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** The Legality of Military Action in Venezuela
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Contradicting claims of fact by politicians are often good opportunities for fact-checkers like us to step in and referee. But in some cases, competing claims boil down to matters of interpretation.

Such was the case when Democrats accused the Trump administration of violating both domestic and international law in the Jan. 3 military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

“It’s clearly illegal under international law, right?” Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Jan. 4. “Full stop. U.N. charter. No question there.”

In an interview on CNN on Jan. 5, Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called the military action “blatantly illegal.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, claimed it was “a violation of the law to do what they did without getting the authorization of Congress.”

White House officials defended the legality of the military action, arguing in part that the use of force was permitted via the United Nations Charter’s exception in cases of self-defense. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for example, argued Maduro’s alleged cooperation with drug traffickers amounted to “direct threats to the United States.” Trump officials also insisted there was no legal need to notify Congress of the impending military action.

Sometimes the best we can do in these cases of differing legal interpretations is cite the facts and relevant laws, and solicit the expertise of legal experts.

That’s what Deputy Director Rob Farley and Staff Writer D’Angelo Gore did this week in their article, “Exploring the Legality Questions About Venezuela Military Strike ([link removed]) .” They cited the applicable language in the U.N. Charter and the U.S. Constitution, as well as in a 1989 legal opinion cited by administration officials, and they asked experts whether those laws applied and whether the Trump military operation ran afoul of those laws.

Several experts on international law told us the military action was a clear violation of the U.N. Charter, which prohibits unjustified uses of military force by one country against another. And, they argued, the military action did not meet the charter’s exception for self-defense in response to an “armed attack.”

Experts also previously told us that the U.S. Constitution, according to an originalist interpretation, requires congressional approval for such use of force abroad. In practice, however, they noted that multiple presidents have unilaterally ordered military action without input from lawmakers.

See our full story ([link removed]) for more.
SciCheck
Many doctors agree with the Food and Drug Administration’s November decision to remove the black box warnings on at least some forms of hormone therapy used to treat the symptoms of menopause. But FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misleadingly extolled the benefits of menopausal hormone therapy in preventing cardiovascular disease and dementia. MHT is not currently recommended for those uses. Read more: "Makary, RFK Jr. Exaggerate Chronic Disease Benefits of Menopausal Hormone Therapy ([link removed]) . ([link removed]) "
HOW WE KNOW
President Donald Trump or members of his administration have used federal data showing a large increase in employment for U.S.-born workers and a decrease in employment among foreign-born workers to claim that “all net job creation” in his second term has been for citizens. But multiple economists and labor experts say such figures are misleading because they're influenced by predetermined Census Bureau population estimates for 2025. Experts say the unemployment rate is a more reliable statistic. Read more: "Trump’s Native-Born Job-Creation Claim Based on Questionable Figures ([link removed]) . ([link removed]) "
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE WEEK
On Jan. 5, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a memo lowering the number of vaccines the agency recommends all kids get. Now, the schedule includes vaccines that protect against 11 diseases, down from 17 diseases just a few months ago.

Officials justified the change by pointing to what other countries do. We already had written about misleading comparisons to international vaccine schedules in late December. In this social media video, we explained our findings: The U.S. recommendations were already similar to those in other high-income nations.

Now, the U.S. will recommend vaccinating all kids against fewer diseases compared with other peer nations -- with the exception of Denmark. (See our December story for more: "Trump, FDA Make Misleading International Vaccine Schedule Comparisons ([link removed]) .")
[link removed]



** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* Trump Waters Down Colorado’s Population Trend ([link removed])
In criticizing Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and vetoing a bill that would fund a water project in the state, President Donald Trump has claimed that people are leaving the state “in droves,” but that’s not what the available data show.

* Sorting Out Competing Claims on Air Traffic Control ([link removed])
President Donald Trump and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have sparred over the condition of the air traffic control system, which is complex and carries a history of planned upgrades and overhauls that stretches back decades.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* Explorando las preguntas sobre la legalidad del ataque militar en Venezuela ([link removed])
Varios demócratas han afirmado que la operación militar de la administración Trump el 3 de enero, que condujo a la captura del presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro y su esposa, Cilia Flores, fue “ilegal” y violó el derecho nacional e internacional.

* Trump y la FDA hacen comparaciones engañosas sobre el calendario internacional de vacunación ([link removed])
Repitiendo un viejo cliché antivacunas, el presidente Donald Trump afirmó falsamente que el calendario de vacunación estadounidense ha “exigido por un largo tiempo” que los bebés reciban “muchas más” vacunas que las que se administran en “cualquier otro” país, y ordenó a las autoridades sanitarias “alinear” mejor las prácticas con las de otros países. El calendario recomendado en EE. UU. es bastante similar al de otros países de altos ingresos y no es un mandato federal.

* Verificación de datos del acelerado discurso de Trump en horario de punta ([link removed])
El 17 de diciembre, el presidente Donald Trump dio un rápido discurso a la nación en horario de máxima audiencia, que aunque breve, incluyó una serie de afirmaciones inexactas o engañosas, muchas de las cuales ha repetido en discursos públicos durante meses.

* Las grandes falsedades del 2025 ([link removed])
Nuestro resumen anual de las peores falsedades del año.

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