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The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela called it blatant piracy, exposing how U.S. pressure has always been about controlling the country’s vast oil reserves.
Congress is now scrutinizing President Donald Trump ’s latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. Trump has said the deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats will expand to attacks on land. Maduro told supporters in Caracas that Venezuela is “prepared to break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary.”
Trump’s approval on the economy and immigration have fallen substantially since March, according to a new AP-NORC poll, the latest indication that two signature issues that got him elected barely a year ago could be turning into liabilities as his party begins to gear up for the 2026 midterms.
And Trump’s tariffs have cost U.S. households $1,200 each so far, Democrats say. The members of Congress’ Joint Economic Committee tallied the costs of sweeping taxes on imports. Their report found that they’ve cost American consumers nearly $159 billion — or $1,198 per household — from February through November.
