Valeria and Renee were both killed by immigration agents placing themselves in front of their cars to escalate the violence.
My hope is that America never forgets Renee Good. She was a mom, a college graduate, a poet, a wife, a daughter, a volunteer, a supporter of her community, a United States citizen. Only thirty-seven years young, her life was taken by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7, 2026. She leaves behind three children, a wife, an ex-husband and countless others who loved her.
On the southern border, in San Diego, we cannot forget Valeria Tachiquin. She was a mom, a high school graduate, a wife, a daughter, a United States citizen. Only thirty-two years young, her life was taken by Border Patrol Agent Justin Tackett on September 28, 2012. She left behind five children, a husband, a father and countless others who loved her.
Within hours, before Renee’s body was cold, Department of Homeland Security set the narrative, “she was stalking agents all day long, impeding our law enforcement.” The President of the United States stated, “The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.”
Within hours, before Valeria’s body was cold, then San Diego Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott ran down to the scene, stood with her body laying in the street behind him to do an interview setting the narrative, “The agent actually was impacted, was hit by the vehicle and was carried several hundred yards on the hood before fearing for his life and did discharge his weapon to get the vehicle to stop.”
When Renee was killed, ICE claimed they were doing “targeted enforcement.” That is they were looking for specific people with criminal records. They have shown no proof of this claim.
When Valeria was killed, Border Patrol claimed they had a criminal arrest warrant. Years later in courtroom testimony, it was discovered that they lied.
We do not yet know what Agent Ross’ background is other than a claim made by Vice-President J.D. Vance that he suffers from trauma of being hit and dragged by a vehicle six months ago.
Border Patrol Agent Tackett was allowed to resign from the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office before being terminated. Then Imperial County Sheriff Chief Sharon Housouer, wrote that then Deputy Tackett could not be “trusted with a badge or a gun.” Yet, a recommendation letter from former Congressman Duncan Hunter got him a position with the U.S. Border Patrol.
In Renee’s killing, ICE whisked Agent Ross away from the scene. He will not have to speak with investigators for seventy-two hours as a common courtesy offered to officers involved in shootings.
In Valeria’s killing, Border Patrol whisked Agent Tackett away refusing to allow Chula Vista Police or any other investigators to interview him for seventy-two hours. Tackett spent this time coordinating his story with other agents and his union attorneys.
Agent Ross was reportedly taken to the hospital and labeled the victim though he had no injuries. Officials claim he was “rammed” and “run over” by Renee though evidence shows Ross placed himself in front of her vehicle as agents shouted a variety of contradictory orders at her. Placing oneself in front of a vehicle is a direct violation of training and policy. As a firearms instructor, Agent Ross is fully aware of this.
Agent Tackett was labeled the victim after putting ten bullets in Valeria’s body though he had injuries. Officials claimed Valeria “rammed” and tried to “run over” Agent Tackett although evidence showed he placed himself in front of her car to block her exit.
Valeria’s killing was why The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) wrote a report in 2013 condemning federal immigration enforcement agencies for not training agents the forty year standard of not putting themselves in front of people’s cars as it causes violence to escalate.
Agent Ross and others were in civilian clothes and not in uniform. Agent Ross is only wearing a vest that with “POLICE Federal Agent” written on it without a badge visible. This vest and generic “POLICE Federal Agent” can be bought by anyone online.
Agent Tackett was also in civilian clothing and not in his Border Patrol uniform. In this official picture taken by the Border Patrol’s illegal coverup teams known as Critical Incident Teams, Tackett is shown with his badge clearly visible. However, court documents and even Tackett’s own testimony proved his badge was not visible and was in his pocket.
The contradictory orders to “get out of here” and “get out of the car” combined with Agent Ross drawing his gun and aiming at Renee caused fear as she tried to obey the order to leave.
Agent Tackett’s order to his partner, Border Patrol Agent Roozen to shatter her window created fear in Valeria causing her to try and escape.
Department of Homeland Security and ICE have refused to allow local and state investigators with legal jurisdiction to conduct investigations into Good’s homicide. Federal officials flat out refuse to cooperate and make witnesses and evidence available.
Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol refused to allow local and state investigators with legal jurisdiction to conduct investigations into Valeria’s homicide. When former Chief Rodney Scott discovered his coverup team was unavailable that day, he ordered the San Diego Sector Intelligence Unit (many who were trained by the illegal coverup team) to act as the coverup team. They then proceeded to try and keep witnesses from the investigators.
Agent Tackett was transferred to another sector and continued on with his Border Patrol career. Agent Ross will likely continue on with his because these cover up systems still exist within ICE, CBP and the Border Patrol.
Former Chief Rodney Scott is now Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). And although the illegal coverup teams were technically disbanded by former President Biden, he allowed the agents involved to resign and the teams were simply moved into CBP’s Office of professional Responsibility. Meaning, Commissioner Scott now runs the teams he used to use as a Border Patrol chief to coverup his agents crimes. Commissioner Scott and his Border Patrol agents have been placed in charge of ICE and CBP. What we are seeing is the Border Patrol-ification of all law enforcement.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
To learn more about the teams and see more of my work, please watch HBO’s Critical Incident: Death at the Border. This film is currently streaming on HBO and Amazon Prime.
Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd is a reader-supported publication. Your paid subscriptions enable me to purchase the court records needed for this research. Thank you! To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
President George W. Bush welcomes María Corina Machado, the founder and executive director of Súmate, an “independent democratic civil society group” (directly funded by the U.S government) in Venezuela, to the Oval Office Tuesday
Years Exxon was extracting oil in Venezuela:
Regarding its relationship with Venezuela, ExxonMobil operated in the country from the 1940s until 2007, when the Venezuelan government, led by Hugo Chávez, nationalized the company’s assets. In 2014, an international tribunal ordered Venezuela to pay ExxonMobil $1.6 billion in compensation for the expropriation of its assets.
And reported elsewhere:
“The ICC only awarded Exxon ten per cent of what they wanted,” Chavez said recently. “You can make your own conclusions.”
Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the state oil company, said on January 2 it would pay Exxon Mobile $255m, after accounting for money frozen in a New York bank account and outstanding debts.
“Exxon has been granted the value of its [initial] investment, but not the value of the project today,” Chris Nelder, an independent energy analyst, told Al Jazeera. The company had demanded as much as $12bn, citing potential lost future profits and other concerns, after the nationalisation of its Venezuelan heavy oil assets in the Orinoco belt in 2007.
“This is a victory against a corporation that tried to abuse Venezuelan law,” said Eva Golinger, a lawyer and author of The Chavez Code: Cracking US Intervention in Venezuela. “The Venezuelan government had originally offered $1bn for the nationalisation and now they end up only having to pay $255m.”
It seems appropriate right now to try to clarify one of the most basic questions America is (or should be) struggling with: What does it mean to be a human being?
The confusion is mounting.
Three illustrations:
1. Corporations
Corporations are not human beings. That should be self-evident.
But in 2010, the Supreme Court ruled (in its Citizens Unitedcase) that corporations are the equivalent of “people” under the First Amendment to the Constitution, with rights to free speech.
This ruling has made it nearly impossible for the government to restrict the flow of money from giant corporations into politics. As a result, the political voices — and First Amendment rights — of most real human beings in America are being effectively drowned out.
But in coming years, states will have an opportunity to circumvent Citizens United by redefining what a “corporation” is in the first place.
Absent state charters that empower them to become “corporations,” business organizations are nothing more than collections of contracts — between investors and managers, managers and employees, and consumers and sellers.
In the 1819 Supreme Court case Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, Chief Justice John Marshall established that:
“A corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible [that] possesses only those properties which the charter of its creation confers upon it …. The objects for which a corporation is created are universally such as the government wishes to promote.”
Montana is now readying a proposition for its 2026 ballot that would empower organizations that sought to be corporations there to do many things — except to fund elections. (I’ve written more on this, here.)
And
Corporate political spending was growing before Citizens United, but the decision opened the floodgates to the unlimited super PAC spending and undisclosed dark money we suffer from today.
Between 2008 and 2024, reported “independent” expenditures by outside groups exploded by more than 28-fold — from $144 million to $4.21 billion. Unreported money also skyrocketed, with dark money groups spending millions influencing the 2024 election.
Some pushback:
Jayapal’s bill to overturn Citizens United targets Musk’s ‘shadow presidency’
As billionaires like Elon Musk reshape American democracy, a new amendment seeks to reverse the Supreme Court ruling that allowed corporate money to dominate politics.
A shadow fleet, also referred to as a dark fleet, is a “ship or vessel that uses concealing tactics to smuggle sanctioned goods”. Shadow fleets are a direct response to international or unilateral economic sanctions Continued in Wikipedia
Shifty shades of grey: The different risk profiles of the dark fleet explained
Tankers no longer fit the catch-all definition of ‘dark fleet’ even if they share similarities and meet the established criteria
Silk Road, online black market known for providing a platform to buy and sell illegal drugs and for hosting other illicit activities. The site was founded by Ross Ulbricht in February 2011 and eventually shut down by law enforcement in 2013.
Ulbricht attempted to appeal, and in May 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied his attempt. Also in 2017, Ulbricht appealed to the Supreme Court, with attorneys arguing that his case involves unresolved constitutional questions regarding the Fourth Amendment and the digital age. In June 2018, the court declined to hear Ross’s case.10
In late 2020, national media reported that former President Donald Trump was considering commuting Mr. Ulbricht’s sentence, but he did not at that time.11 Since Ulbricht’s incarceration, more than 570,000 have signed an online petition created by Lyn Ulbricht, Ross’ mother, to commute his double life sentence.12
On Jan. 21, 2025, President Donald Trump pardoned Ulbricht.13
Stephen Miller’s Dark Legacy: A Tale of Influence written by Jennifer Anderson September 14, 2025
Stephen Miller’s name has become synonymous with a polarizing era of policy-making during Donald Trump‘s presidency. Known for his hardline stances, particularly on immigration, Miller’s influence extended deep into the corridors of power. This article delves into the intricate fabric of Miller’s potent presence in the White House and the far-reaching effects of policies crafted under his guidance. Unveiling the dynamics of his “Reign of Terror,” both his admirers and adversaries provide a layered understanding of his political legacy.
Russia has accused Washington of violating maritime law after the US military seized a Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. The operation comes days after US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Russia had reportedly sent its navy to escort the tanker, which the US says violated sanctions. The US also says it has seized a second “stateless” oil tanker it accuses of operating as part of Venezuela’s “dark fleet”.
Why US seized Bella 1 and Sophia tankers and what it means for Venezuela
The United States has seized two oil tankers, the Bella 1 and the Sophia, in the North Atlantic and Caribbean for violating US sanctions against Venezuela
This undated handout photo released by the US European Command shows what it says is the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 oil tanker in the northern Atlantic Ocean | AFP
The United States’ European Command has seized two sanctioned Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, authorities said on Wednesday.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said that US forces have taken control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. Earlier, US defence authorities announced they have seized the merchant vessel Bella 1 for violating US sanctions. According to Noem, both ships were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.
Ukrainians were the first to intercept the Russian tankers.
Ukraine Hit Russian Shadow Fleet Tankers, Undermining Moscow’s Sanctions-Evasion Fleet
ByDavid Kirichenko,Contributor. David Kirichenko is a journalist focusing on war and technology.Follow Author
Nov 30, 2025, 09:57pm ESTNov 30, 2025, 11:58pm EST
Ukrainian Sea Baby naval drones struck two Russian oil tankers operating in international waters off Turkey’s Black Sea coast on November 28, marking a significant expansion of Kyiv’s maritime drone campaign targeting the Kremlin’s oil revenue.
Venezuela live updates: Rubio says Venezuela is cooperating on oil seized from tanker
Some sanctions against Venezuela will be lifted.
7:25
US seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker in North Atlantic and 2nd tankerABC News’ Luis Martinez and contributor Steve Hill discuss the operations in the North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife appeared in a federal court in New York City on Monday, following their capture by U.S. forces over the weekend in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
Following the operation, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “period of time.”
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.”
Extract from Ellie Leonard’s ‘Panicked’ Substack, as she continues to work through recently released Epstein related material:
1/10/2015 4:02 PM – 6:42 PM
The following email conversation, dated 1/10 – 1/11, was forwarded by Ghislaine Maxwell to Jeffrey Epstein.
GM: I am out of my depth to understanding defamation and other local hazards and don’t want to end up in a law suit aimed at me from anyone if I can help it. Apparently even saying [REDACTED but assumed is Virginia Giuffre] is a lier has hazard! I have never been in a suit criminal or civil and want it to stay that way. The U.S. lawyers for the Jane Does are filling additional discovery motions and if I speak I open my self to being part of discovery apparently. I am trying to stay out of litigation and not have to employ lawyers for years as I get lost in US legal nightmare. I stand no legal risk currently on these old charges and civil suits against Jeffrey We need to consult with US lawyers on any statement I make and the complaints too Perhaps we make a statement of the legal risk of saying anything for potential defamation or something that prevents a full and frank detailed rebuttal + the press not being the place for that? Regardless, Philip plse call Jeffrey lawyer and see what you can understand from him and pehaps craft something in conjunction with him? Either way I think you need to speak to him to understand my risk so you can help me understand it – too may cooks in the kitchen and I can’t make good decisions. Plse reach out to him today + I have already suffered such a terrible and painful loss over the last few days that I can’t even see what life after press he’ll even looks like – statements that don’t address all just lead to more questions..what is my relationship to Clinton ? Andrew on and on. Let’s rest till Monday. I need head space.
Philip Barden, Attorney: All I am back on line now. I see the statement didn’t go. Monday? Maybe tomorrow? I will speak to Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer but JE has a conflict with you and will want your silence as whilst you are being attacked there is less heat on him. Either [REDACTED but assumed is Virginia Giuffre] IS LYING OR NOT. If we let her lie without challenge then the lies become the reality and that may lead you to facing investigation. These are serious allegations and In the UK prosecuting people who face allegations of sex abuse is now common place and a lot of resources are focused on this. We can’t sit back and let you be a conspirator by silence. Your are not guilty and must follow Dershowtiz line. He is a leading lawyer and he hasn’t followed the don’t say anything for fear of litigation. He has rightly called [REDACTED] bluff and shouted his innocence. You have to stand up and deny the allegations or be branded guilty by association and that may lead to other investigations and worse. I feel I am going around in circles. I know what is right to do and that is to shout your innocence. Try and get some rest. Call me tomorrow if you want anytime. Speak to Deshowitz. Don’t allay yourself to JE as that is not the way to go. Best Philip
Ross Gow, PR: Had Geordie on the phone half a dozen times today. He would have give us a better hearing than most I figure. Strongly believe saying nothing is the wrong thing – especially as Dershowitz has a big piece coming in The Times on Monday. Rest up and speak Monday. Best Ross
1/11/2015 5:27 AM
Philip Barden, Attorney: Saying nothing is reputational suicide. Even if [REDACTED] is discredited by [REDACTED] people will know JE paid her off and believe G was complicate absent and credible denial. Now it is reported that G engaged in direct abuse – as I feared would happen. Next reports to the authorities will be made. It is necessary from a litigation, investigatory and reputational reason to issue a cogent denial. I can see why JE doesn’t want this as it may not suit him but he is already toast.
1/21/2015 12:01 PM
The following is a statement written by Jeffrey Epstein for Ghislaine Maxwell, as noted in the second-to-last sentence, where he incorrectly says “you” instead of “I.”
JE: ”Since JE was charged in 2007 for solicitation of a prostitute I have been the target of outright lies, innuendo, slander, defamation and salacious gossip and harassment; headlines made up of quotes I have never given, statements I have never made, trips with people to places I have never been, holidays with people I have never met, false allegations of impropriety and offensive behavior that I abhor and have never been party to, witness to events that I have never seen, living off trust funds that i have never ever had, party to stories that have changed materially both in time and place and event depending on what paper you read, and the list goes on.
I have never been a party to any criminal action pertaining to JE
For the record: At the time of Jeffrey’s plea I was in a very long-term committed relationship with another man and no longer working with Jeffrey. Whilst I remained on friendly terms with him up until is plea, , I have had limited contact since
Every story in the press innuendo and comment has been taken from civil depositions against JE, which were settled many years ago. None of the depositions were ever subject to cross examination , not one. any standard of truth and were used for those who claimed they were victims to receive financial payment to be shared between them and their lawyers. One firm created and sold fake cases against Mr. Epstein — the firm subsequently imploded and the Rothstein, the owner of the firm was sent to jail for 50 years for his crime. The lawyer who is currently representing Virginia was his partner. need I say morel
These so called ‘new revelations’ stem from an alleged diary from VR that reads like the memoirs she is purporting to be selling. Also perhaps pertinent – in a previous complaint against others, her claims were rejected by police “due to.. VR ..lack of credibility
The new interest in this old settled case results from lawyers representing some of JE victims filed a suit against the US government not JE . They contend that the Us govt violated their rights.
The document and deal that JE negotiated with the government was given to the lawyers 6 years ago and is a public document.
I am not part of, nor did you have anything to do with, JE plea bargain.
I have never seen the proceedings nor any of the depositions.”
1/24/2015 1:22 PM
GM: I would appreciate it if shelley would come out and say she was your g’friend – I think she was from end 99 to 2002
2009 Rothstein ‘scandal’:
Rothstein, Epstein scandals converge with sex offender claiming he was used in swindle
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, seen here at a 2019 press conference after the suicide of Jeffrey Epstein has been the most vocal and litigious of all of Epstein’s alleged victims.AP
Why become a lawyer? ‘My uncle who lived in the Australian outback advised that I should get a professional qualification, just in case I did not make it in my punk band or as a footballer. How wise he was.’
Career high: ‘Representing Dennis Hutchings and many other military veterans who secured the peace in Northern Ireland and now suffer never-ending investigations and threats of prosecution. I hope this will be brought to an end by the passing of the Troubles Bill.’
Conman, convict, paedophile and a life terminated in circumstances of purported suicide. The list for Jeffrey E. Epstein, figure of cosmic social and political influence in the United States, is long. Trafficking in female flesh for his extensive client list, lubricated by his lover Ghislaine Maxwell, tends to be the crowning feature of most discussions about his sordid legacy. Another shrouded aspect has been neglected.
=========================
Of interest here is the correspondence between Epstein and Harvard law professor Alan M. Dershowitz, himself a devoted apologist for Israeli causes. During the first week of April 2006 Dershowitz, who also acted for Epstein in criminal matters, passed on several drafts of his article “Debunking the Newest – and Oldest – Jewish Conspiracy” to the financier. That tatty, travesty of a piece accused Walt and Mearsheimer of putting together “little more than a compilation of old, false, and authoritatively discredited charges dressed up in academic garb”, incarnating in modern form the conspiratorial tract The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
After Epstein’s warm congratulations for the libellous effort, the question of how best to distribute the piece comes to the fore. To a query from Dershowitz’s email address sent by an assistant regarding progress on the matter, Epstein replies: “yes I’ve started.” Here, the vital entrails of the Lobby become clear: Epstein’s relationship with Harvard (donor of sums over $9 million between 1998 and 2008); Epstein as trustee and president of the family financial office of retail mogul and philanthropist Leslie Wexner, himself a donor of almost $20 million to the Kennedy School between 2000 and 2006 via a foundation bearing his name and responsible for a scholar program for visiting Israeli government officials to study a one-year Master’s degree.
Because while you’re being pulled into that distraction, behind the scenes the real work is happening — the scrubbing, the burying, the cover-up. The real crime isn’t what’s being talked about on TV. The real crime is what they don’t want you looking at: the Epstein files.
After speaking with several of my sources, I can tell you this plainly: Stephen Miller and the Project 2025 leadership are in full damage-control mode. The push right now is to shift the narrative at all costs — away from the Epstein files, away from accountability, and away from what is being scrubbed and buried behind closed doors. That is why you’re seeing coordinated theatrics not just in Venezuela, but escalating threats and noise around Cuba, Greenland, Canada, and beyond. This is not coincidence. It’s a flood-the-zone strategy — overwhelm the media, fracture attention, and keep the public chasing new crises while the real cover-up continues. My sources are clear: the urgency inside Trump’s orbit isn’t about policy or security — it’s about distraction, because the Epstein files are the one thing they cannot survive if fully exposed.
And while the world argues, while Americans are divided, while families, parties, and institutions are torn apart, Trump keeps moving. That division is not a side effect. It’s the strategy.
Which brings me to the most important point in this letter.
The most powerful weapon we have right now is the Epstein files.
Venezuela covers an area of approximately 916,445 square kilometers (353,841 square miles), making it the 32nd largest country in the world. It is roughly 11 times smaller than the United States. Al Jazeera Wikipedia
Venezuelans have suffered high ratest of violence and crime:
Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with significant fluctuations over the years. As of 2021, the murder rate was approximately 19.31 per 100,000 people, showing a decline from previous years, but the country has historically faced severe violence and crime issues. Wikipedia InSight Crime
Reuters report:
Trump says US has captured Venezuela President Maduro
Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has published what he claims is a list of the bombed installations in Venezuela. They include the Cuartel de la Montaña barracks in Caracas, a military base that is home to the mausoleum of Nicolás Maduro’s mentor, Hugo Chávez.
The mausoleum is one of the most sacred places of their political movement, Chavismo, which has governed Venezuela in an increasingly authoritarian fashion since Chávez first came to power in 1999. Chávez’s remains were taken there after he died of cancer in 2013.
The Reuters news agency says it has been told by a US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that the US carried out strikes inside Venezuela on Saturday.
The unnamed official did not provide details. As mentioned earlier, the White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to request for comment on Saturday morning.
A series of explosions, loud blasts and rising columns of smoke were reported in Venezuela’s capital Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, according to Reuters witnesses. At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time, with parts of southern Caracas, near a major military base, left without electricity. Videos showed flashes lighting up the night sky followed by heavy smoke. The incidents come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, as U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated threats of stronger action against President Nicolás Maduro, including sanctions, military pressure and strikes on alleged drug-trafficking operations. Neither the Venezuelan government nor the Pentagon immediately commented on the events.
Explosions were reported in Caracas around 2:00 a.m. local time, according to ABC News and social media footage circulating online.¹ Per CBS News, the U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), more commonly known as Delta Force, was involved in a ground operation aimed at capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.²
Per OSINT defender, sites confirmed targeted:³
– Fuerte Tiuna – Main Military Base in Caracas – La Carlota – Main Airbase in Caracas – El Volcán – Main Signal Antenna – La Guaira Port – Main Port of Venezuela – Higuerote Airport – Airbase in the State of Miranda
With additional sites likely struck, the U.S. attack has left an unspecified number of Venezuelans dead and injured, Venezuelan officials said in statements. The number of casualties is still being assessed, according to The New York Times.⁴
And Trump tells us the US will run Venezuela, working with current Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. He said she has talked with Marco Rubio to prepare for this. But she has since been on air demanding the return of Maduro.
Live updates: Trump says US is ‘going to run’ Venezuela in interim. No immediate signs of US control
Follow the news on Venezuela and the United States | Jan. 3, 2026
Trump addressed the nation after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country in a military operation early in the day that plucked a sitting leader from office.
Following are some facts about Delcy Rodriguez, whom U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press conference on Saturday was “just sworn in” as president of Venezuela after Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The Venezuelan government has not announced that Rodriguez was sworn in and several sources told Reuters she was in Russia, though the Russian state news agency denied the report.
Trump said that the U.S. would be running Venezuela in the immediate future and that Rodriguez has said she is “willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
Maduro has called Rodriguez a “tiger” for her diehard defense of his socialist government.
She works closely with her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who is the head of the national assembly legislature.
Caracas native Rodriguez, 56, was born on May 18, 1969, opens new tab and is the daughter of left-wing guerrilla fighter Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, who founded the revolutionary Liga Socialista party in the 1970s.
Rodriguez’s roles as finance and oil minister, held simultaneously with her vice-presidential post, have made her a key figure in the management of Venezuela’s economy and gained her major influence with the country’s withered private sector. She has applied orthodox economic policies in a bid to fight exaggerated inflation.
She called on the U.S. government to provide proof of life for Maduro and his wife in an audio message played on state television on Saturday, but her exact whereabouts are not known.
She is an attorney who graduated from Universidad Central de Venezuela and rose rapidly through the political ranks in the last decade, serving as Communication and Information Minister between 2013 and 2014.
As United States naval deployments in the Caribbean intensify and rhetoric heats up, the prospect of a US attack on Venezuela feels increasingly close.
Since early September, the US has carried out military strikes on at least 21 Venezuelan boats it claims are trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 87 people. The Trump administration has justified the attacks as, it says, the inflow of drugs to the US threatens national security. However, it has provided no evidence of drug trafficking, and experts say Venezuela is not the main source of drugs such as cocaine being smuggled into the US.
US President Donald Trump has given conflicting messages about whether he plans a ground operation inside Venezuela. He has simultaneously not ruled it out, while also denying he was considering strikes inside the country. He has, however, authorised CIA operations inside the country.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claims Trump’s real objective is to force a regime change by removing him from power, and warned that the country would resist any such attempt.
Here is what we know:
How could the US attack Venezuela?
Analysts say the US has several military options for striking Venezuela, most of which employ air and maritime power rather than ground troops.
In recent months, the US has deployed a considerable air and naval force to the Caribbean, close to the coast of Venezuela, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford.
“The pieces are in place for an air and missile attack,” Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera.
“The first strike will likely be long-range missiles launched from air and sea because Venezuela has relatively strong air defences,” he said.
While the Trump administration’s rhetoric has increasingly focused on the Maduro government, which it claims has links to drug gangs in Venezuela, analysts note that targeting alleged cartel-linked infrastructure would be easier to justify internationally and easier to conclude quickly.
What nearly all experts have ruled out is a ground invasion.
“I don’t really see that an attack is likely at all at this stage,” Elias Ferrer, founder of Orinoco Research and the lead editor of the Venezuelan media organisation Guacamaya, said.
“There will be no boots on the ground because US ground forces in the region are not strong enough for an invasion,” Cancian said.
Furthermore, a large-scale land operation would likely be deeply unpopular in the US and face major obstacles at home.
“Any move toward overt ground operations would encounter significant legal barriers, congressional pushback, and the shadow of Iraq and Afghanistan – all of which make a full occupation extremely unlikely,” Salvador Santino Regilme, a political scientist who leads the international relations programme at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Al Jazeera.
“Analytically, we should think in terms of a spectrum of limited but potentially escalating uses of force, not a binary choice between ‘no attack’ and an Iraq-style invasion,” he added.
An ‘Iraq-style invasion’ refers to a large-scale ground campaign followed by a US-led occupation, the dismantling of state institutions and an open-ended nation-building effort – the kind of intervention that would require hundreds of thousands of troops, years of counterinsurgency operations, and massive political and financial investment.Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez [FILE: Gaby Oraa/Reuters]
What could a US attack mean for Venezuela?
While some policymakers in Washington hope a military strike would trigger a political transition in government, analysts warn it is far more likely to plunge the nation into instability.
Ferrer described the idea of an attack as opening a “Pandora’s box”.
“Armed actors are empowered in a conflict, so either the military itself or paramilitary actors – whether they’re politically motivated or just organised crime – could try to take over certain parts of the country. That is not the only result. But you open up all of those possibilities.”
In such an environment, Ferrer warned, the political opposition would be among the least likely to benefit.
“One of the most likely losers out of such a situation is the Venezuelan opposition, only because they don’t have an armed wing or strong connections with the armed and security forces,” he said.
Indeed, some analysts argue that even a limited US strike would likely strengthen the Maduro government in the short term.
“External aggression tends to generate a rally-around-the-flag effect and gives incumbents a powerful pretext to criminalise dissent as treason,” Santino Regilme told Al Jazeera.
“The opposition, which is already fragmented and socially uneven, would likely be further divided between those who welcome US pressure and those who fear being permanently discredited as foreign proxies,” he added.
“Comparative experiences in Iraq, Libya, and other cases of externally driven regime change suggest that coercive intervention rarely produces stable democracy,” Santino Regilme explained.
Despite rising tensions, senior Venezuelan officials have adopted an openly defiant posture. While publicly calling for peace, they frame any potential US action as an attack on national sovereignty.
“They [the US] think that with a bombing they’ll end everything. Here, in this country?” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello scoffed on state television in early November.
Maduro struck a similar tone earlier this month.
“We want peace, but peace with sovereignty, equality and freedom,” he said. “We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies.”Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony to swear in new community-based organisations [Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]
What is the US’s main strategy?
Cancian, the retired Marine Corps colonel from CSIS, said the US, through the CIA, is working to undermine the loyalty of the Venezuelan military to the Maduro government.
“The United States may tell these forces that they will be left alone if they remain in garrison during any fighting,” Cancian explained.
“The US did something like this during Desert Storm,” he said. That was the 1991 Gulf War campaign in which a US-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
In that conflict, US officials quietly signalled to certain Iraqi units that if they stayed in their barracks and did not resist, they would not be targeted – an approach that helped limit resistance during the ground offensive.
But, according to Cancian, the Venezuelan government has purged any opposition from the military.
“Thus, there is a high likelihood that the military and security forces will fight,” he added
So how could Venezuela’s military respond to an attack?
Ferrer said this all depends on what signals the US sends them before any attack. “What’s actually more interesting is what kind of deal the US is trying to make. How is it trying to involve or marginalise the armed forces and the security forces?”
He outlined the dilemma facing Washington: “Is it telling them, ‘Hey guys, you can stay in control of these businesses, these ministries – the generals can keep their posts’? Or is it going to do something like de-Baathification in Iraq, where they remove all the officers and fire all the soldiers to purge the armed forces of pro-Maduro elements?”
Marginalising the armed forces could trigger more, not less, violence, Ferrer warned.
“Not necessarily a coup or a civil war involving the whole country, but you might have pockets of conflict arising all over the country. That’s definitely a possibility if the armed forces are marginalised,” he added.Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro addresses members of the armed forces, the Bolivarian Militia, police and civilians during a rally against a possible escalation of United States actions [FILE: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]
How might ordinary Venezuelans react?
Analysts say the picture is complex. “Ordinary Venezuelans have already endured a prolonged socioeconomic collapse, hyperinflation, widespread shortages, international sanctions and one of the largest displacement crises in the world,” Santino Regilme said.
According to recent estimates, about 7.9 million Venezuelans, roughly 28-30 percent of the population, have required humanitarian assistance in 2025.
“Against that backdrop, a US attack would likely be experienced less as a moment of ‘liberation’ and more as yet another layer of insecurity, one that threatens what remains of access to food, medicine, electricity and basic services.”
“Public opinion research shows deep distrust both toward the government and toward foreign military intervention, suggesting that popular reactions would be heterogeneous, ambivalent, and heavily shaped by class, geography, and political identity,” Santino Regilme added.
How would Venezuela’s international partners respond?
Regional and global actors would likely react in ways that mirror their existing strategic ties with Caracas.
According to analysts, China, now one of Venezuela’s largest creditors and economic partners, is expected to maintain firm diplomatic support for Maduro, but its ability to shape events on the ground would be limited if open conflict erupted.
“In the event of an armed conflict developing between Venezuela and the US, we understand that China’s capacity for influence would be reduced,” Carlos Pina, a Venezuelan political analyst, told Al Jazeera.
Russia, by contrast, has a more direct military relationship with Venezuela. Moscow has supplied advanced weapons systems, trained Venezuelan personnel, and maintained intelligence cooperation for years.
According to Pina: “Moscow’s [role] would be linked to possible military advisory regarding the use of military equipment that this Eurasian country has sold to Caracas.”
In any scenario, both countries would remain politically aligned with Maduro. As the expert noted, “the diplomatic support of these countries for Nicolas Maduro would be undisputed.”
Trump, Venezuela and the new cold war with China
Could the US target other countries?
Analysts caution that US aggression towards Venezuela could have regional implications.
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday this week, Trump warned that any country producing narcotics would be a potential target, and singled out Colombia for producing cocaine, which ends up in the US.
Experts say they fear that what is unfolding now with Venezuela, therefore, could become a broader template for reframing domestic political crises across the region as “narco-terrorist” threats – a label that can justify military action under the banners of counterterrorism or law enforcement.
Santino Regilme told Al Jazeera that “what is being tested around Venezuela is less a single country policy than a broader template, where complex domestic crises are reframed as ‘narco-terrorist’ threats that justify extraterritorial use of force under the banners of law enforcement and counterterrorism”.
If applied to other countries in the region, he warned, this model could “further erode the already fragile constraints on the use of force in international law and weaken regional mechanisms that seek negotiated political settlements”.
Santino Regilme added that such an approach would also deepen the trend towards managing transnational issues – like drug trafficking and migration – through militarisation rather than social, economic or public health interventions.
The warnings were there:
It is hard to see an upside for Europe, but there may be one small silver lining. Prior to the strike, Caracas had been demonstrating how a sanctioned regime could survive and adapt by embedding itself into alternative economic and financial networks backed by China, Russia and Iran. That resilience was undermining the credibility of sanctions as a systemic tool, on which the EU relies far more heavily than the United States. By decapitating the Maduro regime, Washington has reasserted that sanctions are not an end state, but a step on an escalation ladder that can still culminate in the use of force.
Yet this restoration of the credibility of sanctions comes at a great cost. It risks signalling to other revisionist or embattled regimes that force is the ultimate arbiter. All eyes are now on Moscow, since, as former US National Security Council official Fiona Hill testified in 2019, Russia had informally offered to end its support for Venezuela in exchange for US acquiescence on Ukraine. Meanwhile, online advocates in China are calling on their regime to emulate the US and take similar steps against Taiwan.
Worse still, Venezuela is now politically hollowed out. Any opposition figure who emerges now could be instantly labelled a US proxy. It is not yet clear what the thinking is in Washington about the day after, but the precedents of Iraq and Afghanistan are not encouraging.
Once again, Washington has demonstrated its ability to act decisively – but also reminded us of its lack of staying power. For Ukraine, that distinction may prove fatal unless Europe can step up and support Kyiv more decisively in 2026.
The Same Strategy will be Used in the Caribbean to Challenge U.S. Regional Hegemony
China, Iran, and Russia will use their successful Red Sea strategy in the Caribbean for even greater gain. Within months, the U.S. naval presence may struggle to maintain maritime superiority while facing agile, technologically advanced, well-funded, asymmetric adversaries with unimpeded supply lines. Maduro’s narcoterrorism enterprise is even better suited for this strategy to be successful than the Houthis were; the autocracy is involved in the illegal drug market not as a producer, but as a distributor, with its government and military introducing billions of dollars of drugs to global markets annually. Maduro’s bureaucrats also preside over gold and oil black markets. China, Iran, and Russia will use this infrastructure to circumvent political pressures and sanctions, as they did in the Red Sea
But Chinese, Iranian, and Russian support for Venezuela will threaten more than U.S. maritime superiority. Caracas is just 1,473 miles from Miami, 838 miles from the Panama Canal, and 674 miles from U.S. military concentrations in Puerto Rico. Iranian-supplied scud missiles were modified by the Houthis to strike targets in Israel up to 1,242 miles away. In September 2024 China conducted an unannounced test of the Dong-Feng-31 intercontinental ballistic missile. The nuclear-capable warhead and its mobile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) were featured during the September Victory Day Parade. In the Caribbean, China, Iran, and Russia have the opportunity to place threats well within range of the United States and its interests. Maduro will be eager to receive whatever financial and military assets he can from wherever he can while the country nears economic collapse with world-record inflation at 564.7% per year. The question that remains to be answered is whether there are any limits to Maduro’s pursuit of self-preservation. Is a man capable of declaring Christmas in October to defend his popularity also capable of importing nuclear weapons to defend his regime?
Rodríguez says Venezuela and Russia ink strategic partnership treaty
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 24.Oct.2025, Words: 240) — Venezuela’s executive vice president and minister of hydrocarbons Delcy Rodríguez participated in the XIV International Gas Forum of St. Petersburg – SPIGF 2025.
Examples of right wing hate speech, anti semitism and white supremacy themes flourish on X, cultivating a core of support within communities, both at home and abroad.
Verified pro-Nazi X accounts flourish under Elon Musk
An NBC News review identified 150 verified “Premium” accounts that have posted or amplified pro-Nazi content.
Elon Musk’s X is a thriving hub for Nazi support and propaganda, with paid subscribers sharing speeches by Adolf Hitler or content praising his genocidal regime.
NBC News found that at least 150 paid “Premium” subscriber X accounts and thousands of unpaid accounts have posted or amplified pro-Nazi content on X in recent months, often in apparent violation of X’s rules. The paid accounts posting the content all consistently posted antisemitic or pro-Nazi material. Examples included praise of Nazi soldiers, sharing of Nazi symbols and denials of the Holocaust.
The pro-Nazi content is not confined to the fringes of the platform. During one seven-day period in March, seven of the most widely shared pro-Nazi posts on X accrued 4.5 million views in total. One post with 1.9 million views promoted a false and long-debunked conspiracy theory that 6 million Jews did not die in the Holocaust. More than 5,300 verified and unverified accounts reshared that post, and other popular posts were reshared hundreds of times apiece.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister, has accused X owner Elon Musk of trying to inflame racial tensions after he posted about the murder of a Glasgow schoolboy.
Musk shared a post about the racist killing of Kriss Donald in Pollokshields in 2004 by a gang of Scottish Asian youths, saying it was the first time he had heard of the case.
Yousaf told BBC Scotland News that the billionaire tech entrepreneur had amplified the murder because he “seems to highlight cases that involve only people of colour or Muslims”.
Musk has previously dismissed accusations of discrimination from the former SNP leader, with each accusing the other of racism in a long-running row.
“It’s the birthrates. It’s the birthrates. It’s the birthrates,” echoed the introduction line in the manifesto of the Christchurch shooter who killed 51 people in a mosque in 2019. His claim was that white people are being “replaced” by other races and won’t survive without action.
A few years later, the same obsession with birth rates has become a catchphrase of Elon Musk’s daily social media activism.
Don’t get me wrong, Elon Musk is neither a white supremacist nor a right-wing terrorist. Yet, like other people with extremist opinions, he promotes the view that society is in decline and that action is needed to prevent a related apocalypse. These rhetorical overlaps are hardly coincidental. They stem from a reactionary philosophy that has a long history of going viral.
==============================
The idea of decadence – moral decline triggered by excessive indulgence – informs many parts of everyday sense-making, especially cultural criticism.
Ever read American historian Christopher Lasch’s famous bestseller about the contemporary culture of narcissism? Ever come across the popular meme that claims “weak men create hard times”? Ever followed the Cultural Tutor’s tweets about the loss of beauty in architecture? Ever doomscrolled through Jordan Peterson’s 1,293 YouTube videos? The detail varies, but the overarching theme of decadence is the same every time.
≈=============================
Musk’s philosophy appears to be that men shall submit to the CEO-king’s long-term ambition. To conquer space, colonise Mars, and merge human brains into one singular artificial intelligence, the individual and its needs become negligible. And that’s what the decadence narrative is all about in the first place.
When Elon Musk vowed late last year to lead a “department of government efficiency” (Doge), he claimed it would operate with “maximum transparency” as it set about saving $2tn worth of waste and exposing massive fraud.
US President Donald Trump granted refugee status to nearly 60 white Afrikaners from South Africa, citing unverified claims of a “white genocide.” The US processed their asylum requests directly in South Africa and flew them out of Johannesburg on a special chartered flight.
The matter escalated when Elon Musk, South African-born tech mogul and adviser to the President, shared a video of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema singing “Dubul’ ibhunu” (“Shoot the Boer”), claiming it proved political support for white genocide in the country.
At a White House meeting Wednesday, Trump brought up these claims with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who denied these allegations.
Who Are The Afrikaners?
Afrikaners are a white ethnic group in South Africa. They are primarily descended from Dutch, German, and French settlers who arrived in the 1600s. They speak Afrikaans, a language closely related to Dutch. Traditionally, many Afrikaners have worked as farmers and are also called “Boers” (which means “farmer” in Dutch).
Elon Musk recently reacted to a Somali TikToker who appeared to be threatening his life on camera. This came after Musk recently amplified YouTuber Nick Shirley’s claims of the Somali community in Minnesota allegedly using federally funded day care centers to commit fraud.
On January 1, 2026, X account @cb_doge posted a video of a female Somali TikToker talking about Elon Musk. While the TikToker primarily spoke in another language in the video, she frequently added a few words or sentences in English. In the clip, she held up a tablet that showed a video reporting on Elon Musk’s recent comments about Shirley’s claims, saying:
“I wouldn’t worry too much about him [Elon Musk]. He about to die.”
While the full context of her statement was unclear, many online assumed this to be a threat to Musk’s life. Additionally, the tech billionaire himself reacted to the clip with a two-word response on X, writing:
Musk also had another reply to the TikToker, which has now become his pinned tweet on his X profile. The Tesla co-founder quote-tweeted the TikToker’s video and wrote: “Then it is war.”
Nick Shirley thanked Elon Musk for providing a platform for free speech via X
On December 26, 2025, YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a 43-minute video allegedly exposing Minnesota‘s “billion dollar fraud scandal involving Tim Walz and the Somali population.” The video, posted a day after Christmas, went viral on social media, garnering over 2.9 million views on YouTube and 131 million views on X as of the time of this article.
According to the video, Shirley claimed that many federally funded Somali-owned day care centres were not providing care for children but were instead complicit in widespread government assistance fraud. Shirley, who described himself as an “independent YouTube journalist,” claimed to have uncovered over $110 million in fraud.
Furthermore, the video was widely amplified by prominent conservative parties, including Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Elon Musk. According to NPR, Vance reposted the video and credited Shirley with doing “far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 [Pulitzer] prizes.” Patel wrote that the FBI began investigating “Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs” before the video went viral.
Meanwhile, Musk has been amplifying the video’s content for days, reposting multiple sources that allegedly pointed to high levels of fraud in Minnesota. He dubbed Minnesota governor Tim Walz as “Traitor Tim,” writing in one X post:
“Traitor Tim, time to answer for your crimes.”
Nick Shirley recently thanked Elon Musk for providing a platform for free speech on X, which the tech billionaire purchased in 2022. Days after his video went viral, Shirley appeared for an interview with Info Wars‘ Alex Jones, where he praised Musk for “leveling out the playing field and giving us a platform where we can speak freely.”
“What he did by leveling out the playing field and giving us a platform where we can speak freely, he’s not only helped save the United States, he’s helping save the United Kingdom as people are actually able to speak out,” Shirley said.
He added:
“X is the number one news source for most countries in the world now because people are able to get that news straight from their phone without having to go through and get a subscription… So, thank you, Elon Musk, because what he has done has helped shape society in many ways.”
🚨 NICK SHIRLEY: “Thank you, Elon Musk. Because what he’s done has helped shape society in MANY ways. The election, so we can all speak freely in the US. You’re seeing the ripple effect.” 💯”He’s not only helped save the United States, he’s helping save the United Kingdom.””If it wasn’t for @ElonMusk – people don’t understand how important he is in what’s going on in the world…we’re fighting to keep what made America great. It’s not a coincidence America became the greatest country in 250 years.””If we don’t stand for what made us that great country, we will fall, whether it be from allowing mass immigration to happen or allowing fraud to happen. We won’t be the same country, and we won’t be that great country that we once were.”Expand Tweet
In other news, the Trump administration is reportedly freezing child care funds to Minnesota in light of recent allegations of fraud.
For further reading about the Somali issue in Minnesota, see Michael D Sellers Jan 2 2026 Substack:
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, concentrated primarily in Minneapolis–St. Paul. The roots of this community go back to the 1990s, when the U.S. accepted Somali refugees fleeing civil war. Over time, family reunification and secondary migration turned a foothold into a durable diaspora.
This community is not invisible. It is politically organized, economically active, and culturally distinct. It has produced business owners, professionals, and elected officials — most famously Ilhan Omar, whose rise alone made Minnesota’s Somali population a permanent fixture in the national political imagination.
That visibility has consequences.
To admirers, the Somali community represents resilience, entrepreneurship, and successful refuge. To critics — especially on the populist right — it has become shorthand for non-assimilation, welfare abuse, and cultural threat.
That tension is the backdrop against which the current fraud allegations are being received.
One thing Musk and Epstein had in common was an interest in Eugenics. Now I see Musk is backing a startup in the field of discredited eugenics:
Elon Musk Using Eugenics Startup to Inspect DNA of Potential Babies for Intelligence
He’s reportedly screening embryos for superior “intelligence.”
I grew up in a city blackened by coal dust, and consequently suffered constant bouts of bronchitis. I am therefore sensitive to the subject of air pollution caused by unfettered burning of coal.
The UK was a major user during the Industrial Revolution and the coal industry employed thousands to serve the demand as technology applications,powered by this fossil fuel, blossomed. It seemed like a win-win until thousands died due to smog and lethal air quality.
I now live in a rural area, with high quality clean air, which helps me live with my asthma more comfortably than in any area with air pollution.
I wrote a blog 3 years ago about the importance of air quality:
The Clean Air Act of 1956 received royal assent in July 1956. The Act was passed with the aim of tackling the smog and air pollution created by the burning of coal and industrial activities.
Great Smog of London
Prior to the enactment of the Act, the ‘great smog’ of 1952 descended on Greater London. While merely considered an inconvenience for many, the smog exacerbated the health problems of those with chronic heart and lung conditions.
This resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of deaths during the great smog, with 4,075 additional deaths. There were so many deaths that florists reportedly ran out of flowers.
Beaver Committee
Following the great smog, a committee was set up, chaired by Sir Hugh Beaver, which identified the source of the smog as pollution from solid fuels. The committee then made a number of recommendations that formed the basis of the Clean Air Act 1956.
Legislation and impact
The Act gave local authorities the power to control emissions of smoke, grit, dust and fumes from industrial premises and furnaces, and set up smoke control zones. In these control zones, emissions of any of these materials could be banned.
Following the legislation, the age-specific death rates of men in Greater London fell by almost half.
Source(s)
The House of Commons. Clean Air Act 1956 (repealed 27.8.1993). legislation.gov.uk; 1948.
It has taken until very recently to move from coal fired power stations to wind, solar,nuclear powered alternative energy sources.
The UK has officially closed its last coal-fired power station, marking the end of coal use for electricity generation after 142 years. This significant milestone reflects the country’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to cleaner energy sources. wri.org BBC
The solutions to Delhi’s pollution problem are readily available. They have the wealth to determine qualitative changes which will so benefit the lives of those fighting for breath in Delhi.
India’s economy in 2025 is projected to be the world’s fourth-largest, with a nominal GDP of approximately $4.18 trillion. The country is experiencing strong growth driven by domestic demand and is expected to overtake Germany to become the third-largest economy within a few years. Indiatimes DW
But in the USA, Trump wants to keep coal burning.
Trump administration forces Craig coal power plant to continue operating
Last year, Russian investors rented fifteen coal mines in occupied eastern Ukraine. After proving unprofitable, nine of them are now being returned to the authorities of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics,” which are set to shutter the enterprises. This failed attempt at reaping the spoils of captured Ukrainian industry is just one element of a broader crisis that has gripped Russia’s coal sector over the past year. More than half of Russia’s coal companies were unprofitable by the end of 2024, and the country’s coal strategy has long ignored the global energy transition. The drop in demand for Russian coal began with the European Union’s embargo in 2022. Without the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this shift would likely have come much later — possibly even a decade down the line. Had Russia focused on preparing for change rather than waging war, the fallout could have been far less devastating. Instead, the industry is collapsing.
Yet another billionaire with an interesting back story, who has spent many years of his life spreading pro Russian propaganda:
Vadim Novinsky owns Ukraine’s Smart Holding Group, which has a 24% stake in Rinat Akhmetov’s iron ore producer Metinvest.
Novinsky started working in Ukraine in the mid 1990s with Russian oil producer Lukoil, then began buying Ukrainian metallurgy companies.
The Russian native got his Ukrainian citizenship in 2012; he has been a member of parliament since 2013.
Long seen as one of Ukraine’s most Putin-friendly billionaires, he tried to jump-start negotiations with Russia before the invasion.
He visited Mariupol with Akhmetov in February 2022 and briefly returned to Kyiv but apparently took off hours before the invasion; he is now suspected to be in Estonia.
UKRAINE: Arrest warrant for pro-Russian billionaire Orthodox priest Vadim Novinskyi
By Willy Fautré, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers
HRWF (29.09.2025) – On 15 September 2025, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv decided, as a preventive measure, to arrest and detain Vadym Novynsky, the UOC-MP protodeacon (a chief deacon, a senior position within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church/ Moscow Patriarchate) and former member of the Ukrainian parliament, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported. The SBI called the protodeacon “the curator of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.”
What is known about Vadym Novynskyi?
Vadim Novinsky was born in 1963 in the city of Staraya Rusa, Novgorod region (Russia).
He is one of the leading Ukrainian oligarchs. He was elected three times to the Ukrainian parliament. In 2013 as a self-nominated candidate, in 2014 and 2019 on the list of the pro-Russian political party “Opposition Bloc” banned since 2022. He is the founder of Smart-Holding, a Ukrainian industrial and investment group owned by Vadym Novynskyi. He is also a key business partner of Rinat Akhmetov in the mining and metallurgical industry (“Metinvest”). It is to be noted that Akhmetov is the owner and president of the Ukrainian football club FC Shakhtar Donetsk. According to Forbes, in 2025, Akhmetov was ranked 390th on the list of the richest people in the world with a fortune of $7.9 billion.
Vadym Novynskyi only received Ukrainian citizenship in 2012 from Ukrainian pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych elected at that time on the list of the pro-Russian “Party of Regions” banned since 2023.
At the time of acquiring Ukrainian citizenship, Vadym Novynskyi ranked 2nd on the list of the 200 richest people in Ukraine ($4.373 billion) according to Focus magazine.
In Ukraine, Novinskyi is called an “Orthodox oligarch” because he actively supports and sponsors the UOC-MP, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In 2020, he was ordained as a deacon by UOC-MP Metropolitan Onuphry, according to Dialog.ua.
On 23 February 2022, one day after the start of the war, President Zelensky gathered about 50 representatives of large Ukrainian businesses and asked them for financial help. According to Forbes Ukraine magazine, the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation provided $7 million for humanitarian assistance. The press service of Smart-Holding gave some details about its contribution: medical equipment and medicines (UAH 67 million), food (UAH 48 million), evacuation of refugees (UAH 21 million).
In May 2025, the Glavkom publication, citing a press conference by President Zelensky, reported that Vadym Novynskyi belonged to a group of oligarchs and former members of the Ukrainian parliament who threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his family. On behalf of the head of the Kremlin, they had allegedly handed him over ultimatums to surrender.
Novynskyi called Zelensky’s words a “gross slanderous attack” and denied such a step.
Novynskyi a billionaire who is the most influential supporter of the UOC-MP
On 12 September 2021, he took part in the solemn liturgy in honor of the 800th anniversary of the birth of the national hero of Russia, Prince Alexander Nevsky, with Patriarch Kirill in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St Petersburg (Russia).
Novynskyi himself said on the air of the Russian Orthodox TV channel SPAS , added to one of the EU sanctions lists, that he was ordained a deacon by the head of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Onufriy, on 7 April 2020. However, the deacon’s oath states that a clergyman cannot engage in political activities and join a political party but at that time, he was still a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
Indeed, it is only on early July 2022 that Novynskyi announced his resignation of his mandate of deputy in the Ukrainian parliament and his plans to focus on humanitarian projects, the development of the national economy and the restoration of destroyed churches.
In early April 2023, Novynskyi held a religious service in the largest Russian Orthodox church in Zurich, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. According to the correspondent of Radio Svoboda, Ukrainian flags and a portrait of Zelenskyy were then hanging around the church during the service.
Novynskyi said that he does not plan to return to Ukraine because several criminal cases have been opened against him.
On every occasion, he publicly criticizes the policy of the Ukrainian government regarding its conflictual relations with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC-MP)
Sanctions and criminal prosecution
In 2022, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions on Novynskyi for supporting the actions and policies of the Russian Federation that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, as well as its stability and security. In response, Novynskyi said that he would appeal this decision in Ukrainian and international courts.
In May 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) seized Novynskyi’s hidden assets worth more than UAH 10.5 billion (about €216 million), including a hotel complex in the center of Kyiv, the Ochakiv sea commercial port, the premises of an agricultural holding, and shopping centers in various regions of Ukraine.
In the same year, the SBU seized Novynskyi’s property worth more than UAH 3.5 billion (about €72,5 million). The list of blocked assets included corporate rights to 40 Ukrainian enterprises and 30 gas wells. The SBU also seized Novynskyi’s assets worth more than UAH 144 million (around €3 million). 18 million cubic meters of gas, which Novynskyi’s companies stored in the storage facilities of JSC Ukrtransgaz and tried to alienate in favor of third parties to avoid sanctions of the National Security and Defense Council, were also seized.
According to the investigation, from the very beginning of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Novynskyi has been promoting Russian narratives through interviews in the media, public speeches, as well as in posts on his website and social networks. He is also accused of trying to spread anti-government and pro-Russian sentiments in Ukrainian society, justify Russian aggression, etc.
In January 2025, the State Bureau of Investigation, in cooperation with the SBI, notified Novynskyi that he is under suspicion of high treason and incitement to religious hatred (Part 1 of Article 111 and Part 2 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, Novynskyi was in direct contact with the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill and used religious communities under his authority to spread Russian propaganda in EU countries.
In early February 2025, the State Financial Monitoring Service brought to light Novynskyi’s participation in various schemes for financing a charitable foundation, religious parishes and church parishes of the UOC-MP with funding coming from the Russian Federation.
In June 2025, the SBI, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, also notified Novynskyi that he is suspected of massive tax evasion (Art. 212 Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) for not paying personal tax income in the amount of more than UAH 4.3 billion (more than €88 million).
The NAR is a loosely organized but influential charismatic Christian movement that shares similarities with Pentecostalism, especially in its belief that God actively communicates with believers through the Holy Spirit. Unlike traditional Pentecostalism, however, the organization emphasizes modern-day apostles and prophets as authoritative leaders tasked with transforming society and ushering in God’s kingdom on Earth. Prayer, prophecy and worship are defined not only as acts of devotion but as strategic tools for advancing believers’ vision of government and society
The trade activities through these ports are shown by this OEC reports:
Venezuela
ECI (Trade)
99th
Out of 132 (ECI: -0.83, 2023)
ECI (Technology)
91st
Out of 96 (ECI: -1.51, 2021)
ECI (Research)
108th
Out of 137 (ECI: -0.76, 2023)
Product Exports
$7.63B
Ranking 114 / 226 (2023)
Product Imports
$9.98B
Ranking 117 / 226 (2023)
Exports Per Capita
$269
Ranking 171 / 209 (2023)
Imports Per Capita
$353
Ranking 180 / 209 (2023)
Exports Growth
54.9%
$2.7B (2022-2023)
About
Overview
In 2023, Venezuela was the number 114 (out of 226) in total exports.
In 2023, Venezuela was the number 99 (out of 132) most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (Trade, 2023), the number 91 (out of 96) most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (Technology, 2021), the number 108 (out of 137) most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (Research, 2023).
Just as Russia seized Crimea then blockaded the Black Sea to prevent vital trade activities for Ukraine, so the US is threatening the Venezuelan people in a similar way.
Russia wants Ukraine to bend to a return to being a part of what was the Soviet Union. Then Russia would command its assets, just as it recently regained control of Georgia which also has ports on the Black Sea. Maritime routes are key.
The US regime wants control over Venezuelan resources and be subject to US control.
The playbook:
Example GEORGIA:
Strategically, Georgia’s location is crucial. It sits at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, bordering the Black Sea, which is a vital maritime route. Control or influence over Georgia allows Russia to project power into the South Caucasus, an area where Russia seeks to maintain a sphere of influence to counterbalance Western, particularly NATO and EU, expansion into what it considers its near abroad. Georgia’s territory also includes pipelines that transport oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, bypassing Russian territory. This makes Georgia a significant player in energy transit routes, competing with Russian pipelines.
Geopolitically, Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and the EU are seen by Russia as a direct challenge to its influence. The 2008 Russo-Georgian War over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Russia intervened and subsequently recognized these regions as independent states, was partly motivated by these concerns. By maintaining control or influence over these breakaway regions, Russia can exert pressure on the Georgian government and hinder its Western integration efforts.
In Gaza, no exit left? Boxed in?:
The people are being pushed, by the Israeli Defence Force, backed by US approval, to an ever narrowing space toward the Mediterranean, which is also blockaded, thus has prevented fishermen bringing in their vital catches of another food source, similar to that situation now occurring off Venezuela where fishermen have been targeted and killed by US directed drones.
The Mediterranean has oil and gas platforms off Gaza which will not be supplying Palestinians any time soon.
Will the IDF move back until all of Gaza is clear of them?
Meanwhile, Israelis continue to steal land and kill innocents in the Palestinian West Bank:
TEL AVIV — A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead at point-blank range by an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the latest in a string of lethal shootings that bookend a particularly violent year for the enclave.
And
Killings of Palestinian children are soaring in the West Bank. Advocates say it happens with impunity
Human rights groups say Israeli forces face little accountability when minors die in military operations
Nick Logan · CBC News · Posted: Dec 20, 2023 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: December 20, 2023
The US backed ceasefire. How is that going for trapped Palestinians?
The price of ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza: More than 400 people dead in just three months and little hope for the future
When Donald Trump did his victory lap in Israel after announcing a ceasefire last October, he promised ‘peace for all eternity’. But Palestinians tell Alex Croft and Nedal Hamdouna they continue to face a grim daily reality of violence and destruction
And 37 Aid Groups suspended, thus weakening drastically the vital help these desperate Palestinians need. Slow and cruel death of innocents grinds on with no mercy intended.
Israel to bar 37 aid groups from Gaza
ByAmy Walker
Published30 December 2025
Israel is to revoke the licenses of 37 aid groups working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying they failed to meet requirements
Yemen declares emergency as S. Arabia bombs Mukalla port over UAE weapons shipment
Middle East
Yemen’s anti-Houthi forces declared a state of emergency Tuesday after Saudi Arabia bombed the port city of Mukalla over an alleged shipment of weapons for separatist forces from the United Arab Emirates. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and UAE-backed separatist forces.
Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, built by the US, in early 1950s after Denmark was occupied by the Nazis in World War II, is on the coast.
1946, a combined Danish-American radio and weather station was established in the area near what is known today as Pituffik Space Base. The 1951 Defense Agreement between Denmark and the United States established the Thule Defense Area, and the base itself was built under Operation Blue Jay (1951-1953).
Pituffik SB’s mission. Known as the Space Force’s “Top of the World” vantage point, Pituffik is part of the Space Force’s global network of early missile warning and space domain awareness capabilities.
Then, as always, we note Greenland’s untapped resources:
Greenland is rich in natural resources, including rare earth elements, gold, zinc, lead, and oil. The melting ice due to climate change is making these resources more accessible, attracting international interest for mining and extraction. Brookings DW
Another coastline of a sovereign state is threatened:
Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland Triggers Sharp Divides, as Security Council Speakers Warn Move Threatens Stability in Horn of Africa
Somalia today condemned Israel’s “flagrant assault” on its country’s unity and territorial integrity through recognition of “Somaliland”, as multiple Security Council members and regional States warned the move was a provocative step that could inflame tensions in the Horn of Africa and undercut Mogadishu’s sovereignty and political cohesion.
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, recalled that on 26 December, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s “official recognition” of “Somaliland” as an independent and sovereign State.
“Somaliland” has since said the recognition would lead to “the establishment of full diplomatic relations” with Israel and deepened cooperation across a broad range of sectors, framing it as confirmation of its sovereignty and independence.
“In response to these developments, the Federal Government of Somalia issued a statement reaffirming its absolute and non-negotiable commitment to its sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity,” Mr. Khiari told the Council.
It has categorically and unequivocally rejected what it called “a deliberate attack” on its sovereignty, he explained.
“No external actor has the authority” to alter Somalia’s territorial configuration, Somalia’s statement noted. Therefore, Somalia considers any “declaration, recognition or arrangement” that undermines that reality “null and void”.
“In its statement, Somalia also underscored that it would not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases or arrangement that would draw the country into proxy conflicts,” Mr. Khiari observed.
Israel’s announcement triggered broad regional and international pushback, including statements by Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, as well as a joint statement by 20 Middle Eastern and African countries rejecting and condemning the action. Regional organizations and partners — including the League of Arab States, the Eastern African Community, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the European Union — reiterated the need to respect Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Diplomats from Somalia and Ethiopia have failed to reach an agreement following two days of indirect talks in Turkey, mainly over coastline access for Ethiopia, according to two officials who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity.
The talks focused on a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia over a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed with Muse Bihi Abdi, president of the self-proclaimed, breakaway region of Somaliland, on January 1.
Under the MOU, Somaliland officials said they would lease 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of coastline for 50 years to Ethiopia in return for Addis Ababa recognizing Somaliland as an independent country. Somaliland has not gained any international recognition for its 1991 declaration of secession from Somalia.
The Somali government strongly rejected the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal and accused Ethiopia of violating Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And Somalis within Minnesota are under great pressure:
The president has targeted Omar, who is Muslim, since his first term as president after she was elected to Congress in 2019 and became part of a progressive clique known as “The Squad.” In recent months, Trump has ramped up his attacks on the Minnesota Democrat and her home country of Somalia, where she was born.
Elon Musk ignited a political firestorm this week after seizing on a resurfaced video of Rep. Ilhan Omar and accusing her of betraying the country she serves.
According to Fox News, Musk’s accusation came in a blunt post on X, where he reacted to a clip of Omar reassuring Somali constituents last year that she would protect their homeland’s interests.
To Musk, the comments crossed a serious line.
“This sounds like treason,” Musk wrote as he reposted the translated footage.
The clip shows Omar speaking to supporters in Minnesota in early 2024 as debate intensified over whether Somaliland would permit Ethiopia to build a naval base along its coastline.
Omar — whose district includes the nation’s largest Somali community — insisted she would oppose any move she believed harmed Somalia.
According to the translation, Omar told listeners, “The U.S. government will do what we ask it to do.”
She went on to urge confidence within the Somali American community, adding, “While I am in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea, and the U.S. government won’t support others to rob us.”
Once Musk amplified the video, it spread even more widely, folding into a broader national debate already stirred by Trump’s rally the night before.
![Government supporters participate in a women's march toward the office of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, January 6, 2026. [Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-07T071240Z_2084582686_RC2VVIAIT38S_RTRMADP_3_USA-VENEZUELA-MARCH-1767795284.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80)
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