That’s right: 34 years after lawmakers said “yes” to using force to push Iraqi occupiers out of Kuwait, 23 years after they approved sending the military into Iraq to topple Saddam, and 14 years after officially declaring the war over, Congress may finally be getting around to taking those authorizations off the books.

The Venezuelan defense minister has vowed to respond to U.S. "sovereignty" threats as pressure on Caracas mounts.

Only seven miles separate Venezuela from the twin-island Caribbean nation at their closest point. It has two main airports: Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has been subject to a cyberattack, it said on Monday, adding its operations were unaffected, even though four sources said systems remained down and oil cargo deliveries were suspended.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado was injured last week while leaving Venezuela to receive her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, according to Norwegian news outlet Aftenposten.

With the economy in ruins, and U.S. military forces off the coast, uncertainty and rumors mark life in Venezuela, dampening the yuletide mood.