Dec 29 Trump says U.S. 'hit' a facility along shore where alleged drug boats 'load up' By Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert, Associated Press When questioned Monday by reporters about “an explosion in Venezuela,” the president said the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.”… Continue reading
Dec 21 Watch 5:39 U.S. Coast Guard ramps up oil tanker interceptions off Venezuelan coast By John Yang, Andrew Corkery Trump’s pressure on Venezuelan President Maduro mounted Sunday as the Coast Guard went after another oil tanker that U.S. officials accused of helping Venezuela circumvent sanctions. Last week, Trump announced a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned tankers heading… Continue watching
Dec 21 Coast Guard pursuing another tanker helping Venezuela skirt oil sanctions, U.S. official says By Aamer Madhani, Associated Press The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to Venezuelan government. Continue reading
Dec 20 U.S. forces stop 2nd oil tanker off Venezuelan coast as Trump follows up on 'blockade' promise By Konstantin Toropin, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard with help from the Defense Department stopped the oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela. Continue reading
Dec 19 Trump's blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil raises new questions about legality By Ben Finley, Eric Tucker, Kevin Freking, Joshua Goodman, Associated Press Some experts say seizing sanctioned oil tied to leader Nicolás Maduro could provoke a military response from Venezuela, engaging American forces in a new level of conflict that goes beyond their attacks on alleged drug boats. Continue reading
Dec 18 Watch 6:06 Venezuela oil blockade could have 'chilling effect' on Maduro, ex-ambassador says By Geoff Bennett, Dan Sagalyn For weeks, the Trump administration has been escalating pressure on Venezuela and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Wednesday night, we heard from a critic of the approach. For a different perspective, Geoff Bennett spoke with Jimmy Story. He spent 25… Continue watching
Dec 17 WATCH: 'We want it back': Trump demands Venezuela return 'land, oil rights' to U.S. By Associated Press Under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan government seized assets from some American oil companies after the country nationalized oil fields in 2007. Trump on Wednesday stated that his intention is “getting land, oil rights, whatever we… Continue reading
Dec 17 WATCH: Trump addresses the nation from the White House | PBS News special coverage President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech Wednesday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for… Continue reading
Dec 12 Seizure of rogue oil tanker off Venezuela signals new U.S. crackdown on shadow fleet By Joshua Goodman, Michael Biesecker, Associated Press The recent seizure of an oil tanker known as Skipper by the U.S. off the coast of Venezuela marks a dramatic escalation of President Donald Trump’s campaign to choke off Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s access to oil revenues. Continue reading
Dec 12 Watch 5:02 Venezuelan opposition leader makes harrowing journey to receive Nobel Peace Prize By Nick Schifrin, Zeba Warsi Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Corina Machado on Friday vowed to continue her political pursuit to create democracy in Venezuela. This week she braved an arduous journey to accept the peace prize in Oslo, Norway. Nick Schifrin speaks now with the… Continue watching