What we covered
• Limiting Trump’s war powers: A handful of Republicans joined Democrats to advance a resolution limiting future US military force in Venezuela without congressional approval. The final resolution is not guaranteed to pass, but the vote deals a symbolic rebuke to President Donald Trump.
• US oversight in Venezuela: Trump has declined to say specifically how long the US aims to control the country, but when asked by The New York Times yesterday if it would be months, a year or longer, he replied, “I would say much longer.”
• Freed from jail: Spain said five citizens have been released from Venezuelan prison after the Caracas government said it would release a “significant number” of political prisoners. Sigue nuestra cobertura en español.
Our live coverage of the aftermath of the US strike on Venezuela has closed. Read the latest on the prisoner release in Caracas here.
Venezuela releases first prisoners in ‘peace’ gesture
Venezuela has begun releasing a number of high-profile prisoners, including opposition politicians, in what its government has called a gesture “to seek peace” less than a week after the US operation to snatch its President Nicolás Maduro.
Tearful reunions unfolded Thursday night, with newly freed detainees seen embracing loved ones in video shared on social media and verified by CNN Español.
Among the first to be released were Enrique Márquez, a former presidential candidate, and Biagio Pilieri, a businessman and former Venezuelan lawmaker, who were being held at a detention facility in Caracas known as El Helicoide.
Read the full story here.
Trump says US will begin “hitting land with regard to the cartels”
President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration will soon begin actions to target cartels on land, following the operation to capture Venezuela’s leader to face drug trafficking charges and months of strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
“We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are gonna start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels,” Trump said on Fox News.
“The cartels are running Mexico,” he added. “It’s very, very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country.”
The president offered no further details. CNN has reached out to the White House for additional information.
Trump earlier this week said he had asked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum if she wanted the US military’s help in rooting out drug cartels, warning that “Mexico has to get their act together.”
Sheinbaum has remained opposed to the effort, telling reporters Monday after the US operation in Venezuela: “We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.”
Trump declines to say if he spoke to Putin after US seized Russian-flagged oil tanker
President Donald Trump declined to say in an interview Thursday if he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.
“I don’t want to say that but the fact is that the Russian ships — there was a submarine and a destroyer — they both left very quickly when we arrived and we took over the ship and the oil is being unloaded right now,” the president told Fox News when asked if he had spoken to his Russian counterpart.
US forces boarded and seized the tanker on Wednesday after a weekslong chase on the high seas that has escalated tensions with Moscow and piled further pressure on its ally Venezuela. Although Trump claimed oil is being unloaded from the ship, the vessel was not carrying any oil when it was seized, according to analytics firm Kpler, in contrast with other tankers successfully intercepted by the US Coast Guard in recent weeks.
The aging, rusting tanker, originally called the Bella 1, was sanctioned by the US in 2024 for operating within a “shadow fleet” of tankers transporting illicit Iranian oil. Last month the US Coast Guard attempted to seize the vessel while it was heading to Venezuela to pick up oil, then operating under the flag of Guyana. But the ship’s crew refused to be boarded and made an abrupt turn into the Atlantic.
The Bella 1’s crew later painted a Russian flag on its side, and it appeared in a Russian shipping register under a new name, the Marinera.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed risks of a confrontation with Russia when asked about the seizure earlier this week, arguing Trump maintains a good relationship with Putin.
CNN’s Lex Harvey contributed to this report.
Trump says US asked Venezuela to release political prisoners
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States had asked the Venezuelan government to release political prisoners.
The South American country announced earlier in the day that it will release “a significant number” of prisoners in a move its government framed as a gesture “to seek peace.”
“We asked them to do that and they have been great, they really have been. Everything we have wanted, they have given us,” Trump said on Fox News.
Trump says Venezuelan opposition leader Machado is coming to Washington next week
President Donald Trump said in an interview on Thursday that the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will travel to Washington, DC, next week and that he looks forward to saying hello to her when she visits.
“I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, and I’ve heard that she wants to do that,” the president told Fox News.
Days ago, the president told reporters that while Machado is a “very nice woman,” she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to lead Venezuela.
Machado has previously dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize win to the president.
Brazil's Lula holds calls with Colombian, Mexican and Canadian leaders to discuss Venezuela
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held a series of high-level phone calls on Thursday with international leaders to discuss Venezuela, reiterating his government’s opposition to the “use of military force against a South American country,” and calling for a peaceful, negotiated solution.
In a conversation with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Lula called the US intervention in Venezuela a violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and Venezuelan sovereignty. In a post on X, Lula said both leaders agreed that such actions set “a dangerous precedent for regional peace and security and for the international order.” He added that they agreed Venezuela’s crisis must be resolved exclusively through dialogue and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people.
Lula also said the two leaders welcomed the release of national and foreign prisoners by Venezuela’s National Assembly.
CNN has reached out to the Colombian presidency for comment.
Lula spoke separately with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, again condemning what he described as US attacks on Venezuelan sovereignty and rejecting what Lula called an “outdated division of the world into zones of influence.” Lula said the two leaders reaffirmed their support for multilateralism, international law, and continued cooperation with Caracas to promote peace and regional stability. Lula also invited Sheinbaum to visit Brazil and agreed to establish bilateral cooperation to combat violence against women, he said.
CNN has reached out to the Mexican presidency for comment.
Earlier on Thursday, Lula discussed Venezuela during a call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, underscoring Brazil’s diplomatic push to coordinate international responses focused on dialogue rather than military escalation.
Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa among prisoners being released, rights group says
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa is among the prisoners being released in Venezuela, according to the leader of a human rights organization.
The lawyer and former lawmaker is a close ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado.
In an interview with TVV Network, Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal, a human rights organization that tracks, verifies, and publishes data on political prisoners said the release of prisoners is ongoing.
While saying Guanipa was being released, he said the organization is waiting to confirm and publish a complete official list in order to avoid creating false expectations among families.
Romero added that many political prisoners remain in detention.
Guanipa served as a member of Venezuela’s National Assembly between 2016 and 2021.
He was detained in May 2025. Without offering evidence, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the arrest was due to an alleged plot against the regional and legislative elections scheduled for that month.
Guanipa and Machado had called for a boycott of those elections, describing the vote as a trap.
Spain says 5 citizens are heading home after release from Venezuelan prison
Five Spanish citizens who have been released from prison in Venezuela are “already flying to Spain,” the country’s foreign minister said Thursday.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed the release of the five Spaniards earlier on Thursday.
“Spain, which maintains fraternal relations with the Venezuelan people, welcomes this decision as a positive step in the new phase that Venezuela is entering,” the ministry said.
Some background: Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, had announced the release from prison of “a significant number” of political prisoners, both Venezuelan and foreign, five days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a US military operation.
Canadian prime minister and president of Brazil discuss Venezuela transition today, Carney’s office says
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada spoke with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today about “the ongoing situation in Venezuela and the implications for the region.”
Venezuela’s Rodríguez says she met with China’s ambassador
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced Thursday that she had a “warm meeting” with China’s ambassador to the country, Lan Hu.
In a Telegram post, Rodríguez expressed “gratitude for China’s condemnation of the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, as well as of the aggressions against Venezuela.”
The ambassadors of China, Russia, and Iran were among the first dignitaries to congratulate Rodríguez when she was sworn in as the South American country’s acting president earlier this week.
China is a close diplomatic and economic partner of Venezuela and a key ally of the Maduro government. Beijing has repeatedly opposed US sanctions and pressure on Caracas, framing them as violations of national sovereignty, while maintaining deep ties to Venezuela’s oil sector and state institutions.
GOP senators who broke with Trump over war powers measure vote brush off president's criticism
Republican senators who voted to advance a resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers in Venezuela downplayed any potential negative impact it may have on them politically after the commander and chief publicly lashed out at them.
Here’s what some senators are saying:
- Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who authored the resolution, told CNN his support for the bipartisan effort to curb Trump’s war powers “isn’t personal,” adding he’s talked to the president “several times this week” about “trying to engage in diplomacy.”
- Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a challenge this fall from the state’s popular Democratic governor, said Trump is “obviously is unhappy with the vote.” She said she distinguishes her vote against the president taking future military action in Venezuela without congressional approval from the “distinct operation” that ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.
- Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said he takes “no offense” to Trump’s threat, adding “I support the president.” While he said his constituents are “very proud” of how the US military executed the “incredible feat” of Maduro’s capture, “there’s probably some concern just about what would happen in the future.”
- Sen. Todd Young of Indiana responded, “No,” when asked if he was in trouble politically. Young repeatedly refused to engage on questions surrounding this and added, “I don’t have any concerns.”
Trump says US will control Venezuela for the foreseeable future as he eyes Greenland. Catch up on the latest
Venezuela’s future remains uncertain after President Donald Trump told the New York Times that US oversight will likely extend past this year without providing a definitive timeline.
Meanwhile, officials from Denmark and Greenland have rebuffed any notion that the territory is for sale amid Trump’s renewed interest.
If you’re just joining us, here are the latest developments.
Venezuela:
- Prisoner release: The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly announced that the government has decided to release “a significant number” of political prisoners, both Venezuelan and foreign, in order to “contribute to the effort” of “national unity.”
- Limit to war powers: The Senate voted 52-47 to allow a future vote that would limit the president’s powers in the deepening conflict with Venezuela. The full measure is expected to pass next week. Trump criticized the GOP senators who voted to advance the resolution.
- Opposition insists interim leadership is temporary: Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado said that she considers the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez to be “absolutely temporary.”
- Colombia weighs in: Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said yesterday’s call between President Gustavo Petro and Trump “was a very respectful dialogue,” and emphasized that it is a starting point for the normalization of diplomatic ties. Villavicencio added that Petro also had call with Venezuela’s acting president this week and invited her to visit Bogota, a source said.
- Mexico seeks to avoid conflict with US: President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country does not seek confrontation with the United States, emphasizing that there is “cooperation and coordination” with the Trump administration, while also noting that Mexican officials are clear about the principles of “defending our sovereignty and our territory.”
Greenland:
- “Greenland is not for sale”: The head of representation for Greenland told reporters that there are no plans to sell the Arctic territory to the United States after he and the Danish ambassador to the US met with senators.
- Vance urges Europe to prioritize Greenland: “So what we’re asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that landmass more seriously, because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it,” Vance said. What that “something” may be, the vice president said he would leave that up to Trump.
CNN’s Nic Robertson reports from Greenland on what people are saying about Trump’s remarks.
CNN’s Nic Robertson is in Greenland talking with the people there about President Trump’s push to take control of the country.
CNN’s Alex Stambaugh, Sol Amaya, Gonzalo Zegarra, Stefano Pozzebon, Uriel Blanco, Véronica Calderón, Morgan Rimmer, Sarah Ferris, Elise Hammond, Max Saltman, Pau Mosquera, Alejandra Jaramillo and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
Follow our live coverage in Spanish here.
Vance says he's "not concerned" about Republicans voting to advance war powers resolution
Vice President JD Vance said he’s “not concerned at all” after several GOP senators on Thursday voted to advance a resolution that would limit executive war powers in Venezuela without congressional approval.
Senators were able to force a vote under the 1973 War Powers Act, after the US military operation in Venezuela and capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Five Republicans voted with Democrats for the measure, which will push the Senate on a future vote in an effort to limit the president’s powers in the deepening conflict with Venezuela.
Vance went on to claim that every “president, Democrat or Republican, believes the War Powers Act is fundamentally a fake and unconstitutional law,” a sentiment he says President Donald Trump agrees with.
“It’s not going to change anything about how we conduct foreign policy over the next couple of weeks, the next couple of months, and that will continue to be how we approach things go,” Vance added.
European leaders must take Greenland security seriously or else US will act, Vance says
European leaders should be taking President Donald Trump seriously when it comes to his renewed interest in Greenland, Vice President JD Vance said today.
Asked by reporters at the White House what his message would be to European leaders who reject the idea that the Arctic territory ruled by Denmark is for sale, Vance said they should take Trump at his word.
“So what we’re asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that landmass more seriously, because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it,” Vance said.
What that “something” may be, the vice president said he would leave that up to Trump. The White House said in a statement Tuesday that using the military to acquire Greenland is an option.
Vance said Trump has argued Greenland is important to both the US and world’s defense and that “hostile adversaries” have show interest in the territory.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland soon, Vance said, and he said the US will continue to “engage in diplomacy” with European leaders.
Vance defends involvement in Venezuela operations
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday insisted he was involved in the planning for the US operation to depose Nicolas Maduro.
Vance went on to defend the operation and the way it was planned. “Look, we’re all part of the same team, and one of the things that is really amazing about that operation is that we kept it very tight to the senior Cabinet-level officials and related officials in our government, and we kept this operation secret for a very long time. I’m very proud of that,” he added.
The vice president seemed to be responding to a New Yorker piece earlier this week, which noted Vance was not present in photos showing members of the president’s national security team at Mar-a-Lago during the Venezuela operation.
Reflecting on his role in the administration, Vance said he planned to do “whatever the president asks me to do.”
“Every other day, I’m chairing the meeting that we do among White House principals to talk about next steps to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable, and as the president has directed us to do, to ensure that the new Venezuelan government actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country’s best interest,” he said.
“So, I’m going to be as involved as the president wants me to be — so far that’s been very involved, and I’ll keep on doing that, so long as the president asks me to do it.”
Senate Democrats look ahead to future vote to block military action in Venezuela
Top Senate Democrats are pushing the chamber to swiftly pass a resolution to block military action in Venezuela next week, after the measure advanced today.
The Senate voted 52-47 to consider the resolution on the Senate floor, with five Republican senators joining Democrats.
With the January 30 government funding deadline bearing down on Congress, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been clear that he wants to take next week to process appropriations bills in the Senate, rather than consider the war powers resolution.
However, Schumer said he is “absolutely” confident they can deal with both issues next week. “We will work with Sen. Kaine so we can do both,” he said.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a cosponsor of the war powers resolution, noted that there will be an open amendment process, which could take more time, but argued that in the past both sides have been able to agree on a smaller slate of amendments to consider.
“I don’t think my colleagues on the other side thought it was going to pass. So I’m not sure that they’ve really thought that that through,” he added.
Five Spaniards freed from Venezuelan prison, Spanish foreign ministry says
The Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that five Spaniards had been freed in Venezuela’s announced prisoner release.
One of the five has dual citizenship, the ministry said in a statement, and all are preparing to fly to Spain with embassy assistance.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares later identified the five in an interview with Radio Nacional de España as Rocío San Miguel, Andrés Martínez, José María Basoa, Miguel Moreno and Ernesto Gorbe.
San Miguel, a security analyst and activist who was arrested in February 2024. The Venezuelan government had accused her, without evidence, of being part of a plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro. US officials had previously expressed concern over her case.
Albares had earlier said that the release would likely include Spaniards, telling Spanish Public Broadcaster La 2 that freeing Spanish prisoners would be “a very positive step by the new acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, in this new stage that Venezuela is in.”
"Greenland is not for sale,” territory official says after meeting with US senators
The head of representation for Greenland Jacob Isbosethsen told reporters today that there are no plans to sell the territory to the United States after he and the Danish ambassador to the US met with senators.
“Greenland is not for sale,” Isbosethsen said, speaking alongside Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, the Danish ambassador to the US, as well as GOP Sen. Roger Wicker and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
“I think the core of what we have discussed is that we have ample opportunities to strengthen our relationship within the existing structures, and we intend to work on that,” Ambassador Møller Sørensen said, reiterating the country’s stance on the matter amid President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring the arctic territory.
Wicker, the GOP chair of the Senate Armed Services committee, said it was Denmark’s “prerogative and right” to decline talks over the sale of the semiautonomous territory. He argued the US should focus on other “great opportunities” to enhance the country’s relationship with Denmark and Greenland.
He added later, “I think there are wonderful opportunities with the critical minerals, with the challenges we have in the Arctic, and I think going forward we can answer a lot of the desires of Americans for better security in that way.”
Here is what we are hearing from people in Greenland's capital today
People in Greenland are worried about Donald Trump’s threats to take control of the semiautonomous territory.
The emboldened US president has turned his sights to Greenland in recent comments following his intervention in Venezuela, and top US officials are set to meet Danish ministers next week.
CNN’s Nic Robertson reports from the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk:
