September 18, 2026

Venezuela Watch

Democrats demand to know where Venezuelan oil revenue is going– www.washingtonpost.com

pgnewser September 17, 2026 0

Democrats demand to know where Venezuelan oil revenue is going– www.washingtonpost.com
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Three Democratic senators are pressing the Trump administration for transparency on billions of dollars in oil revenue from Venezuela believed to be in a U.S. government-controlled account.

In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) are asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for information about the status and use of this revenue, which is being disbursed from an account controlled by the Treasury.

 

Trump Doubles U.S. Oil Reserve with One Deal

pgnewser September 1, 2026 0

President Trump has announced an historic deal with Venezuela that secures 65 million barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, which more than doubles the U.S. oil reserves.

The President posted on Truth Social, “The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!… This Historic Transaction MORE THAN DOUBLES American Oil Reserves, greatly increases our Oil Supply, and will substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future, while helping to continue to set Venezuela on a course toward Tremendous Success and Great Prosperity”

Trump Announces ‘Historic’ Deal With Venezuela That ‘MORE THAN DOUBLES’ U.S. Oil Reserves– dailycaller.com
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President Donald Trump announced an historic energy deal with Venezuela in a Truth Social post Friday night.

The president called the deal “THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY.” Trump wrote that the United States secured “majority U.S. control” of over 65 million barrels’ worth of Venezuelan oil reserves.

Trump credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez and “a partnership with private business.”

The president stated that the deal more than doubles American reserves and will “substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans.” He added that the deal would strengthen the “already growing relationship” between the two countries. (RELATED: Trump Says Venezuela Turning Over Huge Stockpile Of Oil To US)

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump wrote that the agreement was “the biggest oil deal, by far, in World history!”

The president has shown great interest in Venezuela’s oil reserves since the capture of Nicolas Maduro in January 2026. The South American country holds the largest oil reserves in the world — close to 303 billion barrels worth of crude oil.

Trump announced just days after Maduro’s capture that American oil companies would invest “at least $100 billion of their money,” planning to support the construction of important infrastructure. The president stated that Venezuela agreed that the United States would refine and sell 50 million barrels of crude oil, which he said “will continue indefinitely.”

Venezuela’s interim government opened the nation’s oil to the private sector later that month, which Rodriguez called “a generational reset.”

 

White House says deal to take control of Venezuelan oil will rely on North American Blue Energy Partners– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser September 1, 2026 0

White House says deal to take control of Venezuelan oil will rely on North American Blue Energy Partners– www.cbsnews.com
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The Trump administration’s plan to take a stake in tens of billions of barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves will hinge on a private company called North American Blue Energy Partners, the White House announced Monday, offering more details on the agreement.

Under the deal, the Venezuelan government granted 100-year concessions to NABEP to drill in 17 oil fields, the White House said in a fact sheet released late Monday. Those oil fields contain about 65 billion barrels, roughly one-fifth of Venezuela’s total proven oil reserves.

The U.S. Defense Department will be granted a 35% stake in the company, according to the White House. The State Department will then have the right to buy 20% of NABEP’s output at the cost of production, and it will have the right of first refusal to buy everything else.

Run by Venezuelan executive Alejandro Betancourt, NABEP describes itself as Venezuela’s second-largest private oil producer, pumping more than 200,000 barrels of oil per day.

In a statement confirming the structure of the deal, NABEP said it is aiming to increase daily production in the near-term to over 1 million barrels. (By comparison, the U.S. consumed about 20.6 million barrels of petroleum daily last year, according to government figures.)

Huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocks Colombia and Ecuador with serious damage and people trapped in rubble– www.thesun.co.uk

pgnewser August 10, 2026 0

Huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocks Colombia and Ecuador with serious damage and people trapped in rubble– www.thesun.co.uk
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A HUGE 7.4-magnitude earthquake has rocked Colombia and Ecuador – leaving people trapped beneath rubble.

Officials said the quake caused significant damage and injuries in multiple cities – and was felt as far away as Venezuela and Panama.

The epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar – located some 250 miles west of Bogota, the US Geological Survey reported, and struck at a depth of 66 miles.

Colombia’s Aviation Authority reported damage at the airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura – with all flights grounded.

Venezuela Quake Toll Passes 5,500, Operation Blessing Provides 70,000+ Meals and More– www.cbn.com

pgnewser July 29, 2026 0

Venezuela Quake Toll Passes 5,500, Operation Blessing Provides 70,000+ Meals and More– www.cbn.com
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It’s been just over a month since the June 24 earthquakes devastated Venezuela. The death toll is now above 5,500 as teams removing debris continue to find bodies.

The government is estimating the total damage at $19.6 billion so far. That includes $9 billion in destroyed or severely damaged homes.

More than 23,000 people are living in temporary locations. CBN’s Operation Blessing is on hand to help those who’ve lost their homes.

Theiris Dellimore was living on the street after the quake. Authorities told her the home was too dangerous to live in, that parts of it could collapse.

The Operation Blessing team provided Theiris and her family with a tent, mattresses, food, and hygiene supplies. Now, she says, they’re safe from the rain and the cold at night.

“Gracias. First of all, thank you. May God continue to bless you so that you can continue to bless Venezuela so that you can continue to help us. We’re just getting started. We still have a long way to go. Don’t forget about us,” she said.

Nicolas Maduro to face trial on U.S. drug trafficking charges in June 2027 – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser July 23, 2026 0

Nicolas Maduro to face trial on U.S. drug trafficking charges in June 2027 – National– globalnews.ca
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Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife will go on trial on drug trafficking charges next June, a judge said Wednesday, as their lawyers continue to object to the U.S. military action that snatched them from power.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set the June 1 trial date at the request of lawyers on both sides. Under the approved schedule, defense lawyers will begin filing requests in early September to challenge the indictment and the couple will return to the courtroom Nov. 17 for oral arguments on the motions.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail since U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid and brought them to New York in early January.

Neither spoke during Wednesday’s 15-minute hearing as each sat separately at a defense table, surrounded by their lawyers. Both have pleaded not guilty. They face potential life prison sentences if a jury agrees that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S.

Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes rises to nearly 4,500 with thousands still missing– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser July 17, 2026 0

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Venezuela’s acting president thanks Russia for humanitarian assistance – Emergencies– tass.com

pgnewser July 15, 2026 0

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CARACAS, July 15. /TASS/. Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has thanked Russia for providing assistance after a devastating earthquake.

“I would like to personally thank Russia, other countries, and their ambassadors for offering Venezuela a helping hand during this difficult time, when many families have lost their loved ones,” Rodriguez said during a visit to a humanitarian aid collection and distribution center. She was accompanied by Russian Ambassador to Caracas Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov.

Rodriguez noted that Venezuelans left homeless by the earthquake were grateful to all countries providing assistance to the country.

Last week, two Russian Emergencies Ministry aircraft delivered over 35 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Venezuela, including food, tents, basic necessities, motor pumps, and medicines.

Venezuela quakes have killed 4,333, injured 16,740, says National Assembly president– www.cbc.ca

pgnewser July 14, 2026 0

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The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

The death toll from the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 4,333, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez told reporters on Saturday, announcing that the distribution of housing to those affected will begin next week.

Rodríguez said 315 of the dead have not yet been identified.

Venezuela: Three-year-old rescued and taken to hospital six days after quake– www.bbc.co.uk

pgnewser July 1, 2026 0

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The rescue comes well after the initial three-day period immediately after the quake during which experts say people trapped under debris have the best chance of being found alive.

La Guaira is one of the hardest hit areas, with many local people trying to carry out rescue efforts themselves.

The UN’s refugee agency said on Tuesday that food shortages were widespread, basic services had broken down and communications had been largely severed in La Guaira.

“Community tensions are rising as access to assistance remains constrained,” the UNHCR said in a statement on its website.

Major Earthquake Strikes Venezuela

pgnewser June 25, 2026 1

A 7.5 Earthquake has struck Venezuela, with reports of skyscrapers collapsing and thousands feared dead and missing. The official death toll is rapidly changing. At the time of this report, it had crossed 100 dead and 1,000 injured. The U.S. has pledged aid, as have multiple nations. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted in X that the United States is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.”

Venezuela earthquake live: At least 164 dead as Caracas buildings crumble in 7.5 quake– www.mirror.co.uk
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Offers of help were made by various governments, including the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that the United States is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela”.

Jeremy P Lewin, the US undersecretary of state for foreign assistance, said the State Department had mobilised a disaster assistance team and task force to organise aid in co-ordination with the interim Venezuelan government.

Ms Rodriguez said that Qatar had already sent rescuers who were expected to arrive within the next day, along with rescue personnel from Mexico and El Salvador.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela’s government, said in a post on X that he had offered aid. “We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” Mr Bukele wrote.

A damaged building in Catia La Mar, La Guaira State(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

 

Video. La Guaira, Venezuela’s port city, shows extensive earthquake damage after the quake– www.euronews.com

pgnewser June 25, 2026 0

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Footage filmed from a motorcycle showed residents moving through streets lined with rubble and damaged structures, highlighting the scale of destruction in the port city north of Caracas. La Guaira is home to one of Venezuela’s most important ports and serves as the main gateway between the capital and Simón Bolívar International Airport.

The earthquakes struck on 24 June and caused severe disruption across several regions. Emergency crews continued rescue and recovery operations as authorities assessed the damage.

According to provisional figures reported by authorities and media outlets, at least 32 people were killed and more than 700 injured nationwide. The disaster prompted the government to declare emergency measures while engineers inspected key transport and commercial infrastructure along the Caribbean coast.

Canada readies aid as Venezuela reels from deadly earthquakes, Carney says – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser June 25, 2026 0

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Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is “preparing humanitarian assistance” for Venezuela following a pair of deadly earthquakes hit the country Wednesday evening.

In a post on X, Carney offered his “sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were lost.”

“My thoughts are with everyone who has been injured or displaced and with the first responders working tirelessly to save lives.”

Venezuela’s Machado vows another run for presidency, eyes return from exile– abcnews.com

pgnewser May 26, 2026 0

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PANAMA CITY, Panama — Venezuela’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado announced on Saturday that she plans to run for president again and intends to return to her home country before the end of 2026.

Machado’s remarks, made while meeting in Panama with several fellow Venezuelan opposition leaders, come more than four months after the stunning White House decision to sideline her and instead work with a Venezuelan ruling party loyalist following the U.S. military’s capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Machado has been in exile since December, when she emerged from 11 months in hiding somewhere in Venezuela and traveled to Norway where she was honored with the Nobel Prize.

Venezuela’s leader to defend her country’s claim over mineral-rich Guyana region before UN court– abcnews.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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CARACAS — CARACAS (AP) — Venezuela ’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday where she will defend her country’s claim to a mineral- and oil-rich region in western Guyana before the United Nations highest court in a dispute that has spanned decades.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague is holding a series of hearings with the South American neighbors which both claim ownership of Essequibo — a territory of nearly 62,000 square miles rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources, located near massive offshore oil deposits.

Venezuela has considered Essequibo its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle region fell within its boundaries. But an 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana.

DOJ says Green Beret used classified information to make Polymarket bets on Maduro mission– www.washingtontimes.com

pgnewser April 27, 2026 0

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A senior Army Green Beret used his inside knowledge of clandestine operations to make more than $400,000 by betting on the timing of Operation Absolute Resolve, the Jan. 3 mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.

Federal prosecutors said Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was part of the team that planned and executed the mission. He is accused of using his access to classified military information to make wagers on its outcome with Polymarket, a prediction marketplace.

In 2025, Polymarket began offering betting contracts related to whether certain events involving Mr. Maduro and Venezuela would take place. They included predictions of the likelihood that U.S. troops would be in Venezuela by certain dates, whether the now-arrested leader would be taken into custody, and whether President Trump would invoke “war powers” against Caracas.

Venezuela’s Machado Says “No Regrets” Over Gifting Trump Nobel Peace Prize– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

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Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday she had “no regrets” about symbolically handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump in January.

“There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s freedom,” she told a news conference in Madrid.

Machado presented her Nobel prize to Trump when she met him in the White House just two weeks after he ordered US forces to attack Caracas and snatch Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump, who has long coveted the award, is currently embroiled in the Middle East war he started with his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with airstrikes on Iran at the end of February.

DAVID BLACKMON: Chevron’s And Shell’s Venezuela Deals Vindicate Trump Strategy– dailycaller.com

pgnewser April 16, 2026 0

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Don’t look now, but Big Oil is making big moves to secure positions in the expanding Venezuelan oil industry as part of the Trump Administration’s plans to revitalize the country’s economy.

On Monday, Chevron officials signed a pair of deals to expand the company’s footprint in the prolific Orinoco Belt as Shell prepares to ink a major deal of its own later this week.

Make no mistake: These deals didn’t happen in a vacuum. They are the direct result of the Trump administration’s bold decision to remove Nicolás Maduro in January, launch a $100 billion reconstruction plan for the country’s shattered energy sector, and push through sweeping reforms to Venezuela’s hydrocarbon law. After years of socialist mismanagement that turned one of the world’s richest oil nations into an economic basket case, sanity is finally returning.