Tag: perpetual war

Marco Rubio says Venezuela’s VP Delcy Rodríguez isn’t a legitimate leader — as he outlines how next president will be chosen

Acting Venezuela President Delcy Rodriguez is not the country’s legitimate leader, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday.

Rubio spoke with Rodriguez — Venezuela’s reportedly ruthlessly ambitious vice president who was sworn in to the top office Saturday — after the US conducted a daring military operation to capture dictator President Nicolas Maduro.

The secretary of state said the US will not outright support the Maduro crony staying in power, calling for elections to determine the next leader of the beleaguered South American country.

“This is not about the legitimate president. We don’t believe that this regime in place is legitimate via an election,” Rubio told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “And that’s not just us. It’s 60-something countries around the world that have taken that view as well.

“Ultimately, legitimacy for their system of government will come about through a period of transition and real elections,” Rubio said. “It’s the reason why Maduro is not just an indicted drug trafficker. He [was an] illegitimate president. He was not the head of state.”

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“Cocaine Mills”: Trump Puts Three More Latin American Countries On Notice

President Trump soon after the overnight into early Saturday brief invasion of Venezuela and nabbing of President Nicolas Maduro – now in US custody on American soil – put more Latin American countries on notice, calling them essentially “cocaine mills” which ship ‘poison’ into the United States.

The not-so-veiled warnings and threats were issued to the governments of Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba – the latter which has been a Washington enemy stretching many decades back into the height of the Cold War.

In the comments, Trump again called Maduro as a “narco-terrorist” while fielding a question about the implications for neighboring countries, before linking the Venezuelan leader to his ally Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

“He has cocaine mills, he has factories where he makes cocaine and they’re sending it into the United States” Trump said of the Colombian leader, adding, “he does have to watch his ass.” 

And on Cuba, the warning was more veiled, as he described his administration is “going to be something we’ll end up talking about” as Washington suppose wants to “help the people” of this “failing nation” akin to Venezuela. 

“It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we also want to help the people who were forced out of Cuba and are living in this country,” he continued, in reference to Trump’s own significant support base among Cuban-Americans.

Among the more interesting and somewhat post-Venezuela regime change remarks by Trump were aimed just south of the border. Trump again put Left wing, or perhaps more accurately center-left Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on notice.

Trump described that the drug cartels are basically running the country, and that “something’s going to have to be done with Mexico” and that the government is “frightened” of them.

“They’re running Mexico. I’ve asked her numerous times: ‘Would you like us to take out the cartels?’ ‘No, no, no, Mr. President, no, no, no, please.’ So we have to do something,” he said in a phone interview with Fox.

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80 people killed in US raid on Venezuela – NYT

The death toll from the US raid to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro has risen to at least 80, which includes both soldiers and civilians, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing a senior Venezuelan official.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez confirmed that US forces had killed a “large part” of Maduro’s security detail in the operation, without giving a figure. Venezuelan officials also accused the US of hitting civilian areas but have not released an official death toll yet.

Meanwhile, Cuban officials say 32 of its citizens, including military personnel, were killed in the attack. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has announced that January 5th and 6th will be official days of mourning.

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‘Sounds Good to Me’: Trump Signals Possible Military Operation Against Colombia’s Marxist Leader — Months After Gustavo Petro Mocked U.S. and Dared Arrest: ‘Try and See If You Can!’

President Donald Trump delivered a blunt and unmistakable warning on Sunday to Colombia’s far-left president Gustavo Petro, openly signaling that a U.S. military operation is not off the table.

Back in November, Colombian President Gustavo Petro dared the U.S. to arrest him, claiming that his people would rise up in his defense.

Petro, a former left-wing terrorist who is presiding over Colombia’s enormous drug trade, was a close ally of Maduro and has been left devastated by his removal.

“And so I have to tell Mr. Marco Rubio, brother, if you’re going to put me in prison, try and see if you can. If you want to put me in the orange jumpsuit, try it. But this people will not kneel before anyone. No Colombian is guilty of what happened to your grandfather or your father in Cuba.

Do not threaten us, for there is a jaguar about to awaken. Two centuries of going from war to war have taught us indigenous shrewdness. If the people freely wish to return to paramilitary rule, we have no choice but to obey. If they want to talk, let them come and speak as equals.

Tell the president of the Inter-American Development Bank that his money will not enter into Colombia’s elections. The people of Colombia are not for sale.”

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Back to old ways: Maduro’s capture follows a long list of US interventions in Latin America

The US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is just the latest chapter in a long list of interventions and regime changes staged by Washington throughout Latin America over the past century.

With the adoption of the Monroe Doctrine in the 19th century, the US essentially declared the Western Hemisphere to be its own backyard. Under this policy, the US played a role in staging dozens of coups and government overthrows in the 20th century alone, including several cases of direct military intervention and occupation, reaching a peak during the Cold War.

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told a press conference on Saturday that the operation to capture Maduro had been “meticulously planned, drawing lessons from decades of missions.” According to the general, “there is always a chance that we’ll be tasked to do this type of mission again.”

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Inside Job? Reports Suggest New Venezuela’s Interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, Negotiated With the US the Removal of Maduro, With the Mediation of UAE

Did Rodríguez betray Maduro?

Now that Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has been captured by US forces and taken to the US to answer for the alleged crimes he is charged with, many are keeping an eye on the ‘day after’ in the South American country.

Many are surprised that Caracas will not be led by Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Prize Winner María Corina Machado, but rather by Maduro’s Vice-President, Delcy Rodríguez.

But reports have arisen that may solve this apparent puzzle.

Secret meetings are said to have been held in Doha, UAE, involving Rodríguez, a senior member of the UAE royal family serving as a mediator, and members of the Donald J. Trump administration.

The Telegraph reported:

“Ms. Rodríguez had reached out to Washington to present herself as a ‘more acceptable’ alternative to the Maduro regime. She now rules Venezuela with the approval of Mr. Trump.

Details of the meeting have fueled suspicions that the removal of Mr. Maduro was an inside job, planned to leave a president in power who can manage a transition without dismantling the state completely and causing turmoil and riots.”

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Ex-Trump staffer hints at US plans to annex Greenland

A former US administration official and the wife of a senior aide to President Donald Trump has suggested that Washington will “soon” take over Greenland in a cryptic social media post.

In a post on X on Saturday, Katie Miller shared a map of Greenland overlaid with the American flag and captioned simply with the word “soon.” The post offered no explanation and was not accompanied by any official policy announcement from Washington.

Trump first proposed buying Greenland, an autonomous territory within Denmark, in 2019, a plan swiftly rejected by Copenhagen and Greenland’s authorities. Since returning to office last year, he has revived the idea, calling the island vital to US national security and hinting at the possible use of force. Denmark has responded by strengthening Arctic defenses and expanding military and civilian monitoring, viewing the pressure as a direct threat to its sovereignty.

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“I Think They’re in a Lot of Trouble” – Rubio Signals Cuba is Trump’s Next Target, Reveals that Cubans Controlled Venezuelan Intelligence and Guarded Maduro

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday suggested that Cuba may be targeted by the Trump Administration next, after Venezuelan tyrant Nicolas Maduro’s ouster on Saturday. 

Trump has suggested that Colombia and Mexico may face military action next. Trump said on Saturday morning, “Something’s gonna have to be done with Mexico,” when he was asked whether his bold action in Venezuela was a warning to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

During an appearance with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Rubio described the Cuban government as a “huge problem” and said, “they’re in a lot of trouble.”

“I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard,” Rubio told Welker. “But I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro. His entire like internal security force, his internal security apparatus, is entirely controlled by Cubans.”

He further explained that Maduro was guarded by the Cubans and his internal intelligence was all Cubans, which he said was “one of the untold stories.”

WATCH:

Welker: Is the Cuban government the Trump administration’s next target, Mr. Secretary, very quickly?

Rubio: Well, the Cuban government is a huge problem. Yeah, the Cuban government is a huge problem, first of all for the people of Cuba, but I don’t think people fully appreciate–

Welker: So is that a yes?

Rubio: I think they’re in a lot of trouble, yes. I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard. But I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro. His entire like internal security force, his internal security apparatus, is entirely controlled by Cubans.

One of the untold stories here is how, in essence, you talk about colonization— because I think you said Delcy Rodriguez mentioned that— the ones who have sort of colonized, at least inside the regime, are Cubans. It was Cubans that guarded Maduro. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards in terms of their internal intelligence, who spies on who inside to make sure there are no traitors, those are all Cubans.

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US and Israel Prepping for a New Attack on Iran by Creating a Narrative of Government Chaos

Was it just a coincidence that as Donald Trump met last Monday with Israel’s Bibi Netanyahu to discuss a future attack against Iran that protests, some accompanied by violence, broke out in several cities in Iran? I am not a believer in coincidence. Following that meeting, the US news media — both print and electronic — was flooded with stories painting the protests as a mighty uprising of the Iranian people. A new revolution has begun… or so the Western public is being told.

One of the major purveyors of this narrative is the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which is an Iranian exile-based political opposition coalition founded in 1981 in Tehran (later relocated to Paris, France, with activities in Albania). It positions itself as a parliament-in-exile and the primary democratic alternative to the Islamic Republic regime. The NCRI advocates for overthrowing the current government and establishing a secular, democratic, pluralistic, and non-nuclear republic in Iran, emphasizing separation of religion and state, gender equality, human rights, and minority rights. And guess what? The NCRI is the creature of a group the US once labeled as a terrorist organization.

The NCRI as a tightly controlled front for the PMOI/MEK, with limited broad support inside Iran. The PMOI was formerly designated a terrorist organization by the US (delisted in 2012) and EU, partly due to past armed actions. The group has been accused of cult-like practices and authoritarian internal structure, though supporters reject these claims and emphasize its democratic platform.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), is an Iranian opposition group founded in 1965 with a long history of terrorism in Iran. It is the principal component of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which it describes as its political wing. The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has a documented history of violent activities, primarily from the 1970s to the early 2000s, which led to its designation as a terrorist organization by the United States (1997–2012), the European Union (until 2009), and others.

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Maduro’s Right-Hand Man Reappears After Airstrikes – Calls on Communist Supporters to Remain Calm, Admits US Partially Achieved Goals with Devastating Attack

On Saturday morning, January 3, 2026, a series of explosions in Caracas and other cities in Venezuela signal the start of the US campaign against the socialist regime of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Low-flying aircraft could be heard, as well as air raid sirens.

Bright flashes were seen in at least six locations, including Fort Tiuna army base and La Carlota Air Base, where power outages affected some neighborhoods.

TGP’s Jordan Conradson reported that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown back to the US. The communist leader Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York following his capture during a US military operation in the middle of the night.

“Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

Following the capture of Communist President Nicolas Maduro,  Diosdado Cabello, Maduro’s right-hand man, reappeared and admitted that “what they (the US) wanted with the bombs and missiles, they partially achieved,” while urging his followers not to fall into despair.

Diosdado Cabello, Maduro’s right-hand man, reappeared after the airstrikes and admitted that “what they wanted with the bombs and missiles, they partially achieved,” while urging his followers not to fall into despair.

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