Vice President JD Vance in Alburtis, Pa., on Dec. 16, 2025. Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the United States will allow Venezuela to sell oil only if those sales advance U.S. national interests, describing Washington’s emerging energy policy toward the country as a tool of diplomatic leverage that avoids
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Dec. 21, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times WASHINGTON—The House will vote Jan. 8 on whether to override President Donald Trump’s vetoes of two bills. Trump issued the first two vetoes of his second term on Dec. 31. One bill was designed to help finance the construction of a
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times WASHINGTON—The Senate will vote on Jan. 8 on a resolution to prohibit the U.S. military from acting further in Venezuela without congressional approval. “The question of whether United States forces should be engaged in hostilities within or against Venezuela should be
With the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro in a bold Jan. 3 military raid and a large naval force still prowling the southern Caribbean to ensure that Maduro’s successors cooperate with the Trump administration, other subtle, but key, developments in the region can be overlooked. Among under-the-wire events is a December 2025 agreement
Minnesota’s multibillion-dollar fraud scandals sparked spirited exchanges before a congressional committee on Jan. 7—the first of two hearings that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has set on the topic. During a session that spanned nearly five hours, several shouting matches erupted—sometimes involving witnesses who pushed back against lawmakers. At times, committee chair
(Left) U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025. (Right) Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 19, 2024. Jim Watson, Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he spoke on the phone with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, calling
President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 29, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Venezuela has committed to buying exclusively American-made products with revenues from a newly created oil agreement with the United States. The arrangement, detailed by Trump on his social media platform