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"U.S. seizes oil tankers, The U.S. plans to control Venezuelan oil, and Trump officials flip the food pyramid."

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January 7, 2026

	By Matthew Cullen

Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

The U.S. plans to control Venezuelan oil Trump officials flip the food pyramid Plus, an Oscar curse could be broken

The tanker formerly known as the Bella 1, which was seized today. Hakon Rimmereid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Pressuring Venezuela, the U.S. seized two oil tankers

In two separate operations today, the U.S. military seized a pair of oil tankers that had attempted to evade the Trump administration’s crackdown on Venezuela’s oil industry.

One of the tankers was seized in the North Atlantic, between Scotland and Iceland, after a weekslong pursuit. Its crew had begun flying a Russian flag in a last-ditch effort to avoid its seizure, and Russia had dispatched a vessel to escort the ship. Today’s capture escalated a confrontation with Moscow, days after U.S. troops ousted Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, a Russian ally.

U.S. officials said that the military had intercepted the second tanker in international waters in the Caribbean, where it was “conducting illicit activities.” It was loaded with Venezuelan crude, according to companies that track oil shipments.

The seizures came as the Trump administration outlined plans to impose its will on Venezuela. The White House press secretary said that any actions taken by Venezuela’s interim government “are going to be dictated by the United States of America.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a three-step plan for Venezuela’s near future that included “stabilizing” the country by seizing and selling some 30 to 50 million barrels of oil — about $1.8 to $3 billion worth — with the U.S. controlling how the money would be dispersed. The energy secretary, Chris Wright, said earlier that the U.S. would oversee the sale of Venezuela’s oil “indefinitely.”

In related news:

Repression in Venezuela has intensified. Security forces have boarded buses, searched phones and interrogated people, hunting for anyone supporting the U.S. intervention. During the U.S. raid to capture Maduro, an American helicopter was hit and a flight leader was seriously injured. The operation hung in the balance. Read the details here.

The scene of the shooting in south Minneapolis today. David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

An ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis

A federal officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis today during an immigration enforcement operation. In the aftermath, hundreds of angry residents gathered to protest against ICE. Here’s the latest.

Videos of the shooting verified by The Times show two federal agents trying to get a woman — who officials identified as Renee Nicole Good — to exit a vehicle that is partially blocking a road. The driver reverses, then pulls forward and begins to turn. A third agent pulls out a gun and aims it at the driver, then fires three times.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said the agent had opened fire after a woman “weaponized her vehicle” in an attempt to kill federal officers. The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, said that account was “bullshit.” He described the shooting instead as “an agent recklessly using power.”

Eric Lee for The New York Times

Kennedy flips the food pyramid with new dietary advice

The Trump administration released new dietary guidelines today that flip the food pyramid on its head, putting steak, cheese and whole milk near the top. The new advice urges Americans to prioritize protein and avoid sugary, processed foods. “My message is clear: Eat real food,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary.

On some points, the guidance offers striking reversals: Americans are being told to embrace red meat and foods high in fats, after years of being told to avoid them. Other points are familiar — eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

The recommendations also changed the longstanding advice on alcohol, from a specific daily cap to a more vague call to “limit” drinking.

Click the video to watch. The New York Times

Los Angeles is still a long way away from full recovery

It has been exactly one year since wildfires erupted in Los Angeles, claiming at least 31 lives, destroying more than 16,000 buildings and obliterating almost everything across a nearly 80 square mile area.

Schools have begun to reopen, and debris has been trucked away by the ton. But the disaster remains a raw wound. More than 70 percent of residents who were displaced remain so.

For more: The fires in Los Angeles devastated the homes of two of my colleagues at Wirecutter. They talked about their path to recovery.

More top news

Business: Warner Bros. Discovery advised its shareholders to reject Paramount’s latest buyout offer, arguing that Netflix’s bid was safer. Middle East: Saudi Arabia struck Yemen after a separatist leader declined to fly to Riyadh for talks. Court: Nick Reiner’s high-profile lawyer, Alan Jackson, removed himself as Reiner was set to be arraigned in the murder of his parents. College: Citing new curriculum limits about race and gender, administrators at Texas A&M old told a philosophy professor to cut some lessons on Plato. Justice Department: Nearly two-thirds of the lawyers in the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan are spending all or most of their time reviewing files about Jeffrey Epstein. Newspapers: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced that it will cease operations. Health: Companies have rushed tests for biological markers of autism to the market, despite limited evidence that they work. Antarctica: I wrote yesterday about my colleagues’ journey to the continent’s fastest melting glacier. Today, they arrived.

THE EVENING QUIZ

This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link is free.)

Which Democratic state governor abandoned their bid for re-election this week?

Katie Hobbs Ned Lamont Tim Walz Wes Moore

TIME TO UNWIND

Sony Pictures Classics; Searchlight Pictures; A24

Timothée Chalamet is up against an Oscar curse

Timothée Chalamet’s performance as a magnetic, striving table-tennis player in “Marty Supreme” is among the best work of his career. He is all but certain to earn his third Oscar nomination for it. Winning the award for best actor, however, could be more challenging.

Oscar voters have almost never handed the prize to a man as young as Chalamet. Our awards season columnist, Kyle Buchanan, has experienced firsthand how voters brush off younger stars.

For more: Featured alongside Chalamet in “Marty Supreme” is Abel Ferrara, a legend of New York cinema who is out with a frank memoir about his wild career.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Her class on sex is the most popular course on campus

Nicole McNichols, a professor at the University of Washington, has been teaching a class on human sexuality for the last 15 years. About 4,000 students take her course, and there’s always a waiting list.

McNichols appeared on our Modern Love podcast to talk about the most important lessons she has learned. For one, she said, pleasure is important. However, McNichols added, most of what people are taught about sex is wrong. Listen to or read their conversation here.

Vincent Alban/The New York Times

Dinner table topics

Power in silence: The Albanian Greek director Mario Banushi creates plays that don’t include words. He told us why. Books to watch for: My colleagues previewed the novels and nonfiction that everyone will be talking about this year. Modern parenting: Robot cars have come for the kids. To be or not to be: The Shakespearean monologue has long informed the movies, often in surprising ways.

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

Armando Rafael for The New York Times

Cook: These jerk sweet potato street fries are bursting with flavor.

Read: “The Spy in the Archive” tells the story of an unlikely hero within the K.G.B.

Listen: Check out the songs that resonated with Times readers over the last year.

Learn: Doctors and researchers want to correct these nine myths about women’s health.

Move: Use these tests to measure your agility, and improve it.

Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.

ONE LAST THING

The Canyon Spirit train on its route through Ruby Canyon, which runs along the Colorado River on the Utah-Colorado border. via Canyon Spirit

Are trains now the most opulent way to travel?

Luxury travelers appear to be increasingly eager to ride the rails, where lavishly designed trains can conjure the feeling of being transported back to a slower, more genteel era.

For $10,207 per person, the La Dolce Vita Orient Express will bring you through the hills of Piedmont region, in cars that evoke the glamour of Italy in the 1960s and ’70s. The Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, starting at $50,700 per person, guides you on a 22-day journey between Beijing and Uzbekistan as you enjoy two dining cars, and heated bathroom floors.

Have a grand evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Eli Cohen was our photo editor.

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.

Writer: Matthew Cullen Editor: Whet Moser

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