Nicolas Maduro

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Why Won't Maduro Step Down? He Has Few Options

Venezuelan leader risks his freedom and wealth if he leaves the country

(Newser) - Nicolas Maduro continues to resist heavy US pressure to step down in Venezuela, and a Wall Street Journal analysis suggests a big reason why: He's got nowhere to go. In another era, exiled dictators could fly the coop to some safe haven and live out their days in luxury,...

Trump's Next Call to a Fellow Leader? It May Be Maduro

President plan direct talks amid heavy US pressure on the Venezuelan leader

(Newser) - What's the US end game for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro? That remains unclear amid escalating American pressure, but Axios reports that one-on-one talks between Maduro and President Trump are in the works to clarify matters. Trump has reportedly told advisers he plans to speak with Maduro, according to the...

US Calls Cartel a Terror Group; Venezuela Says It Doesn't Exist

US seeks 'new options' by labeling Cartel de los Soles it says Maduro runs as a terror organization

(Newser) - Venezuela is pushing back hard against a US plan to label the so-called Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, dismissing the move as a "ridiculous fabrication" ahead of a formal announcement expected Monday. The Trump administration alleges the group is run by high-ranking Venezuelan officials, with President...

Trump on Mamdani: 'We'll Work Something Out'

President says he and the mayor-elect will likely meet

(Newser) - President Trump indicated Sunday that he plans to meet with New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and said they'll "work something out," in what could be a detente for the Republican president and Democratic political star who have cast each other as political foils. Trump has...

Hegseth: Latest Drug Boat Strikes Kill 6

Pair of boats destroyed in the eastern Pacific bring total number of US hits at 19 since September

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced the latest in a series of strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs—six people were killed in attacks on two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to 19 and...

Maduro Turns to Putin for Help as US Bears Down

Venezuela also reaches out to China and Iran for military support

(Newser) - As the US takes an increasingly aggressive posture against Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro is reaching out to Russia, China, and Iran for military help, reports the Washington Post . In a letter obtained by the newspaper, the Venezuelan leader asked Vladimir Putin about obtaining missiles, along with upgraded radar and repairs for...

US Reportedly About to Hit Venezuela With Airstrikes

Miami Herald says Trump administration sees the military targets as cogs in drug smuggling outfit

(Newser) - President Trump may be about to escalate his fight against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in a big way: The Miami Herald , citing unnamed sources, reports that the Trump administration has decided to launch airstrikes against military installations in the country. The White House accuses Maduro of running a drug-trafficking enterprise...

US Tried to Flip Maduro's Pilot in a Secret Sting

Federal agent promised a lot of cash if pilot delivered Venezuelan strongman to US authorities

(Newser) - The US recently tried to recruit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's top pilot to help capture the embattled leader, according to an in-depth report by the AP . The plan began when an informant approached the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic, claiming to have information about planes used by Maduro....

Venezuela: Trump Is Plotting Regime Change

Lindsey Graham appears to confirm Trump wants Nicolás Maduro out—and may strike soon

(Newser) - A top Venezuelan official is accusing President Trump of actively trying to topple the government of Nicolás Maduro. Tarek William Saab, Venezuela's attorney general and a close Maduro ally, told the BBC that there is "no doubt" Trump is seeking regime change and wants to turn Venezuela...

Pentagon Sending Aircraft Carrier to South America

It's the latest US military escalation in the region

(Newser) - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Friday the military is deploying an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, a move the Washington Post describes as a "major escalation" of the US military presence in the region. Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to...

Trump Confirms CIA Covert Ops in Venezuela

But president won't say if he gave the green light to 'take out' Maduro

(Newser) - President Trump has confirmed authorizing covert CIA operations in Venezuela. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump also floated the idea of military strikes against drug cartels there, citing two motivations: claims that Venezuela has "emptied their prisons into the United States" and ongoing concerns about narcotics...

Peace Prize Winner on Call: 'I Certainly Do Not Deserve This'

Nobel award recognized Maria Corina Machado's fight for democracy in Venezuela

(Newser) - Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado learned early Friday that she'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in an emotional phone call, captured on video , from Kristian Berg Harpviken of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. "Oh my God," Machado told Harpviken, per CBS News . "I am...

Venezuela Warns of 'False Flag' Plot to Attack US Embassy

Maduro ally says security has been stepped up

(Newser) - Venezuela warned Monday of an alleged plan by extremists to attack the shuttered US Embassy complex in Caracas with explosives, coming as bilateral tensions simmer over Washington's military deployment in the Caribbean. Jorge Rodríguez, head of the National Assembly and of Venezuela's delegation for dialogue with the...

In Venezuela, It's Christmas in October

Nicolas Maduro moves up the holiday to Oct. 1, citing the need to boost his country's need for 'joy'

(Newser) - Nicolas Maduro is bringing good tidings to Venezuelans early this year, with Christmas festivities kicking off on Oct. 1—months ahead of the traditional December date. Maduro says the early kickoff is meant to inject some "joy" into a country facing mounting tensions with the United States, reports...

Maduro Warns US Not to Pursue Regime Change

American force is deployed off Caribbean coast

(Newser) - With the US assembling a force off its Caribbean coast, Venezuela's president accused the American government on Monday of pursuing a regime change in his country. Trump administration officials have said the goal of the deployment is to combat Latin American drug cartels; Venezuelans officials call that a pretense....

With US Warships on the Way, Venezuela Reacts

It ups naval patrols following Trump's decision to send destroyers to region

(Newser) - Tensions are ratcheting up along Venezuela's Caribbean coast following President Trump's decision to send three US guided-missile destroyers and 4,000 Marines to the region. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Tuesday announced enhanced patrols in the region, including "larger vessels further north in our territorial...

Trump Doubles Reward for Arrest of Maduro

Venezuela fires back with dig at Bondi over Epstein

(Newser) - The Trump administration is doubling to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world's largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine. "Under President Trump's leadership, Maduro will...

Investigators Think Maduro Borrowed a Lethal Putin Tactic

Venezuelan leader accused of ordering murder of a political enemy on foreign soil

(Newser) - The footage from security cameras inside an apartment building in Chile depict what looks like a straightforward arrest: As the New York Times reports, it shows three men in police uniform escorting their handcuffed prisoner away in the middle of the night. But Chilean authorities say it's not what...

Trump Envoy Gets Venezuela to Release 6 Americans

Some worry the negotiations send the wrong message about a government the US doesn't recognize

(Newser) - Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the US. The AP...

Venezuelan Opposition Chief 'Violently Intercepted': Allies

But Maria Corina Machado says she's now safe after alleged abduction at Caracas protest

(Newser) - Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado attended a protest Thursday in Caracas, a day ahead of the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, but it didn't go seamlessly: Machado's team says the 57-year-old was kidnapped during that demonstration, though she's apparently safe now. The...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser