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Hello Monday!
Hello, Curse and Coffee friends,
Today, we explore Trump’s South America takeover.
Hit reply and let us know what you think (we read all of your kind words).
Coffee at the ready…
The Big Sip
The take: The US invaded Venezuela on Saturday, threatened Colombia on Sunday, and signalled Cuba is next — all without congressional approval.
What happened: President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that a military operation against Colombia "sounds good to me" — doubling down on Saturday's warning that Petro should "watch his ass."
Why it matters: Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately called Cuba "a huge problem" and said they're "in a lot of trouble" (refusing to rule out military action against Havana).
What to watch: The UN Security Council meets Monday at Colombia's request, backed by Russia and China, as Democrats force a war powers vote in the Senate this week.
The Monroe Doctrine is back. Trump rebranded it the "Donroe Doctrine." At this rate, the hemisphere will be done by Valentine's Day.
Sponsor Break
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Here’s Your Brew
The speed is the strategy.
Saturday 2 am: US forces strike Caracas, capture Maduro and his wife, and fly them to the USS Iwo Jima.
By breakfast, Trump is posting photos. By lunch, he's announcing the US will "run" Venezuela until there's a "safe transition."
Saturday afternoon: Asked about Colombia's president, Trump says Petro should "watch his ass" because "he's making cocaine."
Sunday: Aboard Air Force One, Trump calls Colombia "very sick" and says a military operation there "sounds good to me." Rubio tells NBC that Cuba is "in a lot of trouble."
The administration's legal theory: this wasn't a war, it was an arrest. The 150 aircraft were there to "protect those executing the warrant." The US Marshals must feel inadequate.
Democrats are calling it illegal. Six allied nations are calling it a dangerous precedent.
The Pentagon is calling it a warm-up.
Two Sides, One Mug
→ Pro-administration: Maduro was indicted for narco-terrorism in 2020. This was law enforcement, not regime change. Cuba and Colombia are legitimate security concerns.
→ Anti-administration: The Constitution requires congressional authorization for military force. "Arrest warrant" doesn't cover bombing a capital city. This sets a precedent that any nation can exploit.
→ Our read: If capturing Maduro was about drugs, why is Trump demanding "total access" to Venezuela's oil?
Receipt of the Day
Source: Colombian President Gustavo Petro, X, January 4, 2026
"Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump. That is not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people's struggle for Peace in Colombia."
Why it matters: Petro warned that if attacked, Colombians will "head to the mountains and arm themselves" to become "invisible like the jaguar." Colombia's election is in March. Petro's term ends in July. The timing isn't coincidental.
Spit Take
Saturday: Venezuela. Sunday: Colombia. Monday: UN Security Council.
Your Coffee Break Links (and water cooler chatter)
📎 How the Maduro capture actually worked: 150 aircraft, months of CIA tracking, a nighttime raid on Caracas. General Dan Caine called it "an extraction so precise" it defied the word "integration." (Euronews)
📎 The GOP split you didn't expect: Marjorie Taylor Greene called the operation a betrayal of MAGA, asking why Trump pardoned Honduras's convicted drug trafficker but invaded Venezuela for the same crime. (NBC News)
📎 Cuba's body count: Havana says 32 Cubans were killed in the Venezuela operation — security forces who guarded Maduro. Rubio's response: "If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned." (ABC News)
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