#venezuela

#venezuela

In the early morning hours of Saturday, January 3, the roar of bombs dropping from the sky announced the US military attack on Venezuela, waking the sleeping residents of La Carlota, in Caracas, a neighborhood adjacent to the air base that was a target of Operation Absolute Resolve. Marina G.'s first thought, as the floors, walls, and windows of her second-story apartment shook, was that it was an earthquake.

Although conciliatory, he reveals a persistent unease with a segment of the opposition that, he says, has judged him harshly. Capriles, an opposition leader, former mayor, former governor, and former presidential candidate, is concerned that the new political moment spoken of by interim president Delcy Rodriguez results in nothing more than an oil deal. He insists that without trustworthy institutions and freedoms, elections will change nothing.

At El Helicoide, guards reportedly hang political prisoners by their limbs and force them to plunge their face into bags of feces. Venezuela has quite a few places like it: Locking up critics was a key feature of President Nicolás Maduro's governing style. His regime jailed thousands of them-opposition leaders, journalists, activists, foreign nationals, as well as everyday Venezuelans-typically on charges such as "betrayal of the homeland" and "rebellion," and usually without granting them a trial.

He noted that the interim leaders of the South American country will submit "a budget" every month of what they need funded. "The funds from that (oil sales) will be deposited into an account that we will have oversight over," Rubio said, adding that the U.S. Treasury would control the process. Venezuela, he said, "will spend that money for the benefit of the Venezuelan people."

Turmoil in Minneapolis and the unprecedented friction within NATO over President Trump's effort to secure control over Greenland have, predictably, displaced headlines about Venezuela in much of the daily press. But there have been at least a number of important statements from the U.S. and one disturbing statement, reportedly, by Venezuela's interim president since the U.S. apprehended Maduro and his wife.

The Discombobulator. I'm not allowed to talk about it.

House lawmakers voted 215-215 on H.Con.Res.68 - introduced last month by Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) - which "directs the president to remove US armed forces from Venezuela unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force for such purpose has been enacted." Unlike in the Senate, where the vice president casts tie-breaking votes, a deadlock in the House means the legislation does not pass.

We have weapons that nobody knows about, and I say it's probably good not to talk about them, but we have some amazing weapons. That was an amazing attack. Don't forget, that house was in the middle of a fort, an army base, a big one, a lot of soldiers, and they came in and they did their job. We lost nobody.

Just two GOP lawmakers - Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Don Bacon (Neb.) - ultimately voted in favor of the resolution, led by Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.). The vote was 215-215, failing on a tie. It comes just a week after the White House successfully thwarted a similar resolution in the Senate, peeling off enough GOP support to block its advancement.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that President Donald Trump and his administration are actively working to topple the Cuban government by the end of the year, according to sources familiar with the planning. The Journal's exclusive report said that the Trump administration is searching for Cuban government insiders who can help cut a deal to push out the Communist regime, suggesting the regime change would not be achieved through military force.

As the harsh reality sets in that Venezuela's authoritarian regime remains essentially unchanged even without Nicolas Maduro, activists who have spent years fighting for the country's return to democracy are unsure about what the next steps should be. They agree that the country should very soon either hold new elections or install the retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez widely believed to have won the 2024 election but neither option appears to be on the White House's agenda at the moment.

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela - Melania Perozo, a rosary around her neck, a portrait of her son, Dario Pastor Estrada, in her hands, walked through the crowd to the statueof the Virgin of La Divina Pastora - Mary, the Divine Shepherdess.