Washington reportedly mulls expanding Trump’s Board of Peace beyond Gaza to Ukraine and Venezuela;
Archiv: 03-01-2026 US government bombards Caracas / kidnaps president Maduro and his wife / kills dozens of Venezuelans and Cubans / declares Venezuela a de facto colony
CIA director John Ratcliffe meets with Venezuela‘s interim president Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas
CIA director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela‘s interim President Delcy Rodríguez for two hours Thursday in Venezuela‘s capital, Caracas, to „deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship,“ a U.S. official told CBS News Friday.
The official described the trip as historic, noting that Ratcliffe was the first Cabinet-level official to visit Venezuela since the U.S. military operation to remove the country‘s autocratic leader Nicolás Maduro nearly two weeks ago.
To survive Trump, Starmer must think the unthinkable
Britain can no longer avoid the costs of appeasing America’s predatory president
(…)
The word “crisis” is rooted in the Greek New Testament, referring to a decision, or judgement, in an unstable moment that forces a new clarity into being. While Trump’s exact motives for his aggression in our hemisphere remain opaque, our own predicament is now clearer. It is this: such is the new emerging order around us that we can no longer muddle through, finessing Trump’s instincts, hoping for the best so governments can focus on domestic political problems. Britain must choose.
Cuba’s president says no current talks with the US following Trump’s threats
Díaz-Canel wrote that for “relations between the U.S. and Cuba to progress, they must be based on international law rather than hostility, threats, and economic coercion.”
He added: “We have always been willing to hold a serious and responsible dialogue with the various US governments, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, principles of International Law, and mutual benefit without interference in internal affairs and with full respect for our independence.”
Cuban leader says ‘no one dictates what we do’ as Trump tells regime to make a deal
Díaz-Canel was quick to reject external interference in Cuba’s affairs.
“Cuba does not aggress; it is aggressed upon by the United States for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the Homeland to the last drop of blood,” said Díaz-Canel.
In an apparent reference to Trump, he said those who turn everything into a business, “even human lives,” have no moral authority to point fingers at his country.
With Cuban ally Maduro ousted, Trump warns Havana to make a ‘deal’ before it’s too late
Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.
Why Arab rulers remained silent over US seizure of Maduro
(January 8, 2026)
Egypt’s quiet is easy to explain. Cairo receives roughly $1.3bn a year in US military financing. Its hardware, maintenance chain and spare parts depend on American gatekeepers. Public outrage is a cost it cannot afford.
The UAE sits in a different position, but it faces another version of the same risk. It is a financial hub built on access, compliance and credibility. In a world where Washington can turn political conflict into legal exposure, the safest posture is often silence.
Algeria was supposed to be the outlier: despite a diplomatic relationship dating back to its 1795 treaty with George Washington, it has long defined itself through deep ties with Moscow and a fierce anti-imperial vocabulary.
If any Arab state had the ideological space to speak about sovereignty as a principle, it was Algeria. It stayed quiet anyway. That is the lesson: the distance non-aligned regimes claim is thinner than it looks when your trade, energy and finance run through chokepoints Washington can pressure.
Senate advances resolution to limit Trump’s ability to attack Venezuela
Big picture view:
Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote tally and ensure a later vote for final passage.
But Thursday’s successful vote is just the first step before the resolution officially passes. The Senate will have to take another vote, this time with the 60-vote filibuster threshold, before it becomes official.
US senators foresee vote on reining Trump in over Greenland
„You will see war powers resolutions introduced on Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, Greenland,“ Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democratic senator who has led several resolutions seeking to check U.S. presidents‘ use of military force without congressional approval.
„I just don‘t know who‘s necessarily going to be leading all of them, because I will likely be at least a co-sponsor and probably leading some,“ Kaine told reporters at a news conference ahead of a Senate vote expected on Thursday on whether to halt further military action in Venezuela without lawmakers‘ approval.
WATCH LIVE: Senate expected to vote on war powers resolution to limit Trump after Venezuela raid
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is expected to vote on a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump‘s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, setting up a test for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
The war powers resolution would require Trump to get congressional approval before striking Venezuela again, and it comes after the U.S. military seized the president of the South American country, Nicolás Maduro, in a surprise nighttime raid and as Trump‘s administration is seeking to control Venezuela‘s oil resources and its government.
Trump spoke to oil companies before Venezuela attack but didn‘t brief lawmakers, he says
Oil executives are set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to discuss investments in Venezuela, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
Trump previously said he spoke to U.S. oil companies prior to the raid on Venezuela, even as he said he opted to forego disclosure to members of Congress ahead of time due to concerns about possible leaks. The attack resulted in the removal of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump Team Works Up Sweeping Plan to Control Venezuelan Oil for Years to Come
President Trump and his advisers are planning a sweeping initiative to dominate the Venezuelan oil industry for years to come, and the president has told aides he believes his efforts could help lower oil prices to his favored level of $50 a barrel, according to people familiar with the matter.
Speech by OAS Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, during the Special Meeting of the Permanent Council to consider recent events in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
I would like to emphasize that the Americas have historically aspired to remain a zone of peace and that safeguarding this condition continues to be in the collective interest of all member states. Now, with respect to Venezuela, our commitment is clear. Morally, we owe the Venezuelan people our solidarity. Strategically, a stable, democratic, and prosperous Venezuela is in the interest of every single member state around this table.
At a minimum, we share responsibility for finding solutions that deliver concrete improvements to people‘s lives, respecting the inalienable right of the Venezuelan people to determine their own government and their own leadership in a representative democracy.
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We can support a democratic transition in depth, strengthen institutions, supporting institutional reforms, assisting election readiness, building capacities, observing electoral process and so much more.
Cuba releases details of 32 officers killed in US strike on Venezuela as US defends attack
(January 7, 2026)
Among the deceased are colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains, as well as some reserve soldiers, ranging in age from 26 to 60.
The uniformed personnel belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, Cuba’s two main security agencies. The publication did not specify their missions or exactly how they died.
Colombia condemns US actions in Venezuela before the OAS as a regional threat
(January 6, 2026)
The Colombian government condemned before the Organization of American States on Tuesday the “unilateral military actions” of the United States in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, considering them a “worrisome” threat to the security and sovereignty of the region.
“What happened on January 3 in Caracas constitutes a clear violation of international law,” said Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo, referring to Saturday’s US military operation, during a special session convened by his country.
“Democracy cannot be the result of coercion or external intervention,” Jaramillo added.
War Powers Resolution heads to Senate as push to curb Venezuela actions grows
The Trump administration’s foreign-policy ambitions are triggering a renewed, bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to curb the president’s military authority, as questions swirl about what actions the United States may take next in Venezuela and whether other countries or their leaders could face a similar fate.
A key focus of the debate is a War Powers Resolution. A vote is expected Thursday in the Senate, and if it passes both chambers, it would prohibit President Donald Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization.
Kaine tells Congress to ‚get its a– off the couch,‘ reclaim war powers
Kaine argued on a call with reporters that Congress has the constitutional authority to weigh in on military action and was frustrated throughout Trump’s second term that the check and balance was being bowled over.
„It‘s time for Congress to get its a– off the couch and do what the Constitution mandates that we do — the Constitution we take an oath to,“ Kaine said over the weekend. „We have to put this before the American people, not just in private settings, but in public hearings by the key oversight committees, Intelligence, Armed Services, Foreign Relations in both houses, and explore whether the United States should enter into yet another war with unforeseen consequences.“
Sen. Chuck Schumer: Congress Must Pass War Powers Resolution To Stop Trump‘s „Lawlessness“ In Venezuela
(January 4, 2026)
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, what can the Congress do about it is the next question.
SCHUMER: Well, the next question is very simple, and that is that we have the War Powers Act. That‘s a privilege resolution, which means the Republicans can‘t block it.
Tim Kaine and I and Rand Paul are sponsors of it. It‘s going to come to the floor this week. And if it is voted for, if it‘s voted positively in both houses, then the president can‘t do another thing in Venezuela without the OK of Congress. We have to pass it.
Senate to vote next week to block Trump’s military action against Venezuela
(January 3, 2026)
The resolution to block the administration from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela is privileged, which means Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cannot stop it from coming to the floor.
The measure is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
It needs only a simple majority to pass the Senate.
Salt Lake City protesters call on Congress to rein in presidential war powers
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A rally took place in Salt Lake City Monday. The protest was planned before the United States performed a military operation and took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro into custody, but now, organizers said that it’s more relevant than ever.
The protesters called on Utah’s Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis to support the bipartisan War Powers Resolution in the Senate, which will be voted on this week. It would prohibit President Trump from launching additional hostilities against Venezuela without congressional approval.
How Congress Blew All Their Chances to Stop Trump’s War With Venezuela
Since the Trump administration began striking alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean in September, there have been four failed votes on resolutions seeking to stop unauthorized attacks on either the boats strikes or Venezuelan soil. They all fell short.
Lawmakers are now preparing for another vote this week on a resolution in the Senate, their latest opportunity to pump the brakes.
OAS Live – English Audio
Started streaming 106 minutes ago
Emergency Action at the OAS: Hands Off Venezuela
On Tuesday, January 6, the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold a special Permanent Council meeting “to consider recent events in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” following the kidnapping of Venezuela’s sitting president and escalating U.S. actions inside the country.
We are mobilizing outside OAS headquarters at the exact moment this meeting takes place because the OAS has a long and documented history of providing political cover for U.S. intervention, regime-change operations, and violations of sovereignty in the hemisphere, including in Venezuela.
Colombia to continue work with US against drug trafficking, government says
(today)
Colombia will continue to work with the United States to fight drug trafficking using Washington’s intelligence and technology, it said yesterday.
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“The fight against drug trafficking must continue to be waged jointly with technology, with all the advances in cooperation that the US government can give us. We will continue to emphasise the fight against this scourge, particularly on the Colombian-Venezuelan border,” Idarraga said.
Colombia to maintain US intelligence-sharing to fight drug trafficking
(November 13, 2025)
Officials in Colombia say the country will continue to share intelligence with international agencies combatting drug trafficking, just days after President Gustavo Petro said he was suspending such collaboration with the United States over attacks on vessels in international waters.
Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez said in a social media post on Thursday that Petro had provided “clear instructions” to maintain a “continuous flow of information” with international agencies working on drug trafficking.
Colombia’s President Petro says he is ready to ‘take up arms’ after Trump threats
Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, made the remarks in a post on X, writing: “I swore not to touch a weapon again… but for the homeland I will take up arms again.”
The comments followed Trump’s warning that Petro should “watch his a**”, while describing Colombia’s first left-wing president as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States”.
UN chief deeply concerned over ‘possible intensification of instability’ in Venezuela
In a statement delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, António Guterres said the Council was meeting “at a grave time” following the 3 January US military action in Venezuela.
Danish PM says US attack on Greenland would be the end of NATO
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any bid by the United States to take over Greenland will result in the end of the NATO military alliance, as reverberations from Washington’s military attack on Venezuela and the abduction of its leader are felt across the globe.
Frederiksen made the comments on Monday following US President Donald Trump’s latest calls for the Arctic island to come under direct control of Washington.