The Trump administration sketches out its vision for Venezuela, a Minnesota hotel attempts to ban ICE, and lawmakers are putting other states under a microscope amid the rampant fraud in Minnesota.

It’s Wednesday, January 7, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:

Trump’s Plan For Venezuela

As Nicolás Maduro prepares to stand trial in the United States, President Donald Trump’s plan for Venezuela is beginning to take shape. In the immediate aftermath of the operation to arrest Maduro, the president turned heads when he said the United States planned to “run” the country. But it now appears the administration prefers to control Venezuela through a pressure campaign.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim authorities will transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States.

The White House reportedly has three priorities. First, a government-led crackdown on drug cartels that for years have acted with impunity throughout the country. Second, Washington wants Maduro’s replacement, Delcy Rodriguez, to loosen Caracas’ relationship with Iran, Cuba, and other adversaries. Finally, Trump wants the regime to stop the sale of oil to countries such as Cuba and Russia and open up access for American companies.

Immigration Agents Surge To Minnesota

The Trump administration has sent roughly 2,000 immigration agents to Minnesota as the federal government doubles down on its fraud crackdown. Officers from across the country received orders over the weekend to head to Minnesota “ASAP” to assist in a major immigration operation. At the same time, Homeland Security Investigations agents are expected to aid in fraud investigations after federal prosecutors found that dozens of Somali immigrants living in Minnesota were allegedly tied to a multibillion-dollar swindling scheme. More than 90 people have been charged since 2021, and more than 60 have been convicted.

Trump Expands Probes Into Blue State Fraud

Following the latest Minnesota fraud scandal, there’s now a nationwide push to crack down on fraud in other states. Five blue states, including California, are among the targets of the Trump administration’s probe into fraud. The Department of Health and Human Services said it is suspending certain welfare payments while investigations proceed. The Minnesota scandal brought social-service fraud into the national spotlight and accelerated the crackdown. In addition, the state of Texas is launching its own proactive investigation into childcare payments to assess the extent to which social-service fraud may be defrauding taxpayers in the Lone Star State.