Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
8:45 AM ET, January 4, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
After Maduro Ouster, Trump Takes On the Risks of Governing Venezuela  —  The administration is racing to get an interim government in place, even as pushback from Maduro's allies raise fears of instability  —  With Nicolás Maduro out of power, the Trump administration is racing …
RELATED:
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 …
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.
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 …
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Wants to Unlock Venezuela's Oil Reserves.  A Huge Challenge Awaits.  —  The president wants to put Venezuela's viscous crude into play.  The problem is the world doesn't have much appetite for more oil.  —  Click for Sound  —  For months, the U.S. sold its pressure campaign …
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:
How Trump Fixed On a Maduro Loyalist as Venezuela's New Leader  —  Nicolás Maduro balked at a gilded exile.  U.S. officials then saw a more pliant option in his vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, known for stabilizing Venezuela's economy.  —  It was one dance move too many for Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro.
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 …
Jack Nicas / New York Times:
Venezuela's Interim Leader Defies Trump and Calls Maduro the ‘Only President’  —  President Trump said that Venezuela's new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, would help the United States run Venezuela.  She quickly said the opposite.  —  President Trump said Delcy Rodríguez was sworn …
Foreign Affairs:
Venezuela After Maduro
Discussion: THISDAYLIVE
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Washington Post editorial board backs Maduro capture, Venezuela strikes
Donica Phifer / Axios:
Venezuela's VP throws cold water on Trump's solution for running the country
NBC News:
Some lawmakers criticize Trump's attack in Venezuela, fearing a costly new war
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Furious Dems float retaliation over Trump's “insane” Venezuela attack
Andrew Childers / Axios:
After capturing Maduro, Trump ramps up pressure on Mexico
James Fallows / Breaking the News:   ‘Blind Into Caracas’  —  Less than 24 hours in, members of the Trump team are celebrating victory.
New York Times:   In Toppling Maduro, Trump Risks Blowback from ‘America First’ Base
Melissa Goldin / Associated Press:   FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims as he discusses US raid to extract Venezuela's president
Nick Taylor-Vaisey / Politico:
Mark Carney urges Venezuelan-led transition following Maduro's capture
Discussion: Bloomberg and Breitbart
Derek Wallbank / Bloomberg:
Maduro Captured, Indicted After US Airstrikes on Venezuela
Washington Post:
Justice in Venezuela  —  The next challenge is setting the country up for long-term success.
NPR:
Trump says U.S. will ‘run’ Venezuela and sell seized oil in remarks on the strikes
Jill Lawless / Associated Press:
What we know about a US strike that captured Venezuela's Maduro
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: Reason, Law Dork and New York Post
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.
RELATED:
Brian Schwartz / Wall Street Journal:
Finance Industry Eyes Investment Opportunities in Venezuela
Discussion: Business Insider
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
HHS escalates Minnesota fraud fight, prompting fear among daycare providers  —  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is escalating the Trump administration's attacks on Minnesota by freezing all federal funding to the state's childcare providers.
Discussion: Fox News
Reuters:
Spain ‘strongly condemns’ violation of international law in Venezuela, PM says  —  Spain condemned what it called a violation of international law in Venezuela, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote in a letter sent to members of his Socialist Party on Sunday after U.S. President Donald Trump's raid to capture Nicolas Maduro.
Discussion: The Hill
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Maduro likely headed for “inhumane” jail that housed Ghislaine Maxwell … The center is also notoriously decrepit, unsanitary and unsafe. … - “They'll be heading to, ultimately, New York, and then a decision will be made, I assume, between New York and Miami or Florida.”
Discussion: Washington Examiner and Fox News
Paul Rosenzweig / The Atlantic:
What Role Does ‘Wrath’ Play in American Justice?  —  Attorney General Pam Bondi transgresses basic principles of criminal law.  —  Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been forcibly taken from Venezuela and are being moved to the United States to face criminal drug-trafficking charges.
Discussion: Associated Press
Constant Méheut / New York Times:
Ukrainian Politics Has Reawakened.  Zelensky Must Tread Carefully.  —  The Ukrainian leader is reshuffling his cabinet as a corruption scandal reshapes the political landscape at a pivotal point in peace negotiations.  —  For several weeks, with peace talks at a critical moment, Ukraine faced a power vacuum.
Discussion: Politico and France 24
Anvee Bhutani / Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Face Steep Climb to Reclaim Senate in 2026 Races  —  Strong map for Republicans leaves Democrats focusing on a narrow set of battlegrounds  —  WASHINGTON—Democrats enter the 2026 midterm campaigns hoping history is on their side, but confronting a Senate map that is not.
Discussion: New York Post
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 8:45 AM ET, January 4, 2026.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 See Also: 
memeorandum: site main
memeorandum River: reverse chronological memeorandum
memeorandum Mobile: for phones
memeorandum Leaderboard: memeorandum's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
memeorandum RSS feed
memeorandum on Mastodon
 
 
 More Items: 
Politico:
The text of Trump's October deal with Xi Jinping is still MIA
 Earlier Items: 
The Hill:
Maduro, wife face new indictment: What we know about the case
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
OpenAI acquires tech news show TBPN, promising editorial independence; TBPN was on track to make over $30M in revenue in 2026 and will wind down its ad business

David Pierce / The Verge:
Flipboard launches Surf, an app for creating custom feeds from Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, RSS, podcasts, and YouTube, after over a year in beta

Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
WME is selling sports marketing agency 160over90 to Publicis Groupe for, sources say, $500M+; WME bought the agency in 2018 for about $200M
 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
Mediagazer
 Top news and commentary for media professionals from all around the web
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page