Natalie Kitroff

Can you just walk us through what the U.S.

actually gets out of potentially controlling Venezuelan oil reserves?

Okay, so geopolitical benefit.

Yeah, and we've seen the Trump administration explicitly acknowledge that that is the goal of its foreign policy in this recent document that it put out, its national security strategy, to establish itself, the United States, as the predominant power in the Western Hemisphere.

So how are China and Russia responding to this?

Why would they do that?

Why aren't they coming out more forcefully in defense of Venezuela and against this action by the U.S., which theoretically would expand American power?

It's fascinating.

It sounds like basically an acceptance by these two great powers that, yes, carving up the world into spheres of influence works well for them, too.

Anatoly, given everything you've told us, do you think we're more likely or less likely to see military action on the ground in Venezuela than we were before the seizures of the tankers started?

Because I think all of this action against Venezuela is really concerning for people who don't want to see a war.

We've now seen dozens of boats blown up, American aircraft carriers and other warships kind of positioned around Venezuela.

We keep hearing that Trump is open to land strikes.

Bottom line, are we seeing this ratchet up or cool off militarily?

Well, Anatoly, thank you so much.

Here's what else you need to know today.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to allow the Trump administration to send hundreds of National Guard troops into the Chicago area.

It was a rare departure from recent cases where the conservative majority has sided with Trump in early tests of presidential power.

The order is preliminary, but it casts doubt on the viability of similar deployments in other cities and likely will set ground rules for legal challenges in Portland and Los Angeles.

And the Trump administration says it will begin the process of seizing pay from student loan borrowers who are in default, starting as soon as next month.