Top congressional leaders emerged from tonight's 2+ hours classified briefing with radically different interpretations of the Trump administration's short- and long-term goals for Venezuela.

Why it matters: The two parties are deeply split on legal and constitutional justifications for the action.

• Republicans insisted the operation did not constitute an act of war. "We do not have US armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country," said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
• Democrats say Trump started a war that will have dire — and perhaps widespread — outcomes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said they did "not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries."
• The briefers included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. A broader congressional briefing is expected Wednesday, Johnson said.

The big picture: Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters lawmakers had "lots of questions" for the briefers, but he was "sufficiently satisfied with the answers to the questions."

• He called it a "a very robust discussion about the operation and ... the path forward."
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said she now had "a better understanding" of what Trump meant about the U.S. running Venezuela.

Between the lines: There are fresh fears on the Democratic side that Trump is eyeing the takeover of territory such as Greenland, after the president said this week: "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security."

• Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Az.) introduced an amendment to Congress' annual defense spending bill today to prohibit the use of funds for military force or other hostilities toward Greenland.

The bottom line: "The danger in Venezuela is only beginning," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

• "Donald Trump has opened a Pandora's box and things will get out of hand very quickly."

— Hans Nichols, Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight

House GOP leaders are teeing up a vote Thursday to override the first two vetoes of President Trump's second term.

Why it matters: It's unusual for the Republican-led Congress to openly defy Trump.

• The measures are expected to pass the House with bipartisan support, two sources told us. Given Trump's vetoes, some Republicans could peel off after initially backing the bills.
• Overriding the vetoes would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate — a rarely met threshold.

Driving the news: Trump rejected a measure to ease payments for a long-planned water pipeline supporting southeastern Colorado and another that would have expanded the Miccosukee Tribe's reserved area in the Florida Everglades, the White House announced last week.

• Both bills cleared Capitol Hill in December with bipartisan support. Politico first reported that the House would vote to override the vetoes.

Zoom in: The Miccosukee Tribe has been at odds with the White House over its plans to build its "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention center.

• Florida lawmakers in both chambers backed the bill. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said it was about "fairness and conservation."
• In his veto notice, Trump accused the tribe of obstructing his immigration policies and said the bill benefited "special interests."

The water pipeline legislation, championed by Colorado lawmakers, would provide drinking water to communities in southeastern Colorado, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

• But Trump said the bill would "continue the failed policies of the past by forcing Federal taxpayers to bear even more of the massive costs of a local water project." He added: "Enough is enough."

What they're saying: "This isn't over," Trump ally Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) posted on X after his veto. The water pipeline project sits in Boebert's district.

• A White House spokesperson referred us to Trump's statement on the veto when asked for comment on Boebert's reaction.

Between the lines: It's the latest example of Trump's clashes with MAGA women.

• Boebert defied Trump late last year when she became one of four House Republicans to sign a discharge petition forcing a vote on releasing Epstein-related files — despite White House pressure to withdraw her name.

Share this story

— Kate Santaliz

Here's a pair of eye-popping fundraising numbers from the Maine Senate race, which is shaping up to be the Montana of the 2026 cycle:

1. Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner raised $4.7 million in the final quarter of 2025, his campaign exclusively told us.
2. Pine Tree Results, a super PAC supporting Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), raised another $5 million in the second half of last year, we have learned.

Why it matters: The fundraising haul suggests Platner — a Bernie Sanders-endorsed populist who came under fire for a Nazi-linked tattoo and controversial social media posts — may have weathered the storm (at least for now.)

• Platner is vying with Gov. Janet Mills to be the Democratic nominee against Collins, who is running for her fifth term.
• Schumer has declared Mills the "best candidate" to defeat Collins.

Share this story

— Holly Otterbein and Hans Nichols