{"id":9028,"date":"2026-01-08T20:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/01\/08\/venezuela-live-updates-as-senate-advances-war-powers-measure-trump-plans-post-maduro-oil-strategy-cbs-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T20:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:30:13","slug":"venezuela-live-updates-as-senate-advances-war-powers-measure-trump-plans-post-maduro-oil-strategy-cbs-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/01\/08\/venezuela-live-updates-as-senate-advances-war-powers-measure-trump-plans-post-maduro-oil-strategy-cbs-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela live updates as Senate advances war powers measure, Trump plans post-Maduro oil strategy – CBS News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0<\/a>

Venezuela freed 5 Spanish nationals in prisoner release, Spain says<\/h2>\n
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Venezuela on Thursday freed five Spaniards in a large prisoner release seen as a concession to the United States after the ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro, Spain’s foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n

“The government of Spain welcomes the liberation today in Caracas of five Spaniards, one of them a dual national, who are preparing to travel to Spain,” the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Sen. Paul responds to Trump criticism<\/h2>\n
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Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who was among the five GOP senators who voted to advance the war powers resolution, said he sees the issue as “a constitutional debate” rather than “an anti-Donald Trump” stance.<\/p>\n

“This debate is bigger than this particular president. I’ve had the same opinion under President Obama, President Biden, the last President Trump,” Paul told reporters outside the Capitol after the vote to push forward the resolution, which seeks to limit the administration’s military actions in Venezuela.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Paul said that while he still supports Mr. Trump, “that doesn’t mean I can just sort of give up on a deeply held position that Congress, you know, is intended to be the body that declares war.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Chinook pilot who helped plan Venezuelan operation wounded during Caracas mission to capture Maduro, sources say<\/h2>\n
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A Chinook helicopter pilot who helped plan the operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a><\/span> was wounded in the leg during the pre-dawn mission, said U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News under the condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters. <\/p>\n

At the outset of the daring operation, a formation of U.S. Army helicopters carrying a squad of Delta Force commandos slipped toward Caracas largely unnoticed.<\/p>\n

But as the aircraft drew closer to the heavily fortified compound where Maduro was believed to be holed up, the calm broke. Venezuelan defensive positions opened fire, and U.S. helicopters responded with their own suppressive fire, according to the U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

During the exchange, A heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook, the lead aircraft in the formation tasked with inserting the assault team, was struck by hostile fire.<\/p>\n

Read more here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Schumer: “Americans are not asking for an endless war”<\/h2>\n
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer defended the war powers vote, telling reporters that “Americans are not asking for an endless war” at a briefing held later on Thursday.<\/p>\n

“Today, the Senate really took a critical step to reasserting its constitutional authority, and toward stopping President Trump as he’s lurching toward another endless, expensive war, all while American families here are struggling,” Schumer said.<\/p>\n

He added: “The more the American people hear about what’s going on in Venezuela, the less they’re going to like it, the more fiercely they will oppose it.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Trump says war powers vote hampers national security<\/h2>\n
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President Trump said Thursday that the Senate vote to advance a war powers resolution hampers national security.<\/p>\n

“This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief,” he said in a post on Truth Social.<\/p>\n

He also called the War Powers Act unconstitutional and called out the handful of Republicans who supported the measure that advanced on Thursday, saying other Senate Republicans should be ashamed of them and that they “should never be elected to office again.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Venezuela releasing “large number” of prisoners, top lawmaker says<\/h2>\n
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Venezuelan authorities are releasing a “large number” of prisoners, some of them foreigners, five days after the ouster of Maduro, parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez said Thursday. <\/p>\n

Rodriguez said the government will immediately release “a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez, the brother of acting Venezuela President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, did not say exactly how many people would be released or who they were, The Associated Press reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,” Rodr\u00edguez said in an announcement.<\/p>\n

-CBS\/AFP<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Senate advances war powers resolution<\/h2>\n
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The Senate moved Thursday toward limiting President Trump’s ability to strike\u00a0Venezuela<\/a><\/span>\u00a0as the U.S. leader continues to take unilateral action against the South American country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After two previous unsuccessful attempts, the Senate voted 52 to 47 to advance a war powers resolution, days after the U.S. captured Maduro and his wife in a nighttime raid that came not only as a surprise to the former president, but also to Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five Republicans joined all Democrats in support of the measure. The GOP senators voting in favor include Todd Young of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

GOP Sen. Susan Collins votes to advance war powers resolution<\/h2>\n
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Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine voted to advance a war powers resolution that would limit President Trump’s ability to strike Venezuela, joining Democrats and her GOP colleague Sen. Rand Paul<\/a><\/span> in support of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement, Collins said, “while I support the operation to seize Nicolas Maduro, which was extraordinary in its precision and complexity, I do not support committing additional U.S. forces or entering into any long-term military involvement in Venezuela or Greenland without specific congressional authorization.”<\/p>\n

“I believe invoking the War Powers Act at this moment is necessary, given the President’s comments about the possibility of ‘boots on the ground’ and a sustained engagement ‘running’ Venezuela, with which I do not agree,” Collins continued.<\/p>\n

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced his latest resolution<\/a> in early December, after the revelation that the U.S. killed two people who survived the initial blast of a Sept. 2 strike in the Caribbean Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Senate voting on war powers resolution<\/h2>\n
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The Senate is voting for the third time on a powers resolution that would limit President Trump’s ability to strike\u00a0Venezuela<\/a><\/span>, as the president continues to take unilateral action against the South American country.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

The vote comes days after the U.S. captured Maduro and his wife in a nighttime raid that came not only as a surprise to the former president, but also to Congress. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

U.S. Chinook helicopter pilot was wounded in leg during Venezuela attack, officials say<\/h2>\n
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A Chinook helicopter pilot who also helped plan the mission to capture Maduro was wounded multiple times in the leg during the operation, U.S. officials told CBS News on the condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.<\/p>\n

The helicopter the pilot was flying \u2014 a heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook \u2014 was struck by hostile fire during the operation. Although it was damaged, it remained airborne and completed its run.<\/p>\n

The Chinook was the lead aircraft in a formation of U.S. Army helicopters tasked with inserting the assault team in the Maduro capture mission. They were carrying a force of Delta Force commandos as they slipped toward Caracas in the overnight operation \u2014 at first, largely unnoticed. As the aircraft drew closer to the heavily fortified compound where Maduro was believed to be holed up, the calm broke and Venezuelan defensive positions opened fire. U.S. helicopters responded with their own suppressive fire, according to the U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

A Pentagon official told CBS News on Tuesday that two U.S. service members were still recovering from injuries sustained during the incursion, which the Defense Department dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve.<\/p>\n

“They are receiving excellent medical care and are well on their way to recovery,” the Pentagon official said. “Five additional service members suffered injuries but have already returned to duty. The fact that this extremely complex and grueling mission was successfully executed with so few injuries is a testament to the expertise of our joint warriors.”<\/p>\n

The New York Times<\/a> first reported the details of the engagement with the Chinook and the pilot being wounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

German president says there is “breakdown of values” by U.S.<\/h2>\n
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized U.S. foreign policy in the wake of the Venezuela attack, saying there is a “breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order.”<\/p>\n

“It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers,” Steinmeier said at a symposium Wednesday, Reuters reported<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He described Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its Ukraine invasion as a watershed, and said the U.S.’ behavior was a second historic rupture, according to Reuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Venezuela’s interior minister says 100 people killed during U.S. operation<\/h2>\n
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Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Wednesday that 100 people were killed during the U.S. operation, but he didn’t offer details on how many were civilians or members of the military.<\/p>\n

“So far, there are one hundred dead. One hundred,” he said. “And a similar number of injured. The attack against the country is terrible. No one will be able to conceal it up. There’s no way this can be concealed. And the world is discovering it in its entirety.<\/p>\n

“People who had nothing to do with the conflict died. Civilians. Women who were in their homes. People who were in their homes. They were hit by the impact of the bombs, the incredibly powerful bombs that were dropped on our country.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Russia accuses U.S. of stoking tensions with tanker seizure<\/h2>\n
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Russia accused the U.S. on Thursday of stoking tensions and threatening international shipping with its Wednesday seizure of a Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic. <\/p>\n

Moscow’s foreign ministry said the move will “only result in further military and political tensions,” adding that it was worried by “Washington’s willingness to generate acute international crisis situations.” <\/p>\n

The U.S. seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela on Wednesday, including the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1. The U.S. European Command said it was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions and pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.\u00a0<\/p>\n

-CBS\/AFP<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Trump: U.S. could oversee Venezuela for “much longer” than a year<\/h2>\n
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President Trump says he thinks the U.S. could be overseeing things in Venezuela for “much longer” than a year in the wake of the U.S. attack on the South American nation.<\/p>\n

He\u00a0told The New York Times<\/a>\u00a0on Wednesday that “only time will tell” how long Washington will demand direct oversight of the country. Asked if that could last three months, six months, a year or longer, he responded that, “I would say much longer.”<\/p>\n

The president also said he expects the U.S. to be taking Venezuelan oil for years.<\/p>\n

“We will rebuild (Venezuela) in a very profitable way,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”<\/p>\n

He added that the remaining leaders of Venezuela are “giving us everything that we feel is necessary” even though they had all been loyal to Maduro.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Senators force third war powers vote to limit Trump’s strikes on Venezuela<\/h2>\n
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The Senate is expected to take a third vote late Thursday morning on another war powers resolution to limit President Trump’s ability to strike Venezuela in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced his latest resolution in early December. It would require “the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The indication from the administration [is] that this is not a few days or a few weeks, it’s likely a few years of U.S. occupation and involvement in this country,” Kaine said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “This is not an arrest warrant. This is far bigger than that.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the resolution’s lone Republican cosponsor, said earlier this week: “I think bombing a capital and removing the head of state is by all definitions, war.”<\/p>\n

Without additional Republican support, the measure is expected to meet the same fate as two previous failed efforts spearheaded by Kaine to restrict military action in the region.<\/p>\n

Many Republicans have backed the mission to capture Maduro and defended the administration for not seeking approval from Congress, arguing the actions are well within the president’s constitutional authority and limited in scope. House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized Wednesday that the U.S. is “not involved with boots on the ground.”<\/p>\n

Members of the Trump administration, including the president, have muddied the legal arguments by claiming that the mission to capture Maduro was a law enforcement operation that didn’t require sign-off from Congress.<\/p>\n

Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Democrats question Venezuela strategy; House Speaker says U.S. isn’t “engaging in regime change”<\/h2>\n
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Lawmakers offered sharply divided reactions after the Trump administration briefed House members on Wednesday about last weekend’s operation to capture Maduro.<\/p>\n

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told CBS News’ Nikole Killion the administration hasn’t been “forthright” or “transparent” about the next steps in Venezuela, and said the classified briefing lacked answers to “basic” questions.<\/p>\n

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California praised the military’s execution of the operation, but said it is “not clear what comes next.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, said he heard “no plan” for governing Venezuela after the operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the mission was justified, and said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “gave a very precise, detailed narrative about the operation and what happened.”<\/p>\n

The Louisiana Republican said the U.S. is “not involved with boots on the ground” in Venezuela and is “not engaging in regime change.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s a competent country with good people,” Johnson said. “They just need better governance, and we hope that can be delivered in short order. I think that’s the intention, certainly of the administration and of the Congress, and we’ll see what happens.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

U.S. seizes two Venezuela-linked oil tankers<\/h2>\n
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The U.S. carried out operations Wednesday<\/a><\/span> to seize two oil tankers linked to Venezuela \u2014 one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean Sea, officials said.<\/p>\n

The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, after American forces began following the tanker in the Atlantic last month. It said the vessel was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n

Two Defense Department officials told CBS News that Navy SEALs took over the oil tanker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

U.S. officials also announced on Wednesday that “a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker” was seized before dawn in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command said the intercepted vessel, M\/T Sophia, was “conducting illicit activities.”<\/p>\n

A total of four sanctioned tankers have been seized in recent weeks, including two last month.<\/p>\n

The Marinera flew a Russian flag, and a Russian submarine and other naval vessels had been deployed to escort the tanker as the U.S. followed it, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.<\/p>\n

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the vessel was “deemed stateless after flying a false flag.” She said it was part of a “shadow fleet” that transports oil in violation of sanctions.<\/p>\n

But Russia’s Ministry of Transport said the Marinera had been given temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag. It responded to the capture by saying that “no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Trump says Venezuela will buy “ONLY American Made Products” with money from oil sales<\/h2>\n
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President Trump said<\/a> on Truth Social Wednesday that Venezuela will use the money that it draws from a recent oil sale deal with the U.S. on “ONLY American Made Products.”<\/p>\n

Those purchases could include agricultural products, medicines, medical devices and equipment needed to fix the country’s beleaguered electrical grid, Mr. Trump wrote.<\/p>\n

“In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner \u2013 A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States,” the president continued.<\/p>\n

Since Maduro’s capture, Mr. Trump has focused on Venezuela’s oil industry<\/a><\/span>, pressing U.S. companies to enter the country \u2014 a move he has suggested could help rebuild the oil-rich nation’s crumbling infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that oil could serve as a point of leverage<\/a><\/span> over the remnants of the Maduro regime who continue to run Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Earlier Wednesday, Rubio announced<\/a><\/span> the U.S. will export between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, which will be sold at “market rates,” with revenue used “in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people.”<\/p>\n

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Venezuela’s interim government had agreed to release the oil. She added that the proceeds will be put in U.S.-controlled bank accounts and be “dispersed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people at the discretion of the United States government.”<\/p>\n

It’s not clear how much revenue will be drawn from the oil sales. Venezuelan crude oil, which is tough to refine and has historically faced tight U.S. sanctions, has been sold at a discount<\/a> in the past, though some refineries<\/a> on the U.S.’s Gulf Coast are set up to process the kind of heavy crude oil that typically flows from Venezuela, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u00a0<\/a>

Actions in Venezuela divide Americans as they look for clarity on Trump admin. goals, CBS News poll finds<\/h2>\n
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The U.S. military action removing Nicol\u00e1s Maduro from power divides Americans, and their views on it connect to what they think the U.S. goals are and what they believe comes next.<\/p>\n

Some 48% of U.S. adults approve of the operation and 52% disapprove, according to a CBS News poll taken between Monday and Wednesday. The margin of error is 2.4 points.<\/p>\n

At the moment, most think the Trump administration is among other aims trying to get access to Venezuela’s oil and expand U.S. power in the region \u2014 and when Americans think those are big parts of the goals, they tend to disapprove.<\/p>\n

When people think the goals are a lot about stopping drugs, gangs and terrorists, they are more approving.\u00a0 That view is largely voiced by Republicans.<\/p>\n

Either way, that mix of perceptions is partly because most Americans say the administration hasn’t clearly explained the U.S.’ plans with Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Read more here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 41m ago Venezuela freed 5 Spanish nationals in prisoner release, Spain says Venezuela on Thursday freed five Spaniards in a large prisoner release seen as a concession to the United States after the ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro, Spain’s foreign ministry said. “The government of Spain welcomes the liberation today in Caracas of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}