Overview
- President Trump and acting president Delcy Rodríguez each described their first known call as positive, saying they discussed oil, minerals, trade and national security.
- U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a war‑powers measure 51–50 that sought to bar further military action in Venezuela without authorization, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie‑breaking vote.
- The emerging oil arrangement is moving through licensed intermediaries such as Chevron, Vitol and Trafigura, with payments routed to a U.S. escrow account rather than directly to PDVSA.
- Prisoner releases remain disputed, with Rodríguez claiming more than 400 freed since December while rights groups and opposition tallies range from roughly 49 to 180, and AFP counting about 70 since January 8.
- Trump is set to host opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday as she seeks a commitment to a democratic transition.