Why it matters: That offer, made weeks ago during separate talks in Barbados involving top Maduro officials — Communications Minister Jorge Rodríguez and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez — is considered a key breakthrough since the regime has publicly said it wouldn’t be pressured into holding a new vote, according to WSJ.

The big picture: As Swan first reported, the WSJ said alleged drug lord and top Maduro aide Diosdado Cabello has been playing a key role in the talks. He aims to negotiate for U.S. assurances that he and others can remain in politics in Venezuela to take part in elections and not face sanctions if the regime loses power, the WSJ reports.

• Venezuela and Maduro's regime have been crippled by U.S. sanctions, which President Trump expanded this month to include a total economic embargo.

What they're saying: Trump told reporters Tuesday that officials in his administration were "in touch" with Maduro regime members "at a very high level." "We're talking to various representatives of Venezuela," he said.

• Maduro said in a televised address Tuesday, translated by the British news outlet The Times, that the talks had taken place for months "with my express and direct permission."

Go deeper: Embargo on Venezuela pits U.S. against China and Russia

Dangerous and unusual military moves are now on the horizon, which would trigger a new cold war on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

The big picture: The spokesperson said Pyongyang hoped to resolve all issues peacefully through dialogue and negotiation. "However, dialogue accompanied by military threats is of no interest to us."

Context: The statement attributed to a North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, run in full on the state-run KCNA news agency, was addressing the Pentagon's successful test of a midrange cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California, on Sunday.

• The test was the first of its kind since the U.S. officially pulled out of the Cold War-era Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia, under which it would have been prohibited.

Go deeper: Ignoring North Korean missile tests could hamper nuclear talks

It's become clear that I'm not going to be carrying the ball, I'm not going to be the president so I’m withdrawing tonight from the race.

Details: Inslee told Maddow he would not endorse any particular candidate and that he would support whomever the Democratic presidential candidate is.

What's next? Inslee would not be drawn on his future plans, telling Maddow he would make an announcement Thursday. AP reports that he will announce in an email to supporters Thursday that he will seek a third term as governor, citing 2 people close him.

The big picture: Inslee is the third Democrat to end his presidential bid after Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

• Inslee quit ahead of CNN's climate change town hall in September. He said during an interview with Vox on Tuesday he thinks his team has "raised the bar and driven the other candidates to be more ambitious" on the issue of climate change.

"We forced the debate onto the stage; it wasn’t there when we started. So now you have the Democratic Party at least having a vote on whether they’re going to have a [climate] debate, and you have two major networks fostering debate. I don’t see evidence that that would have happened without us."

What they're saying: Several Democratic presidential candidates tweeted tributes to Inslee's achievement in making climate change a key focus of the race, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.