestine including Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee, CARE, and Oxfam. From FRANCE- A press review on French President Macrons New Year speech which included proposed plans to follow the Australian ban on social media access for teenagers under 15. Last Friday Israel recognized Somaliland which is the only country to do so, with widespread opposition- Anwar Bashir of the East African Institute for peace says the hidden agenda is for Israel to use the area to attack Iran and the Yemen, and to relocate Palestinians to the region. From GERMANY- Russia claims it shot down 91 drones from Ukraine intended to attack Russian President Putins residence- Zelensky denies the event happened while Russia showed videos,- analysis by Anna Matveeva, a research fellow at Kings College London. Then an excerpt about the proliferation of AI deepfake videos making up to 50% of reels on social media and the danger. From CUBA- Cuba covered the top 10 news stories of the year 2025- here are 3- Israel attacks Iran and there is retaliation, the US launches a war on Venezuela, and electoral victories of the right in Bolivia and the far-right in Chile marked a turn from increasing socialism in South America. Available in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (160kb)(33MB), broadcast quality (13MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml PODCAST!!!- https://feed.podbean.com/outFarpress/feed.xml (160kb Highest Quality) Website Page- < http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml ¡FurthuR! Dan Roberts "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." --Maya Angelou Dan Roberts Shortwave Report- www.outfarpress.com YouthSpeaksOut!- www.youthspeaksout.net

It was one of those weeks where everything happened. Somaliland Yemen Venezuela Nigeria And Much Much More   Producers for MMO #200 Executive Producers Berlin Lass es dir gut gehen, mein deutscher Freund! Cousin Veto Will be honored in MMO #201   Associate Executive Producers Serpent He got a big ol' Snake   Fiat Fun Coupon Producers Praetor Wiirdo of the not so flat lands Trashman Susan A. Sir Cascadia Naillord of Gaylord   Booster Producers petar           | 10,000 | BAG DADDY BOOSTER! ericpp          | 6,666 boolysteedfountain.fm   | 2,626 boolysteedfountain.fm   | 1,234 wiirdofountain.fm     | 1,000 Sir Jared of South Burien | 333 fairvoltyfountain.fm   | 198 NostrGang         | 111 NostrGangfountain.fm   | 111   Creative Producers: Episode Artwork Woof Did it!   Follow Us: X/Twitter MMO Show John Dan Youtube (while it lasts) MMO Show Livestream Rumble MMO Show Livestream Twitch MMO Show Livestream   Shownotes: Dan's Sources Recognition of Somaliland by Israel divides the country • FRANCE 24 English Saudi Arabia calls UAE-backed separatist advance in Yemen threat to national security • FRANCE 24 Pollster SHOCKED by Democratic unwillingness to 'admit they f----- up' in 2024 CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast Doumbouya expected to win Guinea vote four years after coup | REUTERS Kosovo’s Kurti vows swift government formation after election win | REUTERS Trump says US military struck ISIS terrorists in Nigeria Iran's central bank chief resigns amid protests and currency turmoil • FRANCE 24 English Protests erupt in Iran as currency plummets to record low | DW News Recognition of Somaliland by Israel divides the country • FRANCE 24 English Saudi Arabia calls UAE-backed separatist advance in Yemen threat to national security • FRANCE 24 Pollster SHOCKED by Democratic unwillingness to 'admit they f----- up' in 2024 CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast   John's Shownotes   Episode 200   Flu            Flu Case Surge ABC            Katie Weis Flu Report CBS            What to Know GMA            Severe Flu Risk MSNOW            >Wastewater Scan Dashboard   Fraud            Nick Shirley Report NYP            Nick Shirley MN Fraud Video            DHS in Minneapolis CBS   Nigeria            US Strikes AJ   Red Sea Basin            Yemen Situation F24            Order for UAE Forces to Leave AJ            Israel Recognizes Somaliland   Economy            Quebec Food Prices City News            Baltimore Foreclosure Crisis WJZ   Venezuela            CIA Strike CNN   Panama            Panama China Monument Gone F24   China            Taiwan Blockade Drill BBC   Iran            3rd Day Protests F24            Atlantic Council Rep on Protests DW   Crime            Boston Heist NBC10   2026            Peru Shaman Predictions 2026

The Black Stars are back and bolder than ever. In this episode, we break down Ghana's high-stakes mission to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and their "Herculean" draw against England, Croatia, and Panama. We dive deep into the "Otto Addo Doctrine," exploring how a €200 million arsenal of talent—led by the brilliance of Mohammed Kudus and the veteran leadership of Jordan Ayew—aims to exercise the ghosts of 2010. Can Ghana's high-octane pressing and clinical transition speed propel them to become Africa's ultimate disruptors? Tune in to find out why you write off the Black Stars at your own peril. Ghana Black Stars, 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mohammed Kudus, World Cup Group L, African Football.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 87-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 28,723 on turnover of 6.4-billion N-T. The market closed higher on Monday as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing saw its share price hit a new record high on the back of reports the company plans to raise prices for its advanced chips. China carrying out live-fire drills around Taiwan China is carrying out live-fire military drills around Taiwan today and has said they will be taking place until 6 o'clock this evening in five designated maritime and airspace zones. The exercises are code-named "Justice Mission 2025." According to coordinates provided by China's Eastern Theater Command, the drills were to be staged (舉辦) in the sea and in the airspaces north of Keelung, east of Taitung, south of Pingtung, southeast of Penghu, and northwest of Taoyuan. The Ministry of National Defense says all five of the drill zones are within Taiwan's territorial waters. According to the ministry, the island's armed forces have established an ad hoc emergency operations center and are respond to developments. Cause of Taichung power outage under investigation Tai-Power says the cause of a power outage that affected over 9,000 households in Taichung's Beitun District is under investigation. The outage began at around 8:55 last night and power was restored (恢復) by 10:30. According to the Tai-Power, the outage not only affected households, but also large numbers of businesses and several fire stations located in the district. Tai-Power says repair teams arrived at the scene and found that the fault was located in the power distribution room. The state generator says personnel carried out repairs, before carrying out two power transfer operations to isolate the fault area. Repair teams also reduced the power outage in order to minimize the number of households affected. Israel PM to Meet Trump in Florida Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet President Trump in Florida later today for talks that are expected to (預計，預期) focus on the Gaza peace plan, Iran and Lebanon. Blake Sifton reports from Tel Aviv China Condemns Panama Monument Demolition China has condemned the demolition (拆除) of a monument honoring the Chinese community in Panama. Panama's president echoed the condemnation, blaming local authorities and pledging the monument would be rebuilt. Overnight, videos circulated on social media showing large excavators tearing down the monument. The Chinese Embassy in Panama accused the local authorities of having “brazenly (明目張膽) and forcibly demolished” the monument and “seriously damaged the friendly sentiments of the Chinese people towards the Panamanian people.” It's the latest development as the Trump administration in the US pushes for the Central American nation to distance itself from Beijing. Turkey Armenia to Simplify Visa Procedures Turkey and Armenia have agreed to simplify visa procedures to normalize ties, according to Turkey's Foreign Ministry. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said electronic visas will be available for both countries' passport holders starting Jan. 1-st. Relations have been strained by historic grievances (不平，委屈) and Turkey's alliance with Azerbaijan. The countries have no formal diplomatic ties, and their border has been closed since the 1990s. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下為 SoundOn 動態廣告－－－－ 客家委員會《客家影像故事》徵件中！ 手機、相機都能拍。 今年年度主題是「水」，埤塘、水圳、溪流、河壩的客庄故事都可以。 拍水的主題就有機會拿50 萬大獎！ 徵件到115年4月30日，詳細資訊可到客委會官網查詢 連結：https://sofm.pse.is/8jk3vs -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

On today's episode of The Stretch we are joined by former Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long. We recap the Bears 38-42 loss against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. We get into how this loss is still a further reflection of what this team and coaching staff are capable of as a whole. We are later joined by White Sox Dave from Panama and talk some Bears playoff scenarios and more.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/redlineradio

Enjoy this week's episode with LA SANTA, head honcho of Redolent Music, along with CHUS, DJ & producer influenced by Classical Music, Jazz, Bossa Nova, Soul, and World Music. This amalgamation of cultures allowed her to blend them into a unique scent. She creates a unique and extraordinary sense of belonging, enhanced through an inner journey. Her DJ sets are filled with sensitivity, harmony, high doses of groove, drums & ethnic roots. She has shared the DJ booth with the best international Electronic djs at the moment such as The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler, Blond:ish, CHUS, Dennis Ferrer, Deborah De Luca, Oscar L, Audio Fly or Birds Of Mind to name a few. La Santa expands her energy & grooves all over the world with her continuous plays at Ibiza, Tulum, El Cairo, Guatemala, Panama, Bali, India, Morocco... Her style, influenced by the English, Dutch & American underground sounds, definitely converged into house music inspired by Soul, Tribal, Latin, and World Music. La Santa, Craig Leo - Amohana REDOLENT La Santa, Ivan Romero - Olokun REDOLENT La Santa, Pio de Nicola - Namanga Emmanuel Jal, MoBlack, Wail Bouri - Beledna LENNON (US) - Siren Of The Jungle DJ DALI, Eden Shalev - Shava Kry (IT) - Bongos Dashalc - Haicho Dario D'Attis, Haldo - Naku Eastar, Diephuis - Hoye Mama DJ Wady, Afroloko - Baile Two The Deepshakerz & Lujan Fernandez - Tribal Sun Toto Lagares - Latin Sound Machine Louie Vega, Anané, Tony Touch - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life Feat. Anané & Tony Touch (Louie Vega Remix) This show is syndicated & distributed exclusively by Syndicast. If you are a radio station interested in airing the show or would like to distribute your podcast / radio show please register here: https://syndicast.co.uk/distribution/registration

Matthew 2:13-23Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.” Three years ago, this commercial was released on Christmas Eve. Take a look. It was not well received. It managed to anger people from across the political spectrum, from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Charlie Kirk. When that happens, I think a cord has been struck. Rarely do we see anything that unites people so quickly, even if it's in shared frustration.One of the outcomes of the commercial, intended or not, was a flurry of arguments about Jesus and the holy family. The most central question was whether Jesus was a refugee. People fixated on that word, that label.Some said yes, absolutely. The text could not be clearer. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled persecution from a violent ruler who threatened their lives. Under cover of night, they made a dangerous escape to another land. How could that not describe a refugee?Others so badly wanted—and still want—to refute the claim and make sure Jesus does not wear the name refugee. The argument goes Egypt was under Roman control, just like Bethlehem. So technically, they didn't cross a national border. Therefore, Jesus was not a refugee. At most, the holy family could be called internally displaced persons.Which… ah yes, that sounds so much better.What a pointless, trivial argument, for several reasons.First, Matthew knew nothing of our modern categories: refugee, internally displaced person, asylum seeker, or anything else. He is not interested in our labels.Instead, Matthew is doing something much bigger. He is positioning Jesus as the new Moses, the chosen one of God who will save Israel and lead God's people into freedom once again. That's why this story echoes the exodus: a power-hungry ruler threatened by a child, violence against the innocent, a flight to and from Egypt, and finally a settling in the land promised by God.But most of all, Matthew is showing us the providence of God. God warns. God directs. God protects. From the very beginning, this child's life is carried by God's faithful care, revealing him as the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel.All of that matters for Matthew's audience and for us. But equally important to the theological claim, and something easily overlooked by people like me who haven't had this experience, is the fact that Jesus' life and ministry were shaped by forced migration. By being on the run. By a dangerous journey away from violence and toward whatever safety could be found in a foreign land.Most of us have no idea what that is like—to leave everything behind, to be that vulnerable, to live at the mercy of strangers in a strange land.There are all sorts of stories that tell us about the dangers migrants face on their journeys. One of the most illuminating I've read comes from Caitlin Dickerson's cover article in The Atlantic called “Seventy Miles in Hell.” Dickerson and a photographer, Lynsey Addario, traveled alongside families as they crossed a perilous jungle passage known as the Darién Gap: a stretch of wilderness between Colombia and Panama that, in recent years, has become one of the most common and dangerous routes toward Central America and, eventually, the United States.Dickerson introduces us to a family she meets at the beginning of the journey. Bergkan and his partner Orlimar are from Venezuela, not yet married, parents to two children: Isaac, who is two, and Camila, eight. This was never the life they imagined. Their dream was to build a future in Venezuela, but poverty and persecution forced them to leave. So they formed a new dream and took drastic measures to make it possible.The night before they set out, Bergkan voiced his fear: What if someone gets hurt? What if a child gets sick? What if someone is bitten by a snake—or worse? On the very first day, sharp inclines tore their shoes. After carrying his two-year-old all morning, along with his partner's bag, Bergkan collapsed to the ground, already exhausted, physically and mentally. He emptied the bag, leaving behind what little they had: old headphones, sandals, a couple pairs of shoes. Along the way, porters offered goods and services at steep prices: five dollars for a bottle of water, a hundred dollars an hour to carry a bag or a child. The journey had already cost the family a thousand dollars per person, with no guarantee they would survive it. Each day brought new threats. The camps were riddled with scams, fear of sexual assault, and the risk of kidnapping. The family eventually made it out of the jungle, but what they witnessed stayed with them: hungry travelers begging for food, nearly naked people desperate for clothing, sick children unable to go on. We don't know what ultimately happened to this family. The last update placed them in Mexico City, unsure of what came next.It was a dream that drove Joseph and Mary to drastic measures too. We're given no details about their journey. But if stories like Bergkan and Orlimar's tell us anything, it could not have been easy. Were porters offering their services along the way? Were they robbed of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh they had just received? Did Mary face the threat of sexual assault? Did Joseph collapse from exhaustion, carrying his child and his partner's belongings?We're told nothing about the years the holy family spent in Egypt. No details. No stories. Just silence.Did Joseph struggle to find work? Did people resent him for it—muttering that he was taking jobs that belonged to someone else? Did they struggle with the Demotic language and told to just learn it? To adapt faster? To be grateful they were there at all?I have to believe that all of that shaped Jesus' life and ministry—that when later he spoke about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and welcoming the stranger he was not speaking in abstractions. “What you do—or fail to do—to the least of these, you do to me. Because it was me and my family.”All of it presses the same truth into us: the holy family did not just flee danger—they also lived the hard, unseen reality of being immigrants.If we had been there—if we had seen the holy family on the road to Egypt—I think we'd like to believe we would have helped them. That we would have offered water. Food. A place to rest. Somewhere safe to stay along the way. We imagine ourselves as the ones who would welcome them in, who would protect a frightened mother and a vulnerable child, who would offer dignity after such a perilous journey.So why do we not do the same now—for the struggling, suffering migrants who, following a dream, flee violence and traverse hell to get here, just as the Holy Family once did?Today, instead of recognizing them, we scapegoat people like them. We call them garbage and their countries hellholes. We create policies not just to deter migration, but to make it harsher, more painful, more dangerous.Matthew forces us to see Jesus and the holy family in every family that follows a dream, that flees persecution, that escapes some kind of hell, and is forced to settle in a new land. Arguing about whether Jesus was a refugee or not is a waste of time. What matters is how we treat the people today who find themselves in the same situation the holy family faced two thousand years ago. What we do to people today, we do to themI understand that immigration policy is complex. But what should not be complex is our commitment to dignity—especially in the way we talk about migrants and the way we respond to their suffering.We live this faith by putting our bodies, voices, and resources where our prayers are. By supporting organizations like Exodus Refugee and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, who walk with families long after the headlines fade. By advocating for higher refugee admissions and humane conditions that honor the dignity of every person. And by praying in ways that change us—for all those fleeing violence, escaping hell, and daring to believe there might be life on the other side. Icon by Kelly Latimore We meet Jesus and the holy family in every person who follows a dream to a new land. How we treat them reveals what we believe about him.Merry Christmas. Amen.

In this episode of AgingGayfully®, hosts Chris MacLellan and Josh Wilson discuss the desire for change and new beginnings, particularly in light of recent events affecting the LGBTQ community. They reflect on the importance of community and belonging, navigating the current political climate, and the challenges of personal safety. The conversation also touches on the implications of relocation and the significance of personal connections in times of uncertainty. Takeaways Greg Louganis is moving to Panama for a fresh start.The desire to relocate is influenced by the current political climate.Community plays a crucial role in supporting individuals during tough times.Many LGBTQ individuals are considering moving to more accepting environments. The importance of personal connections and family when considering relocation.Navigating the noise of social media and AI-generated content is challenging.Historical patterns can inform current societal issues.The fear of leaving behind those who cannot move is significant. Engaging with the community is essential for support and understanding. TThe hosts encourage listeners to share their thoughts on relocation. Let's AgeGayfully® together, with intention, humor, and each other. A gay senior, Christopher MacLellan, and an ally, Josh Wilson, podcasting about life, love, liberty and travel. Don't Say Gay?… Say AgingGayfully®! AgingGayfully® is about living life with dignity in an age-friendly society regardless of orientation or economic status because longevity is a justice issue. AgingGayfully® is about finding your voice as we age. We are all part of the aging process and have real connections in diversity. AgingGayfully® is a modern type of activism that supports the concept of belonging. AgingGayfully® is about Adventure, Leisure, Travel, being a citizen of the world, traveling to destinations, and being part of the global community as we age and prosper in body, mind, and spirit.

Lost At Christmas: Part 2 A vulnerable confrontation with an old crush. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at My First time. Christmas What had started out with the potential for so much disappointment, my first Christmas away from home, was actually quite wonderful. The family embraced me and treated me as one of their own. Dinner was scrumptious, a Christmas ham, with the full complement of side dishes. After dinner we chatted, drank a little too much spiked eggnog, and told stories of the last few years. I sat close to Sheri when I could, beside her at the dinner table, and next to her on the couch while we had our eggnog. I tried to engage her in some quiet conversation of our own, but the setting was all wrong for that, and I eventually abandoned those attempts. It was nice enough just to be near her. Tommy's step-father Dave, insisted I call Santiago, even though I knew the price would be outrageous, and I did. I gave my family my Christmas wishes, and told them how much I missed them and was looking forward to seeing them in a couple of days. Everyone in the room took a minute to say hello and share season's greetings. I had to spend a few minutes trying to get my Mom to stop crying at the far end, before we finally were able to hang-up. The small ones had to go to bed relatively early, and so we all got to open one gift the night before, as was their tradition. I gave Tommy his gift, and his mother opened the family gift and everyone acted pleased. In turn, they had bought me a present which I opened. It was two books for the trip, and they had a card for me. Inside was $50. I was completely in shock. "Dear Steve, Your short visit was a wonderful Christmas gift to us all. Thanks so much for choosing to spend this Christmas with us. Here's some mad money for the trip home. We all love you. Dave, June, Robert, Sheri, John and Jean" I was deeply touched by the gesture. I went over and gave Tommy's Mom a big hug, thanking her for the card and books. The kids jumped up with presents of their own, and I got two new drawings for my dorm room, as well as some mystery invention from John, which was supposed to be a spy tool to stop people from breaking into my room. I thanked them profusely, and they were put to bed shortly after. Dave, Tommy and I discussed the logistics of my morning bus ride back to Charleston. It left at 7:30 am, but was only about 15 minutes away, so we figured on getting a 7:00am start. We relaxed around the fire, ruminating on the poor souls who had the job of driving that bus all day Christmas day. There was a guitar in the corner, Greg's. I was surprised he hadn't taken it with him. I went over and grabbed it, and finding it miserably out of tune, I tuned it up. "Play something Christmassy", Tommy's Mom asked, and so I played a couple of tunes. I'm a fair guitarist; I was studying guitar at the Eastman School of Music since it was convenient, and ROTC was picking up the tab, and had improved quite a bit from the days of our first band. I got rave reviews from my small audience, and took requests for a while, before we broke it up. The parents still had some work to do for the kids, and Tommy and I wanted to hit the hay early, in order to catch that 7:30 bus. More hugs and kisses all around, with a firm handshake for Dave, and I retired to my room to finish my packing. I got ready for bed, dressed in boxers and a t-shirt, laid out my clothes for the morning, and completed my packing. I had one last thing I wanted to do before hitting the sack, so I went back into the bathroom, and knocked on the opposite door into Sheri's room. I heard a muffled "Come in" or something to that effect, and opened the door to find Sheri sitting up in bed, brushing her long blonde hair. She was dressed in a nearly see-through pale green nightie that took my breath away. "Hi." I felt incredibly awkward, like I was 16 all over again. She looked up at me, giving me a quizzically upraised eyebrow. "I had a gift for you, but I felt kind of silly giving it to you out there. I hope you don't mind that I waited until now." I handed her a small leather pouch. She took it, laying her brush to the side, and opened it, pulling out a small cross. She stretched out the cord, and looked at me in surprise. "But this is your mountain cross! You always wear this!" She said, looking at me with a strange look I couldn't quite fathom. The cross was one I had found mountain climbing several years earlier. I had been in a small accident. I'd fallen into a glacier fed stream on a mountain trip, while collecting firewood in a storm. I'd almost frozen before I'd made it back to the cabin. Literally. I thought I was going to die. I was staggering the last 20 feet to the building, in a daze, when a friend returning from the outhouse ran into me, and dragged me inside to warm up. The next morning I found a small ivory cross on a rotted leather lanyard at almost the very place I had climbed out of the stream, and I had worn it for years since then. Sheri knew the story. I had told her the whole thing one evening when I had been giving her driving lessons. I don't know what had motivated me to give it to her, but I had had this urge, and I've always been a pretty impetuous person. "I just want you to have it." I explained. She patted the bed beside her for me to sit down then she handed me the cross to put around her neck and turned her back to me. I passed my hands over the head, letting the cross dangle in the valley between her breasts, and she reached back and pulled her hair up and out of the way, so I could latch the necklace on her. When I was done she turned to me, and fingering the cross she thanked me. "I got the strangest call today." She told me. "Strange how?" I asked. "Kathryn called me. We haven't talked probably in over a year, but she called me out of the blue, and we talked about nothing but you for over an hour." She said with a teasing smile. I could feel my face burning from the blush. We were real quiet for a bit. Then she spoke up softly, not looking at me at all, just looking down at her hands. "Do you remember the skating party where you asked me to skate, like 5 times?" "Do I ever! My hand was so sweaty I was embarrassed to hold yours, but didn't know how to dry it off, and I wasn't good enough a skater to make a real dance out of it." I laughed. "I thought you liked me, and were going to ask me out, but you never did. Why not?" She asked. The memory was embarrassing, and I thought about it a bit before confessing. "I had skated with Kathryn earlier in the evening, and she asked me who I liked. I told her I would answer by the end of the evening. Later, just when I was trying to get the nerve up to skate with you again, and ask you to sit by me on the Pensacola bus trip, Jack found me and told me that I had better ask Kathryn to skate. She was waiting for me to tell her something. Well, I did ask her to skate, and she reminded me of our previous conversation. I admitted that I really liked two people, you and her. Then she asked me if I minded if she 'monopolized' me for a while. I went along. You know the rest. One out-of-town bus trip; one back-row of the movie; and me completely screwing everything up." She listened without showing too much surprise. "But how come you never tried anything after that?" "God! How could I? You knew everything that had happened. Don't you remember the time I stopped by when Net was over here spending the night. Every time I passed you guys, you seemed to be laughing at me. And then when you passed me in the hall and whispered, "Oooh, I Love You," teasing me with what I'd said to Kathryn before completely blowing her off, I was just devastated. I hadn't screwed up just the one chance, but you as well." Sheri had the grace to blush from embarrassment at that. "I really didn't know much of what was going on. Kathryn just told me to go up to you and say that. I'm sorry." "Not half as sorry as I was." I told her. "You had to know how much I liked you. I was always trying to be around you and do things with you." "I didn't know how much of that was just being Tommy's sister, or what. I kept waiting for you to try something, anything, but you never did." She looked at me intensely almost with anguish. I was 16 all over again. I was still embarrassed over my ineptness around women. I had screwed things up with Kathryn. I had screwed up with Teri. And I had screwed up with Sheri. Since then I'd had more than my share of success with the young women I'd known, but all of a sudden, it was like I was a clumsy, scared virgin all over again. Sheri looked at me for a long while, then finally sighed and looked away, picking up her brush and going back to brushing her hair. "Some things will never change, I guess," she muttered, ignoring me. I started to get up, to go to my room, knowing this was neither the time, nor the place to try to start something with Sheri, but I just couldn't leave things as they were. I reached out and took the brush from her, which she relinquished slowly. I then took her by the shoulders and turned her away from me, so I could brush her hair. I brushed her hair in silence for a bit, before speaking. "For at least a year after leaving here, I would dream about you all the time. You were the girl of my fantasies. We wrote so well for a while, and I kept all your letters, reading them over and over again, looking for hidden meaning in the words, wondering if I'd ever get a chance to be with you. I still have those letters." I confessed. Several long seconds later Sheri reached down to the bottom drawer of her chest, next to the bed and opened it. She reached under her sweaters, and pulled out a pile of letters held together with a rubber-band. I recognized my writing. She turned to look at me, and her eyes glistened. I dropped the brush, leaned over and nervously kissed her, hoping beyond hope she wouldn't throw me out of her room with a ruckus. Instead she turned, and returned my kiss with a depth and passion I could only have prayed for. When we broke apart, we just looked at each other. Suddenly I couldn't help but giggle. "What?" She asked, almost crossly. "Do you remember how you thought you'd get pregnant from French kissing?" I recalled. She blushed again. "I can't believe you still remember that, you beast. How did you find that out anyway?" "Kathryn told me on the bus trip. I think she was trying to make you seem naive to me, sort of solidify her hold on me." I told her. "That Bitch! She always denied it, but I couldn't think of anyone else who knew." We laughed a bit, and gradually fell back into kissing each other. At the next break in our kissing, Sheri nailed me again. "Tommy said you did it with Angela. Was she your first?" "No. I never did do it with her. And Colleen was my first." I admitted. "Colleen? From yearbook?" "Yeah. But not until a year later. She went to Mosley with me, and we hooked up at a party. It was weird and nothing much happened of it. Three weeks later I was headed to Chile." I told her. She just shook her head at me. "Since it's time for true confessions, who was your first?" I asked teasing. "Rich? Mike?" "Oh God, no!" she laughed. "Then who?" She never answered, just turned a bright red. "Come on, fair's fair. I told you." I urged her relentlessly. She mumbled something I couldn't make out. "I can't hear you, who was it?" I teased again. She looked up, almost fiercely. "Nobody, all right?" I was stunned, and the ensuing silence seemed endless. "You're kidding me." I finally said, hardly believing. Her answer was so soft I almost missed it. "At one time I thought you'd be my first." This time when we kissed, I allowed my hands to wander, throwing caution to the wind. I cupped her perfect young breast in my hand, letting my thumb brush across her nipple, getting it hard. We were both gasping when we broke apart. "Steve?" "Yes?" "Go close your door, and turn off your light, then turn off the light in the bathroom," she said softly. I did, and she had turned down the light in her room. She was lying in the bed, the covers folded down neatly, waiting for me. She was still in her nightie. I stood beside the bed and made my commitment. I removed my shirt, and then my shorts, sporting a huge hard-on, which she stared at in wonder. I climbed into her bed completely naked. She had been laying sideways, leaning on her elbow, but as I entered the bed, she rolled onto her back, lying down, waiting for me. She was achingly beautiful in the dim light, and I was afraid I was going to come on the spot if she even touched me. I leaned over her and kissed her, but this time the kiss never stopped. I lost my soul in that kiss. I lost all track of time and presence. Our mouths stayed connected as we explored and played with our tongues, and my hands embarked on their exploration of the wonders of her body. My hands touched her all over, before finally settling in the warm crease between her legs. She had panties on, and as my fingers rubbed up and down her hidden folds, I found a small wet spot, maybe the size of a dime slowly spreading. Once I was aggressively rubbing her, sliding the material up and down, half-an inch into her by this time, the wetness enveloped the entire area. I slid my hand less than a foot up her body, and let my finger tips creep under the band of her panties. My hand slid down, the soft down of her hair like a magical lure, the gentle pressure of her panties against the back of my hand trapping me. Our kiss finally broke, and from an inch away we looked into each other's eyes as I slowly slid my middle finger between those forbidden lips, and into her. The aroma of her need assaulted me, and the quiet squish of her wetness against my finger was the ultimate aphrodisiac. I was engulfed with desire. I started to crawl over her, placing my knee between hers when she stopped me. "Wait." Then she raised her hips, and scrunched down, raised her knees, moments later passing me a small, but incredibly erotic piece of plain, white material. I was beyond reason, and I climbed between her legs. She spread them for me, seeming as eager as I. I grabbed my throbbing rod in hand, and by feel, rubbed the head up and down her moistness, adding pressure bit by bit, until I felt it settle in at the mouth of her pussy. She gave a small gasp, as the head slid in just a bit, not quite in her yet, but knowing that I was one small push from being inside. "Be gentle," she said, and I could see a hint of nervousness and fear in her eyes. I leaned over and kissed her softly, and while our lips touched, I pushed, sinking into her. At least for a bit. About halfway in I hit a barrier. I was confused at first. I pulled back and pushed again, a little harder, thinking I was sticking, and she grunted a little as if in pain. It finally sunk in. I had been with plenty of women, and several who had claimed to be virgins, but none with their cherry intact. I wasn't sure what to do. I probed again, and this time elicited a small 'ow'. What was I to do? I lay on top of her, my cock buried four inches deep in the girls of my dreams, and I was at a complete loss. Sheri shifted a bit under me, wrapped her legs around mine, and pulled me close. She whispered into my ear. "Take me." It was the sexiest thing I'd ever heard. Nervously I pulled back until I was just at the opening and I drove down hard, feeling just a pinch before my pelvis was grinding into hers. I was completely inside her. I got up on my elbows and looked down at her. I could see a single wet trail that glistened from the side of her eye to her ear. "Are you ok?" I asked her, holding myself still, deep inside of her. "Wonderful," she said softly, tilting her chin up slightly for a kiss. I accepted the offer, and kissed her gently, while I experimented with moving my cock within her incredibly tight sheath. I felt I was only moments from coming, but I couldn't resist moving my hips just a bit, exploring the feeling of being inside her. I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I always wanted you. You knew it. I knew it. But I was afraid. I was afraid of the ribbing from your brother. Afraid of being exposed for knowing nothing about what to do with a girl. Afraid of ruining our friendship. Afraid of striking out, and you telling all the other girls, and my being the laughingstock. Afraid of so many stupid things. I was an idiot." "You weren't afraid of Kathryn," she answered softly. "She initiated it all. She pushed forward, asking to monopolize me, holding my hand. I probably never would have made the move. If I could change one thing, it would be that skating party. I should have saved that last moonlight skate for you, and asked you out. I should have told Kathryn that you were the one girl I was interested in. Who knows how things might have worked out? Plus, it wasn't as big a deal. If things didn't work out, oh well. But if I ruined things with you, it would have killed all my dreams." She was hot beneath me, her skin almost burning to my touch, I was finally moving inside of her, but I quickly had to stop, again on the verge of coming, and embarrassed at my short trigger. "Make love to me Steve," she said breathlessly. I gave a few more strokes and had to stop again. "Don't stop," she pleaded. "I'm sorry, I'm so excited I'm on the verge of coming now. If I move I won't be able to stop," I finally confessed. "Do it. Pump me, take me, come deep inside me," she answered. Those words were too much, and with a gasp I drove my cock in hard, and exploded inside her. I pulled back and slammed into her a dozen times or so, making the bed creak alarmingly as I emptied myself inside her virgin moistness. As my heart hammer away in my chest, and my breathing gasped, she gave me a small joyous laugh. "Wow, I guess you were close!" Then she gave a big hug before she pushed me off of her. She climbed over me, her hand pressed between her legs and scrambled into the bathroom, waddling inelegantly but still incredibly arousing to me. I heard her tinkle, and then return to the bed with a facecloth with which she wiped my semi-hard cock clean. Then she climbed into bed, her head on my shoulder and talked. She recounted almost ever time that we'd been together alone, all the adventures we'd had, the summer we'd learned to play tennis together, and what she'd thought might happen. We laughed a little at my ineptness and her caution as well. Then I felt her hand creep down between my legs. "Do you think we could try that again?" she asked me hesitantly. "I'm dying to, but I was afraid I might have hurt you." I laughed my foolish insecure laugh. "So hurt me," she teased, giving a tug on my cock. This time I held out a little better. I climbed between her legs again, and made love to her, still gently, still nervous. But before long I was feeling that familiar rhythm of need, and my strokes became longer and more insistent. I had to have her. I had to take her. I had to fill her deeply, completely. I sat up in the bed, discarding the covers, and raised her legs, pushing them back, and screwing her powerfully, shaking her body, crashing into her with a burning need. She was still wearing her nightie, but it had ridden up above her belly button, just a couple of inches below her breasts. I stopped my motion and whispered to her, "Rise up on your elbows." She looked at me oddly but did, raising her head a few inches off the pillow. I leaned over and lifted her nightie up above her breast, allowing me to see the objects of my desire and fantasies. "God, I've pictured those in my mind for four years, and yet never came close to imagining how perfect and beautiful they are." I said, more to myself than to her. I resumed my fucking, for that was what I was doing now, fucking her. Fucking her hard. She had her bottom lip captured between her teeth, and now she was holding her nightie in her hands, almost to her chin, allowing me an uninterrupted view of her oh-so-perfect tits. The visuals were all too much and pushed me over the edge once again. The beautiful face, the long hair arrayed across the pillow, the full breasts, bouncing a counter-beat to my pounding, her flat stomach, hollowed, and the light fur of her hair parted to allow my pole to penetrate her again and again. With a moan I came for her again, collapsing beside her, sated, and in complete serenity and joy. "I guess you really do like me," she laughed, cuddling up to my side. Then she was asking me about my afternoon meeting with Kathryn. "What did she tell you?" I asked, a little nervous. "No, you tell me what happened. I don't trust her," she insisted. I told her the whole story, including the ending. In full short-but-sweet detail. "I knew it!" She laughed. "She said you tried to come on to her, and made her grab you there, but she turned you down." "If that's how she wants to tell it that's fine by me. I owe her one; let her have it however she wants." I said "When you went to the movies, what really happened there?" she asked, with her one-track mind. I wasn't sure what her preoccupation was but I finally told her the whole scene, everything I'd done, every liberty I'd taken. At the end I waited in judgment. "She's such a liar. She said you tried to reach inside her pants but she stopped you." "Hardly, I could smell her on my fingers for day afterwards." I laughed. Sheri was lost in thought pressed up against me. My hands were idling rubbing her back, the material of her nightie soft and silky against my fingertips. "I guess there's only one thing she's done with you that we haven't done," Sheri started, and then she slid under the covers and a moment later I felt the warm wetness of her mouth enveloping me. I could see the covers moving as she used her mouth to pleasure me, taking only a few moments to make me hard, and then sucking me like there was no tomorrow. Which, in a way I guess there wasn't. I wanted to see her, so I pulled the covers back and looked down at her. She continued a few more strokes, then shifted and faced me a little more, finally lifting her eyes to watch me, watching her, suck my cock. A few more deep strokes and she pulled off with a smile. "I can see that's one thing you like," she said with a grin. "Like is an understatement." I laughed. She gave me a couple more sucks, and then she straddled me, and rose up to take me inside of her again. I wanted her so bad I could almost scream. She got me positioned right, and then slowly lowered herself the full length of my staff with one long, smooth stroke. Then, settled on my hips, my turgid meat buried in her achingly tight recess, she lifted the bottom of her nightie and pulled it up and over her head. I'd been to several strip shows before that, but never in my life had I seen anything so beautiful or so erotic. I could feel my pulse in my cock, throbbing inside her. She opened her eyes wide, and looked down between her legs. "Wow, I could feel that. At least one part of you really likes to see the girls," she laughed, holding her breasts cupped in her hands, and jiggling them for me. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." I told her. "Right, and now I guess you're going to tell me you love me, just like Kathryn." She said it with a hint of bitterness I didn't understand. "The difference is back then it was the hormones of a 16 year old talking. You on the other hand, I've loved for three years. And you know it." I said, and only as I spoke the words did I realize to my very soul, just how true it was. Sheri didn't answer. She leaned forward and rocked back and forth on my hard cock, enjoying the feeling of controlling the penetration, the pace, the timing. She paced herself to my breathing and excitement. When I started to get really excited she'd slow down and hold me, letting me ease back from the edge. When I was strong and ready, she'd ride me hard. She let my hands explore her as she did the work, and I touched her everywhere I could reach, just wallowing in the sensations. I pulled her down within reach, and tasted her nipples, playing with those perfect globes. The feel of her breasts, that impossible soft pale skin under my lips, making way to the crinkled, tougher skin, peaking to a little nub seemingly designed for me to tease and taste. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of sensual, erotic play, she laid down on me, her breasts pressed against my chest, her mouth on my neck, while she slowly rocked her hips, fucking herself gently on my rod. "Come for me Steve," she said, almost as a command. I reached down and took her full, soft ass cheeks in my hands, grasping them tight, and I held her up a bit off of me, so I could us my hips to drive in and out of her channel more completely. I was able to get a good long stroke established, and I could feel the cool air brushing against my wet shaft each time I pulled outward. We had made love for what seemed ages before she issued that first command for me to come. Now she issued another one. "Tell me again." I couldn't hold back any longer, and didn't want to. I was fucking the prettiest girl I'd ever known; The first girl that I had really badly wanted; The sweet little virgin that I had fantasized about for so long; Whose pretty face had been the image I'd been picturing as I filled enough old gym socks with cum to fill a stadium. "I love you, Sheri. I've loved you as long as I've known you." And with that I pulled her down hard on my cock, coming inside my dream girl again, and absorbing the feeling, knowing I was leaving within hours, not knowing when I'd see her again. "I love you, Steve," she said, I could feel her tears rolling down the side of my face. I looked up to see the sky lightening with the coming dawn, and thought to myself, "That's another one you've got up on Kathryn." I disentangled myself from her limbs and kissed her. "I have to go. Tommy's going to be looking for me any minute." Somehow we had spent the entire night reminiscing, sharing and making love. It was so difficult, but I tore myself from her arms, tucked her in bed, and kissed her goodnight. "Get a couple of hours of sleep; I'll be able to sleep on the bus." I told her. She was still wearing the cross I'd given her. She held it now. "Thanks for the Christmas present." She said with a small sad smile. I kissed her again, and retreated to the bathroom for a quick shower and shave. Back in my room, I dressed, and found a present waiting for me on my suitcase. A 8 by 10 picture of Sheri, as beautiful as I'd ever seen her, with a small inscription on the back. "Merry Christmas. Don't forget about me. Love, Sheri" I had just finished putting it away when Tommy knocked on my door, dragging me out to breakfast, and then off to the bus. The rest of that trip was uneventful; I made it home OK, picked up some presents in Panama, saw some old friends, and made it back to college in one piece. But I'll always recall that first Christmas away from home, and the greatest Christmas present I ever received. Not my first erector set, or the 114 piece Lincoln Log tube. Not my first really Cool bicycle, a purple spider bike with banana seat, big handle bars and a three speed shifter on the bar. Not my first electric guitar, a Fender, and amp, which I think my parents had some second thoughts about. No, Sheri's was the nicest gift I ever received, and probably ever will receive, for Christmas. "Thanks" just doesn't seem to say enough. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts, for Literotica

Lost At Christmas: Part 1 His First Christmas away from home, & His best gift ever. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at My First time. After my first semester in College, I was eager to go home for the holidays. I was going to school in Rochester, New York, and anybody who'd experienced the lake-effect winters on the Great Lakes would understand my desire to get to somewhere warmer. For me, that somewhere warmer was a long ways away. As a military brat, home was often a moving target, and that winter it was Santiago, Chile, where my father was stationed and where I'd graduated high-school. It was summer in Santiago, and I was looking forward to a pool-party with my old school mates for the Holidays. We didn't have a lot of money, but I was allowed to travel space available on a military flight as a Navy ROTC student. I had to get down to Charleston, South Carolina, and catch an international C1 41 flight that made a loop through Latin America. After finagling a ride to Virginia followed by a very long bus trip down the coast, I finally made it to Charleston AFB. ROTC travel orders in hand, I checked in at the desk, and verified I was on the standby list for the flight leaving on the 23rd. I wouldn't get home until Christmas Day, but better late than never. With pockets nearly empty, a hotel room was out of the question so I slept in the terminal and snacked on the cheapest eats I could get away with. There was a festive mood in the terminal, so many people rushing to get home for the holidays, and I was getting caught up in the feeling, eagerly looking forward to that very long plane ride, first to Panama, then Lima, and finally Santiago. After what seemed an interminable wait, we were an hour away from boarding when I got bumped off the flight by a group of Marines headed to Panama on Active Duty travel orders. I was devastated. The next flight left early the morning of the 26th. At least that one was a huge plane, and nearly empty so I was virtually guaranteed to get aboard, but what was I going to do for Christmas? Looking up at the outgoing flight schedules, I saw a flight listed for Tyndall AFB, Panama City, Florida. "When is the flight to Tyndall headed out?" I asked the airman behind the desk. "In an hour-and-a-half, and it's all but empty. You want on?" He asked, offering some recompense for my last minute bump. I'd lived in Panama City during 9th and 10th grade, and still had some close friends there, many I still kept in touch with. Maybe I could find someone to spend Christmas with there. It had to be better than sleeping in the terminal for 2 more days. "Please," I told him, "but hold my space for Santiago. I'll be back for that flight." I recalled there being a pretty big Greyhound station in Panama City, so I called Greyhound and checked on a bus being able to get me back in time for the flight. They had one, a 7:30 am bus on Christmas morning would get me back before midnight on Christmas. I could easily make the flight the next morning, even if it were delay a few hours. I bought a ticket, using the emergency Am Ex card my parents had given me when I headed off to college. I'd explain the $67.00 to my parents. I called my family in Santiago with the news. It had to be short call because of the expense, so I let them know I had been bumped but would be there on the 28th. I told them I was headed to Panama City, and would be taking a bus back in plenty of time for my flight. My mother cried, and my father told me to go ahead and use the credit card, but to try to keep the expenses reasonable. By the time I hung up I was pretty depressed, but at least I had a plan. Before I could try to contact anyone in Panama City, an announcement was made and suddenly I was on my way to Florida for Christmas, with no place lined up to stay, and practically broke. I was feeling a bit melancholy, but was determined to make the best of it. So there I was, at Tyndall Air Force Base, at 11:20 pm on December 23rd. I was debating who to try first. I had several close friends nearby and I expected they'd all be home for Christmas. After a short internal debate, I had narrowed it down to two. I had always gotten along well with their entire families, and I was still in pretty regular contact with both of them. Mike lived the nearest to me in the old days. He came from a big family, with 6 siblings, including Peggy, who'd been one of my first real deep infatuations. When I had been in 9th grade she'd been a senior, and was pretty and sophisticated. My yearning for her was unrequited, but I relished the idea of seeing her again after four years. She was a college senior, and would probably be home. I knew they'd welcome me, but I was concerned it would be an inconvenience. They did not have a large house, and it was bound to be crowded, particularly with three college kids home for the holiday. On top of that who knew if they had anyone else in tow? Tommy on the other hand came from a relatively well-off family who always lived well within their means. He had an older brother, who was working in Japan and unlikely to be home, a sister, Sheri, just a year behind us in school, and two much younger siblings, who I guessed would be around 9 and 10 by now. They had a spacious house, each kid had their own room, and I wouldn't be putting anybody out if I stayed there. I'd always had a crush on Sheri, but although I'd dated her best friend, I'd never gone out with her. Getting a chance to see her again would be an extra bonus. Feeling nervous and awkward, I dialed Tommy's number from memory, and luckily got him on the first call. If I'd gotten somebody else, I would have really felt uncomfortable. Tommy's answer was unmistakable. He had a funny way of saying hello when he answered the phone, and the sound of his voice took me straight back down memory lane. "Hee-ello," he answered. "Tommy! Guess who?" I asked. I guess my voice must have been similarly recognizable, since he didn't hesitate a second. "Steve-o! What are you up to? Where're you at?" He answered eagerly. It put a smile on my face. Nice to hear a happy, upbeat voice that seemed genuinely pleased to hear from me. "Funny you should ask. It's a long story, but I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm at Tyndall, and stuck here until Christmas Day." I told him. "What happened to Chile, and Rochester?" He asked. "I was on my way home to Chile, when I lost my seat on the plane in Charleston. I couldn't get out again until the 26th, so when I saw an empty plane headed this way, I just hopped on and hoped for the best." I explained. "That's Great!" He almost shouted. "Not great that you couldn't get home, but great that you're here. You want to stay with us? You can have Greg's room, he won't be here, and I'm sure Sheri and Mom would love to see you. The place is kind of 'down' with Greg canceling his trip home at the last minute. Having you here should cheer things up a bit." He did sound enthused, and I couldn't help grinning in reply. "Don't you think you should check?" I laughed. A scream in my ear was the answer, as I heard half of a shouted conversation. "Mom! Guess Who's In Town." "No, Not Greg." "No, Go Ahead Guess." "Guess Again." "Ok, Ok - Steve." "Yeah, Steve Pelland. He's Stuck Here In Town 'Til Christmas Day." "Of Course I Told Him He Should Come Here, I'll Go Get Him." "I Will." "Yes Mom; Yes; I Won't; I Will." I was holding the phone a little away from my head, and almost missed it when he came back on. "Where should I pick you up?" He asked. "The Main Terminal, you know where that is right?" I answered. "Sure - be there in about 30 minutes. Man, this is Great!" I hung up with a big smile on my face, feeling 100% better than I had just 10 minutes earlier. I stood outside waiting for him, and about 20 minutes later the strings of Christmas lights shut off one at a time, as the place closed up for the night. It was dark and quiet, and I started to get nervous again, wondering if this had been such a good idea. I was 500 miles from my flight home and completely at the mercy of old friends. But as far as friends go, I couldn't do much better than mine, and figured at the least I wouldn't be sleeping in a lonely terminal in Charleston for two days, slowly eating my way through my meager funds. When Bob pulled up around midnight, I could see he'd gotten rid of the VW Bug he'd inherited from his mother upon turning 16, and was now driving his brother's old Two-tone Cougar. We spent a minute saying hi, and loading my gear into the trunk, and then we headed back into town, catching each other up on history. When I had first moved to Santiago, I used to write about once every couple of months, as well as call a couple of times a year. In the beginning I'd written Sheri a lot as well. She was one of the most prolific writers among my old friends, and would typically write twice to me for every one I wrote to her. Over the years, that had degenerated into holiday cards and a surprise call maybe once a year. I knew he was attending Florida State, and that Greg had graduated from Georgetown, and had moved to Japan on business. That was about it. Tommy told me all about the old gang, who was in town, who was going to what schools, what people had been up to. I told him a lot more detail about what I'd been up to. "So," he asked, "Got a girl?" "Not now. Thought I had one after the ROTC Christmas ball, but that seems to have been my mistake." I admitted. "Hard to believe. You always had someone. Every letter, every phone-call, just seems like they didn't stay the same all that long." He teased. "I don't know. I had several relationships last pretty long. Two were more than 6 months long." I argued. "Oh! Six Months!" He laughed. "How about you then," I asked in defense. "Still Erin. Almost two years now." He asked. "Shit. What does she see in you? She could do so much better." I teased. "Oh really? Like how?" "Like me!" I laughed. "Right, like that would ever happen! Don't even think about it, or you'll be sleeping in the street." He was laughing as well. "Not if I called Erin I wouldn't," I shot back. I thought it was a great comeback, but it earned me a sock in the arm. We pulled up to his house, which still looked exactly the same, and things were pretty quiet. They used the same window lights, same roof lights, same bush trimmings year after year. It was just as I remembered. Who says you can't go back? "Mom's got to work tomorrow, so I'm sure she's in bed, and you know Dave crashes early, so we better keep it down. We've got lots to do tomorrow anyway." We entered quietly and put my bag in Greg's old room. Tommy stayed and chatted for a few minutes then bid me good night, telling me to sleep in as long as I wanted, as long as it wasn't past 9:00 am, and left me to get settled. Past 9:00? Now I remembered, they'd always been an early-bird household. For me 9:00 am Was the crack of dawn. Tommy and I had breakfast at about 9:30. He was already chiding me for sleeping in and missing the whole family. We had the house to ourselves. He'd been on the phone arranging our day, and once we'd finished the pancakes, we were off to see Mike and his family. Entering Mike's house was the same as it had ever been, but more-so. People everywhere, noise, laughter, roughhousing, it was all taken in stride by Mrs. Frey. We spent a few hours visiting, and getting fed again before we could leave. Mike's older sister Peggy still looked cute to me, but not the amazing creature my memory had somehow stored away. I had to tease her about the Christmas gift she'd given me three years earlier. She'd bought me a Richard Pryor tape, thinking it was Bill Cosby. When I played it for her in my car, she exploded, calling me names and accusing me of vile intent. At the time I had felt bad, confused, angry and a host of other feelings, now thankfully we could laugh at it. When I'd been 16 I'd been somewhat in awe of her, now things were comfortable. Mike's older brother was home as well, with his live-in girlfriend who seemed awfully ill-at-ease, and must have been at least 5 years older than Dan, maybe more. That was a story I'd have to hear more about. The biggest surprise was Alice. She'd been a few years younger than us. I wasn't sure if she was 16 or 17 now, but she was a bombshell. And she was coming on to me like gangbusters. I was really nervous, with her acting all touchy-feely with her mother and Peggy there. I was suddenly glad I had chosen to stay over with Tommy. With a pretty, stacked girl that seemed so infatuated with me around, I'm afraid I might have gotten into a whole lot more trouble than I needed. When we left there Mike joined us, and it was off to see Jack and Russ. They were a year apart in age. Russ had been in our class, and we'd been friendly with him, but Jack, although a year younger was our buddy. We played on the basketball team together, and when Tommy and I formed our first band, Jack was our bassist. At the Chambers house, we once again reminisced, and had to relive our first 'gig'. We had decided to play in the school talent show. With Tommy on piano and Jack on bass, I played guitar. We had a fourth guy on drums we'd all lost contact with. We had played Elton John, Deep Purple, The Eagles, and The Beatles. We had opened with the opening riff of "Smoke on the Water", and had been a hit. We were pretty lousy, but the audience was our friends, our parents and the parents of our friends, and at the end the parents even took up a collection for us. Pretty heady stuff. We'd called ourselves Bronze Myth, and had already designed our first three album covers before we had our first birthday party gig. Jack had been tall then, and had not stopped growing; he was now 6'7" and was attending University of Florida, playing basketball. He reminded me of the time when we went on our first dates together. I had gone with Kathryn Best, easily the most lusted after girl in the whole school, who was in Jack's class a year behind me. Jack, on the other hand, had gone out with our "Valentine's Day Queen", Anne, who was in my class and almost two full years older than Jack. He was always precocious. There had been a third couple with us, Dennis and Suzanne, and Jack broke the news that Suzanne had gotten knocked up, just before I left to go overseas, and she and Dennis had gotten married. There was a huge scandal, but they stuck together, and had the baby. They lived with Suzanne's parents. Dennis was doing alright, working for Suzanne's father. While we were visiting, several friends dropped in, including the aforementioned Kathryn who lived one street over. Kathryn, the stunning brunette who had the body of a 20 year old when she was 15, and had a beautiful face with features that just slayed me. Kathryn, the very first girl I had gotten to Third Base with. She was as pretty as I remembered, and I found out she was going to be attending Mt. Holyoke the following year, which was an odd coincidence since my girlfriend from High School was a sophomore there. Going out with Kathryn, a year younger than me had been a total fiasco. We'd sat together on an out-of-town bus trip and ranked high enough in the pecking order that we got the right hand seat second from the back. These trips were our biggest dates back then. Ours was a small parochial school, and on the bus trips, the athletes, cheerleaders and student fans all rode the same bug. The 30-90 minute trips were like pep rallies on the way out, and like the back of movie theatres on the way back. There were frequent "hand-checks" and the lights would come one as our coaches would walk the aisle, but it seemed like after our wins, the checks would be a little less frequent. Our win at Pensacola was my first real 'make-out' session, as we cuddled and kissed the whole trip home. I even got a chance to play with her breast through her sweater. Less than a week later I asked her to the movies, and we sat in the back with the two other couples, probably both scared spitless and nervous as goldfish in a blender. We'd started necking, which got more and more intense, and my hands boldly went where no hands had gone before. An hour into the movie I was almost out of control, and feverish with desire, and it seemed she was willing to let me do whatever I wanted. If I'd had a little more confidence, or a little more knowledge, who knows what might have happened? As it is, I went pretty far, probably too far, and I was scared to death afterwards. She was the first girl whose flesh I'd touched underneath her clothing. I didn't call her for several days, and even avoided her at school, not knowing what to say. In short I was a total jerk. Everyone thought we should be together, she was the pretty captain of the cheerleaders, with the big boobs, and I was the Big Jock, playing all the sports, while at the same time excelling in school. She was voted "Most Popular." I was "Most Likely to Succeed." However, in this case it turned out she was "Most Slighted", and I was definitely "Most Inept." After waiting several days, amazingly patient in retrospect, she had tasked her best friend Sheri, Tommy's sister, with letting me know that she thought we shouldn't go out. Next thing you know, she was going out with some geeky looking kid, and she dated him for the rest of the school year. I'd changed schools at the end of that year, and had seen her only infrequently the following year, before moving to Santiago. Outside in the backyard, Kathryn and I walked off together and finally had a few minutes alone. "You know Kat, I don't think I ever apologized for being such an idiot, after our first date. I really am sorry." She was quiet for a while. She had a sad little look. "You know, I waited by that phone night after night, crying myself to sleep. I saw you dodging me at school and it broke my heart." "I was young and stupid. I'd never done Anything with a girl before, and could hardly even believe I was with the hottest girl in school. After all the stuff I did, God, I was so embarrassed that I'd overstepped the boundaries, and I had no idea what to say." She sat down underneath the big tree in the backyard and I sat beside her on the circular bench around it. "You could have said something to Jack maybe, or Tommy, and let them tell me. At least let me know that you liked me, or had fun. Something." She looked on the verge of tears, even 3 years later, and I felt even worse. "I know. I kept kicking myself over it. I was so angry with myself and jealous when you went out with Ricky." I admitted. "He was nice to me when I needed it." "But it seemed such an odd fit. He was a nobody; the only thing he ever did noteworthy was date you." I told her. "He lived two houses down. We'd grown up together, and when my heart was broken he picked up the pieces. He could tell something was wrong, and really made me feel a lot better." She confessed. That brought on a short period of silence. It did let me think better of Ricky, who wasn't just lucky or an opportunist. "You know, that was one of the most memorable moments in my life. Touching a girl like that for the first time. I had no idea what I should do, or what I could do, but I kept looking down the row at Dennis and Suzanne, and figured I should be able to do that too. I was in heaven; you were so amazing to be with." I told her, reaching out and taking her hand in mine. Her palm was moist. "You're telling me? You were the big 9th grader with the learner's permit and motorcycle. Big Man on Campus. The guy every girl wanted. And you wanted me. I had no idea what we should or shouldn't do on a date. I was hoping you knew." We laughed at that, remembering the intensity of those feelings. "Given a chance to do it over, I'd have camped out on your doorstep and professed my undying, eternal love the moment you walked out the door." I told her, half serious. "As I recall, you professed your love for me that evening, just before opening the top of my pants." She said with a wicked grin. I'm sure I blushed mightily. "I can't really ask forgiveness, but I really am sorry. Sorry now and sorry then. I fantasized about you for years afterwards, thinking of what could have happened if I hadn't been such a jerk. You have no idea how many of my fantasies you starred in back then." "If only you'd have let me know. Ricky was my first. It could have been you. Given half a chance, it would have been you." She had moved close and was speaking softly. "And this is my punishment. Knowing how bad I fucked up. Seeing you here, as beautiful as in my dreams, and knowing I've screwed up any chance of being with you." I placed my hand behind her head, stroking her hair. "I wouldn't say you'd screwed up Any chance, but you certainly blew that one." We were looking deeply in each other's eyes, recalling strong, painful feelings. I wanted her now, as I'd wanted her then, with a deep burning need, and I leaned forward those last two inches, and captured her lips with mine. She slid forward and melted against me, kissing me with every emotion boiling to the surface. She took my hand and placed it on her incredible chest, and I squeezed her breast, my thumb reliving that first caress of her nipple from so many years earlier. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, and then broke apart. Her eyes glistened. "I've got a boyfriend." She confessed. I nodded understanding. "If I didn't?" I reached forward pressing my index finger to her lips. "I know. I missed my chance. It's my loss." We just sat side by side a minute, in silence. "You know," she said softly, "what you did to me that night, that was part of the problem." "I know. I'm sorry if I stepped over the line." I said, even now embarrassed at the liberties I'd taken. "No, not anything wrong. What you did to me, how you made me feel. You made me cream my jeans more than once that night. It was the first time I'd ever come. I'd heard about it, but it was almost unreal. Your fingers just drove me wild. It was over a year before another guy was able to do the same." She put her hand between her legs, seemingly remembering that first night. "That makes two of us. I don't know if you knew, but I came in my pants too, and you never even touched me there. By the time I got home I was a terrible sticky mess. I snuck out and threw that underwear away before my mother could find them and ask uncomfortable questions." I told her, laughing. She gave me an odd little look, and then slid around the tree, placing its 3 foot wide trunk between us and the house. She reached out for me, and of course I followed. "Could I, I mean would you mind?" She seemed lost for words. "What? Just ask. I certainly owe you one." I told her. She didn't ask, she just started unbuckling my belt. "I always wondered, and never really had a chance to find out." With the belt open she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. "I mean, that night, you got to find out pretty much ALL about me, but I didn't; " I lifted my hips and let her pull my pants down a short ways, and then she reached up and pulled my underwear down exposing my fully erect monument to her sexiness. "I knew it, you bastard. Look at that." I didn't have to look. I knew it pretty well. And it was certainly standing tall and making me proud. She took me in hand and stroked me up and down, which after all the discussion and reminiscing was almost enough to get me off. "I just knew it. This should have been my first." She slowly stroked me up and down, and then she leaned over and took me in her mouth for just a second, sucking me deep and then releasing me. That was it. It was too much for me, and I stood up and shot my wad a good two feet out from where we were sitting. She giggled, as she helped me through my release, then pulled my underwear up back over my still dripping cock, and wiped her hand on the front of my briefs, before helping me pull my jeans back up. "If I wasn't tied up, I'd have you paying reparations," she told me as we both stood, and she slapped my hands away from my belt and finished straightening me out herself. "Let's consider it a delayed payoff. If things don't work out for you, maybe we can try it again. Rochester isn't That far from Amherst." Little did I know what the future held in store for us, but that's a different story. We walked back to the house hand-in-hand, laughing at the folly of youth, from the wizened experience of our 18 and 19 years. She had to leave shortly after, as did we, and I kissed her goodbye at the door. Once the door was closed I heard an exclamation from behind me. I turned to Tommy who said, "Now I've seen everything." "Amen," said Jack. "What?" I asked. "After how you treated her after our first date, I was certain you were on her shit-list for life." Jack explained. "Absolutely." Tommy chimed in. "Sheri said that Kathryn fantasized about doing mean and nasty things to you for years. I mean, hell, you did use her pretty bad." "I was a dope. I did some things I'd never done before, and was so embarrassed I didn't know how to even face her. So I screwed up and avoided her. I just made my apologies and we worked things out. I think she understands that I didn't try to be mean; I was just young and stupid. I didn't know what I was doing, and regretted it for years." I told them. "Geez. I always wondered how you could pass on that, when she was so available to you. You really did fuck up, didn't you?" Tommy pointed out. "Yep, not the first time, and I'm certain not the last. But we've buried the hatchet it seems." I answered "I'm just astounded that hatchet isn't in your back." Jack added. We left just a short while after that. We had one last visit to make. Teri Branson was passing through town, and wanted to see us if she could. She was just there for the day, and none of us wanted to miss out on that chance. The summer before 10th grade, I'd practically lived at Teri's. It was football time, and we were doing twice-a-days. We'd have morning practice, then a break so we wouldn't be out all day in the noon-time Florida summer sun. After the break it was afternoon practice. Teri was at our school and I never really knew her until that summer. She lived only a block from Mike, and we had run into her one day out washing the family car. We struck up a conversation, and the rest was history. I spent every football break at her house that summer. Mike didn't play football, but I'd pick him up on the way over there, and we'd hang out. She had a pool table, and a private rec-room with a stand-up arcade game. Her mother would always bring us snacks and drinks. Teri had not been popular, and was new to the school as well. But in a period of just a few months she went from a boyish figured tom-boy, to a devastatingly beautiful teen. Her breasts seemed to almost explode outwards, and once we'd met her mom, we knew where she got it from. She lost some weight, traded glasses for contacts, grew tits, lost the braces, and suddenly this beauty was in our midst, and nobody even knew about her but us. She was our secret. Tommy was going to a different high-school from me and Mike, but we still hung together most of the summer, and we had to let him in on our secret. The closest we'd come to having anything happen was a bizarre game of spin-the-bottle underneath the pool table. Mike, Tommy, me and Teri. Just an excuse for us to take turns kissing her. Her father was being transferred again at the end of the summer. I told her I was going to have a birthday party, and that we were going to play spin-the-bottle, I had hoped she'd be there, but now she was leaving. We were all upset. Tommy suggested we play now, since she couldn't make it then, and we did. It was strange but wonderful. Two weeks later she was gone. We met Teri at the mall, our planned rendezvous. We couldn't miss her; she was the center of a lot of attention. And still gorgeous. We ran up to her and had hugs all around. "I can only stay about 20 minutes," she told us with a pout. "Damn," was all I could say. So the three of us toured the mall, observing all the changes. It had been brand new the year we had been together. We grabbed some drinks, and wandered back outside, our time almost up, and barely even caught up. "Teri, I have a confession." I told her. "I know we acted pretty much like friends, but I was crazy about you. That summer I went home every evening and dreamed of you." "Hell, we all did." Tommy admitted. "We were such idiots," she said. She reached up to my collar and pulled me down for a kiss. Teri stood maybe 5 foot 1, so I had at least a foot on her in height. Bent over I let her kiss me, and I returned it eagerly. Finally she released me. "I was so confused. One day I'd like you, and then the next day you," she said nodding around the group, "and then you. I kept wondering who was going to be my first real boyfriend. I just knew it was going to be one of you. And then it was all over." She looked up at me. "I Still dream about you sometimes." All we could do was laugh it off, and say we'd get together sometime. She was living in Phoenix now, finishing high school, and it looked like she'd be going to Stanford. It was going to be hard to ever make that commute work out, not that she didn't seem like it would be worth the effort. Then her parents drove up. We said hi to her mom (who had been a secret fantasy of mine back then) and then with a last set of hugs it was goodbye to Teri. It was getting late so we dropped Mike back off at his house, driving mostly in quiet. I imagine we were all lost in thought over the quirks of fate and what might have been. For me, it was thoughts of Kathryn and Teri, two incredible opportunities that any teen would kill for, and I'd let them slip through my fingers. We dropped Mike off, but didn't go inside. As it was we were running late, and knew that if we went in, it would be a while before we got out of there. From Mike's it was a 5 minute drive back to Tommy's, but we drove past Teri's old house, just for nostalgia's sake. At Tommy's we were running late. Dinner was going to be at 6:00 pm, and somehow we'd burned the whole day. It was 5:45 before we even walked in the door, and we both wanted to clean up before dinner. The kid's rooms were served by two separate bathrooms, one at the end of the hall, and one off of Greg's room. So I stripped down to my shorts, and went to take my shower. I hadn't expected the bathroom to be full. Sheri was in their, applying the last of her makeup. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she was dressed. When I walked in, she gave a squeal, and came over and gave me a big hug. "I can't believe you're here! You're looking good." She said, stepping back and giving me the once over. "Wow, Sheri, you look great!" was all I could say. She had always been pretty. But the difference between a 15 year old Sheri and this one was night and day. The more mature Sheri was a beautiful young woman. "Thanks," she said, "I'll be out of here in a second, and you can have the place to yourself. I'm dying to talk to you." "I'll be here all night." I joked, stepping back into the room I was using, before my underwear had to undergo any more strain. I sat on the bed waiting, and after just a minute or so she poked her head in and said "It's all yours." She left the door open and walked out the other side of the bathroom. So that was one change at least that I hadn't noticed. Back in the day, this was Greg's bathroom. But since then someone had taken out the linen closet, and the old closet door now opened into Sheri's room. In retrospect it should have been obvious. With Greg away, the bathroom had a lot of stuff in it, although very neat. If I'd opened a cabinet or drawer, I would have seen all the makeup and girl's things. I was using Sheri's bathroom. I rapidly cleaned up and dressed. I was in a bit of a hurry, wanting to still wrap a couple of small presents for my hosts. I had bought several music tapes for my sister as a Christmas present, and decided to gift Tommy with one of them. I also had a photo in a frame for my mom, and decided to make the frame a family gift. It was simple, hand-made by yours truly from apple-wood. After borrowing some paper, tape, and scissors, I was ready to join everyone else just a few minutes later. To be continued in part 2. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts, for Literotica

The boys take a look back on the year that was in the sport we love. From the highs of defeating Uruguay 5-1 to lows of losing to Panama in the Nations League. From the dominance of PSG to the feebleness of the LA Galaxy. We'll go through everything that left us feeling thrilled, bummed, impressed, disappointed and more!For even more Caught Offside content, get on over to Caught Offside Plus right now! Check out another really fun edition of 3 Random Questions - up on the PLUS feed now!To sign up, just go to https://caughtoffside.supercast.com! Once you have access to the premium feed, be sure to go back and check out our special "welcome episode" from June 24th, 2024 (we don't think you'll be disappointed)!And for all the latest merch, get over to https://caughtoffsidepod.com/ - IT'S COLD OUT! GET A WINTER HAT!---Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CaughtOffsidePod/X: https://twitter.com/COsoccerpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/caughtoffsidepod/Email: CaughtOffsidePod@gmail.comYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@caughtoffsidepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SHOW 12-23-25 THE SHOW BEGINS WITH DOUBTS F THE EU... 1831 BRUSSELS EU STRUGGLES WITH RUSSIAN ASSETS AND AID Colleague Judy Dempsey. Judy Dempsey discusses the EU's difficulty in utilizing frozen Russian assets and the "defeat" for Chancellor Merz regarding the funding mechanism for Ukraine. NUMBER 1 THE RISE OF THE AFD IN GERMANY Colleague Judy Dempsey. Judy Dempsey continues, focusing on the rise of the AfD party in Germany and its connections to elements of the US Republican party. NUMBER 2 STALEMATES IN GAZA AND LEBANON Colleague Jonathan Schanzer. Jonathan Schanzer discusses the stalemate regarding the last hostage in Gaza, the fragmented control of the territory, and threats in Lebanon and Syria. NUMBER 3 EU REGULATION VS. US GROWTH Colleague Michael Toth. Michael Toth critiques the European Union's "regulatory imperialism" and contrasts it with the economic growth of the US. NUMBER 4 STATE DEPARTMENT RECALLS AND STRATEGY Colleague Mary Kissel. Mary Kissel discusses the recall of career ambassadors by the Trump administration and challenges in Panama and Greenland. NUMBER 5 AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE AND CHINA Colleague Grant Newsham. Grant Newsham warns about Australia's lack of defense capabilities and the erosion of its influence in the Pacific islands due to Chinese political warfare. NUMBER 6 THE BORING BENEFITS OF AI Colleague Kevin Frazier. Kevin Frazier advocates for the "boring use cases" of AI, such as in healthcare and traffic management, to save costs and improve efficiency. NUMBER 7 REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Colleague Kevin Frazier. Kevin Frazier continues, warning against a "waterfall of regulation" by states and advocating for "regulatory sandboxes" to allow experimentation. NUMBER 8 US EXPANSIONISM AND DIPLOMATIC RIFTS Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley analyzes US foreign policy moves regarding Greenland, Panama, and Venezuela, describing them as a return to "might is right" expansionism. NUMBER 9 THE MONROE DOCTRINE AND NAVAL POWER Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley continues, debating whether the US is a naval or continental power in the context of enforcing the Monroe Doctrine and discussing a proposal for new battleships. NUMBER 10 THE DECLINE OF LITERACY AND CONTEXT Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley continues, discussing the decline of literacy and context since the mid-20th century, comparing modern society to the Eloi and Morlocks of H.G. Wells. NUMBER 11 KING CHARLES III AND UK POLITICAL TURMOIL Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley continues, analyzing the challenges King Charles III faces under the Keir Starmer government, which Copley compares to the era of Oliver Cromwell. NUMBER 12 THE LEGEND OF THE HESSIANS Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell discusses the American fear of Hessian soldiers and Washington's strategic victory at Trenton. NUMBER 13 FRANCE'S GLOBAL STRATEGY IN THE REVOLUTION Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell continues, highlighting the role of Foreign Minister Vergennes and how French involvement expanded the war globally. NUMBER 14 BENEDICT ARNOLD AND PEGGY SHIPPEN Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell continues, discussing Peggy Shippen's influence on Benedict Arnold's defection and their subsequent life in London. NUMBER 15 THE ACCIDENTAL COLONIZATION OF AUSTRALIA Colleague Professor Richard Bell. Professor Richard Bell concludes, recounting the story of convict William Murray and the accidental selection of Australia as a penal colony following the loss of the American colonies. NUMBER 16

STATE DEPARTMENT RECALLS AND STRATEGY Colleague Mary Kissel. Mary Kissel discusses the recall of career ambassadors by the Trump administration and challenges in Panama and Greenland. NUMBER 5 1979 TEHRAN

US EXPANSIONISM AND DIPLOMATIC RIFTS Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley analyzes US foreign policy moves regarding Greenland, Panama, and Venezuela, describing them as a return to "might is right" expansionism. NUMBER 9 1777 GREENLAND

Llegó la tía.. ¿del gabacho?. Bueno, en realidad es de Panama pero pues es casi lo mismo, ¿no? Bueno, en esta edición navideña de #losdelostenispodcast desde nuestra casa LUST ROMA nos acompaña, ahora si en cuerpo y alma, la tía Aura de SNEAKERS PTY. Platicamos sobre como es la escena en Panama, como le fue con los viáticos del viaje que le pagamos y otras cositas mas. ¡FELIZ NAVIDAD! Recuerden que también nos pueden ver en: www.youtube.com/losdelostenis Siganos en nuestras redes sociales: Instagram: instagram.com/losdelostenis Facebook: Facebook.com/losdelostenis Twitch: www.twitch.com/losdelostenis Únete a la conversación en nuestra comunidad en DISCORD: https://discord.gg/9ctDBP4pbu #losdelostenis​ #losdelostenispodcast​ #Hablemosdetenis​ #SneakerPodcast​ #SneakerCulture #SneakerNews

PREVIEW STATE DEPARTMENT CHALLENGES WITH PANAMA AND CCP INTERFERENCE Colleague Mary Kissel. Mary Kissel evaluates the State Department under Secretary Rubio, noting fewer negative leaks but significant challenges regarding Panama. She details how the CCP disrupts agreements by constantly renegotiating, suggesting that high-level US intervention is now required to counter Chinese influence and finalize deals in the region. 1910 CANAL ZONE

On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office that the U.S. Navy had carried out an air strike on a boat in international waters. That boat strike rewrote U.S. policy for Latin America overnight. Three months later, 26 boats have been hit, killing more than 90 people.The United States has codified its justification for the boat strikes as part of a new National Security Strategy, published in early December 2025. In the National Security Strategy, Trump announced a new Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which he hopes can propel the United States and the U.S. military to preeminence in the hemisphere. Trump clearly feels he has carte blanche to take whatever measure he deems necessary without regard for international law, the sovereignty of other nations, or people's lives. This reinvisioning of U.S. policy for Latin AmericaIt has disastrous implications for the region. More missile strikes. Loss of innocent lives. And even wrapping the United States into war close to home.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 will respond in real time to the Trump Administration's onslaught in Latin America. We begin today, where we started in the last episode of Season 1… in Panama.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. Edited by Heather Gies.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Monte Perdido's new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Resources: Under the ShadowYou can check out the first season of Under the Shadow by clicking hereTHE BEGINNING: MONROE AND MIGRATION | UNDER THE SHADOW, EPISODE 1PANAMA. US INVASION. | UNDER THE SHADOW, EPISODE 13THE LEGACY OF MONROE | UNDER THE SHADOW, BONUS EPISODE 4 Michael Fox's recent reporting on the boat strikes and the ramp-up for war in Venezuela: With the Strike on a “Drug-Carrying Boat,” Trump Returns to a Dangerous US Policy for Latin AmericaCaribbean Leaders Call for Unified Latin American Resistance to US AttacksTrump's Monroe Doctrine 2.0 Outlines Imperial Intentions for Latin AmericaOther ResourcesEmperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama (Duke, 2003), is John Lindsay Poland's expose on the U.S. military involvement in Panama.You can watch the documentary, The Panama Deception, here. This is a link to Democracy Now! coverage of the U.S. push toward war on Venezuela.Support Under the ShadowYou can see pictures of host Michael Fox's reporting in Panama City, here.You can check out Michael's latest episode of Stories of Resistance about the annual protests demanding justice for the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.You can also listen to his new podcast, Panamerican Dispatch on his Patreon page. There, you can follow and support him and Under the Shadow: https://www.patreon.com/mfoxBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Matter of Tepec-Garcia, 29 I&N Dec. 371 (BIA 2025)termination; in absentia; DHS burden to prove alienage  Matter of L-A-G-B-, 29 I&N Dec. 339 (BIA 2025)Panama cartels; CAT; snitches; series of suppositions  Matter of Kim, 29 I&N Dec. 339 (BIA 2025)LPR cancellation of removal; discretion; criminal history; South Korea Matter of Lema Mizhirumbay, 29 I&N Dec. 351 (BIA 2025)discretion; weighing factors; criminal history; OSHA violations Matter of N-P-A-, 29 I&N Dec. 347 (BIA 2025)de novo; well-founded fear; ability to freely leave country; pretextual summons; Moldova Matter of Rodriguez Pena, 29 I&N Dec. 358 (BIA 2025)bond; dangerousness; threats; false claim to citizenship; victim affidavits; dismissed criminal charges Matter of Palma-Olvera, 29 I&N Dec. 355 (BIA 2025)good moral character; DUI; Castollo-Perez; rebutting presumption Sanik Herrera v. Bondi, No. 25-3207 (6th Cir. Dec. 15, 2025)motion to reopen; exhaustion; due process; sua sponte Liao v. Bondi, No. 25-60427 (5th Cir. Dec. 17, 2025)untimely petition for review; mandatory claims processing rule; Riley; prison mailbox rule; affidavits Matter of L-T-A-, 29 I&N Dec. 362 (BIA 2025) firm resettlement; some other type of permanent resettlement; A-G-G-Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli and Pratt P.A.Immigration, serious injury, and business lawyers serving clients in Florida, California, and all over the world for over 40 years. Eimmigration "Simplifies immigration casework. Legal professionals use it to advance cases faster, delight clients, and grow their practices."Special Link! Gonzales & Gonzales Immigration BondsP: (833) 409-9200immigrationbond.com  EB-5 Support"EB-5 Support is an ongoing mentorship and resource platform created specifically for immigration attorneys."Contact: info@eb-5support.comWebsite: https://eb-5support.com/Stafi"Remote staffing solutions for businesses of all sizes"Click me!Want to become a patron?Click here to check out our Patreon Page!CONTACT INFORMATION:Email: kgregg@kktplaw.comFacebook: @immigrationreviewInstagram: @immigrationreviewTwitter: @immreviewAbout your hostCase notesRecent criminal-immigration article (p.18)Featured in San Diego VoyagerSupport the show

From Project X newbie to a $3M Amazon seller, our guest shares product research, Helium 10 tactics, TikTok Shop commissions, and how she defends her profits from copycats.

On Dec. 20, each year, people march in Panama City. They march to remember the fallen. They march to continue to demand justice for the violence, the destruction, and for those who were killed in the last US invasion in Latin America—the 1989 invasion of Panama. BIG NEWS! This podcast has won Gold in this year's Signal Awards for best history podcast! It's a huge honor. Thank you so much to everyone who voted and supported. And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen. And please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. A little help goes a long way.The Real News's legendary host Marc Steiner has also been in the running for best episode host. And he also won a Gold Signal Award. We are so excited. You can listen and subscribe to the Marc Steiner Show here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox's reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews. Written and produced by Michael Fox.Resources: Panama. US invasion. | Under the Shadow Episode 13Upcoming Season 2 of Under the ShadowUsed in today's episode: "Deja el canal": panameños protestan contra Donald Trump ante embajada de Estados Unidos Nov. 25, 2025: PROTESTAS EN PANAMÁ contra la presencia militar de EE.UU.: "GOBIERNO VENDEPATRIAS..." Protestas en Panamá contra acuerdo con UU. EE., reforma pensional y minería |  FRANCE 24 Español Panama: 8th anniversary of US invasion to topple Noriega markedBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Israel and Iran are at war … will the rest of the world get dragged into it? California Democrat Senator Alex Padilla gets detained after lunging at Secretary Kristi Noem. No one is above the law. Big update in the Harvey Weinstein trial. Music legends pass away. Is President Trump softening on immigration? Trump: No more windmills. Trump is no king, as evidenced by recent court rulings. Conspiracy theories are fact more often than not. Miracle survivor from plane crash in India. Elmo appears in Congress. Defense secretary asked about possible U.S. plans to invade Greenland and Panama. Tim Walz had a long day in front of Congress. The show learns a new word. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) President Trump prepares to address the nation tonight, fueling speculation about what he may announce. Bryan walks through the most likely possibilities, from the economy and falling inflation to explosive new revelations showing the Biden DOJ pushed ahead with the Mar-a-Lago raid despite FBI warnings that no probable cause existed. Trump may also signal major changes on marijuana policy or escalate pressure on Venezuela, as the White House orders a blockade of oil tankers that could trigger cascading unrest in Caracas and Havana. Abroad, China hardens its grip on the Panama Canal by blocking US-led efforts to reclaim port operations, raising the stakes for American naval access. Trump counters Beijing's influence by naming Peru a major non-NATO ally, part of a broader strategy to lock down South America's Pacific coast alongside new conservative governments in Chile and Ecuador. In Europe, the Green Revolution falters as Brussels backs away from banning combustion engines and Ford writes down nearly $20 billion after abandoning its electric truck push. The episode closes with remarkable scientific news from Japan, where researchers discovered a bacteria found in the Japanese tree frog that eradicated tumors in mice with a 100 percent success rate, offering new hope for future cancer treatments.    "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: Trump national address, US economy data, Mar-a-Lago FBI raid documents, DOJ lawfare, marijuana reclassification, Venezuela oil blockade, Panama Canal China, Peru non-NATO ally, South America strategy, EV collapse Europe, Ford EV losses, combustion engine reversal, Japanese tree frog cancer research

Keith discusses the K-shaped economy, where income from capital assets is rising while labor income is declining.  In 1965, 50% of income came from labor and 50% from capital; by 1990, it was 54% and 46%, respectively, and today it's 57% and 43%. Keith emphasizes the importance of how capital compounds over labor and advises on building ownership in real estate and businesses.  Finally, he answers your listener's questions about: agricultural real estate inflation, profiting on mortgage loans, transitioning from accumulation to preservation and a fast-growing state that no one talks about. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/584 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com or text 'GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold  0:00   Keith, welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, capital compounds, labor doesn't realizing this can change allocation decisions for the rest of your life. Then I discuss giving. Finally, I answer your listener questions about agricultural real estate inflation, profiting on mortgage loans when it's time for you to stop accumulating properties and a fast growing state that no one talks about today on get rich education   Speaker 1  0:33   since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors, and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki, get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast or visit get rich education.com   Corey Coates  1:18   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:34   Welcome to GRE from Williamsburg, Virginia to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold, and you're listening to get rich education, and I'm somewhat near Williamsport, Pennsylvania today. For years, I've told you about the widening canyon between the haves and the have nots, and that's something that you might have only visualized in your head or merely considered a theory, but now you can see it. There's a chart that I recently shared with our newsletter subscribers that might just make your spine tingle and look, I don't like saying this, but hard work just does not pay off like it used to. This is emblematic of the K shaped economy. Just visualize the upper branch of the K, a line rising over time, and the lower branch of a letter k, that line falling over time, both plotted on the same chart. So what steadily happened over the last 60 years really is quite astonishing. And look, I don't want the world to be the way that I'm about to tell you it is, but that's just what's occurring. The share of one's income from capital assets is rising, while the share from labor keeps decreasing simultaneously. Now just think about your own personal economy. What share of your income is from your invested capital versus how much of your income is derived from your labor. When you're the youngest, it's all labor. When I got out of college and had my first job, all of my income was from labor. I certainly didn't have any rental property cash flow or stock dividends. But for Americans, here is how it's changed over time, and this K shaped divergence is alarming people in 1965 it was 5050 by 1990 54% of income was from capital and 46% labor. Today it's 57% capital and only 43 labor. Gosh, the divergence is real, and it's only getting wider, and I really had to dig for the sources on this K shaped economy chart. They are the BLS, the Tax Foundation and the International Labor Organization. Increasingly, asset owners are the haves. The upper part of this K shaped economy, that line is drifting up like a helium balloon that you forgot to tie to the chair. It just keeps going up and then the labor share of income, which is shrinking, that is also known as how much of the economic pie goes to people who actually work for a living. That is another way to think of it. So frankly, that's why I say hard work just does not pay off like it used to, because with each wave of inflation, assets, pump, leveraged assets, mega pump and wages lag behind, and we can't allocate our resources in the way that we want the. World to be, but how the world really is. In fact, the disparity is even greater than the chart that I just described to you, because it doesn't even include value accumulation, also known as appreciation. I was only talking about income there, and the reality is that working for a paycheck just pays off less and less and less. No amount of working overtime on a Saturday can make you wealthy, but it might make you miserable. Owning assets pays off more and more. In fact, the effect is even more exaggerated than what I even described, because, as we know, the tax treatment is lighter on your capital gains than it is your income derived through labor. As the economy keeps evolving, those who benefit the most, they do not sell their time for money. They're not trading their time for dollars. In fact, let me distill it down here are, yeah, it's just four words that could change the way you allocate your time and your effort for the rest of your life. Capital compounds, labor doesn't. yeah, there's a lot right there. If you want to keep up or get ahead, you need to be on the capital part of the K, the upper part. And what would that really look like for you in real life? What does that practically mean? It means building ownership into your financial life, owning real estate, owning businesses using prudent leverage, owning things that produce income, and even merely owning more things that appreciate. And here's the great news, though, real estate is still the most accessible, leverageable, tax favored capital friendly asset class ever created. That's whether you're just patching together like 43k for a down payment on your first turnkey single family rental, or making a tax deferred exchange into a 212 door apartment complex. Okay, this is how that can look in real life. The bottom line here is that as the economy gets more and more K shaped, with this divergence between Americans capital share of income increasing and labor share decreasing, that you want to stack real income generating assets. That is the big takeaway.    Keith Weinhold  7:44   Well, this is the time of year where a lot of people feel compelled to give donations. And as a GRE listener that's paid five ways, you've got more ability than others to give, I need to caution you about some things. I'm sorry that it is this way, because I do want to promote giving. It's kind, it's virtuous, and it's not a completely selfless act either, because when I give, it makes me feel good too. You're making a difference, and that feels great. Let's talk about the downsides of giving, though, because few people discuss that. We already know about the upsides when I give to an organization, say, 1500 bucks here, $1,000 over there, well, inevitably, you do get on that organization's contact list. And yeah, I suppose that it is easier to retain a customer or donor than it is to find a new one. Sometimes I just make what I expected to be a one time donation, but they will keep contacting you. Now, I was once on the other side of this. I served on a volunteer committee that organizes athletic events, and a friend of mine, John made a $1,000 donation to our organization one year, which was really kind, and he's just a day job working kind of guy when he didn't make the donation. The following year, someone made it a line item in our meeting minutes to say that John's donation was not renewed. Like that's the only thing they brought up. Oh gosh, that really struck me the wrong way, because here's a guy that traded his time for dollars at a job that I happen to know he doesn't like very much, and the committee statement was that the guy didn't renew his donation. Sheesh, now, when it comes to the tax treatment of, say, $1,000 that you make in a donation, there's a lot of misunderstanding about how that works, and this is the type of subject that you're thinking about now, because sometimes people want to get a tax break tallied up before year end, because some people think that after the year ends, well, the IRS pays you back the $1,000 you donated because it's tax deductible. No, that's how a tax credit. Works. But a tax deduction, which is all that you might be eligible for, means that if your annual income is 100k well then a 1k donation lowers your taxable income to 99k so if you're in the 24% tax bracket, then you'd get 240 bucks back. But you know, in many or even most cases, you're not going to get any tax break at all for making a donation, and this is because you did not exceed the standard deduction threshold, which is now almost 16k if you're single and almost 32k married, you get to deduct those amounts from your taxable income no matter what. So the standard deduction, in a way, it's nice, because you don't have to keep receipts and do all that tracking for everything. So I've had that experience myself where, huh, feeling a little generous throughout the year, giving $1,500 here, $1,000 there. Oh, and then realizing that it does nothing for me on taxes, you have to give more to exceed the standard deduction amount and start itemizing them. And mortgage interest does go into that amount. Okay, it does go into the amount to try to get your total above the standard deduction threshold. So go ahead and give freely, but in a lot of cases, keep in mind that it often does nothing for your taxes, because you're taking that standard deduction if you indeed are. There's been another tip flation trend that's annoying, and that is increasingly when I give a donation online, I'm asked to if I want to leave a tip on top of the donation. That is so weird, a tip is for good service. I'm serving you by being generous enough to give a donation. Sheesh, a tip request on top of a donation. But please do give when you do, one thing that you might want to specify is that it is a one time donation, if that is your intent, or they will constantly follow up with you.    Keith Weinhold  12:06   Coming up next, I'm going to answer your listener questions. A member of Team GRE, who you haven't heard before, is going to come in to ask me your listener questions, and one of them is going to be among the most important topics that our show has never addressed, and it's about time. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to get rich education.    Keith Weinhold  12:28   You know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth every single year I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and healthcare. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest. Start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom, family investments.com/gre, or send a text now it's 1-937-795-8989, yep, text their freedom coach, directly again, 1-937-795-8989   Keith Weinhold  13:40   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President Caeli Ridge personally while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com   Kristen Tate  14:14   this is author Kristin Tate. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream.   Keith Weinhold  14:32   Welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, they say that it takes a village to get some things done and well, it takes a team to prop up this slack jawed operation one GRE team member, capably behind the scenes for more than a year and a half now, is Brenda Almendariz, welcome in. Brenda, Hi, Keith, thanks. Rather than me asking the listener questions this time you. You get to do it, but before we do that, just tell us a bit about your real estate investing.    Brenda  15:07   Sure. So I started maybe learning a little bit about investing and kind of looking into other options to grow my wealth. And I came across the GRE podcast and a few others. So I think about 2018 I did a little bit of just learning and kind of educating myself. And then 2019 I bought my first turnkey property. Turned out well. And then 2020 I bought my second one. And then in 2021 I decided, okay, this is working really well. Maybe I'll do a house hack. I'll do something a little different, and in a year, then maybe I'll do something else. But I've been in my 2021 home now for about almost five years. I'm looking for the next one, hopefully within the next year. But yeah, it's been great. Turnkey. Just met real estate investment company here at my local REIA, and then I learned that I could actually connect with other companies across other places through GRE but yeah, it's been great.   Keith Weinhold  16:02   Brenda lives in Phoenix, just about as close to the center of Phoenix as you can possibly be. I sat down with Brenda for lunch the last time that I was in Phoenix, and like a lot of people, almost everybody that works here at GRE they started out as a listener before they ever worked here. And really, it's that same story with Brenda as well. So yeah, Brenda will want to ask us the first of what we have about four listener questions today   Brenda  16:31   we do, so I'll go over the first one here. Question is, I would love for you to revisit some of the non traditional example, coffee plantation, CBD manufacturing, teak plantation, Belize resort properties and syndication projects you've discussed on the GRE podcast just to see how they turned out. I'm sure some of them failed to deliver the expected returns, and it's the failures that many of us learn the most from   Keith Weinhold  17:02   Yeah, totally. Okay, so not so much a listener question here, but a comment to discuss more of these agricultural real estate investments or ones that are in syndications off of the investment type that you can't do yourself, is what we're talking about here, rather than direct ownership of residential rental property and an appeal to follow up down the road to see how they really turned out. And you know, Brenda, I'll address you because we don't have the listener name with this question. Most people in my position, if an investment has been discussed on the show, and then that investment didn't go as well as was hoped for, you know what? They never tell the audience about it. However, there's the Panama coffee farm investment. We first discussed that here way back in 2015 and we had a GRE field trip where I met a lot of you in person there in Panama. And as I often do when we discuss a particular investment here, I bought and still own Panama coffee farm parcels myself. That investment, it paid cash flow from the crop yields for a few years, and then it stopped. The good yields stopped due to covid disruption, and since then, there have also been erratic weather patterns like drought and precipitation of the wrong levels and at the wrong time of year, and there's been more of a prevalence of pests in disease like coffee leaf, rust and the operator. They have been communicative and forthcoming all the while they're still issuing the annual report that I read, and sometime after that, I think that a lot of investors were assured, because it sort of made national news, international news, that markets for both coffee and cacao have been suppressed, at least from the standpoint of there's not enough crop yield. I mean, that is a problem in a lot of places worldwide. Now I hope that turns around, and it very well may. In fact, we did something here that very few shows do. Back on episode 431, we had the Panama coffee farm CEO come back on the show to describe exactly what I just told you about there. And few shows are willing to do that. Some people just want you to think that every single investment that's discussed goes as well it was hoped for, or even better than expected. But that is not real world. You got to be authentic in real So, okay. Listener, comment, well, taken there. They appreciate that sort of follow up, and they would like more of that. All right, that's great. What's the next question? Brenda.   Brenda  19:40   Sure. So the next one comes to us from our audience over on YouTube. So in response to our real estate pays five ways in a slow market, YouTube video matrices wrote, There is no inflation profiting. You would have to be paying off the loan with an income that goes up with housing inflation. That's plausible if you are a wage earner, but if your source of income is rental properties, then there isn't a wage increase that reduces the effective loan amount. You are double dipping in the inflation profiting column by counting appreciation which you earn as a real estate investor and inflation profiting, which you earn only if your wages go up at the rate of housing inflation, and you use those wages to pay off the loan, which you don't   Keith Weinhold  20:33   Okay, again, somewhat of a statement here. I suppose there's a question implicit within that for matrices. I'm not sure how you say that name exactly. Wondering about inflation profiting. Are you counting it? Right? I don't know about that. The part about paying off the loan faster if you're a wage earner, I mean, that's plausible, but not if your income is from rental properties. I mean, see that's actually backwards, because your cash flow goes up faster than the rate of inflation due to your biggest payment, your principal and interest staying fixed, so your net rent income goes up even faster than the rate of inflation. So inflation profiting, therefore it's even better than how I've been presenting it and calculating it. Now with that understood matrices, here's one way for real estate investors to understand inflation profiting on your loan if you still have trouble getting with that. 30 years ago, in 1995 the US median home price was 130k with an 80% loan, your mortgage balance at origination would have been 104k and the monthly mortgage payment is 763 with the 8% market mortgage rate level that you would have gotten at that time. Now, even if we don't apply any principal pay down at all, your mortgage balance today is still just 104k and your payment is still just 736 bucks, and it is substantially easier to make that payment today, because your wages and salaries and rent incomes are multiples higher. When you originate a loan, the bank doesn't ask to be repaid in dollars or their equivalent. The loan documents only say dollars and dollars are worth less and less and less. So today, your median priced property is worth over 400k despite still having that tiny 104k loan balance. And of course, your tenant would have paid that down to zero, and we aren't even counting that part, I think, to really exaggerate the effect and help make the inflation profiting concept crystallize for you, matrices. If you go back 100 years, the median home cost was 11,600 bucks. An 80% loan would be just over 9k that you borrowed. Okay, so at a 7% interest rate, 30 year loan, the monthly payment would be 94 bucks, laughably small. That's less than the cost of a nice dinner out today. That's all you owe on a median priced property, which is over 400k today. So because it doesn't feel like you're tangibly walking away with anything when you sell a property, hopefully that helps make it real mitricas. And one last way to think about it is, let's just forget real estate for a moment. Would you loan your best friend 100k for 30 years interest free, even if we're somehow absolutely guaranteed that he would pay you back? Well, of course, he wouldn't do that, because inflation destroys the lender and benefits the borrower. So you would want to be the borrower in that case, because the borrower profits from inflation, profiting just like you're the borrower with income property. That's the position that you want to be in. But I'm glad we brought this up, because a lot of people have that question. That was a good one. Matrices, even though you seem to sort of be doubting if inflation profiting is a real thing with the way you approach the question, hey, I really appreciate it. Anyway, what's the next one? Brenda   Brenda  24:10   yep. So the next one we have is Mark. He wrote into our general inbox, and he says, I have been listening to your podcasts from the beginning, and I believe I have not missed a single show. Wow. Yeah, it would be hard to argue with your strategy of using debt to rapidly increase your returns and expand your rental real estate portfolio. This method is great for the accumulation phase of one's life. However, I believe that you have never addressed the next chapter of everyone's life, phase two. I am, of course, talking about preserving your wealth, which is phase two. Yeah, I only ask this because that is what stage of life I am in. For background, he has 15 rentals, seven mortgages. Age 62. Currently all managed by a property manager, and he is married and an empty nester. Please note, no matter how much money is made from rentals, he said, his wife's view is that it is work, and so she does not want any more homes or work. This would be a great idea for an upcoming show. Please consider thanks, Mark.   Keith Weinhold  25:20   Yeah. Great stuff, Mark. And before Brenda came on, we discussed which questions that she's going to choose. And I definitely wanted to have this one in there, because, I mean, this is one of the most important topics that's never been answered on the show, and it really needs to be answered today. The accumulation phase of Mark's life is done. He wants to know about how to approach the preservation stage. First of all, Mark, congratulations. You've listened to every GRE episode, 584, of them now, and you've clearly benefited from acting so good for you to be in this position. In fact, this show had its inception in 2014 and it doesn't even take these 1011, years to reach financial freedom, if you follow my plan. So you are there. All right, so, Mark, you've got 15 rentals, seven mortgages. You're age 62 they're currently managed by a property manager. You're married in an empty nester. I mean, you've made it, and you know that you've made it when you have enough income to support your desired lifestyle. That's what we're talking about here. Financially Free, beat step free and all of that, I'm going to speculate mark that if you had tried paying all cash for every property, you wouldn't have gotten very far. You wouldn't have made it to this point. You know why this question resonates so well with me, Mark, despite being quite a bit younger than you, I am at that stage as well. I definitely don't need to add more properties for the rest of my life. Now. I don't have kids yet either, so there's no clear air there. In fact, one reason that I hold on to my properties is to help educate our audience to be a real investor in the game and to be able to keep up with trends. You can just kind of tell when someone's not investing in real estate themselves. So if I talk it, I want to keep doing it now for you, Mark, it's not about rushing to pay off your seven mortgages, as you know from listening, that's usually not your best return on capital. If you've already made it, there is absolutely zero reason to add more properties, I would agree, especially if you know, in your wife's eyes, that creates a headache, and maybe yours as well, once you get to a certain point. So as far as this preservation stage, since you've moved away from the accumulation phase, the LLC is the favorite protection structure, not a C or an S Corp. And I have done shows on that with attorneys before. Since I'm not one of your 15 properties, if one or two are less profitable or for whatever reason, you just have difficulty getting those rented during vacancies, okay, you can sell those off if you don't want to do the 1031, exchange into more property, you can pay the tax. That's an option, but you will also have to pay depreciation recapture on those properties and mark. If there's one thing I wish I knew, it's that if you do have children or clear heirs, but the gold standard for passing along properties to heirs is a revocable living trust, and if you only remember one thing about that, a properly drafted living trust is the number one way to pass along rental properties smoothly. And why it's great is that it avoids probate. Probate is a court supervised process. It takes months or years of delay. So instead, with a revocable living trust, heirs get access to your properties almost immediately. Now you are age 62 hopefully this isn't happening anytime soon, but you do keep full control while you're alive, it's easy to update a revocable living trust, but the big one probably is that it prevents family disputes and it keeps everything private. That way there's no public probate record. And the bonus is, if you own properties in multiple states, a trust avoids multiple probates, that's huge. So those are some considerations. Mark as you've Congratulations again. Move from the accumulation phase to the preservation stage. It's a completely normal, natural process. You sure don't have to keep adding properties for ever and ever. Congrats. You made it. You did it.    Brenda  29:37   Great. We've got another one, Keith. This one is from Tim in Philomath, Oregon, and he says, I would be interested in the days ahead, if you would be able to help us understand why North Dakota is projected to grow so much.   Keith Weinhold  29:54   Okay, thanks, Tim in follow math, Oregon, another word I'm not sure how to pronounce. Now, yeah, you might think it's unusual that I would want to answer this question. For a low population state of under 1 million people, like North Dakota, from today to 2050 there's forecast to be 9% population growth nationally, but in North Dakota, it is 34% that is quite a surge, and that is per visual capitalist via the University of Virginia, but North Dakota's projected growth, it looks surprisingly strong on paper, especially for a cold, rural, low population state. But really, there are at least four major forces behind the fast 2025 to 2050, Outlook, and when you break them down, the growth actually makes sense. So I want to talk about this, because it's really a template for what makes for a growing place and a good future real estate market, no matter where it is. But in North Dakota, you've got this continued energy sector, strength, oil, gas and next generation energy. Part of what's driving the growth is something that's definitely not a new story. It is still the Bach and shale. It's still one of the top US oil fields. You got advances in drilling. That means more production with fewer rigs. That makes a sector more resilient. You've got global demand for liquid fuels projected to remain high through 2050 I know people like to talk about renewables, and there probably is a future there. But it's not like we're going to go all renewable right away. North Dakota is aggressively expanding carbon capture. So energy equals jobs. Jobs equals population retention and in migration, there's a national labor shortage in North Dakota. It's got this skilled worker hole. The US is going to face a major labor shortage through 2050 that's because of trends that you really can't change, like an aging population and low birth rates. That makes these high wage, high demand energy and engineering jobs stickier. North Dakota consistently leads in labor force participation, job availability, good starting wages for skilled trades, and they always seem to have a low unemployment rate, lower than the national average. So in other words, people move where the jobs are, even if it's cold. They really have one of the best economic outlooks in the country. There's a report called Rich states, poor states. In their latest one, they ranked North Dakota fifth nationwide in economic outlook, and that's above Texas and Florida and Tennessee, and that's because North Dakota has low taxes. They're business friendly, they're light on regulation. Businesses like that, their budgets are stable, and they've got strong public finances. So states with those fundamentals, they tend to grow pretty well over long horizons, and North Dakota has this demographic momentum. It's a younger state than all the surrounding states. They have a younger median age, high birth rates, so they've got this faster natural replacement rates, and they have really strong university systems, both und and North Dakota State, and what that does is that retains those graduates for jobs like energy and engineering and agriculture. So North Dakota benefits from this high stay rate, like a lot of people move for jobs, and they end up staying there, and their population growth seems fast, but the overall population small, so a net gain of 150,000 people, that really seems huge in percentage terms. It's steady rather than explosive growth. We're talking about annual gain. So really, a takeaway for investors is that North Dakota's growth is not a fluke. It's from strong economic policy, a big, durable energy engine, high earning jobs. You got this favorable business climate, and really unexpectedly young demographics. I read that the counties that will grow fastest are Cass Williams and stark and, you know, Brenda. If we learn about a reputable North Dakota property provider, maybe we'll talk about them here on the show. So if you the listener or anyone else know about one, write into us at get rich education, comm slash contact, and we'll check them out. And also, more broadly, if you want your listener question answered in the future, that's where to write to us as well, again, at get rich education.com/contact, thank thanks for the North Dakota question, Tim and Brenda, it's nice to have you here to ask the questions in a different voice.   Brenda  34:29   Thanks, Keith. Yeah, it's good to be on this side of the show instead of   Keith Weinhold  34:34   a listener. After all these years, there's one episode I'm sure you'll be listening to, and it's this one that you're on today.   Keith Weinhold  34:48   Yeah, much of our team here were GRE listeners before they ever worked here. We just made another hire two months ago. That woman worked for a payment processor. I said at the time, that sounds really boring. It definitely sounds more interesting to work at the GRE podcast. To review what you learned today, capital compounds labor doesn't though I promote being a giver, there are downsides to giving, but they're manageable. Inflation, profiting is the most often misunderstood of the five ways, and you will reach a tipping point where you've won in which you no longer have to add properties. That is transitioning from the accumulation phase to the preservation phase. That is one of the more important unaddressed things on the show until today, and finally, North Dakota's booming growth projections coming up soon on the show, I'll reveal GRE national home price appreciation forecast for next year, where you will learn the exact percent appreciation or decline expected in the future. Until then, check us out at get richeducation.com I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 3  36:00   You nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of Get Rich Education LLC, exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  36:32   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, GetRichEducation.com  

This week on the Mark Levin Show, Venezuela's regime, allied with communist China, Iran, and others, is deliberately poisoning the U.S. through drugs, contributing to hundreds of thousands of American deaths, making inaction absurd. The war crime claims from Democrats, from a denied report on killing drug boat survivors, are ridiculous. Today's Venezuela situation is similar to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama via Operation Just Cause—a surprise attack without war declaration or prior congressional input due to leak fears—to oust drug lord Manuel Noriega, who partnered with Colombians to flood the U.S. with drugs, while restoring democracy and safeguarding Americans. History teaches us and helps demonstrate what patriotism is. But how can we demand patriotism from immigrants when we have American citizens on the neo-fascist right who trash our history? These people are not America first. How can they be America first when they don't understand our history, or founding? Republicans are going to get their butts kicked in the next election if they succeed. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is doing an excellent job. That's why the hate America Democrats relentlessly attack him. They need to get the hell off his back and condemn our enemies instead! Most of the media are criticizing U.S. attacks on Venezuelan drug boats as illegal with cherry picked experts who don't specify what law was violated or rely on vague arguments. It's an act of war when Venezuela sends in toxic drugs to America. It's odd that the Democrats and some RINO's first instinct is to attack Pete Hegseth and not the enemy. The more they hate you the more effective you are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices