The Senate advanced a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a vote next week on final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled House. Still, it was a significant gesture that showed unease among some Republicans after the U.S. military seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid over the weekend.
Trump’s administration is now seeking to control Venezuela’s oil resources and its government, but the war powers resolution would require congressional approval for any further attacks on the South American country.
Other news we’re following:
Venezuelan prisoner release: Authorities are freeing a “significant number” of prisoners, including foreign detainees, framing it as a gesture of peace. Friends and relatives began to gather outside Venezuelan prisons, hoping their loved ones would emerge, although there’s still little information about who or how many people would be released.US withdrawal from UN agencies: The top United Nations official said the United States has a “legal obligation” to keep paying its dues that fund U.N. agencies after the White House announced that it is withdrawing support from more than 30 initiatives operated by the world body. Many of the initiatives focus on climate, labor, and migration.Rubio plans to meet with Danish officials: Denmark has welcomed a meeting with the U.S. next week to discuss Trump’s renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island of Greenland to come under American control. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said on Wednesday that a meeting about Greenland would happen next week, without giving details about timing, location or participants.