#venezuela

#venezuela

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week's Washington Post report was true,

The Listening Post The United States' deadly counter-narcotics mission off Venezuela's coast hinges on an unproven drug-smuggling narrative a familiar pretext for regime change, and one the mainstream media have been quick to echo. Meanwhile, Venezuelans face escalating repression at home.

Venezuela has banned six international airlines, accusing them of state terrorism after the carriers suspended flights to the country following a warning from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Venezuela's civil aviation authority announced late on Wednesday that Spain's Iberia, Portugal's Tap, Colombia's Avianca, Chile and Brazil's Latam, Brazil's Gol and Turkish Airlines would have their operational permits revoked for joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government and unilaterally suspending air commercial operations.

Maria, a former Venezuelan prosecutor living in Houston, Texas, won't use the word "happy". But in August, when she saw that the United States had doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, she said she felt validated". The reward now sits at $50m, one of the highest bounties ever offered by the US government. To Maria, the bounty is a path to toppling a government steeped in human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and torture.

Maduro is not a brave boy. So now that he has understood that he's on that very nefarious list of the terrorist organization, that the airspace above Venezuela has been closed off, and the commercial airlines from the United States are not flying, he's understanding that we're about to go in. He understands that he is he has been our enemy for the last 25 years.

The fleet, which comprises 20% of the U.S. naval force deployed worldwide and includes F-35 fighter jets and some 15,000 troops, has participated in military exercises near Trinidad and Tobago in recent days. Four senior U.S. officials have separately told Reuters that the start of the second phase of the military operation is imminent, while international airlines are suspending flights over Venezuela following a recommendation from the U.S. aviation agency, issued on Friday, to avoid the area due to the risk of a military escalation.

Venezuela's top opposition leader, the Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado, has declared her country at the edge of a new era as Donald Trump refused to rule out a ground invasion to topple its authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, but also signalled he was open to talks. Since August, Trump has ordered a massive naval buildup off Venezuela's northern coast, seemingly hoping to spark a military rebellion against Maduro or convince him to quit.

President Donald Trump said on Monday he will not rule out sending U.S. soldiers to attack Venezuela. Trump has ordered a series of bombings on Venezuelan and Colombian boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean in recent months, killing at least 80 people. Trump has alleged the boats were full of narcoterrorists trafficking drugs. The administration has provided no evidence to justify the bombings, which are legally suspect, according to experts.

President Donald Trump's voice was notably hoarse during an Oval Office presser Monday, and one of the first questions from reporters was to ask about the reason why. After a question about the upcoming World Cup games, NBC White House correspondent Garrett Haake said he had a question about Venezuela but asked about Trump's voice first, and the room cracked up at the president's response and a misheard word.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.

Castro, a 41-year-old yoga teacher, disappeared on June 26 at the Paraguachon border crossing, which separates Venezuela from Colombia, where he lives. He had gone to renew his expired Colombian residency visa, his family said in August. In mid-September, Castro's mother said she had not received any news from him other than a voice message at the end of July in which he "called for help".

By the numbers: 29% of Americans said they supported the military killings without the involvement of a judge or court. A majority (51%) said they were opposed. The rest were unsure. Approval was split among party lines: 58% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats said they supported the approach. The big picture: The Trump administration has killed at least 80 people in 20 drone strikes since early September. The president is reportedly considering expanding the strikes to land targets, the Washington Post reports.

My great fear, of course, is that with the release of that information, which I think will be devastating for Trump, he's going to do everything in his power to distract,

The Associated Press revealed in a new report Saturday that four of the more than 60 people killed in U.S. airstrikes on boats were, in fact, running drugs from Venezuela but that's where the facts diverged from President Donald Trump's claims. The Trump administration has boasted of killing what it called narco terrorists and cartel members since launching the attacks in September.