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Why Venezuela’s former president backs Trump drone strikes on drug boats, Army Secretary backs Tom Cotton on flying IEDs, and more
Rep. Adrian Smith takes on Direct File, Rep. Jim Jordan makes his latest 2026 endorsements, Pastor John Hagee takes on anti-Semitism, and more!
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November 18th, 2025
Let’s dive in.
INTERVIEW: Why Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó backs Trump’s drone strikes on narco-traffickers
Heard on the Hill
EXCLUSIVE: Despite distrust of the pharmaceutical industry, seniors express concerns over proposed ad restrictions, poll shows
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Kamala Harris advisor with questionable foreign policy record announces Congressional bid
SCOOP: Republicans praise President Trump’s plan to neutralize woke voting power of the big three passive funds
SCOOP: Rep. Adrian Smith slams politicized IRS revenue ruling as “a newer version of Lois Lerner”
SCOOP: Army Secretary reinforces Sen. Cotton’s concerns about “severe and growing” dangers of flying IEDs
SCOOP: Jim Jordan makes latest 2026 endorsement in pivotal House race
OPINIONATED: Pastor John Hagee takes on anti-Semitism, Doug Blair on the Portland anti-ICE protests
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INTERVIEW: Why Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó backs Trump’s drone strikes on narco-traffickers
by Matthew Foldi
As President Donald Trump’s administration strikes at drug boats tied to Venezuela, hones in on Tren de Aragua’s ties to the Venezuelan regime, and seeks a $50 million bounty on the head of dictator Nicolás Maduro, the Washington Reporter spoke with Juan Guaidó, the former President of Venezuela from 2019 to 2023, to better understand current events.
During an interview with the Reporter’s editor-in-chief Matthew Foldi at the 2025 Nixon Foundation Grand Strategy Summit, Guaidó praised Trump for his leadership and military action against narco-terrorist boats from Venezuela in the Caribbean.
“President Trump is leading an operation back in the Caribbean to confront, to face that criminal regime back in Venezuela that used narco trafficking and terrorism to directly threaten the western hemisphere,” he explained. “[The] operation in the Caribbean is not against Venezuela by the way: it’s against a criminal regime led by Maduro and his cronies…they have links with Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, also China, to sustain power through fear, corruption and violence.”
Guaidó added that Venezuelans “welcome every effort that upholds the rule of international law to confront that kind of regime.”
When asked about the current state of Venezuela, Guaidó described his country’s current regime as a “criminal autocracy.”
Heard on the Hill
INSURER UNPOPULARITY: A poll shared with the Senate Republican Conference showed that 1/3rd of Americans blame insurance companies — the primary beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act subsidies — for the high price of healthcare. A Senate source tells us that the argument that “subsidies don’t fix the mess, they just throw money at the problem,” is resonating on the Hill.
MICHIGAN MOMENTUM: A second poll shows former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.) leading all possible Democratic nominees for the Senate race in Michigan.
BEHIND THE SCENES: A group of parents from Montgomery County, Maryland helped change America’s education landscape with their landmark Mahmoud v. Taylor Supreme Court case. Several of those parents spoke with Becket about what happens when “your child’s school introduced storybooks promoting one-sided ideology on gender and sexuality and refused to let you opt out.” Watch their interview here.
REINFORCEMENTS INCOMING: Veterans on Duty released a new ad highlighting Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s (R., Texas) accomplishments. “Congressman Dan Crenshaw has built a record of serious, solutions-focused policy work,” Hooff Cooksey, Executive Director of VOD, said. “Strengthening border security, advancing energy leadership, supporting law enforcement, and championing our veterans. We are calling on Texans to call him and thank him for supporting President Trump’s agenda and paying our troops. Veterans on Duty intends to make a substantial investment in the months ahead to advocate for the policies Congressman Crenshaw has defended in Washington.”
PARTY LIKE IT’S 1995: Will Mascaro, the Republican Study Committee’s Coalitions and Legislative Strategy Director, hosted a star-studded 30th birthday party over the weekend, featuring Calli Cooper, Micah Bock, CJ Pearson, Sam Markstein, Lyssa Bell, Hans Bjontegard, Kevin Norton, Jacey Albaugh, Nick Ballas, Jordan Roberts, Emery Washington, Christina Poehlitz, Rey Anthony, Marisela Ramirez, Melanie Meyers, Maria Giannopoulos, Grace Newton, Ashley Roberts, and Madison Campbell.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Today is Abigail Jackson’s birthday; Jackson is a Deputy White House Press Secretary who regularly takes the media to task in emoji-laden missives. Keep up the great work, Abigail!
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EXCLUSIVE: Despite distrust of the pharmaceutical industry, seniors express concerns over proposed ad restrictions, poll shows
by the Washington Reporter
Back in September, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced a historic crackdown on pharmaceutical ads. Secretary Kennedy shared his personal belief that these ads contribute to overmedication and a chronic disease epidemic. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary followed up making clear their strategy was to make drug ads “no longer feasible.”
AMAC Action, the advocacy arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), conducted polling of Americans over the age of 55, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, to see how seniors feel about limits to pharmaceutical advertising.
Though Americans 55 and over who were polled had a negative opinion of drug companies, the large majority (73 percent) did not support the government dictating the ads they saw. And while 27 percent had asked their doctor about a drug they saw on TV, most (70 percent) expressed confidence their doctor wouldn’t prescribe it if it wouldn’t help or posed a risk, which undercuts the assertion some have made that ads are driving overuse of drugs.
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Kamala Harris advisor with questionable foreign policy record announces Congressional bid
by Matthew Foldi
Nebraska Democrat Chris Backemeyer threw his hat in the ring for Congress this month — but as a former national security advisor to Kamala Harris, Backemeyer’s record on foreign policy is already proving problematic.
During Backemeyer’s time as a foreign policy advisor to Harris, the Biden-Harris administration presided over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan Harris famously bragged about her status as the “last person” in the decision room as Biden made his decision to withdraw troops.
Backemeyer also worked on issues related to the Iran deal, which provided billions to Iran while Iran continued to proliferate nuclear weapons. During his time in D.C., he worked on the State Department’s negotiating team for the Iran deal, and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State when the Biden administration arranged for the $6 billion ransom payment to Tehran.
The Times of Israel reported extensively on Backemeyer’s work trying to convince skeptical companies to invest directly in Tehran. Part of his work, the Times covered in 2016, involved “promoting the Iran deal to firms that want to tap into its massive market but fear other sanctions, or that the next American president could scrap the deal.”
SCOOP: Republicans praise President Trump’s plan to neutralize woke voting power of the big three passive funds
by Matthew Foldi
Republicans are praising the Trump administration’s plan, reported this week by the Wall Street Journal, to protect retirement savings by depoliticizing the influence of index funds like BlackRock and Vanguard over shareholders.
It is “wonderful news to hear that the White House is considering taking action to reign in woke Wall Street firms that have been micromanaging American businesses and undermining consumers by using their outsized influence to push a far left agenda,” Will Hild, who as the executive director of Consumers’ Research has led campaigns against index funds like BlackRock, told the Reporter.
“Asset managers like BlackRock, along with proxy advisors Glass Lewis and ISS, have misused and abused their positions as fiduciaries to further their own politics, taking the shares and votes of their clients and using them to bully boards and c-suites out of the business of serving their customers and instead forcing a noxious agenda down consumers’ throats,” Hild added. “Our hope is that the ultimate action is severe enough to curtail these bad actors. As BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink infamously said, sometimes ‘you have to force behaviors’ to change.”
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SCOOP: Rep. Adrian Smith slams politicized IRS revenue ruling as “a newer version of Lois Lerner”
by the Washington Reporter
The Washington Reporter spoke with Rep. Adrian Smith (R., Neb.) about a controversial IRS revenue ruling following mounting GOP concerns that the policy was crafted by partisan bureaucrats and could be weaponized against conservative taxpayers. Earlier this year, a coalition of lawmakers urged the IRS to repeal the measure, warning it dramatically expanded the agency’s authority.
The controversy intensified after reporting revealed that a senior IRS lawyer involved in the ruling had privately pledged to “resist” President Trump and previously served as a Democratic Hill aide. Republicans said the revelation echoes the Lois Lerner scandal and reflects persistent ideological activism inside the agency.
In our interview with Rep. Smith, he sharply criticized the ruling and the culture behind it.
SCOOP: Army Secretary reinforces Sen. Cotton’s concerns about “severe and growing” dangers of flying IEDs
by Matthew Foldi
For years, Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) — the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman — has warned about the “severe and growing” dangers posed by unauthorized drones. Now, Cotton is getting backup from none other than the Secretary of the Army.
Dan Driscoll recently noted that “under Secretary of War [Pete] Hegseth, the United States Army has been put in charge of the counter drone threat for the Pentagon, and then we are working…hand in glove with the broader law enforcement agencies. We just last week had a meeting right outside the White House where what we are trying to do, because this problem is different from nearly anything we’ve faced in a long time. It is a flying IED.”
Flying IEDs, the Army Secretary noted, are “cheap,” and anyone can “3D print them at home, and they cross borders incredibly quickly. And so what you basically need is a digital layer to exchange information and exchange sensing and allow the closest person on the ground, or the closest effector on the ground, to be able to take out a drone.”
SCOOP: Jim Jordan makes latest 2026 endorsement in pivotal House race
by Matthew Foldi
Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), the House Judiciary Committee Chairman long beloved by conservative activists, is making his latest 2026 endorsement, plans of which were first obtained by the Washington Reporter.
Jordan is backing first-time congressional candidate Joe Mitchell, a former state Representative in Iowa, who is running for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R., Iowa).
“Joe Mitchell will be an unapologetic champion for lower taxes, fewer regulations, and America First policies that keep our country safe and free,” Jordan explained. “We need strong candidates in every corner of the country to protect the Republican majority, and Joe has proven he’s the right candidate for this critical race. I’m confident he can win both the Republican primary and the general election next year.”
Mitchell, for his part, said that “it’s an honor to earn the support of one of Congress’s most battle-tested conservatives. Congressman Jordan has fought — and won — some of the toughest battles on behalf of the American people. I’m proud to have his endorsement.”
Jordan’s endorsement of Mitchell comes after Mitchell has raised historic sums and rolled out a campaign team filled with alums of President Donald Trump’s campaigns. Both of those developments were first reported by the Reporter.
OPINIONATED
Op-Ed: Pastor John Hagee: Salvation or damnation for the Grand Ole’ Party?
by Pastor John Hagee
Several weeks ago, I was honored to host Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) at my church’s 45th annual Night to Honor Israel in San Antonio. In typical fashion, the senator spoke passionately and from the heart. Little did I know that his clarion call from the stage to combat the scourge of antisemitism on the fringe right would ruffle so many feathers.
But we should not be surprised. The Bible reminds us that “what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:19).
From the Pharaohs who “knew not Joseph” to Haman, Hitler, and Hamas, and from the vile Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to their modern-day philosophical progeny who blame whatever “it” is, on the Jews — be it COVID, space laser-induced wildfires, socialism, the excesses of capitalism, genocide, or control of the media — scapegoating “the Jews” is not new. In fact, it is a foundational tenet of Nazism, modern American Socialism, and the pro-”Palestinian” narrative.
What is new, however, is that this hatred, once decried by all, is now lapped up by some in the Republican Party.
Op-Ed: Doug Blair: Portland protests show how unserious the left really is
by Doug Blair
Painted on the outside wall of Dante’s Pizza and Bar in downtown Portland is the phrase “Keep Portland Weird.” It’s the city’s unofficial slogan; a mantra Rose City denizens take to heart. As a Portlander, I agree being quirky can be harmless. The problem is when a real issue arises, Portlanders show themselves as deeply unserious people.
The ongoing demonstrations outside the ICE facility show this clearly. Recently, video circulated online of Portland protestors in 80s workout gear doing dance aerobics. Another video showed what looked like a detention bus arriving as the same group weakly booed from the sidewalk.
Portland has been ground zero for endless anti-ICE protests this year, though thankfully none have reached the violence of 2020.
Last month a man in a blowup frog suit was pepper sprayed by federal officers, inspiring a wave of copycat inflatable creatures to appear at the site. “I’m here protesting the inhumane way that ICE and DHS is treating our immigrants,” the inflatable amphibian told the Oregonian. “Whether they’re here legally or not, they should be treated as a human being because that’s what they are.”
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About the Washington Reporter
We created the Washington Reporter to give Republicans in Congress an outlet for insights to help you succeed, and to cover the toughest policy fights that don't get the attention they deserve.
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