Questions About Venezuela
Rank-and-file members of the House and Senate get their (separate) turns today to hear what top administration officials have to say about the military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro.
Erik Wasson reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi have been tapped as briefers.
The briefing comes a day before the Senate is scheduled to vote on a Democratic resolution to limit further military action in Venezuela — with success or failure determined by the Republican majority.
The Associated Press quoted Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) as undecided about the war powers vote, and saying he wouldn’t support deploying ground troops “without congressional authorization.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also put herself in the undecided column on the war powers resolution.
Maeve Sheehey reports that military veterans-turned-politicians — including some who appeared in a video reminding service members of their duty to disobey unlawful orders — scheduled a post-briefing press conference about the legality of the Venezuela action.
Jonathan Tamari noted that among the many follow-up decisions ahead is whether to use the power of the purse to restrain what the US does in Venezuela. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said, “If there’s any chance at an invasion or a long-term occupation of Venezuela, of course we should be arguing for a rider in the appropriations process to stop that.”
“What are we here for as Democrats, if not to try to use the appropriations process to stop disasters from happening?” he told reporters.
First of Many
Democrats say they plan to keep forcing votes on war powers as the Trump administration makes threats against other countries. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) announced plans for a resolution to bar an invasion of Greenland. Read More
The White House said President Donald Trump won’t rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland, while the Wall Street Journal reported Rubio told congressional leaders Monday the goal was to buy the island from Denmark. European leaders warned that Greenland’s existing borders are non-negotiable, with NATO the proper mechanism for achieving Arctic security.
Cashing In
In a social media post last night, Trump said Venezuela will send the US as much as 50 million barrels of oil. He said money from selling it — roughly $2.8 billion at the current market price — would benefit both countries. Read More
And Dawn Lim, Loukia Gyftopoulou, Silla Brush, and Vinicius Andrade report on fireworks in the bond market, where investors grabbed a Venezuela-related one-day gain of some $4 billion.
Still to be seen: how investors will take advantage of the regime change going forward, especially given that the price of oil is near a five-year low. Read More
See Also:
- BGOV OnPoint: Maduro Capture Shows Limits of Congress’s Role
- Cubans Are ‘Scared and Nervous’ After US Attack Destroys Morale
- Venezuela’s New Leader Is the Oil Industry’s Long-Time Ally
- Democrats Set to Challenge Trump Greenland Threats in Senate
- China Slams US ‘Bullying’ Over Pressure on Venezuela to Cut Ties
Other Global Stories:
- Ukraine to Tackle ‘Most Difficult Issues’ as US Talks Advance
- With Rifles and Defiance, Hamas Clings to Remnants of Gaza Rule
Food Pyramid Update
Look for the worldview of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has called sugar “poison” and said ultra-processed food played a major role in expanding chronic diseases — to be reflected in the update of federal dietary guidelines slated to be released soon.
The new edition is expected to urge people, especially children, to avoid added sugars and stay away from highly processed foods, Kristina Peterson reports.
In July, the FDA and the Agriculture Department started the process of crafting a definition for what constitutes ultra-processed food, though Kennedy told Bloomberg News that the government may never settle on a single definition. Read More
Eye on The Economy
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will be out today with employment statistics for November. Those numbers will help show how US companies are dealing with the higher costs of doing business because of inflation and tariffs.
The October numbers showed 1.85 million layoffs, the most since the start of 2023. That report also showed a decline in hiring.
The data comes from a government survey that asks employers about the number they have working, job openings, recruitment, hires and separations.
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