Overview

• Maduro said a first decree is nearly ready and signaled additional orders are being prepared for unspecified scenarios.
• Hundreds of armed civilians and service members marched in Caracas as Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López denounced President Trump’s mockery of militia training.
• Five women from the militia were formally decorated and declared “soldadas de la patria” following Trump’s Truth Social post.
• U.S. forces have maintained an expanded Caribbean deployment, reported as eight ships and a submarine, and have sunk at least three suspected narcotrafficking boats with reports of at least 14 deaths, a narrative Venezuela disputes as extrajudicial.
• At the U.N., Trump said U.S. military power is targeting Venezuela-linked drug networks, while leaders of Brazil and Colombia voiced sharp criticism of Washington’s approach.