US STRIKES VENEZUELA / CAPTURES MADURO

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nycfan said:


🎁 —> https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/...e_code=1.B1A.EpFp.DTU9bmDVDHzA&smid=url-share
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“… Weeks earlier, U.S. officials had already settled on an acceptable candidate to replace Mr. Maduro, at least for the time being: Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who had impressed Trump officials with her management of Venezuela’s crucial oil industry.

The people involved in the discussions said intermediaries persuaded the administration that she would protect and champion future American energy investments in the country.

… It was an easy choice, the people said. Mr. Trump had never warmed up to the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had organized a winning presidential campaign in 2024, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Since Mr. Trump’s re-election, Ms. Machado has gone out of her way to please him, calling him a “champion of freedom,” mimicking his talking points on election fraud in the United States and even dedicating her Peace Prize to him.

It was in vain. On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he would accept Ms. Rodríguez, saying that Ms. Machado lacked the “respect” needed to govern Venezuela….”
 
From what I read this morning potentially dozens of Venezuelan citizens were killed and this administration has openly stated multiple times that this is about oil. Trump has stated numerous times he plans to take and sell the oil. The money comes right out of the ground or so I heard.

I no longer experience surprise but I do occasionally feel shocked that members of maga do not believe their own eyes and ears. Every single story gets processed through a Trump derangement filter.
 
nycfan said:
“… Weeks earlier, U.S. officials had already settled on an acceptable candidate to replace Mr. Maduro, at least for the time being: Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who had impressed Trump officials with her management of Venezuela’s crucial oil industry.

The people involved in the discussions said intermediaries persuaded the administration that she would protect and champion future American energy investments in the country.

… It was an easy choice, the people said. Mr. Trump had never warmed up to the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had organized a winning presidential campaign in 2024, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Since Mr. Trump’s re-election, Ms. Machado has gone out of her way to please him, calling him a “champion of freedom,” mimicking his talking points on election fraud in the United States and even dedicating her Peace Prize to him.

It was in vain. On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he would accept Ms. Rodríguez, saying that Ms. Machado lacked the “respect” needed to govern Venezuela….”
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“… “For Trump, democracy is not a concern — it is about money, power, and protecting the homeland from drugs and criminals,” said Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, a research institute in Washington.

In his speech to the nation, Mr. Trump also made no mention of Edmundo González, the retired diplomat who became Ms. Machado’s political surrogate after she was barred from running. Mr. González, who is in self-imposed exile in Spain, is considered the legitimate winner, by a wide margin, of the 2024 election, even though Venezuelan authorities handed the victory to Mr. Maduro.“
 
pspsps said:
I no longer experience surprise but I do occasionally feel shocked that members of maga do not believe their own eyes and ears. Every single story gets processed through a Trump derangement filter.
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It's a tell. They disagree with what Trump says, but that cognitive dissonance can't stand, so he must have meant something else. Then when Trump re-confirms he meant what he said, they get rid of the dissonance by changing what they believe.
 
nycfan said:
FLASHBACK - First Trump Administration

Back when Congress still functioned as a branch of government with meaningful oversight functions, Fiona Hill gave Congressional testimony back in 2019 primarily about Trump/Giuliani pressure on Ukraine to investigate Burisma.

Transcript here: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/..._Z76ZZqHNqBWhoBirA_aem_C2EQbFuejw63gxtBuJPY1Q

There were a few interesting (concerning?) mentions of a Russian suggestion that they would trade Russian non-interference in Venezuela for U.S. non-interference in Ukraine that may just be a historical artifact but could also be relevant today:

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I’d forgotten about that part of Hill’s testimony but was fully aware of substantial Russian presence/influence in Venezuela and fully expect that pleas to the Trump administration regarding “spheres of influence” have been made repeatedly by Russia.
 
TangledUpInBlue06 said:
It's a tell. They disagree with what Trump says, but that cognitive dissonance can't stand, so he must have meant something else. Then when Trump re-confirms he meant what he said, they get rid of the dissonance by changing what they believe.
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Would this include posters who chided others here for believing that Trump would impose tariffs? And that people here who were concerned about tariffs were idiots for not understanding that Trump threatening tariffs was purely a negotiating strategy?
And then later saying, “I support some of the tariffs,” while refusing to articulate which tariffs they support so as to give cover to Trump for implementing any and all tariffs?
 


[there was an election in 2024 - Maduro lost but declared himself the winner]



So not at all about deposing a regime that was defeated in the last election or human rights or democracy. Just keep the rest of Maduro’s authoritarian cronies (including ones indicted in the USA and subject of an American bounty) in power so long as they are compliant with Trump, Rubio and Chevron.
 
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