Overview
- Republicans used a procedural move to sink a Senate bid to require approval for new military action in Venezuela, with JD Vance casting the tie-break and two GOP senators flipping after assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that no ground troops are planned.
- The administration released a heavily redacted 22-page Justice Department memo outlining the legal basis for detaining Nicolás Maduro, with language indicating no plans for a substantial, sustained operation that would resemble a constitutional war.
- Trump and acting leader Delcy Rodríguez held their first lengthy call and both described it as positive, noting discussions on oil, minerals, trade and security without announcing specific agreements.
- Venezuelan authorities claimed more than 400 detainees have been freed in a promised opening, while rights groups have verified roughly half that figure and report 18 journalists released with five still held.
- Energy moves accelerated as Reuters reported initial U.S.-supervised sales of Venezuelan oil worth about $500 million with proceeds held in Qatar, and CNN reported the administration is weighing private security contractors to protect energy infrastructure.