Overview
- Senators voted 51–49 to reject a resolution requiring congressional approval for strikes linked to Venezuela, with Republicans Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski breaking ranks.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said three men were killed in the latest attack on a boat in international waters and asserted ties to a terrorist organization without providing proof.
- The latest strike brings reported deaths from U.S. boat attacks since September to roughly 70, with officials continuing to label the targets as drug traffickers.
- U.S. force posture expanded again as two B-52s flew along Venezuela’s coast and eight Navy ships and multiple aircraft remained deployed in the Caribbean.
- Administration officials recently told lawmakers there are no current plans to hit targets inside Venezuela, while critics call the maritime killings extrajudicial and potentially unlawful.