Good morning.
Donald Trump has ordered “a total and complete” blockade of all oil tankers under sanctions from entering and leaving Venezuela, increasing pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has been escalating a campaign against Maduro that has included a heavier military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela and in the Pacific Ocean, which have killed dozens of people.
Last week, US forces seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast that was traveling across the Caribbean. The tanker was thought to be loaded with about 2m barrels of Venezuela’s heavy crude, according to the New York Times. The Venezuelan government accused the US of “blatant theft” and described the seizure as “an act of international piracy”, heightening tensions between the two countries.
What has Trump said? In a post on social media last night announcing the blockade, Trump alleged Venezuela was using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes and vowed to escalate the military buildup. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump wrote.
Police release new video in hunt for Brown University shooting suspect
The Providence police department has released a new video of the person of interest in the Brown University shooting and is calling on the public to pay special attention to the shooter’s posture, gait, and body language in order to identify them.
The newly released footage was captured on the East Side of Providence on Saturday afternoon, about two hours before the shooting. In Tuesday’s press conference, the Providence police chief Oscar L Perez said the video showed the individual “casing the area”. “That’s what criminals do prior to committing a crime,” Perez said.
What do we know about the shooting? A person dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded nine others at Brown during final exams.
Rob Reiner’s son Nick charged with murder of parents
Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, the acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner and the photographer Michele Singer Reiner, authorities announced yesterday.
The 32-year-old, who is being held without bail, has been in custody since Sunday evening, hours after his sister reportedly discovered the couple’s bodies in their Los Angeles home. Police said on Sunday the pair had suffered fatal stab wounds.
The crime has sent shockwaves through Hollywood and prompted numerous tributes, including from Barack Obama, who said the Reiners “lived lives defined by purpose”. In a joint letter, friends of Rob and Michele Reiner, including Billy Crystal and Larry David, wrote: “We will miss them for ever.”
Has Nick Reiner appeared in court yet? No. Alan Jackson, his defense attorney, told reporters that his client had not received medical clearance and would not attend court proceedings before Wednesday.
In other news …
The alleged Bondi attacker who survived a shootout with Sydney police has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act in what Australian investigators allege may have been “inspired by Isis”.
Two Democratic US senators have announced that they will attempt to block any pending civilian nominations before the Senate in response to the “failure” of the Trump administration to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) community is grieving after the “shocking” shooting death of Nuno FG Loureiro, the director of its plasma science and fusion center, officials say.
The president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, has given her own, unvarnished thoughts about Donald Trump’s administration, including criticising some of her colleagues, in a series of interviews published by Vanity Fair magazine.
Stat of the day: Mikaela Shiffrin extends record with 105th World Cup win in slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin is not just winning every slalom of the Olympic season. She is dominating each race and winning by large margins, too. The American skiing standout claimed a record-extending 105th World Cup victory after several of her top challengers went out during the opening run of a night race on Tuesday.
Well Actually: how to plan a polyamorous wedding
A throuple in Tennessee share how they planned a fairytale wedding even though their marriage cannot be legally recognised. From navigating insurance, property and power of attorney to rethinking traditions such as proposals, bachelorette parties and first dances, they describe how they planned their wedding for three.
Don’t miss this: ‘An unhealthy and creepy obsession’ – Ilhan Omar on Trump’s attacks
Ilhan Omar, the US representative from Minnesota, has had the highest level of death threats of any congressperson and is the subject of a vendetta from the most powerful man in the world. In an interview with our Washington bureau chief, David Smith, she said Trump’s attacks demonstrated “a really unhealthy and creepy obsession that he has with me”.
Climate check: Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of ‘winter being redefined’
The Arctic endured a year of record heat and shrunken sea ice as the world’s northern latitudes continue a rapid shift to becoming rainier and less ice-bound because of the climate crisis, scientists have reported. The Arctic is heating up as much as four times as quickly as the global average, owing to the burning of fossil fuels, and this extra heat is affecting the world’s refrigerator – a region that acts as an important climate regulator for the rest of the planet.
Last Thing: Marshall Islands launches world’s first universal basic income scheme offering cryptocurrency
The Marshall Islands has introduced a national universal basic income (UBI) scheme that offers payments via cryptocurrency, alongside more traditional methods, which experts say is the first scheme of its kind in the world. Under the program, every resident citizen of the Pacific archipelago will receive quarterly payments of about US$200 as part of a government effort to ease cost of living pressures.
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