Nicolas Maduro

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Maduro Turns to Putin for Help as US Bears Down

Venezuela also reaches out to China and Iran for military support

(Newser) - As the US takes an increasingly aggressive posture against Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro is reaching out to Russia, China, and Iran for military help, reports the Washington Post . In a letter obtained by the newspaper, the Venezuelan leader asked Vladimir Putin about obtaining missiles, along with upgraded radar and repairs for...

US Reportedly About to Hit Venezuela With Airstrikes

Miami Herald says Trump administration sees the military targets as cogs in drug smuggling outfit

(Newser) - President Trump may be about to escalate his fight against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in a big way: The Miami Herald , citing unnamed sources, reports that the Trump administration has decided to launch airstrikes against military installations in the country. The White House accuses Maduro of running a drug-trafficking enterprise...

US Tried to Flip Maduro's Pilot in a Secret Sting

Federal agent promised a lot of cash if pilot delivered Venezuelan strongman to US authorities

(Newser) - The US recently tried to recruit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's top pilot to help capture the embattled leader, according to an in-depth report by the AP . The plan began when an informant approached the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic, claiming to have information about planes used by Maduro....

Venezuela: Trump Is Plotting Regime Change

Lindsey Graham appears to confirm Trump wants Nicolás Maduro out—and may strike soon

(Newser) - A top Venezuelan official is accusing President Trump of actively trying to topple the government of Nicolás Maduro. Tarek William Saab, Venezuela's attorney general and a close Maduro ally, told the BBC that there is "no doubt" Trump is seeking regime change and wants to turn Venezuela...

Pentagon Sending Aircraft Carrier to South America

It's the latest US military escalation in the region

(Newser) - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Friday the military is deploying an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, a move the Washington Post describes as a "major escalation" of the US military presence in the region. Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to...

Trump Confirms CIA Covert Ops in Venezuela

But president won't say if he gave the green light to 'take out' Maduro

(Newser) - President Trump has confirmed authorizing covert CIA operations in Venezuela. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump also floated the idea of military strikes against drug cartels there, citing two motivations: claims that Venezuela has "emptied their prisons into the United States" and ongoing concerns about narcotics...

Peace Prize Winner on Call: 'I Certainly Do Not Deserve This'

Nobel award recognized Maria Corina Machado's fight for democracy in Venezuela

(Newser) - Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado learned early Friday that she'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in an emotional phone call, captured on video , from Kristian Berg Harpviken of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. "Oh my God," Machado told Harpviken, per CBS News . "I am...

Venezuela Warns of 'False Flag' Plot to Attack US Embassy

Maduro ally says security has been stepped up

(Newser) - Venezuela warned Monday of an alleged plan by extremists to attack the shuttered US Embassy complex in Caracas with explosives, coming as bilateral tensions simmer over Washington's military deployment in the Caribbean. Jorge Rodríguez, head of the National Assembly and of Venezuela's delegation for dialogue with the...

In Venezuela, It's Christmas in October

Nicolas Maduro moves up the holiday to Oct. 1, citing the need to boost his country's need for 'joy'

(Newser) - Nicolas Maduro is bringing good tidings to Venezuelans early this year, with Christmas festivities kicking off on Oct. 1—months ahead of the traditional December date. Maduro says the early kickoff is meant to inject some "joy" into a country facing mounting tensions with the United States, reports...

Maduro Warns US Not to Pursue Regime Change

American force is deployed off Caribbean coast

(Newser) - With the US assembling a force off its Caribbean coast, Venezuela's president accused the American government on Monday of pursuing a regime change in his country. Trump administration officials have said the goal of the deployment is to combat Latin American drug cartels; Venezuelans officials call that a pretense....

With US Warships on the Way, Venezuela Reacts

It ups naval patrols following Trump's decision to send destroyers to region

(Newser) - Tensions are ratcheting up along Venezuela's Caribbean coast following President Trump's decision to send three US guided-missile destroyers and 4,000 Marines to the region. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Tuesday announced enhanced patrols in the region, including "larger vessels further north in our territorial...

Trump Doubles Reward for Arrest of Maduro

Venezuela fires back with dig at Bondi over Epstein

(Newser) - The Trump administration is doubling to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world's largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine. "Under President Trump's leadership, Maduro will...

Investigators Think Maduro Borrowed a Lethal Putin Tactic

Venezuelan leader accused of ordering murder of a political enemy on foreign soil

(Newser) - The footage from security cameras inside an apartment building in Chile depict what looks like a straightforward arrest: As the New York Times reports, it shows three men in police uniform escorting their handcuffed prisoner away in the middle of the night. But Chilean authorities say it's not what...

Trump Envoy Gets Venezuela to Release 6 Americans

Some worry the negotiations send the wrong message about a government the US doesn't recognize

(Newser) - Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the US. The AP...

Venezuelan Opposition Chief 'Violently Intercepted': Allies

But Maria Corina Machado says she's now safe after alleged abduction at Caracas protest

(Newser) - Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado attended a protest Thursday in Caracas, a day ahead of the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, but it didn't go seamlessly: Machado's team says the 57-year-old was kidnapped during that demonstration, though she's apparently safe now. The...

Venezuela Puts Up Reward for Rival Candidate's Location

Edmundo González maintains he defeated Nicolás Maduro

(Newser) - Venezuela's government on Thursday announced a $100,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Edmundo González, the opposition candidate who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year's election. The announcement came eight days before Venezuela's next presidential term is to begin,...

US Recognizes 'President-Elect' of Venezuela

Edmundo González earned the most votes, US says, though Nicolas Maduro claims victory

(Newser) - The US government recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González as the "president-elect" of the South American country on Tuesday, months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won the July election. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized González in a post on X in which he...

Opposition Candidate Flees Venezuela for Spain

Edmundo González feared arrest, imprisonment during election dispute

(Newser) - The candidate whom many people and some nations— including the US —consider the legitimate winner of Venezuela's presidential election in July has gone into exile in Spain, a major blow to opposition hopes for removing the authoritarian incumbent he ran against. Edmundo González will be granted political...

Maduro Declares Christmas Will Be in October

It's not the first time Venezuelan leader has done that

(Newser) - Amid ongoing fallout from Venezuela's contested July presidential election, the country's authoritarian leader made what the Guardian refers to as a "curious announcement" during his weekly television show Monday. "September smells like Christmas!" he said (to, per CNN , the "apparent delight" of his audience)....

US Government Seizes Maduro's Plane

Feds say it was illegally smuggled out of US

(Newser) - The US government has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, citing violations of sanctions and export control laws, the Justice Department said Monday. US officials allege that the aircraft was illegally purchased through a shell company and smuggled out of the US, the AP reports. The plane...

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