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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said yesterday that 100 people died in the U.S. attack, which removed President Nicolas Maduro from power on Saturday. Reuters reports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the United States has a three-step plan for Venezuela: stabilizing Venezuela, ensuring U.S oil companies have access to the country during a recovery phase, and overseeing a transition. “The bottom line is that there is a process now in place where we have tremendous control and leverage over what those interim authorities are doing and are able to do,” Rubio said. Simon Lewis and Patricia Zengerle report for Reuters.
Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday told lawmakers, in a closed-door briefing to the Senate, that the Trump administration does not plan to use ground troops in Venezuela, but U.S. military forces will remain deployed around Venezuela indefinitely to provide “leverage” in stabilizing the region, according to more than a dozen lawmakers. Leo Shane III, Connor O’Brien, and Joe Gould report for POLITICO.
President Trump said yesterday in an interview that he expected the United States would be running Venezuela and extracting oil for its reserves for years, adding that the interim government in Venezuela is “giving us everything that we feel is necessary.” A plan under consideration envisions the United States exerting some control over Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PdVSA, including acquiring and marketing the bulk of the company’s oil production, sources told the Wall Street Journal. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said yesterday “We’re going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela, first this backed-up stored oil, and then indefinitely, going forward, we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela into the marketplace.” David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager, Katie Rogers, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs report for the New York Times; James Bikales reports for POLITICO; Brian Schwartz, Benoit Morenne, and Josh Dawsey report.
The U.S. military yesterday seized two oil tankers, including the Russian-flagged Marinera tanker that had been evading U.S. forces for weeks. The Marinera was seized in the North Atlantic, between Scotland and Iceland. The United States mobilized a large force to assist the Coast Guard, including a Navy P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft and AC-130 gunships. Several U.S. military aircraft left bases in Britain yesterday morning, heading toward the tanker, according to flight-tracking sites.The second tanker, the M. Sophia was intercepted in the Caribbean Sea, where it was “conducting illicit activities,” according to the U.S. Southern Command, which also confirmed that it was escorting the stateless vessel to the United States. Nicholas Nehamas, Eric Schmitt, Julian E. Barnes, and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday told reporters that he wants a new meeting with Trump to gauge his openness to a proposal that Washington ensure security for Kyiv for more than 15 years in the event of a ceasefire. Dan Peleschuk and Yuliia Dysa report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE
Trump is expected to announce the Gaza Board of Peace next week as part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, two U.S. officials and two other sources told Axios. Among the countries expected to join the board are the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. The Board of Peace representative on the ground will be former U.N. envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov. Mladenov is visiting Israel this week for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Trump’s planned announcement. Barak Ravid reports.
An Israeli airstrike yesterday killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local health authorities. The Israeli military said the strike was a retaliatory attack on a Hamas militant, launched after its troops had come under fire. Health officials said that several people were also wounded in the airstrike, which struck a house in Gaza City. Separately on Wednesday, an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia said that it had killed two members of Hamas in the southern Gaza area of Rafah. Maayan Lubell reports for Reuters.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
A U.N. Human Rights report published yesterday concludes that Israel is violating international law prohibiting racial segregation and apartheid in the occupied West Bank. The report warns that the discriminatory practices have accelerated dramatically since 2022. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the findings reveal a “systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank.” Shaimaa Khalil reports for BBC News; UN News reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Saudi Arabia today claimed that the UAE smuggled Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), out of Yemen and flew him to Abu Dhabi. The Saudi military statement says that al-Zubaidi fled Yemen by boat to Somalia, where UAE officials flew him to Abu Dhabi. Neither the Emirati foreign ministry nor the STC had responded to requests for comment at the time of writing. Gambrell reports for AP News.
The Lebanese military said today it had concluded the first phase of its plan to fully deploy across southern Lebanon and disarm non-state groups. The military’s statement did not name Hezbollah or other armed groups in particular. Kareem Chehayeb reports for AP News.
Tens of thousands of civilians yesterday fled the Kurdish majority neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, which the Syrian army shelled yesterday afternoon after designating them as “closed military areas.” The Syrian government said the operation was in response to attacks by armed groups in the area and aimed at preserving security. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces called it a “criminal attempt” to forcibly displace residents. Gabriela Pomeroy reports for BBC News.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert around $2 billion of Saudi loans into a deal for JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, with an additional $2 billion to be spent on equipment over and above the loan conversion, according to two Pakistani sources. Ariba Shahid and Saad Sayeed report for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday said that he had spoken with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, calling it a “Great Honor” to speak with Petro and stating that Petro had “called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements we have had.” The Colombian Foreign Ministry described the call as a “good meeting” between the two leaders. Trump said that Rubio and Colombia’s foreign minister were arranging a meeting with Petro in the White House, and that he was looking forward to it. Annie Correal reports for the New York Times.
Rubio said yesterday that he plans to discuss the U.S. acquisition of Greenland with Danish officials next week. “The president has been very open and clear with all of you and with the world that he views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, and so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday, while reiterating that “all options are always on the table” for Trump. Eli Stokols reports for POLITICO; Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt report for Reuters.
Several senior Republicans yesterday criticized the possibility of using military coercion to take Greenland. “This is a topic that should be dropped,” said Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS). Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who leads the Senate panel that controls defense spending, said it would amount to “trampling the sovereignty, respect, and trust of our allies.” Connor O’Brien, Joe Gould, and Leo Shane III report for POLITICO.
The State Department yesterday announced that it has paused all ongoing U.S. assistance programs to the government of Somalia, alleging that officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme warehouse and seized “donor-funded food aid.” Anita Nkonge reports for BBC News.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
A federal immigration agent yesterday shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. Local and federal officials are divided on how the shooting unfolded, despite a video shared online that recorded the incident. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that the agent acted “in self-defense,” with Trump adding on social media that he believed the agent had shot the driver after the woman had “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over” the officer. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota urged residents to protest peacefully and said on social media, “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine.” Devon Lum reports for the New York Times; Kurt Streeter reports for the New York Times.
Avelo Airlines is cutting ties with ICE less than a year after agreeing to carry out deportations for the agency. CEO Andrew Levy said in an email, “We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy.” AP News reported last year that Avelo appears to be the only commercial airline regularly carrying out full deportation flights. Jason Lalljee reports for Axios.
U.S. and South African officials reached an agreement in late December allowing the United States to continue efforts to resettle white South Africans in the country as refugees, according to an internal meeting summary obtained by Reuters. The meeting came after a U.S refugee processing site in Johannesburg was raided by South African authorities. Ted Hesson and Humeyra Pamuk report.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday signed a presidential memorandum initiating the withdrawal of U.S. support from 66 international organizations, agencies, commissions and treaties that the administration claims are contrary to U.S. interests. The memorandum includes the U.S. withdrawal from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and targets many U.N.- related bodies that focus on climate, labor, and migration. Other non-U.N. organizations on the list include the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum. Matthew Lee and Farnoush Amiri report for AP News; Somini Sengupta and Lisa Friedman report for the New York Times.
“Our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,” Trump wrote on social media yesterday, adding that this would allow the United States to build the “‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to.” Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.
Trump yesterday said he will block defense contractors from paying dividends or buying back shares until they accelerate weapons production and deliver projects on time and on budget. Trump’s executive order directs the Pentagon to identify defense contractors within 30 days who are underperforming and have engaged in stock buybacks. The Pentagon will then engage with those firms, which would have a chance to submit a remediation plan for review within a 15-day period after the notification. Mike Stone and Kanishka Singh report for Reuters.
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