State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela

Dealing a rather striking rebuke to the Trump administration, a small group of Senate Republicans joined with all Democrats to narrowly advance a war powers resolution that would block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.

The legislation advanced by a vote of 52-47. It needed 51 votes to move forward.

Republican Sens. Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Todd Young, Susan Collins and Josh Hawley voted with all Democrats in favor of the legislation.

This was a test vote. The Senate will still have to take a vote on final passage of the legislation, and it is not yet clear when that vote will be. Still, this afternoon's vote is a strong indication that the Senate will formally pass the resolution.

If the Senate ultimately passes this bill, it will still need to be approved by the House and signed into law by President Donald Trump.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

A “significant number” of prisoners will be released as a gesture from the Venezuelan government to “seek peace,” Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said during a press conference Thursday.

"Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace, as the contribution that we must all make to ensure that our Republic continues to live in peace and in pursuit of prosperity," he said, according to an Associated Press translation.

-ABC News' Othon Leyva and Ismario Rodriguez Perez

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accepted an invitation to visit the White House to meet with President Donald Trump in the coming weeks, Colombia’s Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said in Bogota Thursday morning.

This comes after the leaders spoke on the phone for about an hour on Wednesday and Trump announced they would be meeting.

-ABC News' Ismario Rodriguez Perez

European leaders have issued stark criticism of U.S. action in recent days, with French President Macron saying the America is “turning way” from allies, according to Reuters.

"The United States is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from international rules it promoted not long ago," Macron said, according to Reuters.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued similar criticism saying, "There is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order."

"It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers," Steinmeier said.