President Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers + Six Countries Join (Gaza) Board of Peace + US Senate Passes $901 Billion 2026 NDAA; Next Stop President's Desk + More

For review: 1. President Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers. 2. Speaking at an annual meeting with top military officers, Russian President Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” by diplomatic means, but he added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.” 3. Six Countries Join (Gaza) Board of Peace. The US has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join US President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace. 4. The United States Central Command hosted a conference in Qatar on Tuesday with dozens of partner nations to discuss plans for an International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip. Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Italy, France, the UK, and Azerbaijan were among the attendees. Other countries at the summit included Cyprus, Georgia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Jordan, Japan, Greece, Singapore, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Morocco, Bahrain, Bosnia, Finland, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Spain, and Yemen. 5. Senators voted 77-20 on a bipartisan basis to send this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will sign the bill. The 2026 NDAA authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House’s request.