TMI Show Ep 251: “‘Freedom’ Coming to Venezuela”

“The TMI Show” ignites with hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan digs deep into Trump’s high-stakes escalation in the Caribbean. A U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Gravely, bristling with guided missiles, helicopters, and Marines, docks in Trinidad and Tobago, just miles from Venezuela’s coast, triggering a furious response from Caracas. Venezuelan officials call the move a “military provocation,” warning of regional instability as the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group bolsters a massive U.S. military buildup reminiscent of Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Washington claims the deployment is targeting drug trafficking, but Caracas sees it as a prelude to military intervention—especially since Venezuela doesn’t make fentanyl, the drug afflicting Middle America.

Plus:

• Louvre Robbers Arrested: Two French nationals from Seine St-Denis face arrest for the daring $102 million Louvre jewel heist. Police hunt two more suspects as the investigation deepens.

• Trump in Asia: Trump lands in Malaysia, brokering trade deals and attending a peace signing. His Asia-Pacific tour, culminating in a Xi Jinping meeting, aims to avert tariffs.

• Food Stamp Crisis: The ongoing government shutdown threatens 41 million Americans by cutting off their SNAP benefits. Critics argue the Trump administration could use contingency funds but is leveraging the crisis politically.