Stewart, Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel take closer looks at Venezuela

I telegraphed today's topic yesterday: "I expect Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel will return tonight. If they do, I'm sure they'll have plenty of things to say about what Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and the rest of Hoover Cleveland's maladministration are doing to and about Venezuela." They did, starting with Trump Kidnaps President Maduro, Targets Venezuelan Oil & Ditches "America First" | The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart dives into the Trump administration’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump's collusion with oil companies to exploit Venezuela’s resources, and the emergence of the “Donroe Doctrine" as Trump threatens more international takeovers.

Calling Hegseth "Homelander" is an insult to the role that won Antony Starr both Best Actor in a Superhero Series and Best Villain in a Series. Homelander is more competent. As for calling the justification for the raid on Venezuela "the Donroe Doctrine," that was mockery that Hoover Cleveland thought was catchy, which reminds me of a post of mine on Bluesky.

It also reads like how the U.S. Right appropriated American Exceptionalism because it sounded cool while completely misunderstanding it.

[image or embed]

— Vince Lamb (@vincelamb.bsky.social) January 3, 2026 at 10:55 PM

While I'm on it, here's another.

This looks like a stupid version of Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia from "1984." Yet another example of Republicans learning the wrong lessons fom Orwell.

[image or embed]

— Vince Lamb (@vincelamb.bsky.social) January 3, 2026 at 10:46 PM

Stephen had more to say when he asked Did Maduro's Dancing Prompt Trump To Attack Venezuela? | No Regime Change | Another War For Oil.

President Trump may have decided to snatch Venezuela's leader after being enraged by Nicholás Maduro's defiant public dancing, Maduro's VP is currently running the country, and there's no question that the U.S. is seeking to control Venezuela's oil riches.

Like Stephen, I'm old enough to remember the previous times events like these happened. I agree with his sentiment: "Now, invading a country with a mustachioed dictator and saying, 'Don't worry, their oil will pay for this war,' is kind of where I got on this train 20 plus years ago. It didn't work then, and I doubt it's going to work now. And I hope the American people don't fall for this a second time." Same here.

It wouldn't be a closer look without Seth, so here's Trump Says U.S. Will "Run" Venezuela & Take Its Oil, Threatens Colombia, Mexico, Cuba: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at Trump making history by becoming the first-ever winner of the FIFA Peace Prize to bomb another country and kidnap its leader.

Yeah, Maduro's singing and dancing is bad and ridiculous, but he has better moves than Hoover Cleveland. Is he that petty? Yes. Witness what he and the people around him are saying about the Nobel Peace Prize winner; she'd be invited to run the country if she had declined it and given it to Hoover Cleveland. He's also that transparent, although not in the way usually meant by transparency. Speaking of which, he's not even bothering to hide that it's about oil. Principles? Hah! What are those to Hoover Cleveland?

I turn to Jimmy Kimmel Recaps the Crazy Stuff Trump Did Over the Holidays & Takes Cognitive Test Donny “ACED”, for today's final monologue.

Donald Trump did so much crazy stuff over the last two weeks that it would take a nine part Ken Burns documentary series to cover it, he hosted the lowest rated Kennedy Center Honors telecast ever, he finally broke his silence about the First Lady’s underpants, he posted on Truth social 556 times, he spoke to kids calling into the Santa Tracker Hotline on Christmas, he enlisted Vanilla Ice to perform at his Mar-A-Lago New Years Eve party, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured by Delta Force at their home in Caracas and brought to New York, Trump has his eyes set on Greenland, and Jimmy takes a cognitive test that is just like the tests that Trump says he “aced.”

Hoover Cleveland was ridiculously busy over the holidays. At least last year he had the excuse that he was putting together his second administration, but even then his designs on Greenland and Canada made news. He hasn't given up on them.

As for his posting 556 times to Truth Social, including more than 200 on Christmas Eve, I had the following to say on Bluesky:

I used to give out awards for stupid net tricks like this. Google "Wollmann Rubber Turkey."

— Vince Lamb (@vincelamb.bsky.social) December 29, 2025 at 12:34 AM

These are the same awards that included the Kenny McCormick Memorial Medal for losing at least five accounts because of abuse.

I close by returning to The Late Show with A New Dance Craze Sweeps Across The Americas.

This guy will do anything to distract attention from the Epstein Files.

Stephen mentioned the Epstein Files, but you know what no one mentioned? The fifth anniversary of January 6th. I might do that tomorrow. Stay tuned.