Overview

• Nicolás Maduro announced a special plan to ready more than 4.5 million militia members across Venezuela, calling them prepared, activated and armed.
• Several outlets reported three Aegis destroyers headed toward waters near Venezuela with a White House confirmation, yet a Pentagon official said no ships were ordered to the area.
• The United States doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million as the Justice Department accuses him of leading the Cártel de los Soles.
• Cuba and other regional allies condemned U.S. naval and air movements in the southern Caribbean, describing them as a pretext for intervention.
• Venezuela’s militia, created under Hugo Chávez, consists of millions of civilians and reservists under army command, which Maduro says will defend national sovereignty.