U.S. Strikes Alleged Drug Facility in South America, DHS Investigates Fraud in Minneapolis, CA DMV's New Reckless Driving Penalties, Tortillas in CA Will Have a New Ingredient, Rams Lose to the Falcons

Headlines From The Times

L.A. Times Studios

News, Daily News, Society & Culture, The Times, California

4.1 • 544 Ratings

🗓️ 31 December 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

President Trump said Monday that the U.S. “hit” an alleged drug facility along a shoreline as he escalates pressure on Venezuela. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security launched a fraud investigation in Minneapolis, targeting suspects accused of stealing billions in government funds. In California, the DMV rolled out a new pilot program aimed at cracking down on reckless driving, with added penalties for motorists clocked at more than 100 miles per hour. The state also became the first in the nation to require folic acid in most tortilla and corn masa products, a move aimed at reducing birth defects. And in sports, the Rams fell 27–24 to the Falcons on Monday night, sliding to the No. 6 seed in the NFC heading into the playoffs. Read more at LATimes.com.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an L.A. Times Studios podcast.
0:07.7	Hi, I'm Faith Pino, and you're listening to Headlines from L.A. Times Studios.
0:13.1	Here are some of today's top stories from the Los Angeles Times.
0:17.4	We start with an update about a U.S. strike on a dock facility last week as the White House ramps up pressure on Venezuela.
0:25.1	There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.
0:30.9	They load the boats up with drugs.
0:32.3	So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area.
0:35.3	It's the implementation area. That's where they implement, and that is no longer around.
0:42.6	After hinting at an offshore explosion
0:44.8	during a radio interview Friday,
0:47.0	President Trump confirmed the strikes Monday.
0:49.9	Speaking with reporters outside Mar-a-Lago,
0:52.7	Trump said the strikes hit a drug-related facility,
0:55.9	part of an escalating effort to target what the administration calls narco-terrorists,
1:01.7	attempting to smuggle narcotics into the U.S.
1:04.9	Trump offered no details about who carried out the strike, where it happened, or if it occurred
1:10.6	inside Venezuela.
1:11.6	The president also declined to say whether the U.S. military or the CIA was involved.
1:17.6	Until now, U.S. strikes have targeted alleged drug boats in international waters.
1:22.6	The U.S. military said it conducted another boat strike Monday, killing two people accused of smuggling
1:29.8	drugs in the eastern Pacific. The attacks have killed at least 107 people in 30 strikes
1:36.3	since the beginning of September, according to numbers released by the White House.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from L.A. Times Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of L.A. Times Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.