Hegseth:

Three nights ago, in downtown Caracas in Venezuela, nearly 200 of our greatest Americans went downtown in Caracas, seems those Russian air defenses didn’t work quite so well, did they?

Hegseth:

While we were policing the world, nation-building in deserts, and debating pronouns at the Pentagon, our primary competitors—like the Chinese Communist Party—did something very different.

They studied us, they learned from our triumphs and our mistakes, and then they started to build as well. And they’ve undertaken some of the most rapid, ambitious, and breathtaking naval buildup since World War II.

While we decommissioned ships, they launched many of them. While some of our shipyards did not meet the demands of our country, they expanded at a rapid pace. But not anymore.

Turkish President Erdogan held a phone call with Trump.

During the call, the leaders discussed bilateral political relations between Türkiye and the United States, cooperation in the defense industry, steps to be taken to achieve the target for bilateral trade volume, as well as regional and global issues, including Gaza and Venezuela.

Hegseth:

Nicolás Maduro got to meet some great Americans wearing night-vision goggles three nights ago.

He didn’t know they were coming until three minutes before they arrived.

In fact, his wife said, “I think I hear aircraft outside.” They didn’t know.

A classified CIA assessment briefed to Trump concluded that if Maduro lost power, regime insiders—not the opposition—were best positioned to lead Venezuela and maintain short-term stability.

The report said Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and other loyalists had the backing of the military and elites, while opposition figures María Corina Machado and Edmundo González would struggle to govern amid resistance from security forces and criminal networks.

Source: WSJ

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Trump:

Today, the Trump Administration is proud to announce the United States of America’s updated Childhood Vaccination Schedule.

America will no longer require 72 “jabs” for our beautiful, healthy children. We are moving to a far more reasonable Schedule, where all children will only be recommended to receive Vaccinations for 11 of the most serious and dangerous diseases.

Parents can still choose to give their children all of the Vaccinations, if they wish, and they will still be covered by insurance.

U.S. forces are preparing to intercept an oil tanker known as the Marinera, previously sanctioned for transporting Venezuelan and Iranian crude.

The tanker has been evading authorities as Washington intensifies pressure on Venezuela following the recent capture of Maduro.

Officials say the U.S. prefers to seize the vessel rather than sink it, similar to recent Coast Guard-led operations against other sanctioned tankers.

The Marinera now sails under a Russian flag, complicating the situation amid sensitive U.S.–Russia diplomacy over Ukraine. Moscow has reportedly asked the U.S. to halt efforts to interdict the ship.

The operation could occur as early as this week, though plans may change.

Source: CBS News

Trump to NBC News:

We’re not at war with Venezuela. We’re at war with people that sell drugs. We’re at war with people that empty their prisons into our country and empty their drug addicts and empty their mental institutions into our country.

Trump to NBC News:

MAGA is me. MAGA loves everything I do, and I love everything I do, too.

Trump on Venezuela:

We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote.

Source: NBC News

Trump on Venezuela:

A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.

Source: NBC News

Trump rejected a Washington Post report suggesting he ruled out Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado as a potential leader because she won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, an award Trump has long sought.

“She should not have won it,” Trump said. “But no, that has nothing to do with my decision.”

Source: NBC News

Trump said Delcy Rodríguez has been cooperating with U.S. officials but denied any prior communication before Maduro’s ouster.

“No, that’s not the case,” he said, adding that sanctions on Rodríguez could soon be lifted or left in place.

Asked if there was “any deal” to remove Maduro, Trump replied, “Well, yeah, because a lot of people wanted to make a deal, but we decided to do it this way,” adding that it did not involve Maduro’s inner circle.

Source: NBC News

Trump named a group of U.S. officials — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller and Vice President JD Vance — to help oversee U.S. involvement in Venezuela.

“It's a group of all. They have all expertise, different expertise,” he said, adding that ultimate authority rests with him: “Me.”

Source: NBC News

Stephen Miller:

The real question is: by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?

What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?

The U.S. is the power of NATO.

Stephen Miller:

Nobody is going to fight the U.S. militarily over the future of Greenland.

The Trump administration is pressuring Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, to make pro-U.S. moves or face further military action.

U.S. demands include cracking down on drug trafficking, expelling Iranian and Cuban operatives, and halting oil sales to U.S. adversaries.

Washington also expects her to eventually allow free elections and step aside, though not soon.

Source: POLITICO

Last night, Caracas saw gunfire and explosions near Miraflores Palace.

Authorities said security forces fired at unauthorized drones and claimed the situation was calm.

The White House said the United States was not involved.

NEW: Iran offers its citizens ~$7 monthly payments as protests spiral over economic crisis.

The program starts with 4 months upfront, aims to offset subsidy cuts and high inflation.

Venezuela's Machado now says she's "willing" to give her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.

"It hasn’t happened yet, but I certainly would love to."

At her swearing-in, Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, embraced the ambassadors of China, Russia, and Iran.