Venezuela

Before Maduro’s arrest, the Nobel Prize winner said Venezuela had a $1.7 trillion opportunity to privatize more than 500 companies and reverse the socialist “disaster.”

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Before Maduro’s arrest, the Nobel Prize winner said Venezuela had a .7 trillion opportunity to privatize more than 500 companies and reverse the socialist “disaster.”

Months before the U.S. military arrested Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, opposition leader María Corina Machado called for what she described as the most ambitious economic transformation in the nation’s history — radical privatization aimed at reversing his policies and what she calls “the disaster this socialist system has caused.” Appearing virtually on stage at the Fortune … Read more

Admin Trump sends tough private message to oil companies in Venezuela

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Admin Trump sends tough private message to oil companies in Venezuela

US oil companies have long hoped to recover the assets that Venezuela’s authoritarian regime wrested from them decades ago. Now, the Trump administration is offering to help them achieve that goal — with one major condition. Administration officials have told oil executives in recent weeks that if they want compensation for their rigs, pipelines and … Read more

Trump attacked Venezuela and arrested its president. Is it legal?

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Trump attacked Venezuela and arrested its president. Is it legal?

On Nov. 2, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that land strikes in Venezuela would require congressional approval. She said if Trump “authorized an activity on land, then it’s war, then (we need) Congress.” Days later, Trump administration officials privately told members of Congress much the same thing — that they … Read more

How the US wiped out Venezuela’s air defenses so quickly (and why the real war could start)

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How the US wiped out Venezuela’s air defenses so quickly (and why the real war could start)

The “Russian shield” over Caracas, Venezuela’s vaunted air defense, was supposed to be an iron dome, one that would embarrass the United States and sink its ships. But at 04:00 EST on January 3, 2026, the US Navy turned it into scrap metal. For a decade, defense blogs and the twittersphere have been posting about … Read more

US strikes Venezuela, captures Maduro and his wife

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US strikes Venezuela, captures Maduro and his wife

The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured and expelled from the country after months of intense pressure from Washington – an extraordinary overnight operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. Multiple explosions erupted and … Read more

Trump holds event with Rubio and Hegseth on vacation as tensions rise with Venezuela

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Trump holds event with Rubio and Hegseth on vacation as tensions rise with Venezuela

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with top national security officials Monday, a meeting that comes as the U.S. Coast Guard steps up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Republican administration’s campaign to increase pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. … Read more

Oil tanker seized

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Oil tanker seized

President Donald Trump last week ordered a “complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela — a giant escalation in his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The idea appears to be to cripple the country’s economy dependent on oil exports, although no official sanctions have been imposed. Over the weekend, … Read more

Maduro rejects ‘slave peace’ for Venezuela as US steps up pressure

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Maduro rejects ‘slave peace’ for Venezuela as US steps up pressure

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro repeated calls for peace and pledged “absolute loyalty” to his people at a rally attended by thousands in Caracas, as tensions rise over potential US military action. Monday’s rally came as US President Donald Trump met with his national security team at the White House to discuss “next steps” on Venezuela, … Read more

Venezuelan leader Maduro may seem desperate. But his strategy of loyalty vs. punishment is hard to work out

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Venezuelan leader Maduro may seem desperate. But his strategy of loyalty vs. punishment is hard to work out

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — English expressions once bothered Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro so much that he asked his State of the Union audience to phase out words like skatepark and fashion. But as the White House now considers whether the US military should strike Venezuela, Maduro is embracing the English language, singing John Lennon’s Image, … Read more