đ¨ CBS SPIKES TORTURE EXPOSĂ AS HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CALLS CECOT "HELL"
The Narativ Daily Newsletter | Know Sooner
đ´ CORRECTION
An earlier version of this newsletter incorrectly stated that the DOJ redacted Trumpâs name from sexual abuse allegations in their December 2025 âEpstein Libraryâ release. This was wrong. The document in question (Case 1:15-cv-07433) is from the Giuffre v. Maxwell CIVIL case and was court-unsealed in January 2024ânot part of the DOJâs criminal investigation files. We regret the error.
đ´ STORIES TO WATCH
1. đş CBS SPIKES 60 MINUTES TORTURE EXPOSĂ HOURS BEFORE BROADCAST
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled a fully vetted 60 Minutes segment on torture at El Salvadorâs CECOT prisonâwhere Trump deported Venezuelan migrantsâjust hours before Sundayâs broadcast. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi called it âcorporate censorshipâ and âa political decision, not an editorial one.â The segment had been screened five times and cleared by CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices.
Human Rights Watch documented Venezuelans at CECOT beaten from the moment they arrived, shot with rubber pellets at point-blank range, confined to punishment cells called âthe Island,â and told by the prison director: âYou have arrived in hell. You will only leave in a coffin.â Many had legally applied for asylum in the US. Weiss objected to calling them âVenezuelan migrantsâ rather than âillegal immigrants.â
Paramountâs new owner David Ellison is currently seeking Trumpâs approval for a hostile takeover of CNNâs parent company. His father Larry Ellison is a Trump adviser.
2. đď¸ VENEZUELA BLOCKADE ESCALATES AS THIRD TANKER PURSUED
The US Coast Guard remains in âactive pursuitâ of the Bella 1, a sanctioned dark fleet tanker, marking the third vessel targeted in less than two weeks as Trumpâs âtotal and complete blockadeâ of Venezuela intensifies. The pursuit follows Saturdayâs seizure of the Centuriesâa Panama-flagged tanker carrying 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude NOT on any US sanctions list. Senator Rand Paul called the seizures âa provocation and a prelude to war.â Maduro promised to âpunishâ the United States. Senator Lindsey Graham dismissed concerns Trump would break his promise to avoid new foreign conflicts, arguing Venezuela is âa narco-terrorist stateâ that must be confronted. The military buildup in Puerto Rico continues as Trump refuses to rule out a land invasion. War authorization from Congress is not being sought.
3. đŁ MOSCOW CAR BOMB SIGNALS UKRAINE ESCALATION AS PEACE TALKS STALL
Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of Russiaâs military training directorate, was killed this morning when a bomb detonated under his car in southern Moscowâthe third senior Russian general assassinated in a year. Russian investigators immediately blamed Ukrainian special services. Putin was âimmediately informedâ through special channels and expects a full report from his envoy Kirill Dmitriev TODAY after weekend talks in Miami. While Trumpâs envoy Steve Witkoff called the Florida discussions âproductive and constructive,â Putinâs top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed amendments proposed by Ukraine and European allies, saying they âdefinitely do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace.â The car bombâUkraineâs signature retaliation against Russian commandersâsignals Kyivâs willingness to escalate even as diplomatic pressure mounts for a Christmas settlement.
4. đ DENMARK SUMMONS US AMBASSADOR AFTER TRUMP NAMES GREENLAND âTAKEOVERâ ENVOY
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced TODAY he will summon the US ambassador after Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenlandâwith Landry explicitly stating his goal is to âmake Greenland part of the US.â Rasmussen called the appointment and Landryâs statements âtotally unacceptable,â warning Washington to respect Denmarkâs sovereignty. Greenlandâs Prime Minister responded: âGreenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected.â A January poll showed the vast majority of Greenlandâs 57,000 residents want independence from Denmarkâbut not to join the United States. Trump has refused to rule out military force to acquire the territory.
đŻ THE PATTERN
The DOJ misses its legal deadline, posts files then deletes them, and offers no timeline for full compliance. CBS kills a torture exposĂŠ because the administration won't comment. The Coast Guard seizes ships without war authorization. A car bomb kills a Russian general hours before peace talks. Denmark summons our ambassador over territorial threats against a NATO ally. This isn't chaosâit's coordination. The machinery of accountability is being dismantled while we watch: the files that implicate power stay hidden, the journalism that documents crimes gets spiked, the violence that serves empire proceeds unchecked.
đ READ OUR EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION
Narativ has been on the Epstein beat for six years.
The only news organization to successfully tie Epstein to intelligence operations. The first to identify the blackmail and influence operation at its core. The first to expose the financial crimes and market manipulation that drove the network. The first to connect Epstein and Trump to a multi-decade Russian operation to destabilize American capitalism.
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