Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District will hold a special election on Tuesday to replace Representative Mark Green (R-TN) who resigned earlier this year. Check your registration status here. 

This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

I U.S FORCES MASS OUTSIDE VENEZUELA

The Trump administration reports more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops stationed outside Venezuela in what it says is an effort to cut down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs. Over the weekend, President Trump increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by issuing a directive on social media declaring Venezuelan airspace “closed.” President Trump has previously said that land strikes against Venezuela could be imminent. Maduro sent a letter to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) claiming the U.S. seeks to seize Venezuelan oil reserves through military force. Venezuela has conducted regular military drills over the past few weeks in response to the U.S. deployment and strikes. So far, at least 83 people have died in U.S. attacks on alleged drug boats leaving Venezuela. The Miami Herald reports that when Presidents Trump and Maduro spoke on the phone on November 21, President Trump sent a “blunt message” demanding Maduro surrender power and leave the country, offering safe passage for Maduro, his son and his wife if he agreed to resign right away. 

>> Learn more about the strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats here.

I WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING SUSPECT

One West Virginia National Guard member is dead and another remains in critical condition after what authorities are describing as an ambush-style attack in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghanistan national who entered the U.S. in 2021, is in custody. Lakanwal gained legal status as a refugee in April 2025. He previously worked as part of a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan, to the Central Intelligence Agency. CBS News reports he led a team in the former Afghan national armed forces and worked directly with U.S. and British forces during the war in Afghanistan. Lakanwal entered the country in September 2021 through a Biden administration program to assist evacuees from Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal and subsequent Taliban takeover in August 2021. After the shooting, the U.S. announced it was pausing all immigration applications for Afghan nationals. Lakanwal has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.

I U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TRAVELING TO MOSCOW TODAY

Special envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Moscow today to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Trump-proposed peace plan with Ukraine. As of Sunday evening, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized talks with Ukraine as “productive” but emphasized that there’s still “more work to be done.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron today in Paris. European leaders have pushed back on President Trump’s original peace plan. Macron is calling for “rock-solid” guarantees to Ukraine and the deployment of a “reassurance force” to help ensure Ukrainian security.

>> See what was in President Trump’s peace plan proposal here.

I PENTAGON PROBES SEN. MARK KELLY AFTER “ILLEGAL ORDERS” VIDEO

The Pentagon is investigating Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for “serious allegations of misconduct” related to a video he posted with five other Democratic lawmakers. In the video, Kelly and the other lawmakers, all of whom are former members of the military or intelligence community, asks active-duty members of the armed forces to disobey “illegal orders.” President Trump called the video “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” All six lawmakers from the video have reported receiving death threats since President Trump’s accusations. U.S. troops are told they should not follow orders that are illegal or immoral, like orders intentionally targeting unarmed civilians, as part of their training.

>> Uncover more about what the law says about illegal orders and what seditious conspiracy is here.

I GEORGIA JUDGE DISMISSES TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CHARGES

The last remaining criminal case against President Donald Trump is officially dead. A Georgia judge dismissed the case, saying “There is no realistic prospect that a sitting President will be compelled to appear in Georgia to stand trial on the allegations in this indictment.” The judge further explained that, because President Trump’s term runs through January 20, 2029, the statute of limitations on the case will have expired by the time he could be compelled to stand trial.

>> Look back at the original charges and case against President Trump in Georgia here.

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