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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
U.S. forces killed at least 80 people, including civilians, during the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Saturday, according to a senior Venezuelan official. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said yesterday that 32 Cuban military and intelligence personnel were killed in the U.S. attacks. According to two U.S. officials, around 6 U.S. soldiers were injured. Isabela Espadas Barros Leal and Genevieve Glatsky report for the New York Times; Jack Nicas reports for the New York Times.
President Trump yesterday evening reiterated that the United States was now “in charge” of Venezuela, following the capture of Maduro on Saturday morning. When asked by reporters what he needed from the current acting leader of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, Trump said, “We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier on Sunday that the Trump administration would keep a military quarantine in place on the country’s oil exports to exert leverage on the new leadership there. Rubio said in an interview that people were “fixating” on Trump’s declaration on Saturday that the U.S government would run Venezuela, adding “it’s not running – it’s running policy, policy with regards to this.” Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development,” Rodríguez said yesterday on social media, having earlier condemned the U.S. attack on Saturday as an illegal grab for the country’s national resources. Rodríguez added, “President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.” Trump told The Atlantic Sunday, “If [Rodríguez] doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” as he raised the possibility of another strike. Reuters reports; Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to appear today before a federal judge in New York. Trump administration officials have portrayed Maduro’s capture as a law-enforcement action to hold Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020, accusing him of narco-terrorism conspiracy. In a new indictment, unsealed on Saturday, prosecutors allege that Maduro personally oversaw a state-sponsored cocaine trafficking network that partnered with some of the world’s most prolific drug trafficking groups. Jack Queen reports for Reuters.
Trump said on Saturday morning that he fully expects U.S. oil companies to be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry. Administration officials have told oil executives in recent weeks that if they want compensation for their seized property, then they must be prepared to go back into Venezuela and invest heavily in its petroleum industry, two sources told POLITICO. “They’re saying, ‘you gotta go in if you want to play and get reimbursed,’” said one industry official familiar with the conversations, adding that the offer has been on the table for the last 10 days. Ben Lefebvre, Zack Colman, and James Bikales report; Ben Geman reports for Axios
Trump administration officials are set to provide a briefing this afternoon on the military operation to capture Maduro to the Gang of Eight, as well as Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Armed Services Committee, according to an official briefed on the plans. When asked why he had not sought Congressional authorization for the attack, Trump said on Saturday that he did not trust its members to keep the plans confidential. Annie Karni reports for the New York Times.
The U.N. Security Council is due to meet today following the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Colombia, backed by Russia and China, requested the meeting of the 15-member council, diplomats said. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall,” and “Colombia is very sick too,” Trump said yesterday on board Air Force One. Trump rejected the possibility that his administration might use U.S. forces to hasten the Cuban government’s demise, explaining that Venezuela was Cuba’s main economic backer. Trump also added, “We need Greenland from a national security standpoint…The EU needs us to have Greenland.” Earlier on Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.” Sophia Cai reports for POLITICO; Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump posted on social media on Friday. A rights group said yesterday that at least 16 people have been killed in last week’s protests. Deaths and arrests have been reported by both state media and rights groups, though the figures differ. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Elwely Elwelly reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Trump said yesterday that U.S officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week. Darlene Superville and Aamer Madhani report for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE
Israeli forces yesterday shot and killed three Palestinians in separate incidents in Khan Younis, Gaza, according to local health authorities. Medics reported that those killed included a 15-year-old boy, a fisherman on the Palestinian side of the Yellow Line, and a third man who was shot east of Khan Younis in an area under Israeli control. Nidal al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s revocation of licences for 37 international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza and called for the measure to be reversed, according to a statement on Friday. “[Israel’s] announcement comes on top of earlier restrictions that have already delayed critical food, medical, hygiene and shelter supplies from entering Gaza,” the statement added. Daphne Psaledakis reports for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces recaptured the port city of Mukalla and much of Hadramout over the weekend. The city had been seized last month by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. Two residents of the Hadramout towns of al-Qatn and Seiyun told AP News that the STC had withdrawn from military camps. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it will host a conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions in Yemen “to discuss just solutions to the southern cause.” Fatma Khaled reports; Saeed Al-Batati and Vivian Nereim report for the New York Times.
British and French war planes over the weekend bombed an underground facility in Syria that was used by Islamic State militants to store weapons, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. Malaika Kanaaneh Tapper and Jim Pickard report for the Financial Times.
Senior Syrian and Israeli officials will meet today in Paris to resume negotiations on a new security agreement, according to an Israeli official and another source. The talks are expected to take place over two days, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani participating opposite a new group of Israeli negotiators. The resumption of talks is the direct result of a request from President Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when they met last Monday in Mar-a-Lago, according to the source. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan’s key infrastructure rose 6% in 2025 from the previous year to an average of 2.63 million attacks a day, according to a report published by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau yesterday. The report said China’s “cyber army” timed operations to coincide with military and political coercion. For instance, China launched 40 “joint combat readiness patrols” by sending military planes and ships close to Taiwan, and cyberattacks escalated on 23 of those occasions. Yimou Lee reports for Reuters.
Unidentified gunmen on Saturday evening killed at least 30 people and abducted several others in attacks on two neighbouring villages in Nigeria, a Nigerian government official said yesterday. Saikou Jammeh, Ismail Alfa, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
ICE officers are using Mobile Fortify, a facial recognition app, to speed up arrests by allowing officers to identify individuals and their immigration status by taking a picture, according to U.S. officials. The app has access to several government criminal databases. The data includes previous encounters with immigration officials, such as if an immigrant was arrested at the southern border or entered at a legal entry point, officials said. Sources said it also taps into publicly available sources, including social media posts. A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department denied this. Michelle Hackman, Arian Campo-Flores, and Hannah Critchfield report for the Wall Street Journal.
Hannah C. Dugan, a Wisconsin state judge convicted of obstructing federal agents attempting to arrest an undocumented migrant, resigned her position on Saturday. Julie Bosman reports for the New York Times.
U.S DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The FBI said on Friday that it disrupted a plan by 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant, inspired by the Islamic State, to attack a grocery store and fast-food restaurants in North Carolina. In recent weeks, the FBI has arrested a number of other individuals alleged to have been plotting terrorist attacks on or around New Year’s Eve. Many of the investigations, including the one that led to charges against Sturdivant, involved undercover agents or officers offering encouragement and, in some cases, suggestions on carrying out the attacks. Jeremy Roebuck reports for the Washington Post.
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