Overview

• U.S. officials say three guided-missile destroyers — USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson — are positioned in Caribbean waters near Venezuela.
• The administration says the posture is aimed at stopping drug flows to the United States, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stressing the president is prepared to use the full weight of U.S. power to curb trafficking.
• Washington has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Nicolás Maduro’s capture and accuses him of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which it has described as a terrorist organization.
• Maduro condemned the deployment as immoral, criminal and illegal, and he ordered the mobilization of the Venezuelan militia with a weekend enlistment push after touting 4.5 million members.
• Press reports indicate a plan to send about 4,000 Marines to the area, though analysts judge a ground invasion unlikely and view the moves as pressure designed to deter and intimidate.