Venezuela oil deal, Strait of Hormuz · Sep 3

U.S. takes majority control of Venezuelan oil reserves.

Today's events

Venezuela oil deal.
Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth signed a deal giving the U.S. majority control of more than 65 billion barrels across 17 Venezuelan fields, most previously Russian- or Chinese-operated.¹Sep 2 · WH
G20 technology statement.
China, Russia and the other members adopted a consensus statement and “Carolina Principles” on artificial intelligence and emerging technology at a Commerce-hosted ministerial in Chapel Hill.²Sep 2 · WH
Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio said U.S. forces destroyed the mines Iran laid, that Tehran has “lost control of the straits,” and that the shipping lanes are now broader.³Sep 1 · State
Exploited software flaws.
CISA added seven actively exploited vulnerabilities to its catalog, including a command-injection flaw in SonicWall's SMA1000 appliances; federal civilian agencies must prioritize fixing them.⁴Sep 2 · CISA
Space Academy order.
Executive Order 14423 created a presidential commission, chaired by NASA's administrator, to plan a United States Space Academy training astronauts, engineers, operators and space warfighters.⁵Sep 3 · Fed. Reg.
Election emergency.
Trump extended for a year the 2018 national emergency over foreign interference in U.S. elections, citing covert propaganda and unauthorized access to election infrastructure.⁶Sep 2 · Fed. Reg.
Welfare reporting opinion.
Justice Department lawyers withdrew a 1998 opinion, ruling that every agency in a state taking federal welfare funds must report known illegal aliens to Homeland Security.⁷Sep 2 · DOJ
Nicaragua constitution.
The State Department said Nicaragua's captive assembly again rewrote the constitution to entrench Ortega and Murillo, and urged international partners to end business-as-usual dealings.⁸Sep 2 · State
Türkiye space pact.
Türkiye became the 71st country to sign the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led principles for civil space exploration, at a ceremony at NASA headquarters.⁹Sep 1 · State

Allied Governments

Ukraine at the U.N.
Britain's U.N. ambassador said Russia fired at least 429 missiles into Ukraine in July alone, double the month before; nearly 17,000 civilians have died since 2022.^aSep 1 · UK FCDO
European defence talks.
NATO's deputy secretary general took part in talks with European Union defence ministers in Ireland.^bSep 2 · NATO
Trilateral disaster relief.
Japan hosted diplomatic, defense and disaster-relief officials from the United States and South Korea in Tokyo, agreeing on rapid information-sharing when disasters strike overseas.^cSep 3 · Japan MoFA

Voices

“President Trump has re-established the Monroe Doctrine, purging foreign malign influence from our backyard and ensuring American dominance in our hemisphere is never again questioned.”
White House statement · Sep 2¹

“Achieving consensus in the G20 is no small feat, but the topic of innovation as a driver of growth brought us together for a historic moment of unity.”
Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick · Sep 2²

“We were able to successfully destroy those mines, and so the shipping lanes are now even broader.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio · Sep 1³

“American superiority in space depends on the strength, skill, and character of those who explore, secure, and build the industries critical to it.”
Executive Order 14423 · Sep 3⁵

“Foreign powers have historically sought to exploit America's free and open political system.”
Presidential notice on election interference · Sep 2⁶

“Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.”
AAG T. Elliot Gaiser, DOJ Office of Legal Counsel · Sep 2⁷

Sources

White House, “President Trump Secures the Biggest Oil Deal in World History,” September 2026. whitehouse.gov/releases/…/biggest-oil-deal-in-world-history
White House, “G20 Innovation Ministerial Concludes with Consensus Statement,” September 2026. whitehouse.gov/releases/…/g20-innovation-ministerial
U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Brian Kilmeade on The Brian Kilmeade Show,” September 1, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-kilmeade-interview
CISA, “CISA Adds Seven Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog,” September 2, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/…/seven-known-exploited-vulnerabilities
Federal Register, “Establishing the United States Space Academy” (Executive Order 14423 of August 28, 2026), published September 3, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/eo-14423-space-academy
Federal Register, “Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Foreign Interference in or Undermining Public Confidence in United States Elections,” September 2, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/election-interference-emergency
U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Justice Department Clarifies Duty of States to Report Known Illegal Aliens Under Welfare-Reform Law,” September 2, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/welfare-reform-reporting-opinion
U.S. Dept. of State, “Responding to the Murillo-Ortega Dictatorship's Legislative Sham,” September 2, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/murillo-ortega-legislative-sham
U.S. Dept. of State, “United States Welcomes Türkiye's Signing of the Artemis Accords,” September 1, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/turkiye-artemis-accords

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “Russia's actions do not change Ukraine's sovereignty, nor rewrite her borders: UK statement at the UN General Assembly,” September 1, 2026. gov.uk/government/speeches/…/uk-statement-unga-ukraine
NATO, “NATO Deputy Secretary General participates in talks with EU Defence Ministers in Ireland,” September 2, 2026. nato.int/news/…/dsg-eu-defence-ministers-ireland
Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Japan-U.S.-ROK Consultations on International Disaster Relief,” September 3, 2026. mofa.go.jp/press/release/…/japan-us-rok-disaster-relief