Overview
- Trump told an audience in Detroit that millions of barrels from Venezuela are arriving on a daily basis for U.S. refining.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said about 31 million barrels are headed to the United States, with proceeds routed to a U.S.-controlled account.
- Trump said the administration will sell Venezuelan crude on the open market and he wants oil at about $53 a barrel, down from roughly $58.
- He lauded the January 3 operation in Venezuela as a flawless tactical success and compared it to past high-profile U.S. missions.
- Maduro and Cilia Flores have appeared in a New York court and pleaded not guilty, Venezuela’s defense ministry reports about 100 deaths from the operation, Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as authorized president, and Russia, China and the UN human rights office have criticized the U.S. action.