Clinton and Kennedy heirs weigh in on running for Nadler’s New York seat
Chelsea Clinton is not considering a run for Rep. Jerry Nadler’s soon-to-be-vacant New York congressional seat, her spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday, dismissing “rumors” to the contrary. Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, told The New York Times Tuesday a campaign for Nadler’s Manhattan seat is “certainly a possibility.” Nadler’s decision to retire after more than three decades in Congress opens up one of the most influential Democratic strongholds in Manhattan. The speculation that heirs from two of America’s most prominent Democratic political dynasties could seek the seat sets the stage for a high-profile primary fight. DEMOCRATIC REP. JERRY NADLER WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION Nadler, 78, announced Monday that “this term in Congress will be my last,” citing the need to “pass the torch to a new generation.” In an interview with The New York Times, Nadler said “watching the [Joe] Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party.” Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation and daughter of former President Bill Clinton, has previously batted down speculation about running for office. REP. NADLER CONDEMNS TRUMP ADMIN AFTER STAFF MEMBER HANDCUFFED DURING CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE SECURITY SWEEP In 2019, she told ABC News she was not interested in seeking Rep. Nita Lowey’s seat when rumors swirled at that time. Her denial Wednesday to the Washington Examiner makes clear she is not entering this race. Jack Schlossberg, 32, an attorney and writer, has occasionally hinted at political ambitions. His comment to The New York Times that a congressional run is “certainly a possibility” is his clearest public signal yet that he may consider following in his family’s political footsteps. Schlossberg has turned heads on social media for his comedic antics and satirical videos of figures like first lady Melania Trump. Early reporting suggests a wide Democratic field may emerge, including progressive activists and perhaps local elected officials, though no major announcements have been made yet. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The open race for Nadler’s Manhattan seat is expected to draw national attention and big-name donors. Whether a Clinton or a Kennedy ultimately runs, the contest is already shaping up as a test of Democratic Party power in one of its safest districts. Representatives for Chelsea Clinton and Jack Schlossberg did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
White House silent on report that Trump allies have weighed luring Adams to administration to undercut Mamdani
The White House has remained silent after a new report claims advisors to President Donald Trump have discussed offering New York City Mayor Eric Adams a position within the Trump administration in the hopes it would hurt mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s election odds. Trump advisors reportedly had a discussion with Adams’ associates about dipping out of the race and potentially joining the Trump administration to pave the way for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to secure a victory in November’s election, the New York Times reported Wednesday. It remains unclear if specific positions for Adams have been talked about or if Adams would be inclined to accept such an offer, the report said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. SANDERS ENDORSES SOCIALIST MAMDANI IN MOVE TO BLOCK CUOMO IN NYC MAYORAL RACE Mamdani is a Ugandan-born Muslim and Democratic socialist who won the Democratic Party’s primary for New York City mayor in June. Meanwhile, Cuomo is a moderate Democrat running in the race as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary race in June. Adams’ campaign said the mayor has not had discussions with Trump on the matter. “Mayor Adams has made it clear that he will not respond to every rumor that comes up,” Todd Shapiro, a spokesperson for Adams’ campaign, said Wednesday. “He will remain focused, not be distracted and grind for New Yorkers.” WASHINGTON POST BASHES SOCIALIST ZOHRAN MAMDANI AS POTENTIAL DISASTER FOR NEW YORK CITY “He has had no discussions with, nor has he met with, President Donald Trump regarding the mayoral race,” Shapiro said. “The mayor is fully committed to winning this election, with millions of New Yorkers preparing to cast their votes. His record is clear: Crime is down, jobs are up and he has consistently stood up for working families. Mayor Adams is focused on building on that progress and earning four more years to continue delivering for the people of New York.” Trump historically has railed against Mamdani and has cautioned New Yorkers against voting for the New York State assemblyman from Queens. “No. 1, you have a communist running, and you shouldn’t vote for him,” Trump said during a July Cabinet meeting. “He’s a disaster. He’s leading. He’s got the Democrat nomination because that shows you where the Democrats have gone. “I’m not getting involved, but I can tell you this: I used to say we will not ever be a socialist country. Right. Well, I’ll say it again. We’re not going to have — if a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same.” ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES
‘Tone-deaf’ protesters heckle Vance outside Minneapolis church shooting site
As Vice President JD Vance paid his respects to the victims of last week’s deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, protesters standing by a “progress pride” flag with transgender colors heckled him from across the street. Vance, who is Catholic, paid a visit to the site of the shooting and visited with victims and their families on Wednesday. The vice president and second lady Usha Vance were seen pausing for a moment in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary outside the church before he entered. As he entered, protesters could be heard shouting various slogans, including “protect our kids,” “you’re a coward” and “do better.” Behind the protesters were signs reading “protect kids not guns” beside a pride flag. MINNEAPOLIS POLICE REVEAL MORE ABOUT CHURCH SCHOOL SHOOTER’S MOTIVE Commenting on the protesters, conservative columnist Dustin Grage posted on X, “Leftist protestors proceed to shout ‘You’re a coward’ and ‘do better’ while flying a rainbow flag. Talk about tone-deaf.” Police have identified 23-year-old Robin Westman as the shooter who opened fire on a school Mass last Wednesday, killing two children and injuring 21 others. The killer was carrying three firearms, according to authorities – a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun. All three had been purchased legally. Court records show that a Minneapolis juvenile named Robert Westman had a legal name change to Robin in 2019, and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the shooter was born Robert and later identified as Robin. The mass shooting claimed the lives of Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10. FBI DIRECTOR CALLS MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL SHOOTING ‘BARBARIC’ DOMESTIC TERRORISM WITH ANTI-RELIGIOUS MOTIVES Speaking with reporters before boarding Air Force Two after the visit, Vance commented, “I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did.” He called it a “very heartbreaking, but also very gratifying visit.” “I really felt like these parents, in the midst of the worst grief of their entire lives, they opened up their lives and they opened up their hearts and they made me part of it,” he said. “They told me about their kids. They told me about their families. They told me about the community supporting them. And that was just an amazing thing to see, an amazing thing to witness, an amazing thing. To get to be a part of.” Vance said that he was moved by the victims’ parents’ stories about their deceased children. “We should talk more about these kids. We should talk less about the shooter. We should talk less about the crazy person who took these children from us. We should talk about these kids, their hopes and their dreams and the fact that they had a full life ahead of them that was cut short,” he said. “I wish that we talked a lot more about Harper, who was a beautiful young girl. She had a beautiful smile, the kind of smile that would turn a bad day into a good one and was very proud of the fact that she just had her first communion a couple of years ago … I also wish we talked a little bit more about Fletcher. Fletcher was a very rambunctious and energetic kid, was a beautiful kid, had an incredible head of hair.” MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH SHOOTING AUDIO CAPTURES FIRST RESPONDERS RUSHING TO CHAOTIC SCENE IN DEADLY ATTACK Vance also urged continued prayer for the victims of the shooting still suffering from their injuries. “While two kids lost their lives, there’s still one kid that’s in very serious condition, and every single family, the family of Lydia, who luckily recovered, but we visited her in the hospital, the family of the two who died, Harper and Fletcher, all three of those families said, ‘Please say a prayer,’” he said. “So now, my fellow Americans, if you’re the praying type, say a prayer for this innocent girl who’s actually in surgery right now that the swelling will go down, that she will be okay because she’s still in a fight for her life.” Asked whether authorities should be investigating people who are experiencing gender dysphoria and are exhibiting signs that they might be targeting kids, Vance responded, “Certainly we should be investigating people who are planning on targeting kids.” He said that concerning policies to prevent future attacks, all the victims’ parents asked was “that we look very seriously at the root causes, that we look very seriously at ways to prevent crazy people who are about to shoot up a school from getting access to firearms.” Vance added that “one of the ways that I’m going to try to honor these parents and the children that they lost is by being a better dad and hugging my kids tight tonight and making sure that they know that their dad loves them. Because there are two families who are not going to get that opportunity ever again.”
Walz ripped for ‘vile’ comment on future ‘news’ about Trump’s health: ‘What a monster’
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is facing heat from conservatives on social media over a clip they say shows the former vice presidential nominee wishing for news of President Donald Trump’s death. “Look I get it, you get up in the morning and you doom scroll through things, although I will say this, the last few days you woke up thinking there might be news,” Walz said at a Labor Day picnic in Duluth on Monday, eliciting a laugh from the crowd in a reference to recent online conspiracy theories about Trump’s health with some claiming that he had died. “Just saying, just saying, there will be news sometime, just so you know, there will be news.” Many on social media took issue with Walz’s statement alleging he was wishing ill on the president, who has faced two assassination attempts. UNEARTHED LETTER EXPOSES HOW MINNESOTA CATHOLIC LEADERS WARNED WALZ ON SCHOOL SAFETY “@Tim_Walz, mocking President Trump’s health is a new low, even for you,” GOP House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, posted on X. “Wishing ill on others doesn’t make you a leader—it makes you small. Minnesotans deserve better.” “@Tim_Walz monologue where he pines something is currently wrong with the President’s health—then chirps if there isn’t its only a matter of a short amount of time before something dire will happen to him—isn’t just vile it shows once again Dems have learned little since Butler,” journalist and author Salena Zito posted on X. TOP REPUBLICAN POINTS FINGER AT WALZ’S TRANS AGENDA AFTER CATHOLIC SCHOOL SHOOTING “Tim Walz was very excited about the left-wing rumors claiming President Trump had died,” conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted on X. “This guy is sick.” “Tim Walz tells supporters to remain hopeful that Trump will die soon,” conservative influencer account Johnny MAGA posted on X. “Schoolchildren were just shot in church last week in Tim’s state — and this is what he’s thinking about I can’t even put into words how disgusting this deranged freak is.” “Tim Walz ‘toning the rhetoric down,’ huh?” GOP Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, posted on X. “Is there more fraud in Tim’s words or his state government?” “This is Tim Walz hoping to hear news about Trump’s death,” conservative influencer John Jackson posted on X. “Tell me again how we’re supposed to coexist with these people.” “What a monster,” conservative influencer Paul A. Szypula posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment. Walz has emerged as one of the loudest voices against Trump since last November with calls for Democrats to “bully the s***” out of Trump and “be a little meaner.” Walz, who has not yet officially announced he is running for reelection, acknowledged in a recent interview that his bid alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris might have hurt him with voters in Minnesota. “People get tired of it,” Walz said. “I get tired of myself at times.” Trump sought to dispel swirling social media rumors about his health Tuesday, saying he was “very active” over the Labor Day weekend. “I didn’t do anything for two days, and they said ‘there must be something wrong with him,’” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the speculation about his death as “fake news.” Trump’s comments followed a wave of unfounded speculation that began Friday night and stretched into Saturday morning, fueled by an empty public schedule and recycled photos showing bruising on his hand. “I was very active over the weekend. I went out to visit some people at the club that I own pretty nearby on the Potomac River. No, I’ve been very active, actually,” Trump said, drawing a sharp comparison to his predecessor, President Joe Biden. “You wouldn’t see him (Biden) and nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him,” Trump said. “And we know he wasn’t in the greatest of shape.” Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report
Trump touts US strike as Maduro slams military ‘threat’ off Venezuela
President Donald Trump lauded the U.S. military strike against an alleged drug-laden Venezuelan boat in the southern Caribbean that took out 11 suspected Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists Tuesday. Trump’s comments came after he shared a video on social media depicting the U.S. military strike against the Venezuelan vessel in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility, just days after he deployed three U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to bolster the administration’s counternarcotics efforts in the region. “You had massive amounts of drugs,” Trump told reporters Wednesday about the recent strike. “We have tapes of them speaking. It was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people. And everybody fully understands that fact. You see it, you see the bags of drugs all over the boat and they were hit. “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’ We have to protect our country, and we’re going to. Venezuela has been a very bad actor.” MADURO CLAIMS US SEEKS ‘REGIME CHANGE THROUGH MILITARY THREAT’ AMID CARIBBEAN BUILDUP Trump said Monday that U.S. forces had determined those on the vessel were members of Tren de Aragua and said Tuesday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro oversees the group. However, a declassified assessment from the National Intelligence Council in April determined that there is no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government. According to Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., the vessel belonged to the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug trafficking group led by Venezuela’s military leaders. The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to drive down the influx of drugs into the U.S., and designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa cartel and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February. In response to the Trump administration’s decision to dispatch the destroyers to U.S. Southern Command, Maduro said Venezuela was prepared to respond to any attacks and said the move amounted to “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.” HEGSETH ISSUES STARK WARNING TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS FOLLOWING US MILITARY STRIKE ON VENEZUELAN VESSEL “In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela,” Maduro said Monday during a press conference. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signaled the U.S. military would launch future strikes on other drug vessels attempting to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. “We’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t, it won’t stop with just this strike,” Hegseth told Fox News Wednesday. CHINA CONDEMNS US MILITARY BUILDUP OFF VENEZUELA COAST AS FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN REGIONAL AFFAIRS “Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco-terrorist will face the same fate,” Hegseth said. Fox News Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Politics Newsletter: House votes to formalize Epstein probe
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Bowser pushes police recruitment, says DC needs ‘hundreds more’ cops as Trump federal takeover nears end -Duffy expands air traffic control training program to fight nationwide shortage –Epstein victims press lawmakers to support bill to release hidden files, say Americans will be ‘appalled’ The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a resolution formally authorizing the Oversight Committee’s ongoing probe into Jeffrey Epstein. The legislation also authorized the committee’s release of “all unclassified committee records received from the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Epstein estate, and any other custodians related to the investigation described in this resolution, as well as any written declarations, or other evidence that relates to the investigation described in this resolution,” according to its text. It’s a largely symbolic move that’s been done to quell a burgeoning war of words in the House over how to pursue transparency in Epstein’s case…READ MORE. DIPLOMATIC SHOWDOWN: Rubio recommends denying visas to Palestinian leaders for UN General Assembly, citing terror support PRIORITIZING MERIT: ‘Good riddance’: Hegseth praises Army dumping Biden-era promotion boards aimed at eliminating bias HEALTH DATA PURGE: Trump admin settles lawsuit, agrees to restore deleted DEI, gender health web pages EXECUTE OR OUST: Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh challenges president to round of golf POISON PIPELINE: FBI’s Operation Box Cutter indicts 22 Chinese nationals and companies for fentanyl precursors PRESS PUSHBACK: Trump hits back at reporter who said he’s taken ‘no action’ against Russia PLAYING OFFENSE: Thune speaks with Sununu about Senate bid to flip blue seat in key swing state WELFARE WATCHDOGS: SCOOP: House GOP eyes more Medicaid reforms in second budget reconciliation bill ‘IT’S DETESTABLE’: Johnson calls Newsom’s remark on Catholic school attack ‘evil,’ ‘sick’ ROAD RULES: ‘English isn’t optional’: Senate GOP bill takes aim at illegal immigrant truckers after Florida crash DEM UNDER FIRE: Rashida Tlaib hit with House censure threat, accused of ‘celebrating terrorism’ in pro-Palestinian speech KEY ENDORSEMENT: Marsha Blackburn lands key conservative endorsement in Tennessee governor’s race DANGER ZONE: ‘Rogue states’ risk federal funding for illegal immigrant driver’s licenses Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Federal judge blocks Trump attempt to freeze more than $2 billion in Harvard funds
A U.S. judge in Boston on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate roughly $2.2 billion in federal research funding for Harvard University — marking a major victory for the nation’s oldest college, which has sparred with Trump officials for months over federal funding. U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs rejected the Trump administration’s assertion that it was attempting to strip Harvard of the billions in federal funding due to allegations of antisemitism, or the university’s failure to comply with the recommendations of a federal antisemitism task force. “A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs said in the 84-page decision. HARVARD PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO FIGHT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION “We must fight against antisemitism, but we equally need to protect our rights, including our right to free speech, and neither goal should nor needs to be sacrificed on the altar of the other,” she said in her order. “Harvard is currently, even if belatedly, taking steps it needs to take to combat antisemitism and seems willing to do even more if need be,” she added. The decision by Burroughs is a major victory for the university. It comes months after lawyers for Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over the administration’s attempts to freeze more than $2.2 billion in federal funding and block off other grant money, which lawyers for the university argued in court amounted to an unconstitutional “pressure campaign” to influence and exert control over its academic programs. The Trump administration, for its part, accused Harvard of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.” CONTINUED COURT FIGHTS COULD PUT HARVARD IN UNWINNABLE POSITION VS TRUMP Lawyers for the Trump administration also told Burroughs that they had “every right” to cancel the funding after Harvard refused to comply with the demands made by a federal antisemitism task force, which they sought to frame in court as a mere contract issue, and one that should be heard in a different court. Both the Justice Department and lawyers for Harvard University had requested that Burroughs, an Obama appointee, decide the case via summary judgment by early September — a timeline that allowed them to avoid a lengthy trial before the start of the new school year. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA Burroughs had ordered both sides to court for lengthy arguments in July, and ended the hearing by saying she would issue a ruling after she had sufficient time to weigh the matters presented before her in court. The ruling Wednesday is a victory for Harvard in its months-long legal fight with the Trump administration. “In an unsurprising turn of events, the same Obama-appointed judge that ruled in favor of Harvard’s illegal race-based admissions practices — which was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court — just ruled against the Trump administration’s efforts to hold Harvard accountable for rampant discrimination on campus.” Madi Biedermann, a senior communications official for the Department of Education, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Cleaning up our nation’s universities will be a long road, but worth it.” Since Trump took office in January, the Trump administration has targeted Harvard with investigations from six separate federal agencies — prompting lawyers for the university to argue this year that the efforts were nothing more than a pressure campaign designed to coerce them into compliance with the administration’s policies. To date, Harvard is the only major university to take the Trump administration to court over these efforts.
How did US strike on Venezuelan boat come about? What it means
President Donald Trump has released a video showing a United States military strike on a boat in the Caribbean that he says was smuggling drugs out of Venezuela for the Tren de Aragua gang, stoking fears of a possible clash between the Venezuelan and US militaries. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said 11 people were killed on Tuesday. He wrote: “No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” The strike, apparently carried out in international waters, marks an escalation in tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom Trump has repeatedly accused of assisting international drug gangs. The incident is the first known attack the US has made against alleged smugglers since the Trump administration began increasing its military presence in the Caribbean last month to counter drug cartels designated as “narcoterrorist organisations”. What happened? The Trump administration dispatched warships to the southern Caribbean in August in a bid, it said, to counter threats to US national security posed by criminal organisations operating in the region. The New York Times reported that Trump had signed a secret directive ordering the Pentagon to use military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the US considers “terrorist organisations”. On Thursday, the Reuters news agency reported that seven US warships and one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine were headed for the Caribbean. More than 4,500 sailors and Marines are on board the vessels. Advertisement Then on Tuesday, Trump announced the strike on the Venezuelan boat he said was transporting drugs. (Al Jazeera) What is Tren de Aragua and why does Trump link it to Maduro? Trump identified the people on board the Venezuelan boat as “narcoterrorists” who were “at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States”. The Tren de Aragua is one of Venezuela’s most notorious criminal organisations with operations spreading across Latin America. Originating in the early 2000s among prison inmates in the state of Aragua, the gang initially controlled contraband and extortion networks inside jails before expanding outwards. Today, it runs a diversified criminal empire spanning drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, illegal mining and contract killings. The group is especially active along migration routes, exploiting vulnerable refugees and migrants through kidnapping, forced labour and sex trafficking. The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed there is a direct link between groups like Tren de Aragua and Venezuela’s government. According to Trump, Maduro controls the gang as part of a “narcoterrorism” ploy to destabilise the US. On August 7, the US Departments of State and Justice doubled their reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro to $50m, accusing him of being “one of the largest narcotraffickers in the world”. For his part, Maduro denies any connection to the group. At least two reports from the US intelligence community also contradict the Trump administration’s claim. In May, a declassified National Intelligence Council report found that Maduro’s government “probably does not have a policy of cooperating with” Tren de Aragua. The report also said Maduro is “not directing” the gang’s operations in the US although it did concede that Venezuela offers a “permissive environment” that allows Tren de Aragua to operate. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said at a news conference on September 1, 2025, in Caracas that his government has been targeted by eight military ships and 1,200 missiles, calling it the greatest threat to Venezuela for 100 years [Jesus Vargas/Getty Images] What does the US strike mean for Venezuela-US relations? The US deployment piqued concerns over spiralling tensions with Venezuela after Maduro urged millions of Venezuelans in August to join nationalist “militias” to defend Venezuela in response to Washington’s aggressive new antidrug operations in the Caribbean. In the run-up to the US strike on the Venezuelan boat this week, Maduro said on August 25: “No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela.” Advertisement The Venezuelan president has long accused the US government of interfering in his country’s politics on behalf of the political opposition. In last week’s remarks, he also accused Trump of “seeking a regime change through military threat”. Trump, meanwhile, has adopted the same “maximum pressure” campaign that defined his foreign policy towards Venezuela during his first term. It included heightened sanctions on the Latin American country. In spite of this, the US energy group Chevron returned to Venezuela in July after a three-month hiatus after Trump’s decision in February to rescind a US Treasury licence that allowed the oil giant to export crude from Venezuela despite US sanctions. Trump revoked the existing licence, which was issued during President Joe Biden’s administration in 2022, over what he saw as a “failure” by Maduro to implement electoral reforms and accept Venezuelans deported from the US, forcing Chevron to pause operations and wind down its activities. But after intense lobbying, Chevron was granted a new restricted licence by the Department of the Treasury to export Venezuelan crude. That decision was considered to amount to an easing of sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector. While the precise licence conditions remain unknown, experts said the agreement will bring benefits to Venezuela’s debt-strapped economy as Chevron is expected to send 200,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela to international markets. Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, said the Trump administration is facing “competing objectives” in Venezuela. Sabatini told Al Jazeera that the Treasury’s recent move to reinstate Chevron’s (albeit restricted) licence “is a recognition, in part, of the failure of past sanctions” insofar as they ceded control of Venezuelan oil assets from Chevron to “governments opposed to US interests, … China, Russia and Iran”. He added that “by mobilising this fleet [in the Caribbean], the administration is also trying to scare Maduro into potential regime change.” The upshot, Sabatini said, is that Trump’s two-pronged policy approach “risks causing an unintended conflict with Venezuela”. How are
Israel accused of using drones to drop incendiary bombs in Gaza
NewsFeed Israeli forces reportedly used quadcopter drones to drop incendiary bombs on ambulances parked outside a clinic in Gaza City, causing a fire. The use of incendiary weapons is prohibited in civilian-populated areas under international humanitarian law. Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
What China unveiled at its military parade
NewsFeed China showcased a new generation of weapons at a military parade in Bejing, including ‘robot wolves’, unmanned submarines and aircraft, and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Al Jazeera’s Alex Gatopoulos looks at how these all fit into Beijing’s push to build a world-class military. Published On 3 Sep 20253 Sep 2025 Adblock test (Why?)