All posts tagged: Venezuelan

Trump To Meet Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Next Week

Trump To Meet Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Next Week

Published by Jenni Sidey

President Trump plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado next week during her planned visit to the United States. This development comes despite his earlier reluctance to back her for the country’s top leadership role. Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a taped interview that aired Thursday night that he understands Machado is “coming in next week sometime” and looks forward to saying hello to her.  During the interview, Hannity inquired about Machado. He mentioned that she had appeared on his show earlier in the week and reminded viewers that she had won the Nobel Peace Prize, which she publicly dedicated to Trump.  The president has openly pursued the Nobel Peace Prize in the past and has campaigned for it in connection with his foreign policy victories. He told Hannity that it was “a major embarrassment to Norway” that he has not yet received one. Hannity added that Machado had said on both television and radio that she wanted to give Trump her Nobel Peace Prize “for liberating her country.” …

US oil majors show only moderate enthusiasm for Venezuelan oil, despite Trump’s urging

US oil majors show only moderate enthusiasm for Venezuelan oil, despite Trump’s urging

Published by Sam Flores

A meeting between the heads of American oil companies and Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, January 9, 2026. SAUL LOEB/AFP Out of all Donald Trump’s meetings that week, the one held in the afternoon on Friday, January 9, was arguably among the most important. Six days after United States special forces abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from Caracas, the president received representatives of major oil companies at the White House. He was counting on them to exploit Venezuela’s hydrocarbon resources, but the meeting did not meet all of his expectations. The US authorities have planned to take full control of the country’s oil production. The regime in Caracas, which operates under the threat of further interventions, had reportedly already agreed to transfer 50 million barrels of oil to the US as a gesture of cooperation. To restart drilling operations in the country, Washington needed to secure the commitment of the oil sector’s major companies. At the start of the roundtable, Trump turned to the cameras and, pointing to the CEOs, said: “The …

Trump’s Venezuelan oil rush is doomed from the start

Trump’s Venezuelan oil rush is doomed from the start

Published by Sam Flores

In the wake of U.S. forces abducting Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump has bullishly predicted that American oil companies will eagerly rush to fill the fossil fuel vacuum, set up the necessary extraction infrastructure within 15 months, and start making “a lot of money.” Industry leaders and experts are far less confident. Nor are they unified in opinion or approach: while some companies have remained coy about their thinking, several economists assert that no oil rush is forthcoming — unless Trump starts pressuring them to go. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Texas-based oil and gas company ConocoPhillips told Salon that the oil production company is “monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability.” “It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments,” he said. ExxonMobil and Chevron, two oil and gas giants also based in Texas, have likewise declined to publicly share any plans to extract Venezuelan oil, or lack thereof. Even without Maduro, Venezuela is, for now, less a pit …

U.S. seizes another Venezuelan oil tanker

U.S. seizes another Venezuelan oil tanker

Published by Sam Flores

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Minneapolis protesters hold noise demonstration 00:58 DHS identifies 2 people shot by Border Patrol in Portland 01:12 Families mourn as Israeli strikes continue in Gaza 00:30 Trump says Denmark should not have claim to Greenland 00:37 Rep. Omar: ‘Complete outrage’ in Minneapolis after ICE shooting 02:22 Dozens missing in deadly Philippines garbage avalanche 00:29 ICE officer’s video shows moments before Minn. shooting 00:47 DHS releases photos of two people shot by Border Patrol 00:36 Frey says Minneapolis ICE agent was not run over 00:23 U.S. economy added 50,000 jobs in December 00:27 Russia attacks Ukraine with a new ballistic missile 00:23 Frey: ‘I dropped an F-bomb. They killed somebody’ 00:51 Frey urges federal investigators to ’embrace the truth’ 00:30 Now Playing U.S. seizes another Venezuelan oil tanker 00:30 UP NEXT Mayor Frey slams those calling Minneapolis a ‘hellscape’ 00:41 Trump says he canceled second round of Venezuela attacks 00:23 Nationwide protests erupt after fatal ICE shooting 00:38 Mass protests and …

Venezuelan prisoners are released but doubts remain over democratic opening

Venezuelan prisoners are released but doubts remain over democratic opening

Published by Sam Flores

Mariana Gonzalez, daughter of former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, waited outside the prison where her husband was being held in Caracas, January 8, 2026. MATIAS DELACROIX/AP Was this an initial sign of increased openness from the Venezuelan government or simply a mere consolation prize for those who have demanded a democratic transition in the country? On Thursday, January 8, five days after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted by United States special forces in a military operation that, according to Caracas, left more than 100 people dead, the Venezuelan government announced the release of “a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals.” In announcing the news on Thursday morning, Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, specified that this was “a unilateral gesture by the Bolivarian government, to reaffirm our decision to consolidate peace.” The decision came at a time when opposition parties expressed outrage over the continued hold on power of Maduro loyalists. Rodriguez is the brother of Delcy Rodriguez, the new interim president of Venezuela. The release …

US Intercepts Fifth Sanctioned Tanker as It Exerts Control Over Venezuelan Oil Distribution

US Intercepts Fifth Sanctioned Tanker as It Exerts Control Over Venezuelan Oil Distribution

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration targets sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela as part of a broader effort to take control of the South American country’s oil. The pre-dawn raid was carried out by Marines and Navy sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, part of the extensive force the U.S. has built up in the Caribbean in recent months, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the tanker called the Olina. The Coast Guard then took control of the vessel, officials said. Southern Command and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem both posted unclassified footage on social media on Friday morning of a U.S. helicopter landing on the vessel and U.S. personnel conducting a search of the deck and tossing what appeared to be an explosive device in front of a door leading to inside the ship. In her post, …

Which U.S. adversaries import Venezuelan oil — how much do they need it?

Which U.S. adversaries import Venezuelan oil — how much do they need it?

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump’s seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, oil blockade on the country and vow to control its oil sales indefinitely have thrown the nation’s economy into turmoil and upended trade with key importers. That’s part of the point, the White House says. The administration says it wants access to Venezuela’s oil and to deny it to adversaries that have long kept a foothold in the country. Source link

‘Vast wealth Trump imagines’ from Venezuelan oil doesn’t exist: Krugman

‘Vast wealth Trump imagines’ from Venezuelan oil doesn’t exist: Krugman

Published by Sam Flores

Economist Paul Krugman on Wednesday said there’s no wealth to be gained after President Trump said that U.S. oil companies would take control of Venezuela’s oil production following the ousting of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. “Donald Trump’s Venezuela venture is a very different story,” Krugman wrote on his Substack. “During his triumphalist press conference after the… Source link

Why Trump Is Fixated on Venezuelan Oil

Why Trump Is Fixated on Venezuelan Oil

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: Why Trump Is Fixated on Venezuelan Oil Venezuela has roughly 17 percent of the world’s known oil reserves, but it produces only about 1 percent of the crude oil the world is using. Our energy reporter Rebecca F. Elliott explains. By Rebecca F. Elliott, Melanie Bencosme, Nikolay Nikolov, Sutton Raphael, James Surdam and Lazaro Gamio January 7, 2026 Source link