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7:35 AM ET, January 4, 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:
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, New York Post and The Hill
Donica Phifer / Axios:
Venezuela's VP throws cold water on Trump's solution for running the country  —  Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez condemned the U.S. attack and capture of President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, saying in a televised address the nation “will never return to being the colony of another empire.”
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Washington Post editorial board backs Maduro capture, Venezuela strikes  —  The Washington Post editorial board on Saturday lauded President Trump's capture of embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, calling the military operation “a major victory for American interests.”
The Economist:
Donald Trump wants to run Venezuela, and dominate the western hemisphere  —  Snatching Nicolás Maduro and attempting to take control of Venezuela and its oil is an extraordinary display of the new “Donroe doctrine”  —  When asked what he sought to achieve with his military campaign against Venezuela …
Discussion: Roll Call, El País, Fox News and Mediaite
Washington Post:
Trump administration misled Congress before Maduro raid, Democrats say  —  The attack to seize Venezuela's president came months after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers the administration didn't intend to invade the country  —  In early November, hours before the Republican-led …
Andrew Childers / Axios:
After capturing Maduro, Trump ramps up pressure on Mexico
NBC News:
Some lawmakers criticize Trump's attack in Venezuela, fearing a costly new war
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.
Christian Datoc / Washington Examiner:
US is ‘going to run’ Venezuela ‘until a proper transition can take place’: Trump
NBC News:
‘We are going to run the country’: Trump says U.S. will govern Venezuela until there's a ‘proper transition’
Ryan Goodman / Just Security:   Maduro Capture Operation and the President's Duty to Faithfully Execute U.N. Charter
Associated Press:
Republicans largely back Trump on Venezuela action, Democrats decry it as unjustified
New York Times:
Inside ‘Operation Absolute Resolve,’ the U.S. Effort to Capture Maduro
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
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.
 
 
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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
 Earlier Items: 
Herb Scribner / Axios:
Someone made a huge profit predicting Maduro's capture. Here's what happened
emptywheel:
Trump's Selective Drug Enforcement in Latin America
Discussion: New York Times, El País and The Hill
Wall Street Journal:
Special Operations Forces Led Maduro Extraction
Discussion: El País and The Hill
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Tony Dokoupil began anchoring CBS Evening News on Saturday night, two days earlier than expected, after US military action in Venezuela

Barrett Media:
Newsmax asks the FCC to block the proposed $6.2B merger between Nexstar and Tegna, saying the deal is an unprecedented consolidation that Congress prohibits

Michael Savage / The Guardian:
Ofcom: Reddit surpasses TikTok as the fourth most-visited social media service in the UK, likely driven by changes to Google's search algorithms and AI deals
 
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