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1 Maduro Pleads Not Guilty, President Trump Says US May Reimburse Oil Companies For Venezuela Infrastructure Rebuilding
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty yesterday to federal drug trafficking and weapons charges in a New York courtroom. "I'm innocent. I'm not guilty, I'm a decent man," Maduro said through an interpreter, adding that he is "still president of my country." Both are being held without bail, and their next court date is March 17th. President Donald Trump says U.S. oil companies could have operations running in Venezuela in less than 18 months, but it will take a lot of money to get there. In an interview with NBC News yesterday, Trump said oil companies would spend the money to rebuild Venezuela's aging infrastructure and then "get reimbursed by us or through revenue."
2 DHS Says 2,000 Federal Agents Deploying To Minnesota In Immigration And Fraud Investigation
The Trump administration is sending roughly 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area as part of a major crackdown on immigration and fraud. The deployment, which began Sunday, is expected to last 30 days and marks one of the largest concentrations of Department of Homeland Security personnel in an American city in recent years. The operation includes agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement's deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, the agency that handles transnational crimes. The surge builds on an existing ICE operation called Operation Metro Surge, which has already led to nearly 700 arrests in the Twin Cities area since late last year. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 90 people in Minnesota fraud cases since 2021, with losses estimated in the billions.
3 Pete Hegseth Moves To Demote Sen. Mark Kelly And Cut His Pension
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving to demote Senator Mark Kelly and cut his military pension over a video Kelly made urging service members to refuse illegal orders. Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, was one of six Democratic lawmakers who released the video in November. Hegseth called the video "seditious" and issued a formal letter of censure that will go in Kelly's permanent military file. Kelly fired back, saying he earned his rank through service and sacrifice and vowing to fight the action. He called Hegseth "the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country's history."