Monday, January 5 | By Cate Martel |
|
|
It's Monday. Welcome back and happy 2026! 🥂 |
Maduro's first court appearance in N.Y. Venezuela briefing on Capitol Hill Trump eyes Colombia, Cuba & Greenland next Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Mark Kelly Tim Walz drops reelection bid
|
Maduro makes first court appearance: | Captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is making his first court appearance this afternoon in New York after being captured in a U.S. military raid over the weekend. The charges: Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism and working with drug cartels to import thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. He could face life in prison if convicted. 🔎 Read the 25-page indictment Maduro has pleaded not guilty, The Hill's Ella Lee reports. "We're just going to go through a slog of a trial," Trump told NewsNation's Libbey Dean aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, describing the case as "infallible." Who is representing Maduro?: High-profile defense attorney Barry Pollack, who also represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, . Was Maduro's capture legal?: Maduro's lawyers are expected to argue his arrest in the capital of Caracas was illegal. Senior administration officials including Vice President Vance have argued the raid was legal and necessary since Maduro was indicted in the U.S. 📸 Photo of captured Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima Happening today: Top Trump administration offcials will brief a select group of lawmakers on the operation. It will happen at 5:30 p.m. on Capitol Hill. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are all expected to attend, per The Hill's Sarah Fortinsky. 💬 Follow today's live blog |
➤ ANSWERING QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE: |
Are we at war with Venezuela?: Rubio says we are *not* at war with Venezuela. That came a day after Trump in a Fox News interview defended Maduro's capture, saying "we had to do it because it's a war," referring to U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking. Why did Trump capture Maduro?: The Trump administration has accused Maduro of running a drug cartel and stealing oil, both of which Maduro's government denies. Both Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also captured, have been charged in the U.S. Who is now in charge of Venezuela?: Trump declared late Sunday that "we are in charge" of Venezuela. Rubio appeared to share a different view earlier in the day, suggesting the U.S. is running Venezuela with financial interests, not with boots on the ground. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is the acting president of the country. Rodríguez is part of Maduro's inner circle and she defended Maduro as the only president of Venezuela. Though, she is now offering a more conciliatory message to the U.S. What to know about Venezuela: Venezuela claims to have the largest oil reserve in the world. But it only produces around 1 percent of global production, according to The New York Times. Helpful explainer on Venezuela's oil industry |
Trump's next potential targets: Colombia and Greenland: |
Less than 48 hours after the U.S. descended on Venezuela, captured its leader and shipped him to the U.S. to face federal charges, President Trump threatened several other countries with a similar fate — Colombia and Cuba, specifically. Reporters on Air Force One asked Trump on Sunday night what his operation in Venezuela means for other countries in the region. The president suggested Colombia may be next. Colombia: Trump argued Colombia is run by a "sick man" who "likes making and selling" cocaine, threatening that "he's not going to be doing it very long." Cuba: The president claimed that "Cuba is ready to fall." When asked if the U.S. would do a similar operation in Cuba, Trump responded, "it sounds good to me." Mexico: He warned that Mexico must "get their act together." "We're going to have to do something," Trump said. "We'd love Mexico to do it, they're capable of doing it, but unfortunately the cartels are very strong in Mexico." Oh, and Trump also mentioned Greenland: He reiterated his desire to annex the Danish territory of Greenland. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security," Trump said. FWIW, the prime minister of Denmark has already told Trump to "stop" because Greenland is "not for sale." Plus, Iran: Trump threatened Iran, which has been dealing with widespread protests. "If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," the president said. |
The New York Times: Reviving Venezuela's Flow of Oil Will Not Come Easily or Cheaply The Wall Street Journal: Trump Was Skeptical of Ousting Maduro—Until He Wasn't The Washington Post: Trump revives an old vision of American power, with global implications Foreign Policy: Trump Sets a Devastating Precedent in Venezuela: Will Russia and China now assume they can do the same in Europe and Asia? The Atlantic: The F----Around-and-Find-Out Presidency |
In the U.S., reactions to the Trump administration's military operation in Venezuela have generally fallen along party lines. Most Republicans are supportive, with a few notable detractors. But Democrats are concerned. The Senate will vote this week on a bipartisan war powers resolution to block Trump from more military action in Venezuela. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are sponsoring the measure. It only needs a simple majority to pass, so three more Republican "yes" votes are needed. Globally, the reaction to the operation has been cautious: Many of the U.S.'s adversaries, including Iran, Russia, North Korea and China, condemned the U.S. And other international leaders with a more cordial relationship with the U.S., including in Europe, called for deescalation and peace. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump. |
➤ WHAT DID POPE LEO THINK ABOUT IT?: |
Pete Hegseth punishes Mark Kelly: |
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is trying to demote Sen. Mark Kelly's (D-Ariz.) military rank to punish him for taking part in a video where he reminded U.S. military members to refuse "illegal orders" from higher-ups. What video?: Remember when six Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds created a video in November urging servicemembers to refuse any illegal orders from their superiors? It came after news of the deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean. What this means for Kelly: It would lower his military retirement pay. |
Tim Walz is no longer running for governor: |
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced he is dropping his reelection bid for a third term as governor over growing scrutiny over his handling of a fraud scandal in his state. Walz's reason for dropping out: "Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences," Walz said in a statement. Walz, who ran on former Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential ticket two years ago, said he decided to end his reelection bid "and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work." |
The next era of 'CBS Evening News': |
"CBS Evening News" will make its formal debut tonight with Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor. Why I say 'formal' debut: Dokoupil actually started two days early to report on the breaking situation in Venezuela. For context: CBS News has been shaken up by its new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss. Paramount hired Weiss, who co-founded The Free Press, raising questions about whether it would lean conservative in its news coverage. Dokoupil has worked at CBS since 2016 after stints at MS NOW (formerly known as MSNBC), Newsweek and the Daily Beast. In a message to viewers last week, he argued that news outlets have "missed the story" on too many occasions and pledged that viewers come first. Dokoupil, who is married to MS NOW correspondent Katy Tur, interviewed Hegseth and former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster over the weekend. | |
|
The Senate is back in session. The House is out until tomorrow. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) |
3:30 p.m. Trump participates in a policy meeting in the Oval Office. 5:30 p.m. The Senate votes on Keith Bass, who has been nominated to serve as an assistant secretary of Defense. 📆 Today's agenda 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: First House votes of 2026. 📆 Tuesday's agenda |
|
|
🍦 Celebrate: Today is National Whipped Cream Day. But perhaps more fitting for early January, it's also National Keto Day. |
|
|
400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 |
© 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment