Venezuela - President Nicolas Maduro & his wife "captured and flown out of country" by U.S. Army Delta Force during "large scale attack" - Jan 3, 2026

[Betty P]

Venezuelan oil is heavy, making it expensive to produce and refine; and analysts believe it will take many years, and billions of dollars, to increase output significantly.

As the Washington-based Institute of International Finance put it last week: “While medium- to long-term upside to Venezuelan supply exists, the balance of risks points to a gradual and conditional recovery rather than swift normalisation, with the potential for renewed setbacks if political or policy frictions intensify.”

Trump move for Venezuela’s resources likely to weaken economic might of US | Heather Stewart

Oil is US president’s motivation but his concept of economic success feels as outdated as his music tastes

www.theguardian.com

Venezuelan oil has been fine for over a century. Why else would the U.S. work so hard to control it? JMO, this is just “sour grapes” posturing by US oil barons to get the U.S. taxpayers to shoulder the cost of restoring oil production for US markets. Socializes losses and costs while privatizing the profits. Same old corporate welfare.

 

[Betty P]

I've no doubt the US Delta Force people, or whoever they were, were technologically superior to the Venezuelan soldiers but this bit sounds like nonsense and straight-up US propaganda -- not a quote I believe a Maduro loyalist would give in real life. For the unfamiliar (not you, OP), News.com.au is a Murdoch outlet.

After the raid, the message couldn’t be more clear — don’t tread on Uncle Sam, the Maduro loyalist said.

“I’m sending a warning to anyone who thinks they can fight the United States,” he said. “They have no idea what they’re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They’re not to be messed with.”

I don’t recall Venezuelans referring to Americans as “Uncle Sam”. The slang for Americans I recall them using years ago was “gringos” or women were “Gringitas”. Referring to the U.S was just U.S. or Estados Unidos. They also used the term Yankees or Americanos, maybe. But not Uncle Sam.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Venezuelan oil is heavy, making it expensive to produce and refine; and analysts believe it will take many years, and billions of dollars, to increase output significantly.

As the Washington-based Institute of International Finance put it last week: “While medium- to long-term upside to Venezuelan supply exists, the balance of risks points to a gradual and conditional recovery rather than swift normalisation, with the potential for renewed setbacks if political or policy frictions intensify.”

Trump move for Venezuela’s resources likely to weaken economic might of US | Heather Stewart

Oil is US president’s motivation but his concept of economic success feels as outdated as his music tastes

www.theguardian.com

Presumably, if the oil price falls too low, it becomes uneconomic to produce in any case. If the Iranian regime falls, and sanctions are removed, then Iranian oil might be about to flood the global markets and produce a price slump. Does anybody know the breakeven oil price for Venezuelan oil production?

 

[Betty P]

Presumably, if the oil price falls too low, it becomes uneconomic to produce in any case. If the Iranian regime falls, and sanctions are removed, then Iranian oil might be about to flood the global markets and produce a price slump. Does anybody know the breakeven oil price for Venezuelan oil production?

Current estimates are all over the place, mostly inflated. There’s no need for working class Americans taxpayers who are already struggling to fund this boondoggle for US oil companies who are today operating with record high profits.

Google Search

If they feel Venezuelan oil is of such “low quality” they should leave Venezuela alone and buy their oil elsewhere.


Most Venezuelan oil comes from the Maracaibo Basin, which is right next to the Venezuelan coast and ports. Lake Maracaibo is at the link below.


Venezuela has been and continues to extract and ship crude oil from there.

Lake Maracaibo · Venezuela

★★★★★ · Lake

www.google.com

A good background article explaining the subject.

What resources does Venezuela have — apart from the world’s most oil?

Venezuela has the largest oil reserves, the ninth-largest natural gas reserves, and vast untapped minerals such as gold.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[sapphire blue]

I've no doubt the US Delta Force people, or whoever they were, were technologically superior to the Venezuelan soldiers but this bit sounds like nonsense and straight-up US propaganda -- not a quote I believe a Maduro loyalist would give in real life. For the unfamiliar (not you, OP), News.com.au is a Murdoch outlet.

After the raid, the message couldn’t be more clear — don’t tread on Uncle Sam, the Maduro loyalist said.

“I’m sending a warning to anyone who thinks they can fight the United States,” he said. “They have no idea what they’re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They’re not to be messed with.”

I guess the New York Post is also reporting nonsense and us propaganda then? US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

 

[Mo Thuairim]

I guess the NYTimes is also reporting nonsense and us propaganda then? US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

That's the New York Post, not Times. Same newspaper group (Murdoch). A tabloid.

To be clear I'm not saying the whole story of the weapon/tech is nonsense, just the quote/source I highlighted. I think the awesome power of the US tech is probably overstated too, for obvious reasons.

 

[Hexe]

I guess the NYTimes is also reporting nonsense and us propaganda then? US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

First, it's NY Post, a Murdoch tabloid, not NYTimes.

Second, it reads exactly like a propaganda piece, written by someone who watched too much action movies.

Third, according to the witness the US Army first landed a troop of twenty soldiers, let them get into a fire exhange with Venezuelan troops and only after that they deployed their sonic Wunderwaffe. Why even risk these soldiers when you can bring whole army down to their knees without firing a single load?

Please.

MOO, of course.

 

[Betty P]

I guess the NYTimes is also reporting nonsense and us propaganda then? US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

That's the New York Post, not the New York Times.

The link everyone is copying of the first hand account is coming from the White House press office, per the New York Post. Most people can judge for themselves whether the WH press office is a reliable source. Personally, I don't think it is.

I think the photos at the link are accurate, but they were probably taken and posted by US personnel on the ground near Caracas. Taking photos would likely be part of their job. MOO.

 

[Inthedetails]

I guess the NYTimes is also reporting nonsense and us propaganda then? US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

@sapphire blue The link goes to the New York Post, which is not the same as the New York Times.

The Post and the Times are essentially opposite. The New York Post is a sensational tabloid rag.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

Trump posted on Truth Social that he is the acting president of Venezuela, sharing what looks like a mock Wikipedia entry.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115879509461234235

 

[Stunned]

Trump posted on Truth Social that he is the acting president of Venezuela, sharing what looks like a mock Wikipedia entry.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115879509461234235

Then he should leave and immediately start decorating his palace and renaming buildings! IMO

 

[sds71]

The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first attack on a boat that the Trump administration said was smuggling drugs, killing 11 people last September, according to officials briefed on the matter. The aircraft also carried its munitions inside the fuselage, rather than visibly under its wings, they said.

The nonmilitary appearance is significant, according to legal specialists, because the administration has argued its lethal boat attacks are lawful — not murders — because President Trump “determined” the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels.

But the laws of armed conflict prohibit combatants from feigning civilian status to fool adversaries into dropping their guard, then attacking and killing them. That is a war crime called “perfidy.”

Retired Maj. Gen. Steven J. Lepper, a former deputy judge advocate general for the United States Air Force, said that if the aircraft had been painted in a way that disguised its military nature and got close enough for the people on the boat to see it — tricking them into failing to realize they should take evasive action or surrender to survive — that was a war crime under armed-conflict standards.

“Shielding your identity is an element of perfidy,” he said. “If the aircraft flying above is not identifiable as a combatant aircraft, it should not be engaged in combatant activity.”

U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane

Even accepting the Trump administration’s claim that there is an armed conflict with suspected drug runners, the laws of war bar “perfidy.”

www.nytimes.com

 

[SouthAussie]

Maduro's lawyer is Barry Pollack. Another lawyer wants to join the team, but Maduro must retain him directly.


Pollack, a prominent Washington lawyer whose clients have included WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, was the only lawyer with Maduro at his Jan. 5 arraignment in Manhattan federal court

Bruce Fein, an associate deputy attorney general during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, claimed in court papers that “individuals credibly situated” within Maduro’s inner circle or family had sought out his assistance. Fein claimed that Maduro “had expressed a desire” for his “assistance in this matter.”

Hellerstein said in a written order that only Maduro has the authority to retain Fein as his lawyer, not unidentified individuals.

Judge rejects lawyer's disputed bid to join ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s defense team

A federal judge has rejected attorney Bruce Fein's bid to join the legal team representing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro against charges in a long running drug conspiracy

abcnews.go.com

 

[Inthedetails]

The Senate on Wednesday blocked a resolution that sought to force President Trump to seek congressional approval for any U.S. military action related to Venezuela.

gift link:

Republicans Block Effort to Check Trump’s Power in Venezuela

G.O.P. leaders succeeded in pressuring fellow senators who initially supported the measure that would have limited President Trump’s military authority in Venezuela.

www.nytimes.com

 

[303gmf]

I guess the New York Post is also reporting nonsense and us propaganda then? US used powerful mystery weapon that brought Venezuelan soldiers to their knees during Maduro raid: witness account

Yes, a Murdoch owned rag

 

[Ruminations]

Sounds very similar to the ICE tactics being used in the US.

imo

Except, there is some justification in a country that indeed has been invaded to use such emergency measures. There are politicians who like to pretend new Americans are some kind of invading force, but there is no evidence to back that up.

MOO

 

[Ruminations]

Trump has said he might block ExxonMobil from investing in Venezuela after the oil company’s chief executive called the country “uninvestable” during a White House meeting last week.

“I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way back to Washington on Sunday. “I’ll probably be inclined to keep Exxon out. I didn’t like their response. They’re playing too cute.”

Trump threatens to block ExxonMobil from Venezuela after CEO calls country ‘uninvestable’

US president says company is ‘playing too cute’ after CEO responds sceptically to his push for oil investment after deposing Nicolás Maduro

www.theguardian.com

The ROI for EXXON might be negative if in the future this is recognized as a war crime. EXXON could find years from now that the invasion is deemed illegal and profits from it have to be returned.

It's just smart business.

MOO

 

[Inthedetails]

Regarding Venezuelans here in USA, this shooting happened in Minneapolis Wed, Jan 14:

The Department of Homeland Security said a man from Venezuela was shot and a law enforcement officer was injured following a "targeted" traffic stop Wednesday night....DHS did not respond to questions about which agencies were involved or if they had a warrant for the individual's arrest.

https://www.startribune.com/ice-raids-minnesota/601546426?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=69684b13a82322000143411f

 

[Inthedetails]

President Donald Trump is set to meet Thursday at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by then-President Nicolás Maduro before the United States captured him in an audacious military raid this month.

Trump set to meet Venezuelan opposition leader after cozying up to Maduro's successor

President Donald Trump is set to meet at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.

www.newsday.com

 

[Stunned]

President Donald Trump is set to meet Thursday at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by then-President Nicolás Maduro before the United States captured him in an audacious military raid this month.

Trump set to meet Venezuelan opposition leader after cozying up to Maduro's successor

President Donald Trump is set to meet at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.

www.newsday.com

Can't wait to see the results of this meeting.