Geoff Bennett:
The U.S. has criticized Machado’s detention and today joined Canada, the U.K., and the European Union in announcing a coordinated round of new sanctions on Venezuela. The U.S. also raised the bounty from Maduro’s arrest to $25 million.
The Biden administration is also extending humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already living in the U.S. They fall under what’s called Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, and, today, the Department of Homeland Security extended their stay for another 18 months. The measure affects about 600,000 Venezuelans, plus 200,000 people from El Salvador, as well as Ukrainians and Sudanese.
Officials cited political and economic uncertainty, the dangers of war and weather-related disasters, in offering the extensions. President-elect Donald Trump tried to scale back such protections during his first term.
The Israeli military says it struck Houthi rebel targets in Yemen today. It comes a day after the Houthis launched drones at Israel. Smoke was seen rising over southern parts of the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis said the strikes came as protesters rallied in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Also today, the Israeli army confirmed that a body it recovered from Gaza was that of hostage Hamza Al Ziyadne.
Israel says the 23-year-old was found in an underground tunnel earlier this week alongside the body of his father, Youssef Al Ziyadne. They were kidnapped together during Hamas’ October 7 attack.
The Biden administration announced new sanctions against Russia’s energy sector today, hoping to deal a massive blow to its economy over the war in Ukraine. The measures punished two of Russia’s largest oil and gas companies, plus energy officials and entities that do business with Russia. They also target a fleet of more than 180 vessels Moscow has used to evade previous sanctions.
Officials say they’re the most significant such measures to date, costing Russia billions of dollars per month. But they acknowledge it’s up to the incoming Trump administration to keep the sanctions or scrap them.
More than 80 million Americans are under winter weather alerts tonight as a massive snowstorm pushes across the South. In parts of Northwest Arkansas, they’re digging out for more than six inches of snow. Officials warned of slippery and potentially dangerous roads from Missouri all the way to Atlanta, Georgia.
Children there took advantage of canceled classes by going sledding. Schools were closed for millions from Texas through the Carolinas. Meantime, more than 2,000 flights were canceled nationwide. As the storm trudges north and east, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein warned people that travel could be treacherous.
