Overview
- President Donald Trump announced a pre-dawn U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, with Attorney General Pam Bondi saying they are headed to New York to face narco‑terrorism conspiracy and related charges.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded immediate briefings for the Gang of Eight and the full Congress and set up a Senate vote next week on a bipartisan War Powers Resolution led by Sens. Tim Kaine and Rand Paul.
- Kaine said he will push to block funding for any military actions in Venezuela through government funding talks and an amendment to the upcoming defense appropriations bill.
- The administration defended giving no advance notice to Congress, citing leak risks, and framed the mission as a law-enforcement arrest justified under Article II; Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Tom Cotton backed that rationale.
- Schumer said previous classified briefings ruled out regime change and reported private concern from some GOP committee chairs even as many Republicans voiced public support, and Trump later said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a transition.