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9:25 PM ET, January 3, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Politico:
Trump admin sends tough private message to oil companies on Venezuela … But people in the industry said the administration's message has left them still leery about the difficulty of rebuilding decayed oil fields in a country where it's not even clear who will lead the country for the foreseeable future.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Shared an Image of Maduro Blindfolded and Handcuffed  —  Watch Live: President Trump Speaks After U.S. Captures Maduro  —  LIVE  —  Here's the latest:  — President Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela “until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition …
Max Tani / Semafor:
News organizations held off on reporting Venezuela raid  —  The Scoop  —  The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops …
Discussion: New York Times
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
The Brazen Illegality of Trump's Venezuela Operation  —  A scholar of international law on the implications of the U.S. arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.  —  On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump announced that the United States military, working with American law-enforcement officials …
New York Times:
Trump's Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise  —  Over the past few months, President Trump has deployed an imposing military force in the Caribbean to threaten Venezuela.  Until now, the president used that force — an aircraft carrier, at least seven other warships …
Jack Goldsmith / Executive Functions:
On the Legality of the Venezuela Invasion  —  Executive branch precedents can be garnered to support the action—which does not, of course, mean that it is lawful.  —  Please click here to opt in to receive via email our Roundup—brief daily summaries of news developments and commentary related to executive power.
Discussion: The Hill and New York Post
New York Times:
Mamdani Called Trump to Criticize Venezuela Strikes  —  Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York accused President Trump of violating international law.  It was the first time he had criticized the president since their White House meeting.  —  Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City …
Discussion: RedState, New York Post and twitchy.com
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
U.S. will look to tap Venezuelan oil reserves, Trump says  —  President Donald Trump said U.S. oil companies will invest billions to upgrade the country's aging oil infrastructure.  —  President Donald Trump said Saturday that the removal of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro from power …
Andrew Childers / Axios:
After capturing Maduro, Trump ramps up pressure on Mexico  —  Hours after the U.S. invaded Venezuela to seize President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump sent a warning to Mexico that it could be next. … - Trump went on to allege that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum isn't running her country …
Spencer Ackerman / FOREVER WARS:
A Criminal Empire  —  The United States launches a conquest and occupation of Venezuela to extract its oil wealth.  The neocon dream is the America First dream  —  AFTER TWO FAILED U.S. COUPS in Venezuela over 25 years, the first under George W. Bush and the second during Donald Trump's first presidency …
Rebecca Ratcliffe / The Guardian:
Venezuelan leader Maduro lands in New York after capture by US troops - live  —  Donald Trump says the US will ‘run’ Venezuela and put Maduro on trial after audacious military operation in Caracas  —  Nicolás Maduro ‘has arrived in New York’  —  United Nations to hold emergency security council meeting
Washington Post:
Trump to address U.S. operation that captured Maduro, as he is being taken to New York  —  CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife are aboard the USS Iwo Jima and bound for New York after they were captured by U.S. forces and removed from Venezuela by helicopter …
Neal Rothschild / Axios:
Why the U.S. went after Maduro  —  The United States' astonishing overnight raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro followed an intense months-long pressure campaign, jumpstarted by a $50 million bounty put on Maduro's head in August.
Discussion: The Daily Signal
Jill Lawless / Associated Press:
What we know about a US strike that captured Venezuela's Maduro
David Frum / The Atlantic:
Trump's Critics Are Falling Into an Obvious Trap
Discussion: Townhall and NewsMax.com
James Fallows / Breaking the News:   ‘Blind Into Caracas’  —  Less than 24 hours in, members of the Trump team are celebrating victory.
NBC News:
Some lawmakers criticize Trump's attack in Venezuela, fearing a costly new war
Derek Wallbank / Bloomberg:
Maduro Captured, Indicted After US Airstrikes on Venezuela
Christian Datoc / Washington Examiner:
US is ‘going to run’ Venezuela ‘until a proper transition can take place’: Trump
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
In a Phone Interview, Trump Celebrated the Capture of Maduro
NBC News:
‘We are going to run the country’: Trump says U.S. will govern Venezuela until there's a ‘proper transition’
Carole Cadwalladr / How to Survive the Broligarchy:   The Threat from America  —  A note on who I am and what I'm doing: I'm an investigative journalist …
Associated Press:
Live updates: US strikes Venezuela and says its leader has been captured and flown out of the country
Melissa Goldin / Associated Press:   FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims as he discusses US raid to extract Venezuela's president
Politico:   ‘An illegal war’: Democratic 2028ers scold Trump on Venezuela
Politico:
The hawks are winning … While a small number of Republican lawmakers offered criticism …
Discussion: Reuters
Associated Press:
US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country
Brian Schwartz / Wall Street Journal:
Finance Industry Eyes Investment Opportunities in Venezuela  —  Some on Wall Street are already considering possible investment opportunities in Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, according to Charles Myers, chairman of consulting firm Signum Global Advisors and a former head of investment advisory firm Evercore.
Discussion: Business Insider
RELATED:
Matt Ortega / Matt Ortega for Congress:
Statement on Illegal U.S. Strike on Venezuela  —  Matt Ortega, Democratic candidate for California's 14th Congressional District, issued the following statement on the illegal strike against Venezuela:  —  The president's imperialist actions in Venezuela are illegal under U.S. and international law.
Herb Scribner / Axios:
Someone made a huge profit predicting Maduro's capture.  Here's what happened … - These bets — many of which were on Maduro's capture, and are now on what happens next to the ousted leader — will renew longstanding questions about inside information and access to prediction markets.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Politico:
The text of Trump's October deal with Xi Jinping is still MIA
The Hill:
Maduro, wife face new indictment: What we know about the case
emptywheel:
Trump's Selective Drug Enforcement in Latin America
Discussion: The Hill
 Earlier Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
Special Operations Forces Led Maduro Extraction
Discussion: Fox News, The Hill and HotAir
Ryan Goodman / Just Security:
Maduro Capture Operation and the President's Duty to Faithfully Execute U.N. Charter
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official's Husband Profited.
 

 
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Jake Roach / Tom's Hardware:
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