THE OIL TRADE: As the government in Venezuela cracks down on dissent, arrests journalists, and independent armed militia patrol the streets, President Trump announced on his Truth Social last night that, “I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America.”

  He didn’t announce a deal to cut off drug traffic or set a date for free elections in Venezuela. He said the US is taking oil.

  For what reason and under what legal authority Trump did not explain how this would happen.

  The President wrote that, “This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” He did not elaborate on why, if the oil is given to the US, he would have control of the money without Congressional approval.

ART OF THE STEAL: Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of Congress that President Trump plans to buy Greenland from Denmark rather than take it by force, The NY Times reports. Trump has spoken since his first term of a national security need to acquire Greenland. 

  Rubio delivered the word to members of the armed services and foreign policy committees in both chambers of Congress. The subject came up in hearings about the Venezuela situation in light of Trump’s comments over the weekend that the US must own Greenland.

  Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the US. But White House Press Secretary Karoline said the President has not ruled out a US invasion. “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal,” she said.

  Of course, that’s appalling to American allies. Six leaders of  NATO countries backed Denmark’s Prime Minister  Mette Frederiksen in a declaration that, “Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.” Those countries aligned with Denmark are Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland.

BALANCE OF POWER: The Republican majority in the House is down to five seats following the death yesterday of California’s seven-term Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa and resignation of Georgia’s formerly firebrand Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

  LaMalfa’s district was redrawn with a California voter proposition, making it more likely to go Democrat in a special election that must be held within 140 days.

  The Georgia election to replace Greene is set for March 10. Her district is solidly Republican but the election will likely measure their mood.

THE REGIME: 

— The White House posted a new web page re-writing the history of the January 6^th insurrection, claiming “Democrats masterfully reversed reality after January 6, branding peaceful patriotic protesters as ‘insurrectionists’ and framing the event as a violent coup attempt orchestrated by Trump—despite no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government.”  It says, “This gaslighting narrative allowed them to persecute innocent Americans, silence opposition, and distract from their own role in undermining democracy.”

— President Trump endorsed a Republican candidate seeking to unseat Rep. Henry Cuellar, posting an angry screed about the Texas Democrat he pardoned last month. 

  In his endorsement of Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, Trump denounced Cuellar for “disloyalty” over his decision to seek re-election as a Democrat after having been pardoned and suggesting he might switch parties. Trump pardoned Cuellar after receiving a pandering letter from the representative’s two adult daughters. 

  Cuellar had faced a dozen charges of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy but Trump wrote, “The Biden Administration practiced Political Weaponization on Cuellar and his wife because they didn’t agree with his policies on the Southern Border.”  

— The Pentagon is opening a six-month examination of women in ground combat positions to ensure what it calls the “effectiveness” of several thousand female soldiers and Marines in infantry, armor, and artillery, NPR reports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is on record saying women have no place in combat.

THE OBIT PAGE: Aldrich Ames, the Benedict Arnold of the CIA who was serving a life sentence for feeding US secrets to the Soviet Union, died at age 84 in a federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland.

  Considered mediocre in the spook trade, Ames nonetheless rose to become chief of the counterintelligence branch of the C.I.A.’s Soviet division … and an agent for the Russians. In exchange for $2.7 million, Ames gave up the names of agents working for the US in the Soviet Union. Ten spies were executed, one went to prison, and two escaped steps ahead of the feared KGB. A man with a reputation for drinking lunch, he gave up other US agents and operations as well and couldn’t recall all the secrets he had revealed.

  Ames turned to the Soviets in 1985 and, despite his having inexplicable wealth, the CIA didn’t wake up to his betrayal until 1994. He admitted to The NY Times that his betrayal sentenced himself to a living death: “The men I sold. … What happened to them also happened to me.”  

THE SPIN RACK: Some of the 100 stores in the Wegman’s grocery chain, including the one at Broadway and 8th Street in New York, are using cameras and facial recognition software to identify customers. The company says.” This technology is solely used for keeping our stores secure and safe.” 

BELOW THE FOLD:  A bluefin tuna weighing 535 pounds sold at auction in Japan for a record $3.2 million to Kiyoshi Kimura, the sushi chain owner known as the “Tuna King.”  Great, but we prefer the California roll.

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