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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
“I am pleased to announce that [Venezuela] will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,” President Trump said yesterday on social media. “This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” Trump added. Marianna Parraga and Erin Banco report for Reuters.
Trump, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will meet with oil company chief executives on Friday at the White House to discuss plans for them to enter Venezuela and drill, according to four sources. The meeting is expected to include representatives from Chevron, Exxon, and ConocoPhillips, Ben Lefebvre, Zack Colman, and Sophia Cai report for POLITICO; Collin Eaton and Benoît Morenne report for the Wall Street Journal.
Russia has sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the Marinera, an empty oil tanker which the U.S. Coast Guard has pursued into the Atlantic, according to a U.S. official. The vessel failed to dock in Venezuela and load with oil last month. The vessel’s crew repelled an effort by the United States to board the vessel, rerouted into the Atlantic, and painted a Russian flag on its side. In the same week, a second tanker, the Hyperion, made a similar change, and at least three additional oil tankers that operated in Venezuelan waters in recent weeks have switched to Russian flags in recent days, according to an official Russian vessel registry. All five vessels are subject to U.S. sanctions for shipping. Shelby Holliday, Costas Paris, and Georgi Kantchev report for the Wall Street Journal; Adam Sella, Nicholas Nehamas, and Christiaan Triebert report for the New York Times.
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel produced a signed memo declaring it lawful for Trump to order the military operation that seized Maduro over the weekend, according to officials. Attorney General Pam Bondi promised members of Congress in briefings this week that the administration would share the memo with lawmakers. The specifics of the memo remain unclear. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration is pressing Venezuela’s interim government to dismiss all suspected spies and intelligence agents from China, Russia, Cuba, and Iran from the country, a U.S. official told Axios. Julianna Bragg and Marc Caputo report.
The Trump administration is pressuring Venezuelan Interior Minister and Nicolas Maduro loyalist, Diosdado Cabello, to cooperate with interim President Delcy Rodriguez following the capture of Maduro, according to three sources. U.S. officials are looking for ways to eventually push Cabello out of power and into exile, one source said, adding that officials have communicated to Cabello that if he is defiant, he could face a similar fate to Maduro or see his life in danger. Matt Spetalnick, Sarah Kinosian, Jana Winter, and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.
A 90-day emergency order from the Venezuelan government appears to order the police to “immediately search and capture” anyone who supports “the armed attack by the United States,” according to the document obtained by the New York Times. The document appears to be the emergency decree first mentioned by Rodriguez on Saturday. It is unclear if the document has been formally published into law in Venezuela, but it has been widely circulated to local media outlets and nonprofit organizations. Maria Abi-Habib and Emiliano Rodriguez Mega report.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
A broad coalition of Ukraine’s allies yesterday agreed to provide key aspects of post war security to Ukraine, including a declaration from French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that they would establish military hubs across Ukraine after a ceasefire and build protected facilities for weapons. Macron told reporters, “We’ve expressed our availability to be deployed in this multinational force… That’s potentially thousands of men.” The agreement also said that the United States would lead an effort to monitor any eventual ceasefire, and that a special commission would be set up to “address any breaches, attribute responsibility, and determine remedies.” “This is a huge step forward because one year ago, we couldn’t even think about it,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters. Catherine Porter reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
“We think we’re largely finished with security protocols, which are important so that the people of Ukraine know that when this ends, it ends forever,” U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff said following the meeting in Paris, adding that “the president strongly stands behind security protocols.” However, the nature of U.S. participation in the security guarantees is still very much unclear, according to a source close to the negotiations. John Irish reports for Reuters; Daniella Cheslow and Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewin report for POLITICO.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE
Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) yesterday said that Israel has ordered it to cease operations in Gaza after it failed to comply with new restrictions, including registration of all Gazan employees and limits on criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war. “If we can’t work, it will have catastrophic consequences for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians,” said Claire San Filippo, the group’s emergency coordinator for Gaza. Filippo said the group was told on Sunday that it could no longer bring supplies into Gaza and told yesterday that it could no longer bring medical staff into the territory, adding that it was given until the end of February to cease all activities. David M. Halbfinger and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Israel has issued a government tender clearing the way for the construction of the E1 settlement project. The project calls for the building of 3,401 housing units and would run from the outskirts of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank, which critics say would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the territory. Peace Now, an anti-settlement monitoring group, says the publication of the tender “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1.” Settlement in E1 has been under consideration by Israeli governments for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations. Julia Frankel and Abby Sewell report for AP News.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
A drone strike on Monday killed 13 people, including eight children, in the city of el-Obeid in Sudan, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Network. Although no group has claimed responsibility, the medics say the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary carried out the attack in an area controlled by the army. Natasha Booty reports for BBC News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A delegation of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) yesterday flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend a meeting to discuss the situation in Yemen’s southern governorates. The STC said in a statement that it had lost contact with the delegation after it landed in Riyadh, and expressed “deep concern” over the matter. The STC also said that leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi had remained in Aden “to ensure security and stability.” Ahmed Al-Haj, Fatma Khaled, and Jon Gambrell report for AP News.
Clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces broke out yesterday in a contested area of Aleppo. Syria’s state news agency SANA said a soldier was killed and three others were wounded. State TV later reported that three civilians were killed, and others were wounded. Omar Albam reports for AP News.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar yesterday visited Somaliland, 10 days after Israel formally recognised the self-declared republic as an independent and sovereign state. “We are determined to vigorously advance relations between Israel and Somaliland,” Saar wrote on social media. Israel is the only country that has formally recognised Somaliland. Giulia Paravicini and Alexander Cornwell report for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a closed briefing on Monday that recent administration threats against Greenland did not signal an imminent invasion and that the goal is to buy the island from Denmark, according to sources. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday, “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.” Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman and Dustin Volz report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner yesterday presented Israel and Syria with a new proposal for a security pact that involves establishing a joint economic zone on both sides of the border, a U.S. official told Axios. “This economic zone will include wind farms, agriculture, the best ski mountain in the Middle East and the Druze community that is the best at hospitality,” the U.S. official said. The U.S. also proposed a joint U.S.-Israeli-Syrian “fusion cell” in Amman, Jordan, to oversee the security situation in Southern Syria and host further talks on demilitarization and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Barak Ravid reports.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
“The largest DHS operation ever is happening right now in Minnesota,” the department said yesterday. DHS planned to send about 2,000 ICE agents and officers to Minnesota, two sources said. Immigrant rights groups and elected officials in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area reported a sharp increase yesterday in sightings of federal agents. Rebecca Santana and Mika Balsamo report for AP News.
The Trump administration yesterday added 25 countries to the State Department’s list of nations whose citizens may be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for U.S. entry, bringing the total to 38 countries. The newly added nations’ bond requirements will take effect on Jan. 21. Approved visa holders will only be allowed to enter the U.S. through one of three airports: Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. Julianna Bragg reports for Axios.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said on Monday that the Homeland Security Department is planning to ramp up deportation flights to Venezuela, following Goldman’s visit to an ICE detention centre. “A supervisor told me that in light of the abduction of Nicolás Maduro this past weekend that the [DHS] is going to be taking another look at the possibility of deporting Venezuelans back to Venezuela,” Goldman said. A DHS spokesperson said the flights were never paused when asked for comment. Brittany Gibson reports for Axios.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings has removed from its system the Minneapolis hotel that refused to accept the bookings of ICE agents, the hotel operator said yesterday. Doyinsola Oladipo reports for Reuters.
U.S DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A federal judge yesterday ordered Lindsey Halligan to explain in writing why she had continued to lay claim to being the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia after a different judge determined she had been unlawfully appointed. The judge gave Halligan seven days to respond to his demands to tell him why her repeated decisions to sign court papers as the district’s top prosecutor were not “a false or misleading statement.” Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
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