USA invades Venezuela and captures its President and his wife!

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#3450329 6-Jan-2026 11:47

regarding Trump's pardon of Honduras Hernández, there's suggestion network may have moved about 30 tons per year over decades.

Venezuela is primarily a transit corridor. It is not a major producer itself, but geographically adjacent to Colombia’s coca regions.

The US figures seem to be intentionally misleading. A relatively small share of Venezuelan transit Columbian cocaine for the U.S. market.

That makes sense because Colombia has extensive Pacific and Atlantic coastlines.

Trump has publicly accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being a “leader of drug trafficking” and said he “strongly encourages the massive production of drugs” and criticized Petro for not doing enough to stop it.
but
he hasn't threatened to arrest the Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Quite the opposite. Trump still gives substantial U.S. military and financial assistance to Colombia.

ezbee

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#3450336 6-Jan-2026 12:14

Tanker Bullrush.!

US fleet would have to divert resources from a possible imminent second wave.
If lie'n Trump is to be believed.
So 'Eye of Sauron' rules apply?

Make a minigame app for this, and watch the $ roll in, thank me later. :-)

Chevron does have a permit, so its tankers are allowed to ship oil 'only to USA'?
The others sanction busting a diferent matter.

Sanctioned Tankers Sail from Venezuela and Run the US "Blockade"
What's Going on With Shipping?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcpg0S6LSTY

With quote.
"Cook Island ( As ship registrar ) is a big red flag for dark tanker fleet" lovely.

gzt

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#3450344 6-Jan-2026 12:50

kingdragonfly: Trump has publicly accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being a “leader of drug trafficking” and said he “strongly encourages the massive production of drugs” and criticized Petro for not doing enough to stop it.
but he hasn't threatened to arrest the Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Petro stated in a TV interview couple of months ago that 'Venezuela has a democracy problem not a drug problem' - it seems that was enough to annoy Trump and lead to a breakdown. Unfortunate, because as the phrase shows there is more or less agreement on one point. To state the obvious, like most countries Columbia advocates resolution of the democracy issue through regional dialog. As you pointed out, Petro also stated oil was the real motivation for continued problems not democracy or drugs.

quickymart

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#3450371 6-Jan-2026 14:31

❓

ezbee

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#3450377 6-Jan-2026 14:51

Answer to God, Americans can but they don't care x2 working on x3.
They think you will reward them come the rapture.

Orban can barely disguise the insincerity.
The EU should not be getting ideas about the leader for life, and master of the veto?

JimmyH

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#3450403 6-Jan-2026 16:26

freitasm:

Putin must be furious he couldn't topple a government and kidnap a President in a day.

Indeed, the US managed it in 33 minutes with no deaths on their side. Now 1,412 days into his three day special military operation, and with north of a million casualties taken and his economy tottering under sanctions, Putin still hasn't managed to accomplish the same thing.

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quickymart

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#3450423 6-Jan-2026 17:48

JimmyH:

Indeed, the US managed it in 33 minutes with no deaths on their side. Now 1,412 days into his three day special military operation, and with north of a million casualties taken and his economy tottering under sanctions, Putin still hasn't managed to accomplish the same thing.

https://www.thebulwark.com/i/183549887/quick-hits

PUTIN’S HUMILIATIONS: Four days in, 2026 has already presented a string of humiliations for Vladimir Putin. On New Year’s Eve (which was already 2026 in Russia), U.S. intelligence shot down (as it were) his complaint to Donald Trump about being targeted by Ukrainian drones. The much-hyped, evidence-free Russian claim about 91 drones headed for Putin’s residence near the town of Valdai was a remarkably clumsy excuse for the Kremlin to back out of peace negotiations it apparently sees as tilting against it.

The next shoe dropped on January 2. The recently reported death of Denis Kapustin, commander of a pro-Ukraine Russian volunteer force, was revealed as a fake—staged by Ukrainian intelligence to thwart the Russian special services’ hit on Kapustin, whom Putin is said to view as a “personal enemy.” Kapustin, a self-styled “traditionalist” with alleged far-right ties, isn’t exactly a good guy; even so, this was a brilliant Ukrainian maneuver which not only exposed Russian operatives but, hilariously, netted a $500,000 bounty from the Russian government.

For whatever else it means and portends, the U.S. raid on Venezuela and the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro is a huge slap in the face to Maduro’s Kremlin pal. Was there talk between Putin and Trump in 2019 of a Ukraine-for-Venezuela spheres-of-influence trade? Maybe. But in 2026, the United States took less than three hours to grab Maduro. Meanwhile, Putin’s army is stuck in Ukraine trying to take ghost towns in the Donbas while Volodymyr Zelensky—notably un-kidnapped, despite Putin’s best efforts—makes pointed jokes about the next dictator the United States could take down. No wonder Russia’s war-hawk bloggers are beside themselves.

Putin’s string of embarrassing bad luck probably won’t make Trump more inclined to help Ukraine. But a headache for Putin is always a silver lining.

😁

gzt

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#3450429 6-Jan-2026 18:35

JimmyH:

I'm not sure why you see the move as a success. The US has achieved almost zero progress in their relationship with Venezuela.

Trump has achieved a pretty big distraction from US domestic issues I guess that part can be counted as a big win ; )

Although, that effect will last only a short time.. and then something else will be needed..

kingdragonfly

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#3450439 6-Jan-2026 19:17

The right-wing talking points that Venezuela stole American oil rights is wrong.

The U.S. system is actually unusual globally in allowing private mineral ownership.

In Texas, surface rights and mineral rights are separate. Commonly when you buy a home, you usually get the surface estate. The mineral estate is likely owned by someone else.

Many countries, even Saudi Arabia vest subsurface resources in the state.

Under Venezuelan law from the early 20th century, repeated numerous times, all subsoil resources belong to the state, including oil, gas, and minerals.

Private individuals never own oil in the ground, even if it’s under their feet. Ownership remains with the state.

Donald Trump claimed Venezuela stole US oil assets but the issue is more complicated than that: ABC Australia
...
"In Texas, if you buy a house and discover oil in that house, that is yours. In Venezuela, if you buy a house and discover oil in that house, that oil belongs to the Venezuelan government."
...

kingdragonfly

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#3450440 6-Jan-2026 19:21

Oil stocks sharply higher after US action in Venezuela: AP News

Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it would be American companies helping to revitalize it following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

While the U.S. action is unlikely to have an immediate impact on crude prices given the current glut in the market, it could upend energy markets and have an impact on the geopolitical landscape.
...
“While the Trump administration has suggested large U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela and spend billions to fix infrastructure, we believe political and other risks along with current relatively low oil prices could prevent this from happening anytime soon,” wrote Neal Dingmann of William Blair. Material change to Venezuelan production will take a lot of time and millions of dollars of infrastructure improvement, he said.

And any investment in Venezuelan infrastructure right now would take place in a weakened global energy market. Crude prices in the U.S. are down 20% compared with last year. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude hasn’t been above $70 since June, and hasn’t touched $80 per barrel since the summer of 2024.
...

tdgeek

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#3450449 6-Jan-2026 19:55

JimmyH:

freitasm:

Putin must be furious he couldn't topple a government and kidnap a President in a day.

Indeed, the US managed it in 33 minutes with no deaths on their side. Now 1,412 days into his three day special military operation, and with north of a million casualties taken and his economy tottering under sanctions, Putin still hasn't managed to accomplish the same thing.

The sad thing is the US had the power to push Russia back, but they didnt, to the costs that you outlined.

USA vs Venezuela who is a tiny part of the drug equation.

Pardon the Honduras guy who was a huge part of that equation.

Ukraine, a sovereign nation is ignored.

Someone needs his meds reviewed...

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kingdragonfly

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#3450517 7-Jan-2026 10:00

kingdragonfly: In Texas, surface rights and mineral rights are separate. Commonly when you buy a home, you usually get the surface estate. The mineral estate is likely owned by someone else.

This is not related to Venezuela, but shows up f'd up the USA is in generalBroadly 25 states commonly have split surface/mineral split.

It should be obvious that Ted Cruz is from Texas, and has claimed falsely that Venezuela "stole" America's right to the oil.

Laws vary widely in the US, but Texas has one of the strongest traditions of severed mineral estates in the U.S. The mineral estate is the dominant estate, because of course it is.

If there's oil under your house, the mineral owner can enter your land, use the surface, drill, build roads, install equipment. They are free to do what is reasonably necessary to extract minerals.

US laws, like Texas, are US laws, and Venezuela's laws is for Venezuela.

This is despite the US conservatives desire for every worldwide labor and environment law should be lowest common denominator, be most beneficial to billionaires only.

California

ezbee

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#3450587 7-Jan-2026 16:11

Trumps claims of they are stealing from us, cheating etc, are just the usual he applies to everyone.
He has accused penguins in subantarctic, the EU, South Korea, Japan, and cares not for any actual legalities.

He just repeats the same stuff, no need to think or have a rationale.

Its something MAGA lap up, and helps them forget about Trumps criminal past, and Epstein.
He is desperate as (Judgement day ), midterms comes up.
Oh Elon you can buy you way back into my good graces now.

Evangelicals and such are especially vulnerable to this rhetoric.
Being downtrodden victims is a theme of their mega millionaire, billionaire pastors as they farm them, Jesus loves money the show of wealth by his pastors apparently.
Podcasters go on similar patronage rampage.

So MAGA does not hear what Jack Smith testified.
The vast quantity of blacked out Epstein files that already have shown with the odd oopsies to be redacting things they should not.

While we get a peak of his name, the decades of close relationship living in 'each others pockets' (Or trousers), its clear 99.9% is missing.
A lot of pages of black ink, who's name would be first and foremost for redaction?

Its just something to say, hey look over there while I rob you blind.
Its them over there as Mr H would say.
The rationale goes no further, just repeat MAGA's favorite tune.

That was the deal given to South Korea, give 'ME' 100's billions, and 'I' decide where its invested.
Same for Japan, Ukraine rebuild money, and Russian reserves, etc.

So Trump can milk it for himself!

JimmyH

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#3450617 7-Jan-2026 18:08

gzt:
JimmyH:

I'm not sure why you see the move as a success. The US has achieved almost zero progress in their relationship with Venezuela.

Trump has achieved a pretty big distraction from US domestic issues I guess that part can be counted as a big win ; )

Although, that effect will last only a short time.. and then something else will be needed..

I didn't say either that it was a success overall, or that I approve of it (which, for what it's worth, I don't think it will be and I don't). Strategically, I don't think it will work, and the US could wind up in a quagmire that it can't easily get out of. Tactically, however, the immediate execution looks to have been near flawless. In sharp contrast to the ability of Mr Putin and his vaunted military to execute anything comparable.

tdgeek

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#3450629 7-Jan-2026 19:15

JimmyH:

gzt:
JimmyH:

I'm not sure why you see the move as a success. The US has achieved almost zero progress in their relationship with Venezuela.

Trump has achieved a pretty big distraction from US domestic issues I guess that part can be counted as a big win ; )

Although, that effect will last only a short time.. and then something else will be needed..

I didn't say either that it was a success overall, or that I approve of it (which, for what it's worth, I don't think it will be and I don't). Strategically, I don't think it will work, and the US could wind up in a quagmire that it can't easily get out of. Tactically, however, the immediate execution looks to have been near flawless. In sharp contrast to the ability of Mr Putin and his vaunted military to execute anything comparable.

Agree, it was flawless. Targeting various unimportant targets, then going in. Killing all in the way and taking Maduro.

Venezuela may be yet another forever war. Especially when you covet the terrible regime, instead of freeing the citizens to democracy.

Why not take Maduro, then encourage a democratic election? Yes there are issues with that, in that the military controls the regime, as well as various factions. THEN, you can allow US feet on the ground that Trump said is on the table. TALK to Colombia, yes we hate that drug traffic, lets work together on that to make a better world for all of us

But no

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