U.S. Defends Tanker Seizure & Senate Subsidy Standoff | 12.12.25

Summary

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Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: U.S. Defends Tanker Seizure & Senate Subsidy Standoff
Date: December 12, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe

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Overview

This episode focuses on three rapidly developing news stories:

1. The U.S. military’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and the international fallout
2. A heated Senate battle over the future of Obamacare subsidies
3. The sudden firing and arrest of Michigan’s head football coach amid serious allegations—all providing insight into current American politics, international relations, and cultural flashpoints.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker

• Breaking News: The U.S. seized a large, sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker in an aggressive move by the Trump administration to pressure Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
  • [02:30] "A major escalation here from the Trump administration." — John Bickley
• Official Explanation:
  • The U.S. claims the tanker was used in “an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.” — Citing Attorney General Pam Bondi’s statement.
• Venezuelan Response:
  • The Maduro regime labeled the seizure “blatant theft in an act of international piracy” and strongly denounced it.
    • [04:01] "Venezuela...strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes blatant theft in an act of international piracy." — Georgia Howe summarizing official statement
• Economic Implications:
  • Venezuela’s dependence on oil revenue means this action could significantly destabilize Maduro’s regime.
    • [04:47] "If Venezuela is no longer able to sell its oil, that's going to be a huge blow to Maduro." — Georgia Howe
• U.S. Lawmaker Reactions:
  • Rand Paul’s Dissent: Warns about the risk of war:
    • [05:05] "Sounds a lot like the beginning of a war. I detest Maduro. I detest socialism...But I don't think it's really the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world, looking for adversaries and beginning wars." — Sen. Rand Paul
  • Ted Cruz’s Support: Sees the move as an effective anti-crime measure:
    • [05:37] "If you're a narco trafficker...you're having second thoughts right now because President Trump is saving the lives of Americans." — Sen. Ted Cruz

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2. Senate Stalemate Over Obamacare Subsidies

• Current Context:
  • Congress faces an Obamacare deadline with over 20 million Americans’ coverage at stake. Two competing bills fail in the Senate.
• Democratic Plan (Lower Health Care Costs Act):
  • Extends subsidies (tax credits) for three years at a cost of ~$83 billion, aiming to prevent health care premiums from doubling for millions.
• GOP Objections:
  • Citing fraud and burden on taxpayers, referencing a GAO (Government Accountability Office) report of widespread fraudulent subsidy applications.
    • [09:02] "They submitted 24 fraudulent applications...and 23 of the 24 applications were still approved. The GAO report also found...more than $94 million was sent to insurers on behalf of dead people." — Speaker Mike Johnson
  • Ron Johnson (R-WI): Emphasizes most people keep their subsidies, claims “doubling” is misleading:
    • [08:20] "22 million of the 24 million people will still get their subsidies...you can't put that as doubling premiums." — Sen. Ron Johnson
• GOP Plan (Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025):
  • Lets subsidies expire but offers direct payments via health savings accounts, with restrictions. Did not clear Senate threshold.
• Alternative Proposals:
  • Rick Scott/August Pfluger: “More Affordable Care Act” creates HSA accounts and more state flexibility.
  • Rand Paul’s Proposal: Expands insurance pooling, e.g., via Costco-style co-ops across state lines.
    • [11:03] "I legalize the ability to buy insurance across state lines through a co-op...They become the largest group plan in America." — Sen. Rand Paul

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3. Michigan Football Scandal: Firing & Arrest of Head Coach

• Incident Background:
  • University of Michigan abruptly fires head football coach Sharon Moore "with cause"; he is arrested for alleged assault.
• Insider Details:
  • Rumors circulated since September of inappropriate sexual conduct with a staff member, possibly resulting in a pregnancy and its termination.
    • [12:41] "It's widely known that Sharon Moore has engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a staff member and that that conduct likely resulted in a pregnancy that was terminated." — David Cohn (former UM quarterback/co-host)
• Escalation:
  • After internal investigation and emergence of documentation, Moore was dismissed by athletic director Ward Manual. Post-dismissal, Moore allegedly had a violent breakdown and was detained in protective custody in a mental health institution.
    • [14:13] "The U of M employee in question presented irrefutable documentation about Moore's conduct...Moore is now detained in protective custody in a mental health institution." — David Cohn quoting John U. Bacon
• Institutional Concerns:
  • Questions about administrative knowledge and possible cover-up, especially in relation to timing with national signing day and recruits' commitments.
    • [14:30] "That is a critical question...You have national recruits here who in good faith signed...because they thought Sharon Moore was going to be the head football coach. How does that impact their decision?" — David Cohn
• Ongoing Investigation:
  • Unclear what the administration knew and when; updates expected as more facts come to light.
    • [15:50] "We do have some sources saying there was an internal investigation initially. Maybe some new evidence came to light...We'll certainly be learning more in the days to come." — John Bickley

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rand Paul’s Caution on Foreign Policy:
  • "I don't think it's really the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world." — Sen. Rand Paul [05:12]
• Ted Cruz’s Crime Angle:
  • "If you’re a narco trafficker...you’re having second thoughts right now." — Sen. Ted Cruz [05:37]
• Speaker Mike Johnson on Subsidy Fraud:
  • "94 million was sent to insurers on behalf of dead people." — Speaker Mike Johnson [09:32]
• David Cohn, Personal Impact:
  • “Sad day for Michigan football, a sad day for this country. ...I’m praying for this man because there’s some very serious allegations here.” — David Cohn [12:41]
• Concerns Over Cover-up:
  • “That is a critical question that you’re asking, particularly since we are a week now removed from national signing day.” — David Cohn [14:30]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Oil tanker seizure & U.S./Venezuela tensions: [02:30–06:09]
• Senate Obamacare subsidies standoff & alternatives: [07:16–11:33]
• University of Michigan football scandal: [12:06–16:29]

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Tone & Language

The hosts maintain a measured, fact-focused tone, emphasizing credible sourcing, direct quotations from lawmakers and experts, and a commitment to following the facts—often in the face of developing or controversial stories. Where opinions are presented, they are clearly attributed. The episode includes both hard news and emotional, personal commentary, especially in the Michigan segment.

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Summary

This episode of Morning Wire delivers in-depth, balanced coverage and analysis of the latest U.S. move against Venezuela, the political struggle over federal health care policy, and a dramatic turn in collegiate athletics, offering listeners both the facts and direct voices of the major players. The conversations highlight the complexities and high stakes of global power moves, domestic policy, and institutional transparency.

Transcript

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[John Bickley]

Caracas accuses the US of international piracy after military forces seize a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker.

[Senator Rand Paul]

It was seized for very good reason.

[David Cohn]

What happens to the oil on that ship?

[Senator Rand Paul]

Where we keep it? I guess.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, December 12th. This is Morning Wire.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

3/5 the senators duly chosen and sworn.

[Senator Rand Paul]

Not having voted in the affirmative.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

The motion is not agreed to.

[News Anchor/Reporter]

The Senate showdown over Obamacare subsidies ramps up as votes on dueling healthcare plans fall short.

[John Bickley]

And after being fired by the university, the now former Michigan head football coach is arrested on suspicion of assault.

[News Anchor/Reporter]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[University of Austin Advertiser]

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[News Anchor/Reporter]

Seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday in an escalation of President Trump's pressure campaign against dictator Nicolas Maduro.

[John Bickley]

Here to talk about the situation is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. Morning, Tim. So a Major escalation here from the Trump administration. What is the latest on this tanker?

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, Bloomberg was first to report this news earlier on Wednesday, but then President Trump himself confirmed it later that day at a roundtable with business leaders. Here's that moment.

[Senator Rand Paul]

An interesting day from the standpoint of news. As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. Large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire's Mary Margot Olihan tried to get a little bit more information out of him, but he wouldn't say much.

[Senator Rand Paul]

You see the result, and I guess they probably have released the pictures by now. It was seized for a very good reason.

[Georgia Howe]

Some administration officials then posted video of the operation that showed US Forces dropping onto the tanker and taking control of it. For people watching the show, they will be seeing that footage now. Attorney General Pam Bondi explained that the US Executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. She added that the oil tanker had been sanctioned because of, quote, its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.

[John Bickley]

Now, obviously, all eyes on Venezuela for their response. What have we heard so far from the Maduro regime?

[Georgia Howe]

Well, Maduro is not happy about it. The Venezuelan government condemned the seizure. In a statement, Venezuela, quote, strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes blatant theft in an act of international piracy. We'll have to wait and see if that strongly worded statement turns into anything more. But this has to be concerning to Maduro. Venezuela is a petro state, which means that petroleum is almost all of the economy. The money that the Maduro regime pulls in from oil sales is key to his regime's stability. Because the US has sanctions on Venezuela, Maduro has been forced to do business with regimes that are typically opposed to US Interests, such as China, and then at deep discounts to make up for the risk of violating U.S. sanctions. If Venezuela is no longer able to sell its oil. That's going to be a huge blow to Maduro.

[John Bickley]

Meanwhile, in Washington, we have a lot of responses from lawmakers. Obviously controversial move here. What are we hearing from them?

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, the response from lawmakers has generally dependent on which side of the aisle they fall on. One of the few exceptions to that rule is Senator Rand Paul, who had this to say to News Nation's Hannah Br.

[Senator Rand Paul]

Sounds a lot like the beginning of a war. You know, I'm not really in favor of beginning wars with other countries. Look, I detest Maduro. I detest socialism. I've written a book. The case against socialism. So no blood loss for socialism. But I don't think it's really the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world, looking for adversaries and beginning wars.

[Georgia Howe]

But other than Paul, Republicans generally seem okay with the Trump administration's action here. Here's Brandt again with Senator Ted Cruz. And so are you worried that this.

[David Cohn]

Will escalate into a war? Well, I don't think we're going to see a war with troops in ground combat. But I'll tell you this, if you're a narco trafficker and you're thinking about getting on a speedboat that is filled with a bunch of cocaine, you're having second thoughts right now because President Trump is saving the lives of Americans.

[Georgia Howe]

So a big escalation. But we're not sure yet where this will head.

[John Bickley]

Well, we'll be tracking it and have you back on to report what comes next. Tim, thanks so much for reporting.

[Georgia Howe]

Good to be on.

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[John Bickley]

The battle over Obamacare is in full swing. Democrats are pushing to extend subsidies while Republicans offer alternatives.

[News Anchor/Reporter]

Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presto Giacomo. So, Amanda, as we've been covering here, there's been this looming Obamacare deadline approaching and that set up a big fight over health care more generally. We just had two votes in the Senate yesterday on this issue. Tell us, how did those votes go?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

So neither of these bills passed. The Democrat backed bill called the Lower Health Care Costs act, that would extend Obamacare subsidies, which are technically tax Credits, for another three years. These started back in 2021 and they were only supposed to be in place for two years, but Democrats extended them until December 31st. The plan is pricey. It's expected to cost taxpayers about $83 billion. But Democrats argue that this extension is necessary. Otherwise more than 20 million Americans will see their health care more than double on average. Republicans dispute this. We spoke to GOP Senator Ron Johnson about this and here's what he told Morning Wire.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

22 million of the 24 million people will still get their subsidies. The original Obamacare subsidies, which subsidize the insurance at 91% of the premiums. Okay. So their premiums won't double. Going from zero to. To an exitable amount is an infinite increase. You can't call that. You can't put that as doubling premiums. The people we're talking about, about 1.6 million people whose subsidies completely go away. That I'm willing to work with Democrats on.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Republicans argue that Obamacare and specifically these subsidies are creating massive fraud and another burden on American taxpayers. Here's Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday talking about a recent report from the Government Accountability office.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

They submitted 24 fraudulent applications for the ACA subsidies. The unaffordable care act subsidies, Obamac.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Okay.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

The investigators did not submit any Social Security numbers, citizenship documentation or reported income documents. And 23 of the 24 applications were still approved. The GAO report also found that multiple people were utilizing the same Social Security numbers to openly defraud the American taxpayers. The GAO also found that more than 94 million was sent to insurers on behalf of dead people.

[News Anchor/Reporter]

Okay, wow. So a pretty shocking number there. So the subsidy extension did not pass, but there was also a GOP backed bill. What was that calling for and what was its fate?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

So the GOP backed bill called the Health Care Freedom for patients act of 2025, that let the Obamacare subsidies expire on that Democrat timeline, but it also offered Americans direct payments to help cover health care costs. This was an idea that was first floated by President Trump last month. The health savings accounts created by the bill would extend to Americans up to 700% of the federal poverty limit. And the funds would range from 1,000 to $1,500 for 2026 and 2027. And the amount would be based on mostly age. The accounts would restrict use for abortion and certain gender transition coverages as well. Republicans needed 60 votes, which would have to include a handful of Democrats, and they didn't get that. And not surprisingly, Republican Senator Rand Paul, he voted against the bill. There are other GOP bills in the works as this deadline approaches. One plan, led by Texas Rep. August Pfluger and Senator Rick Scott of Florida is called the more Affordable Care act, or maca. This plan, they say, would create HSA style accounts and add a new state waiver program within Obamacare to allow competition and drive down prices. Rand Paul is also floating a plan. He says this is not a watered down version of Obamacare like other GOP options. Here he is on Fox News.

[Senator Rand Paul]

Basically, I legalize the ability to buy insurance across state lines through a co op. So people want to join Costco and 44 million people are members of Costco. One person negotiates for them and they get one enormous group plan. They become the largest group plan in America. They will have more leverage to bring down prices than the biggest businesses in America.

[News Anchor/Reporter]

Well, an interesting idea, and I think Americans are open to hearing different ideas. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

You're welcome.

[David Cohn]

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[Senator Rand Paul]

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[Georgia Howe]

Uh, limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Senator Rand Paul]

Cut the camera. They see us.

[David Cohn]

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[News Anchor/Reporter]

The University of Michigan finds itself engulfed in controversy after administrators abruptly fired head football coach Sharon Moore with cause. And now he's in custody on suspicion of assault.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now to discuss this increasingly crazy case out of Michigan is former Michigan quarterback Crane and Co. Co host David Cohn. David Cohen, thanks for coming on.

[David Cohn]

Thank you all so much for having me.

[John Bickley]

So I've been honestly kind of shocked by this story. We looked at it initially yesterday and thought, oh, this will be an evening wire. And then it turned into a full blown story that we felt like was worth covering for sure here. What exactly is happening in this case?

[David Cohn]

Sad day for Michigan football, a sad day for this country. I just want to say that first and, and I'm praying for this man because there's some very serious allegations here. And I'll just say to you now that I heard as far back as September following Michigan's loss to Oklahoma, I had a very reliable source, someone close associated with Michigan football, call me and just Say it's widely known that Sharon Moore has engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a staff member and that that conduct likely resulted in a pregnancy that was terminated. So I heard this in September. I did some due diligence, but every time I would hear something that corroborated that, I would hear something else that says that's just rumor. And this is what happens when football coaches lose football games. Right? Come to find out, throughout the fall, many other people and former players close to the program had been hearing something very similar. Ward Manual, the athletic director, decided to fire Sharon Moore with cause. And the reports out of Ann Arbor are that Sharon Moore did not take that news very well and that allegedly threatened to take his own life. And I don't know if this was directly with his wife or with the staff member that is in question here, possibly threatening to even take her life and he was arrested. I do want to go to as reliable of a source as it gets with the University of Michigan. This is John U. Bacon, and this is directly from him. The U of M employee in question presented irrefutable documentation about Moore's conduct to U of M leaders. The president and regents had seen enough and Ward Manual fired him. Moore is now detained in protective custody in a mental health institution.

[John Bickley]

So one of the big questions here is who knew what? When you said you have this source, which is pretty shocking. You heard this all the way back in September. Do you feel that this is a cover up situation by the administration? I know that's a major allegation to make, but is that possibly the case here?

[David Cohn]

That is a critical question that you're asking, particularly since we are a week now removed from national signing day. You have national recruits here who in good faith signed their name to a national letter of intent because they thought Sharon Moore was going to be the head football coach. How does that impact their decision? I lived through this as a recruit at this very place. This was my alma mater. But again, this is way bigger than football. We're talking about someone's life and family at stake here. So again, I can't answer what Ward Manual knew when I just know that if I'm hearing about something in September, the athletic director certainly must have heard about this sooner. At the same time, how does he separate rumors that he must hear on a daily basis versus something that is credible and he must investigate. I want to go back to John Bacon again, who says U of M conducted an internal investigation interviewing both Sharon Moore and the employee in question separately, I presume this summer both said no way, no how. Anything was happening between them, which didn't give U of M much to go on her account flipped yesterday. That's from John Bacon. I'll say something else that I heard from a completely different source is that possibly the staffer in question was playing ball this entire time and maybe her father got involved. I haven't been able to confirm that just yet. I'll just say as a father of two daughters, if that is the case, good for him.

[John Bickley]

And to clarify for the audience, those texts said yesterday and of course we're talking about this happened Wednesday, later Wednesday.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Right.

[John Bickley]

So again, lots of questions to be answered here. We do have some sources saying there was an internal investigation initially. Maybe some new evidence came to light for the administration that forced their hand here. We'll certainly be learning more in the days to come.

[David Cohn]

Thank you. And I'll just say, I know the Internet is running crazy with this story. There's a lot of false facts out there. I'm doing the best that I can to deliver the information from credible sources who want what's best for the program moving forward. And again, I'll just reiterate that in our household, we're praying for this young man and for his family. And I hope everyone listening does the same.

[John Bickley]

Thank you so much for coming on, Dave.

[David Cohn]

Thank you.

[News Anchor/Reporter]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're listening to the show now, you can watch for free on Daily Wire. Plus, we'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.

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