Venezuelan tanker, Epstein files, Absentia removals : NPR

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Today’s top stories

The Trump administration says the U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker linked to Venezuela. This action is the latest in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government. The move is also part of the administration’s effort to enforce a blockade against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

• 🎧 A U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, informed NPR yesterday that the Coast Guard was in “active pursuit of a ship.” The official described the tanker as a dark fleet vessel that was attempting to illegally evade sanctions. Dark fleet vessels use deceptive practices like flying fake national flags to hide where they’ve been and where they are going, NPR’s Carrie Kahn tells Up First. Last week, President Trump threatened Venezuela with a total blockage and said more military pressure would come unless it returns the assets, including oil, that it stole from the U.S. Venezuela denies stealing anything and says Trump just wants the country’s natural resources and vast oil reserves.

The Justice Department continued its partial release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over the weekend, unveiling some previously redacted information. Lawmakers criticized the DOJ for missing its full release deadline, and some are threatening to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.

• 🎧 The DOJ released two more data sets, but NPR’s Luke Garrett says that, after a close reading of the 119-page document, there were no major revelations. The names of co-conspirators remained largely redacted, despite the fact that Epstein’s crimes and conspiracy were described in brutal detail. The DOJ deleted over a dozen files from their original release over the weekend. This is because a New York judge asked the agency to listen to victims’ and victims’ rights groups’ concerns over what content it should make available to the public.

Thousands of immigrants without legal status have skipped immigration court this year, and NPR found that these absences are driving a surge “in absentia” deportations. This comes as immigration courts face intense pressure, as the administration has fired judges, the government has deported some people to countries they’ve never lived in, and more.

• 🎧 If someone who is in the country illegally misses an order to appear in immigration court, the government can issue in “in absentia” removal order to deport them, according to NPR’s Ximena Bustillo. Based on early analysis from January through November, NPR discovered that nearly every U.S. immigration court has issued more of these orders for failure to appear, Bustillo says. Orders spiked around June, coinciding with the time when ICE officers began making arrests inside the courthouses. Immigrants were hesitant to go to court after learning about these arrests, says Ruby Powers, an immigration attorney in Texas.

Today’s listen

Irma Thomas; Big Freedia; Tarriona “Tank” Ball

Sean Gardner/Getty Images; Nelson Cosey; Josh Brasted/Getty Images for Essence

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Sean Gardner/Getty Images; Nelson Cosey; Josh Brasted/Getty Images for Essence

When you picture New Orleans music, Christmas carols are probably not the first genre that comes to mind. You likely associate the Big Easy with brass bands and bounce, but many local musicians have deep roots in the church. This Christmas, NPR network station WWNO’s Rosemary Westwood chatted with a few of the city’s favorite stars, from jazz singer John Boutte to bounce queen of New Orleans Big Freedia about which holiday songs they like to listen to around this time. Listen to snippets of those songs or read the transcript here.

Life advice

Anxiety, distraction, and vulnerability can rise during the last-minute frenzy of holiday gift shopping and travel. In a recent AARP survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults, nearly 9 out of 10 reported that someone had targeted them or they had fallen for some type of scam during the holiday season in the past year. Common schemes include fake shipping notifications, stolen packages and fake donation requests. Amy Nofziger, a fraud specialist with AARP, shares with Life Kit the top schemes she’s been seeing this season and tips on how to protect yourself.

• 🎁 Before using a vendor that is new to you, search their name plus “scam,” “fraud,” and “complaint” to see other customers’ experiences. Use this information as a guide.
• 🎁 Avoid fake gift cards by buying the ones that are close to the front of the store and have more eyes on them. You can also purchase electronic gift cards instead of physical ones.
• 🎁 If an unexpected text from UPS or FedEx requests your personal information, contact the company’s customer service line separately and confirm that a package is indeed coming your way.

For more on what holiday scams to be aware of this season, listen to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

3 things to know before you go

John Lowery, a New Carolina state representative and chairman of the Lumbee Tribe (right) is comforted by Rob Jacobs, as they join with other members of the tribe to celebrate Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., after the passage of a bill granting the tribe federal recognition.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

1. The U.S. government has granted the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina full federal recognition. Its members have sought this historic milestone since 1888.
2. Cartagena, Colombia, a city famous for its horse-drawn buggies, is set to ban the iconic carriages. The move is dividing the city over concerns about tradition, tourism, and animal welfare.
3. Comedian Bowen Yang left Saturday Night Live midway through his eighth season. He made his final SNL appearance this weekend in an episode hosted by Wicked star Ariana Grande.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.