Tag: perpetual war

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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Senate to vote on war powers measure following Maduro ouster

Sen. Tim Kaine said he will force a vote next week to block further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval in the wake of President Donald Trump’s operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Kaine, who has so far been unable to get Congress to stop Trump’s Latin American military operations, called the move to oust Maduro without congressional approval “a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate” the Western Hemisphere.

“My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week,” Kaine said in a statement. “We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape.”

Test vote

While the vote, which will occur when the Senate returns from its holiday break, comes after the fact, it would require Trump to seek congressional approval for further attacks if enacted.

The vote will also be a key test of support among Republicans for Trump’s aggressive move. While previous efforts to restrict Trump have failed for lack of GOP support, the administration’s actions could sway some Republicans who have expressed concerns about heightened tensions with Venezuela.

Kaine told reporters on a Saturday call that Republicans “cannot pretend anymore” that Trump’s rhetoric was just a “bluff” or a “negotiating tactic.”

“That makes me hope that we’ll get more votes on the resolution,” Kaine said, adding that it was time for Congress to “get its ass off the couch” on its own warmaking authority.

Administration officials may have to work to keep skeptical Republicans onside, and top Republicans say they expect to be briefed when they return to Washington.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects “further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy.” House Speaker Mike Johnson added that the Trump administration is working to schedule briefings for lawmakers when they return.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with Kaine on Saturday about his war powers vote and that Democrats would be trying to build public pressure on Republicans to break ranks.

“We are saying to the Republicans, this is your responsibility,” Schumer told reporters. “President Trump is a member of your party. You’ve gone along with him over and over again. This is one time you got to resist him. It’s too serious.”

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Trump Says America Will TAKE CONTROL of ‘Stolen’ Oil After Socialist Dictator Maduro Captured — Radical Socialist Democrats Melt Down

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States will take control of Venezuela’s long-mismanaged oil sector, following the stunning capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The narco-tyrant, who has turned the once-prosperous nation into a hellhole of drugs, corruption, and poverty, was nabbed in a pinpoint U.S. operation that’s already being hailed as a masterstroke against global criminal networks.

The Venezuelan regime issued a statement rejecting the “military aggression” and invoking the UN Charter. They claim it’s all about seizing oil and minerals after Maduro wrecked it all.

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely grave military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population in the civilian and military districts of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.

This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, particularly its Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of States, and the prohibition on the use of force.

Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people in grave danger.

The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force. They will not succeed.

After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.

The attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a “regime change,” in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail just like all previous attempts. Since 1811, Venezuela has faced and defeated empires.

When in 1902 foreign powers bombarded our coasts, President Cipriano Castro proclaimed: “The insolent boot of the foreigner has profaned the sacred soil of the Fatherland.” Today, with the moral fortitude of Bolívar, Miranda, and our liberators, the Venezuelan people rise once again to defend their independence against imperialist aggression.”

The attack came after Maduro held a meeting with a senior Chinese envoy. Maduro welcomed Qiu Xiaoqi, China’s special representative for Latin American affairs, to the Miraflores Presidential Palace on Friday, where the two reaffirmed Caracas’ strategic alignment with Beijing.

Speaking from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, President Trump said the chaos and corruption that have defined Venezuela for decades will not be allowed to repeat itself.

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