🚨🇺🇸🇨🇳🇻🇪 WHY VENEZUELA MATTERS: TRUMP’S MOVE MAY HAVE SHAKEN CHINA’S GLOBAL STRATEGY Trump’s action in Venezuela is not regional politics, it directly targets China’s most critical vulnerability: energy dependence. China buys 60-90% of Venezuelan oil and 85-90% of Iranian crude, together accounting for roughly 30-35% of its total oil imports. Another 35% of China’s oil comes from Middle Eastern suppliers vulnerable to U.S. pressure, giving Washington potential influence over up to 70% of China’s energy supply. Under those conditions, Beijing’s ability to launch a high-risk operation against Taiwan becomes severely constrained. This weakens China’s military planning in the Indo-Pacific and disrupts its long-term strategy to project power beyond Asia. It also forces China to squeeze Russia harder on oil prices, increasing the economic strain on Moscow’s war effort. The U.S. gains strategic breathing room globally, strengthening its ability to meet commitments in Europe and elsewhere. Meanwhile, China suffers a major setback in Latin America, a loss of leverage abroad, and a blow to Xi’s image of control and inevitability. A post-Maduro Venezuela could open access to years’ worth of information on corruption networks, covert financing, sanctions evasion, and foreign influence operations, not just regionally, but globally. That intelligence windfall may reshape how power is understood, exercised, and constrained in the years ahead. In short, Venezuela is not a side story. It is a pressure point in a global system defined by energy, leverage, and timing. If Trump’s move achieves even part of its strategic promise, historians may one day view it not as a regional intervention, but as a pivotal moment in the great power competition of the 21st century. Source: @JMichaelWaller Media: RNA

🇺🇸🇻🇪 WHY VENEZUELAN OIL MATTERS: THE U.S. JUST FLIPPED THE ENERGY CHESSBOARD The U.S. has effectively gained access to nearly 1 million barrels per day of Venezuelan heavy crude, oil that was previously flowing to China. That crude is uniquely suited for refineries in Texas and Louisiana, where the U.S. has 2.6 million bpd of capacity engineered specifically for Venezuelan-grade heavy oil. For years, those refineries were starved due to Chávez and Maduro, forcing costly blending with Canadian tar sands. With Venezuela potentially restoring production to 3 million bpd, U.S. imports could return to 2 million bpd, as they were before the socialist takeover. This directly strengthens U.S. energy security, lowers costs, and weakens China’s access to discounted heavy crude. It also reorients Venezuelan oil back to the U.S. market, where infrastructure already exists to process it efficiently. The result is a net win for the U.S. economy, and a strategic loss for Beijing.

🚨🇺🇸🇻🇪 VP VANCE KEPT OFF-SITE DURING VENEZUELA STRIKES TO AVOID TIPPING OFF CARACAS J.D. Vance met with Trump in Florida yesterday to discuss the impending Venezuela strikes, according to his office. But he didn’t join Trump and top officials at Mar-a-Lago overnight, with concerns that the vice president’s motorcade could tip off Venezuelan officials to the operation. Vance instead followed the mission by secure video conference, then flew back to Cincinnati after it concluded. Source: Associated Press

🚨🇻🇪 🇺🇸BREAKING: MADURO COULD APPEAR IN U.S. COURT AS SOON AS MONDAY Maduro is en route to the United States at this hour, according to multiple officials briefed on the matter. Upon arrival at a New York-area airport, he will be helicoptered to a location in New York City for processing, then transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Officials expect a court appearance as soon as Monday evening. Less than 48 hours from dictator to defendant. Source: CBS

🚨🇺🇸 🇻🇪 MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE BLASTS TRUMP ON VENEZUELA: "THIS IS WHAT MANY IN MAGA THOUGHT THEY VOTED TO END" MTG is not on board with the Venezuela operation: "We are 'running' Venezuela now 🤦‍♀️" "America First!!!" she added sarcastically. Greene, who is leaving Congress this week after a falling-out with Trump, accused the administration of abandoning "America First" principles in favor of expensive foreign interventions while ignoring domestic problems like healthcare costs. She also claimed the planned U.S. takeover of Venezuela's oil industry is designed to secure energy supplies ahead of a possible war with Iran. "This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Trump was asked at his press conference how the Venezuela plan is "America First." His response: "I think it is because we want to surround ourself with good neighbors. We want to surround ourself with stability. We want to surround ourself with energy." Source: WSJ

🇺🇸🇻🇪 INSIDE OPERATION ABSOLUTE RESOLVE: HOW DELTA FORCE GRABBED MADURO This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. The operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, code-named Operation Absolute Resolve, had been planned for months with a core team that included Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe holding regular meetings with Trump. Delta Force built an exact replica of Maduro's safe house and rehearsed the raid repeatedly. The CIA placed a small team on the ground in Venezuela starting in August to track his movements. They also had an asset close to Maduro who could pinpoint his exact location when the operation launched. The Pentagon quietly moved massive firepower into the Caribbean: an aircraft carrier, 11 warships, over a dozen F-35s, refueling tankers, drones, and electronic jamming aircraft. More than 15,000 troops poured into the region under the cover of anti-drug operations. Trump approved the mission 4 days ago, but military planners asked him to wait for better weather and less cloud cover. At 10:46 PM EST yesterday, he gave the final go-ahead. Over 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere, including F-35s, F-22s, and B-1 bombers, striking air defense systems around Caracas. Trump watched the live stream from Mar-a-Lago as Special Forces flew into the capital at low altitude under heavy fire. One helicopter took a hit but kept flying. Residents posted videos of the convoy. The troops brought blowtorches to cut through steel doors. When they breached Maduro's "fortress," he tried to reach a panic room but "got bum rushed so fast" he couldn't close the door. He and his wife surrendered to Special Forces and FBI agents inside. As they left Venezuelan territory, multiple firefights erupted. By 3:20 AM, helicopters were over water with Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed. 7 hours later, Trump posted a photo of him aboard the USS Iwo Jima. Source: Reuters

🇺🇸🇨🇺 SEC. RUBIO ON CUBA: IT'S RUN BY INCOMPETENT - SENILE MEN" "Cuba is a disaster. It's run by incompetent, senile men, and in some cases, not senile but incompetent nonetheless. It has no economy. It's in total collapse. And by the way, you know, they were, you know, all of the guards that helped protect Maduro, this is well known, their whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans." Source: @visegrad24 , @SecRubio

🇻🇪🇷🇺 VENEZUELAN VP FLED OUT OF COUNTRY, REPORTEDLY IN RUSSIA Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodriguez is reportedly in Russia, after Trump said Maduro was seized by U.S. forces following an attack on the country. Her brother, National Assembly head Jorge Rodriguez, is reported to be in Caracas, though he has not appeared publicly since the attack. Delcy appeared earlier via an audio message on state TV calling for proof of life for Maduro and his wife, Cilia. Source: Reuters

🚨🇺🇸 TRUMP RAN VENEZUELA OPERATION FROM MAR-A-LAGO SITUATION ROOM WITH X ON THE MONITORS The White House released photos of Trump and his national security team monitoring last night's Venezuela strike from a makeshift situation room at Mar-a-Lago. Around the table: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine, and senior officials. In the background, a monitor is visibly tuned to X tracking real-time updates. The Commander-in-Chief captured a foreign head of state while using X as part of the live intelligence feed. That's reach.

The hard part of a regime change is not getting rid of the leader, it's what happens the day after. Historically, most regime changes ended in catastrophe for both the aggressor and the target. The Middle East is the most obvious and heartbreaking example. If I had to make a guess, the Venezuelan regime change may end up a success for the country, a nation riddled with corruption and crime, and a severely dysfunctional economy. It will likely also end up a success for the U.S., not only in increasing their influence in the region, but sending a powerful warning shot to other rivals. This does NOT mean the same should take place in Iran, a regime built around religious ideology, and has a much stronger grip on the country, a more powerful military, and a society prone to power struggles. Once the celebrations end, all focus should be placed on ensuring a peaceful transition of power from the current Venezuelan military rule to a democratically elected Government. The U.S. should NOT force a leader on the Venezuelan people, should NOT send troops on the ground, and should NOT consider replicating this strategy onto other countries. This could end up being a rare successful regime change, let's not mess it up.

🇺🇸🇨🇺 RUBIO TO CUBA: “I WOULD BE CONCERNED IF I LIVED THERE” "If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned - at least a little bit."

🚨🇮🇱 🇺🇸NETANYAHU CONGRATULATES TRUMP ON "BOLD AND HISTORIC" VENEZUELA OPERATION "Congratulations, President Trump for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice. I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers." The statement came hours after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife in a large-scale military strike on Caracas. What happened: Over 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases. Delta Force extracted Maduro "in the dead of night" to the USS Iwo Jima. He's en route to New York to face narco-terrorism charges. Trump said the U.S. will "run the country" until a proper transition. Source: WSJ

The amount of disinformation out there is insane Be careful who you follow

🚨🇺🇸🇻🇪 TRUMP: “WITH ME, WE HAVE A PERFECT TRACK RECORD OF WINNING” When asked about the U.S.’s messy history of removing dictators without a plan, Trump didn’t flinch. Under his watch, Maduro was captured without a war, without U.S. casualties, and with the world watching in disbelief. This was surgical, strategic, and done right, with U.S. oil companies now moving in and Venezuelans celebrating in relief. Say what you want, but results don’t lie. Trump: “Not with me, that’s where we’re different Presidents. With me that’s not true. With me, we have had a perfect track record of winning, we win.” Source: @clashreport , The White House

🇺🇸🇻🇪 TRUMP: “WE’RE GOING TO RUN VENEZUELA UNTIL WE CAN DO A SAFE, PROPER, AND JUDICIOUS TRANSITION” “We don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So, we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious, because that's what we're all about. We want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country. It's their homeland.” Source: ABC News, @Visegrád24

🇺🇸🇵🇷 RAPTORS IN PUERTO RICO - THE PART THEY DON’T PUT IN THE PRESS RELEASE That photo's a posture. The F-22 isn’t for patrols. It’s not for deterrence-by-press-conference. It exists for one job: kick the door down, blind the enemy, and own the sky before anyone knows the war started. Puerto Rico gives the U.S. reach without escalation. Close enough to Venezuela to matter. Far enough to deny intent. From there, Raptors can escort bombers, sanitize airspace, or simply remind every radar operator from Caracas to Tehran what invisibility looks like. Context sharpens it. CIA surveillance months in advance. A lightning operation with zero U.S. deaths. Trump openly talking oil. Allies cheering. Rivals fuming. When Raptors sit quietly on a tropical runway, it’s a bookmark.

🇺🇸🇻🇪 THE LONG GAME: CIA HAD EYES ON MADURO MONTHS BEFORE THE GRAB This wasn’t improvisation. According to the New York Times, CIA officers were quietly deployed to Venezuela as early as August, tasked with tracking Nicolás Maduro’s movements, routines, and security patterns. Day-to-day life. Habits. Windows of vulnerability. The boring details that decide outcomes. That timing matters. By late summer, Washington wasn’t reacting to a crisis - it was preparing options. Intelligence first, policy later. While public diplomacy stalled and sanctions churned, Langley was mapping the human terrain. This also explains the operational confidence. You don’t move fast, claim zero U.S. fatalities, and talk about “perfect weather” unless you already know the target’s schedule better than he does. Bigger picture: this is how U.S. power looks now. Fewer speeches. More quiet officers. Less hardware. More human intelligence layered with timing and deniability. Prediction: more reporting will surface about liaison networks, safe houses, and regional partners that made this possible. And other leaders watching this - especially those leaning toward Beijing or Moscow - will start sleeping lighter. Wars don’t always begin with bombs. Sometimes they start with a notebook and a clock. Source: New York Times, @visionergeo

🚨 🇺🇸 🇻🇪 THE U.S. NOW CONTROLS THE LARGEST OIL RESERVE ON EARTH In case you missed what actually just happened: Venezuela holds 300 billion barrels of oil, the largest proven reserves in the world. And now, per Trump, large U.S. oil companies are moving in to stabilize and rebuild the industry post-Maduro. Translation: the U.S. just went from sanctioning Venezuela to effectively running it, securing direct access to the most valuable energy stockpile on the planet. It’s officially a geopolitical game-changer. While China and Russia were busy propping up a narco-dictator, America just flipped the board. Source: @KobeissiLetter

In recent years, it’s become trendy to talk about the decline of U.S. military capabilities, especially with Putin’s invasion and China’s military drills Hard to make this argument after today…

🇻🇪🇺🇸 ODDS OF MACHADO RETURN TO VENEZUELA FALLS TO 41% AFTER TRUMP COMMENTS The odds that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado enters Venezuela by the end of the month dropped to 41% on Polymarket. The drop comes after Trump indicated the U.S. would control the transition period rather than immediately handing power to the opposition. During his Fox News interview this morning, Trump suggested America can't risk letting someone else take over where Maduro left off. Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, released a statement praising Trump's actions and emphasizing that Maduro will now face international justice. "We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it just take over where he left," Trump said about Venezuela's future. Machado responded: "Nicolás Maduro from today will face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law." Source: @CollinRugg , Polymarket, Fox News, Yahoo News