Trump’s Venezuela Oil Deal, General Holt on Middle East Escalation, FBI Probes Traditional Catholics | Your News Talk America | August 31, 2026
Your News Talk America
Monday, August 31, 2026 · with Jake Smith
Today's Guests
Sam Romain, Chairman of Americans for Energy Dominance, joins Jake twice this morning for the show open and the 9:20 energy segment. americansforenergydominance.com
9:00 · Show Open: Trump's Venezuela Oil Deal
Jake opens the show on President Trump's newly brokered oil deal with Venezuela, a country sitting atop the world's largest proven oil reserves. The panel weighs what the deal means for consumers, whether the crude could find its way into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the challenge of refining Venezuela's thick crude. Also on the table: whether this amounts to a partnership with Caracas or exclusive access to undeveloped Venezuelan oil fields, whether OPEC's relevance is fading, whether Iranian oil and the Strait of Hormuz still matter to world markets, and what the collapse of trade talks with Canada means for Ottawa.
Source: Fox News
Guest: Sam Romain, Chairman, Americans for Energy Dominance · americansforenergydominance.com
9:20 · Energy Outlook and Offshore Drilling
The Energy Information Administration's August Short Term Energy Outlook projects record U.S. oil production this year at 13.8 million barrels a day, about 18.4 percent of a projected 74.89 million barrel per day global total, itself 4 million barrels per day below last year's output. EIA, part of the Department of Energy, still assumes Strait of Hormuz constraints continue through August with flows easing in September, and expects most Middle East production to return to near pre conflict levels in early 2027, with about 0.6 million barrels per day of ongoing disruption through the end of next year. Jake and Sam ask whether the new Venezuela deal revises that forecast. Separately, an Obama appointed Alaska judge has tossed an environmental groups' lawsuit challenging the reopening of 625 million acres for offshore energy development, and the panel discusses what that ruling could mean for national oil production.
Guest: Sam Romain, Chairman, Americans for Energy Dominance · americansforenergydominance.com
9:35 · Trump, NBC, and the FCC
President Trump is calling for NBC's Kristen Welker to face FCC "rebuke or punishment" after she said on Meet the Press that Trump had "mixed results" with his primary endorsements this cycle, a claim Trump disputes given a reported 313 endorsements and a 96 percent success rate according to Ballotpedia. Trump has urged FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to take the matter seriously, raising questions about NBC owned stations' licenses. The panel also covers Democrat Rep. James Clyburn's appearance on the same Meet the Press broadcast, where he leveled sharp criticism at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that Nicholas argues Welker let go unchallenged. Also discussed: a Daily Mail report, possibly overstated, that former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was invited on ABC's "The View" and considered for a permanent co host slot, and what that would mean for a show known for curating its guests closely.
Sources: New York Post · Ballotpedia · Gateway Pundit · Daily Mail (via archive) · Daily Wire
Guest: Nicholas Fondacaro, Associate Editor, Newsbusters (MRC) · mrc.org/staff/nicholas-fondacaro
10:00 · Venezuela Deal, Larak Island, and NATO's Arctic Flank
Jake and General Holt dig into whether the newly announced Trump Venezuela oil deal resets the global oil market and how it affects China, Russia, Iran, and Canada. The General gives his analysis of last night's bombing raid on Larak Island and whether the U.S. should expect further retaliation from Tehran. The segment also covers Iceland voters rejecting a resumption of EU membership talks, with roughly 275,000 eligible voters weighing in and answering no, plus Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's warning that NATO's Arctic moves pose a direct threat to Russia, and President Trump's continued interest in Greenland. General Holt also weighs in on worsening unrest in Dublin, Ireland, where a man in his 20s has been charged in connection with violent disorder in Leopardstown. Also this week on his own show, General Holt hosts Cara Chace to talk about the threat social media poses to our digital lives.
Sources: Fox News · Jerusalem Post · TheJournal.ie
Guest: Brigadier General Blaine Holt, USAF (Ret.), Host of Dangerous Intellectuals · dangerousintellectuals.com · new episode: Episode 50: Target Ireland!
10:30 · Middle East Escalation: Larak Island Fallout
Professor Paul Davis gives his own read on last night's bombing raid on Larak Island. Iran's army says it struck the United Arab Emirates' Al Minhad Air Base with drones early Monday, targeting locations where U.S. forces and helicopters were stationed, in what Iranian state TV describes as retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guards members and Iranian civilians on Larak Island. Iran's IRGC also launched a retaliatory ballistic missile attack on the King Hussein and Al Azraq air bases in Jordan; the Jordanian military intercepted eight missiles with no significant damage or casualties reported, according to Reuters. The panel also considers how the Trump Venezuela deal could shift the balance of oil power across the Middle East.
Guest: Professor Paul Davis, Institute of World Politics, expert in strategic and tactical political and military analysis, cyberterrorism, and intelligence · iwp.edu/faculty/paul-m-davis
11:00 · The FBI Investigation of Traditional Roman Catholics, Part I
Jim Hoft joins Jake on the Department of Justice's newly released final report examining the FBI's investigation into traditional Roman Catholics tied to the SSPX Marian Corp, led by Bishop Joseph Pfeiffer, which launched the Latin Mass in Delaware. Jake walks through the timeline: the investigation's start coincided with the Latin Mass's arrival in the state, the Bishop of Wilmington's letter warning parishioners away from it, and a report that most of the FBI's focus centered on an SSPX community in Richmond, Virginia, where a parishioner referred to as "Target 1" was flagged as a domestic terrorism concern. Jake also describes a parishioner suspected of being an FBI informant at St. Therese of Lisieux Mission in Millsboro, questions about whether Wilmington Diocese leadership coordinated with the Biden family, and internal disagreement among Wilmington priests over how to handle the movement.
Guest: Jim Hoft, Editor, Gateway Pundit · thegatewaypundit.com
11:30 · The FBI Investigation of Traditional Roman Catholics, Part II
Joe Hoft continues the conversation, recalling that his original story on the first Latin Mass in Rehoboth Beach, held December 19, 2022, drew thousands of hits on Gateway Pundit at the time. Joe and Jake ask why the FBI personnel involved in the investigation have not been publicly named, and discuss the audio of Jake's monologue following the Mass, which the show says has drawn 20,000 hits so far.
Guest: Joe Hoft, radio host, podcaster, and author of The Steal volumes 1 through 3 · joehoft.com/about-joe
11:50 · Salute the Troops
Jake closes the show with the daily Salute the Troops segment, honoring the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.
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