Entertainment
America preparing to ‘seize’ more tankers off Venezuela’s coast
- Further direct interventions by US expected in coming weeks.
- Shipowners reconsidering sailing from Venezuela waters.
- Not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail: Leavitt.
HOUSTON/LONDON/WASHINGTON: The United States is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under US sanctions since 2019. It came as the US executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as US President Donald Trump pushes for Maduro’s ouster.
The latest US action has put shipowners, operators and maritime agencies involved in transporting Venezuelan crude on alert, with many reconsidering whether to sail from Venezuelan waters in the coming days as planned, shipping sources said.
Further direct interventions by the US are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by US sanctions, such as Iran, according to the sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Tanker target list
Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA did not reply to a request for comment. Venezuela’s government this week said the US seizure constituted a “theft”.
Asked whether the Trump administration planned further ship seizures, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters she would not speak about future actions but said the US would continue executing the president’s sanctions policies.
“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” she said.
The US has assembled a target list of several more sanctioned tankers for possible seizure, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.
The US Justice Department and Homeland Security had been planning the seizures for months, according to two of the people.
A reduction or halt in Venezuelan oil exports, the main generator of revenue for the Venezuelan government, would strain the Maduro government’s finances.
The US Treasury said on Thursday it imposed sanctions on six supertankers that, according to PDVSA’s internal documents and ship monitoring data, recently loaded crude in Venezuela, and on four Venezuelans, including three relatives of the country’s first lady, Cilia Flores.
It was not known whether the newly sanctioned ships were among those now targeted for interception.
Wednesday’s seizure comes after the US in recent months has carried out more than 20 strikes against what it says are drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing more than 80 people. Experts say the strikes may be illegal extrajudicial attacks, while the US says it is protecting Americans from drug cartels it has branded as terrorist organisations.
Further ship seizures could be aimed at tightening the financial screws on Maduro, according to a source briefed on US Venezuela policy. Maduro has alleged that the U . military buildup is aimed at overthrowing him and gaining control of the OPEC nation’s oil resources.
The new US tactic focuses on the activities of what is called the shadow fleet of tankers that transports sanctioned oil to China, the largest buyer of crude from Venezuela and Iran. A single vessel will often make separate runs on behalf of Iran, Venezuela and Russia, the sources added.
The seizure of the tanker, carrying the name Skipper, caused at least one shipper to temporarily suspend the voyages of three freshly loaded shipments totaling almost 6 million barrels of Venezuela’s flagship export grade, Merey, sources said.
“The cargoes were just loaded and were about to start sailing to Asia,” said a trading executive involved in dealing and shipping Venezuelan oil. “Now the voyages are cancelled and tankers are waiting off the Venezuelan coast as it’s safer to do that.”
Surveillance
US forces were monitoring tankers at sea and some vessels in Venezuelan ports, either being repaired or loaded, and waiting for them to sail into international waters before taking action, one of the sources said.
In the runup to the seizure of Skipper, which was previously sanctioned for its oil trading with Iran, US forces had stepped up surveillance of waters close to Venezuela and neighboring Guyana, another of the sources said.
At the White House, Leavitt said the seized vessel was expected to sail to a US port where the government intends to seize its cargo of oil through a formal legal process.
The timing of further seizures would partly depend on how quickly arrangements could be made for ports to receive seized ships for unloading oil cargoes, one of the sources said. Many of the vessels in the shadow fleet that transport sanctioned oil are old, their ownership is opaque and they sail without top-tier insurance coverage.
That would make many ports reluctant to receive the vessels.
Another vessel, the Seahorse, which is under UK and European Union sanctions for its oil trading links with Russia, was monitored in November by a US warship and briefly detained before sailing into Venezuela, one of the sources said.
While the Venezuelan government described the US seizure as “an act of international piracy,” legal specialists said it did not fall under such a definition under international law.
“Because the capture was endorsed and sanctioned by the US, it cannot be considered piracy,” said Laurence Atkin-Teillet, a specialist on piracy and the law of the sea at Britain’s Nottingham Law School.
“The term piracy in this context appears to be rhetorical or figurative, rather than a legal usage.”
Timothée Chalamet has offered a rare glimpse into his thoughts on marriage while addressing his relationship with girlfriend Kylie Jenner, and his response quickly caught fans’ attention.
During a recent fan interaction captured in footage shared on Sunday, Feb. 1, the actor was first asked if he currently has a girlfriend.
Chalamet answered plainly, “Yes.”
When the question turned more personal and he was asked whether he sees marriage in his future, the 30-year-old appeared momentarily taken aback before replying, “Wow. That’s so personal. You’re gonna get me in trouble, man. Yes.”
The exchange drew laughs and cheers from the crowd.
When the interviewer jokingly asked if everyone could attend the wedding, Chalamet played along, asking, “Who is we? The whole crowd?” before the interviewer suggested it might be safer to say no.
Chalamet and Jenner, 28, have been together since early 2023 and have largely kept their relationship private.
In recent months, however, the couple has been more visible, stepping out together at major events.
In December 2025, they appeared side by side in matching orange leather looks at the premiere of Chalamet’s film Marty Supreme.
Their joint appearances continued into awards season.
The couple attended both the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globe Awards together, where Chalamet won Best Actor for his performance in Marty Supreme.
During his Critics Choice acceptance speech, he publicly acknowledged Jenner, saying, “Thank you to my partner of three years. Thank you for our foundation. I love you. I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Days later, while accepting his Golden Globe, Chalamet again mentioned Jenner as he reflected on gratitude and support in his life. “For my parents, for my partner, I love you. Thank you so much,” he said.
Behind the scenes, the relationship appears to be just as serious.
An insider previously told Us Weekly that the pair are “very serious” and have “talked about getting engaged this year,” adding that Jenner sometimes jokes Chalamet is “already her husband.”
The source also described their dynamic, noting, “Kylie definitely runs the show, and Timothée loves it… It is a great balance between both of their personalities, and it works.”
Chalamet has also formed a bond with Jenner’s children, Stormi, 8, and Aire, 3, whom she shares with ex Travis Scott.
Another source shared that the kids “love him,” adding that while Jenner took time before introducing them, “now things are very normal, and he spends a lot of time with them.”
While Chalamet didn’t reveal any concrete plans, his candid response suggests that marriage is something he’s thought about, and fans are paying close attention.
Kylie Jenner reunited with her ex-boyfriend Travis Scott over the weekend to celebrate their kids’ back-to-back birthdays.
The SICKO MODE rapper went all out as he took charge of the birthday celebrations for Stormi, who turned eight years old on February 1, and Aire, who turns four the very next day.
Videos and photos from the birthday bash shared online showed a lavish fantasy land partly inspired by Travis’ Astroworld, with custom signs reading “Stormi World” and “Planet Aire” scattered throughout the venue. The proud dad even designed giant inflatable versions of his children’ s heads modeled after his iconic Astroworld mask at the venue’s entrance.
Inside the sprawling venue was a desert-themed fantasy land complete with full-scale carnival rides, including a pink roller rink and a diner. One sweet moment showed Stormi skating around an indoor roller rink while Travis stayed close, holding her hand and helping her keep her balance.
Kylie was also hands-on throughout the party, joining Travis to sing “Happy Birthday” to both kids as they stood in front of the elaborate setup.
Among the attendees was Kylie’s sister Khloe Kardashian, who shared snaps from the bash to her Instagram Stories.
The children’s grandmother, Kris Jenner, also took to Instagram to pay a special tribute. “Happy birthday to my precious Stormi and Aire! You are both loved beyond measure, and you make our world brighter every single day. Happy birthday my angels!” the matriarch wrote.
Notably missing from the festivities was Kylie’s current boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, who did not appear in any photos or videos from the event.
Kylie and Travis, who dated on and off from 2017 until 2023, once again showed that when it comes to Stormi and Aire, they’re a united front.
Promoted by President Trump as “a must watch,” the Melania Trump documentary “Melania” debuted with a better-than-expected $7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The release of “Melania” was unlike any seen before. Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the rights, plus some $35 million to market it, making it the most expensive documentary ever. Directed by Brett Ratner, who had been exiled from Hollywood since 2017, the film about the first lady debuted in 1,778 theaters in the midst of Mr. Trump’s turbulent second term.
While the result would be a flop for most films with such high costs, “Melania” was a success by documentary standards. It’s the best opening weekend for a documentary, outside of concert films, in 14 years. Going into the weekend, estimates ranged from $3 million to $5 million.
But there was little to compare “Melania” to, given that presidential families typically eschew in-office memoir or documentary releases to avoid the appearance of capitalizing on the White House. The film chronicles Melania Trump over 20 days last January, leading up to Trump’s second inauguration.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump hosted a premiere of the film at the Kennedy Center, with attendees including cabinet members and members of Congress. There, Ratner downplayed its box-office potential, noting: “You can’t expect a documentary to play in theaters.”
Mr. Trump addressed a number of political topics at the premiere event, answering reporters’ questions about the Federal Reserve, Iran, Cuba and more. The first lady told CBS News on the event’s red carpet why she believed people would connect with the documentary.
“I think you will see a lot of emotions, from humor to sadness to grief to celebration, family,” she said.
Jose Luis Magana / AP
The No. 1 movie of the weekend was Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” a critically acclaimed survival thriller starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. The Walt Disney Co. release debuted with $20 million. The film, with a $40 million budget, was an in-between kind of release for Raimi, whose hits have typically ranged from low-budget cult (“Army of Darkness”) to big-budget blockbuster (2002’s “Spider-Man”).
The microbudget sci-fi horror film “Iron Lung,” directed by YouTuber and filmmaker Markiplier, came in second with $17.9 million, far exceeding expectations. The Jason Statham action thriller “Shelter” debuted with $5.5 million.
But most of the curiosity was on how “Melania” would perform. A week earlier, the White House hosted a black-tie preview attended by Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, Apple chief executive Tim Cook and former boxer Mike Tyson.
The film arrived in a week dominated by coverage of federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“Melania” didn’t screen in advance for critics, but reviews that rolled out Friday, once the film was in theaters, weren’t good. Xan Brooks of The Guardian compared the film to a “medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.” Owen Gleiberman of Variety called it a “cheese ball informercial of staggering inertia.” Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “To say that ‘Melania’ is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies.”
But among those who bought tickets over the weekend, the response was far more positive. “Melania” landed an “A” CinemaScore. Audiences were overwhelmingly 55 and older (72% of ticket buyers), female (72%) and white (75%). As expected, the movie played best in the South, with top states including Florida and Texas.
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe, called it “an excellent opening for a political documentary.”
“For any other film, with $75 million in costs and limited foreign potential, it would be a problem,” said Gross. “But this is a political investment, not a for-profit movie venture, and if it helps Amazon with a regulatory, taxation, tariff or other government issue, then it will pay back. $75 million is insignificant to Amazon.”
“Melania” is Ratner’s first film since he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. Multiple women, including the actor Olivia Munn, accused Ratner of sexual harassment and misconduct. Ratner has denied the allegations. Last fall, after Trump’s reported intervention, Paramount Pictures said it would distribute his “Rush Hour 4.”
“Melania,” which will stream on Prime Video following its theatrical run, was released globally. Shortly before its debut, South African distributor Filmfinity said it would no longer release it. The company said it changed course “based on recent developments.”
International ticket sales for “Melania” were expected to be minuscule.
Weekend box office estimates for the U.S.
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Send Help,” $20 million.
2. “Iron Lung,” $17.9 million.
3. “Melania,” $7 million.
4. “Zootopia 2,” $5.8 million.
5. “Shelter,” $5.5 million.
6. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $5.5 million.
7. “Mercy,” $4.7 million.
8. “The Housemaid,” $3.5 million.
9. “Marty Supreme,” $2.9 million.
10. “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” $1.5 million.
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