Talk of the Town
(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a post on X, said the Pentagon will hold Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly accountable under the military code of justice for “conduct [that] was seditious in nature,” referring to a video Kelly participated in that told United States service members they have a right to refuse unlawful orders.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) – At a Mar-a-Lago news conference Saturday morning, hours after he ordered a military strike in Venezuela and the capture of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, President Donald Trump started off calling it an anti-drug law enforcement operation.
His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said “at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice.”
But Trump’s framing of the issue appeared to quickly expand when he stunned observers by saying the U.S. was going to “run the country” temporarily, even if that involved troops on the ground, that American companies would soon start selling the country’s vast oil reserves, and that it was part of an overall strategy of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
While Trump said that the U.S. would “make Venezuela great again,” when asked repeatedly about the specifics of America’s role, including a possible timetable, Trump gave few specifics.
“We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly. We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars. It will be paid for by the oil companies directly. They will be reimbursed for what they’re doing, but that’s going to be paid,” Trump said.
Later, a U.S. official told ABC News what it would look like for the U.S. to “run” Venezuela.
The official said top Trump officials will continue to diplomatically engage with those remaining in the Venezuelan government, that the administration will engage with oil executives to begin oil expansion in the country and that the U.S. military will remain postured and ready, and that the oil embargo would remain in effect.
American boots on the ground possible
The president brushed off questions about concerns about the length and logistics of the U.S. operation.
Trump was asked about whether U.S. troops would be on the ground in order to “run” Venezuela and indicated he could use the military to make sure it’s run “properly.”
“Well, you know, they always say, ‘boots on the ground, oh.’ So, we’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” he said. “We had boots on the ground last night at a very high level. Actually, we’re not afraid of it. We don’t mind saying it, but we’re going to make sure that that country is run properly.”
When pressed again later, Trump suggested that the only U.S. presence will pertain “to oil,” suggesting the presence will be American oil companies.
“We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused by that country,” he said.
The president also suggested that U.S. forces remain “ready” to carry out a “much bigger” second-wave attack on Venezuela.
Trump faced pushback from Democrats over his announcement.
“The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans,” Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.”
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who is leaving Congress Monday following a fallout with Trump, slammed the president over his actions.
“Americans disgust [sic] with our own government’s never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going,” she said in a statement. “This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end.”
When pressed about how taking the action in Venezuela is “America First,” Trump said that it was for the U.S. to surround itself with “good neighbors,” and “energy.”
Trump’s comments during the news conference were a far cry from his previous rhetoric in the weeks leading up to the strike in the Venezuelan capital, in which he condemned Maduro and his regime for allegedly contributing to drug trafficking, a charge Maduro has repeatedly denied..
Trump makes case using Monroe Doctrine
The president has reaffirmed and expanded his policy of a modern version of the Monroe Doctrine declared in 1823, the notion that views America as the dominant leader in the Western Hemisphere.
“All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy, dating back more than two centuries, and not anymore, all the way back. It dated to the Monroe Doctrine,” he said.
“And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the ‘Donroe Doctrine,'” the president added, playing off his name.
Trump’s comments Saturday came after he released a message in December that he called the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, saying that “the American people — not foreign nations nor globalist institutions — will always control their own destiny in our hemisphere.”
Foreign leaders in Russia, Cuba and Russia denounced Saturday’s strike.
“Venezuela should be guaranteed the right to determine its own fate without any destructive, especially military intervention from outside. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and support for the course of their Bolivarian leadership aimed at protecting the national interests and sovereignty of the country,” the Russian foreign ministry said in statement.
Trump does not back opposition leader
When asked about whether he’d support opposition head María Corina Machado to become the country’s new leader, Trump dismissed the possibility.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” Trump said.
Machado put out a statement Saturday praising Maduro’s removal.
“Today we are ready to take over power. We remain vigilant, active, and organized until a democratic transition is concrete. A transition that needs ALL of us,” she said. “To Venezuelans inside our country, be ready to mobilize what we will soon communicate to you through our official channels.”
Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, told reporters last month that she would return to the country “when we believe the security conditions are right, and it won’t depend on whether or not the regime leaves.”
After winning the prize, she posted a statement on X where she dedicated the prize to “to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
When asked how soon he wanted to see Venezuela hold elections, Trump indicated that he wants to see if it happens quickly, but noted that it “takes a period of time.”
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return in a speech on state TV. Trump had said “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
“We had already warned that an aggression was underway under false excuses, under false pretexts, and that the masks had fallen and it had only one objective: regime change in Venezuela — and the capture of our energy, mineral, and natural resources,” Rodriguez said in Spanish.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) encouraged federal employees across the government — including at the Departments of Labor, Justice and Education — to create out-of-office email messages denouncing “Democrat Senators” for causing the government shutdown, multiple sources confirmed to ABC News.
In addition to the public statements on federal websites blaming the “radical left” for the shutdown, out-of-office automatic replies from the Department of Labor said the following:
“Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume,” the text of an email template provided to furloughed Department of Labor employees said.
Department of Labor email text
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provided the following template language to establish employees’ out-of-office notifications.
“Furloughed Employees: Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume,” the text read.
A template for essential federal employees, which the government refers to as “expected” employees, used similar language. Federal employees within the Departments of Justice and Education told ABC News they also received messages with similar language.
Excepted Employees: Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. I am only permitted to perform work that, by law, may continue to be performed during a lapse in appropriations. Therefore, I may not be able to respond to your message at this time. As soon as funding is restored, I will return your message.
The approach appears to differ with each agency. Some federal departments did not send out any out-of-office email guidance.
However, multiple furloughed employees at the Department of Education report their out-of-office replies were automatically reset to mimic the language above – without their permission.
“They changed our out-of-office message… [They] did it after everyone left,” one department of education staffer told ABC News. “[I’m] so pissed,” they said.
The employee added, “We as career government employees need to be neutral when carrying out our jobs. This is such bull—-.”
Several federal workers, including the education department staffer, expressed concern to ABC News that adding the messages to their email accounts would violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities during their official duties.
The education department employee, furious about the message, stressed that federal workers are supposed to “serve all people of this country.”
The employee continued, “That [automatic reply] message is what anyone seeking assistance from a government worker is going to see.”
Similarly, when emailing the White House press office recently, ABC News received an automatic response that read, “Due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown, the typical 24/7 monitoring of this press inbox may experience delays… as you await a response, please remember this could have been avoided if the Democrats voted for the clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government open.”
The education department’s press office is also using the nearly identical automatic reply that OMB had provided to the Department of Labor. However, some automatic replies from individual press officers within the agency said that due to a “lapse in appropriations,” they would attempt to reply if it is allowable as an “excepted activity.”
Department of Education press office email text
“Thank you for contacting the press team. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations, we are currently in furlough status. We will respond to emails once government functions resume,” the text read.
In addition, when submitting a request for comment at the State Department, an automated message was sent to ABC News that stated, “Thank you for your inquiry. Please note that responses may be delayed due to the government shutdown caused by congressional Democrats.”
A State Department official told ABC News that some staffers who had been furloughed had similar messaging in their automated “out of office” replies, blaming the furlough on democrats.
And on its website, under a bright red banner, the State Department notes that website updates will be limited due to the “Democrat-led” shutdown, seemingly in line with messaging seen on websites across agencies in Washington.
The political messaging is exceedingly rare coming from the State Department, which for decades has conducted itself as a largely apolitical entity with career-based staff who typically remain nonpartisan. Meanwhile, scores of federal employees are expected to be fired as a result of the shutdown by the end of the week, administration officials said.
ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to uphold the president’s removal of the Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter from her influential post earlier this year inside the Library of Congress that oversees and enforces the United States’ copyright system.
The request is the latest appeal to the justices over President Donald Trump’s expansive view of presidential control over the federal government. Next month, the Supreme Court will consider the president’s ability to fire members of independent federal agencies without cause; early next year, it will also examine the president’s control over members of the Federal Reserve.
Under federal law, the Register of Copyrights is appointed by and reports to the Librarian of Congress, who in turn is appointed by the president for a 10-year term after confirmation by the Senate.
Trump fired the Biden-appointed Librarian Carla Hayden without cause shortly after taking office and replaced her on an acting basis with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Blanche then removed Perlmutter.
Perlmutter alleges Blanche lacks the authority to remove her.
A federal appeals court in a 2-1 decision ordered Perlmutter reinstated, concluding the offices of Librarian of Congress and Register of Copyrights are “legislative officers” not “executive officers” under the Constitution — both requiring congressional input.
The administration is asking the justices to overturn that decision — at least on an interim basis — and ultimately to take up the bigger legal questions surrounding the status of the Library of Congress and those who lead it.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.