Salvador Allende, the democratically elected Marxist president of Chile toppled in a military coup in 1973, and Rafael Trujillo, the longstanding dictator of the Dominican Republic who was assassinated in 1961 in an ambush organized by political opponents, are just two regional leaders whose fates serve as a warning to Maduro. Allende is believed to have killed himself, although some doubt that explanation, as troops stormed the presidential palace in the Chilean capital, Santiago,
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don't think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK. We're going to kill them. You know, they're going to be, like, dead. [SOUNDS OF TAPE ENDS] MARGARET BRENNAN: You don't need an aircraft carrier to hit drug boats. Are land strikes planned? SEN. GRAHAM: Yeah, I think that's a real possibility.
President Donald Trump shot down reports that he has made the decision to attack Venezuela on Friday. Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Florida on Friday, said he had not come to a decision regarding military action in Venezuela, Bloomberg State Department reporter Eric Martin posted on X, citing the outlet's White House reporter, Hadriana Lowenkron.
Driving the news: Graham said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that he thinks Trump has decided "it's time for" Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro "to go," calling land strikes a "real possibility." Worth noting: The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request to confirm whether such a briefing has been scheduled. Trump last week said his administration would "probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we are doing" before launching land strikes, but added, "we don't have to do that."
The US says it is fighting drugs, but its warships off Venezuela tell another story about power, control and regime change. Ten thousand soldiers on board 10 US warships, including a nuclear submarine, several destroyers and a missile cruiser, patrol the southern Caribbean in what is the largest US military build-up in the region in decades. At least seven boats allegedly transporting drugs have been bombed, resulting in the extrajudicial killing of more than 32 people.
We have been informed by the embassy of Venezuela that it is shutting its doors and no reason has been given, the foreign ministry spokesperson, Cecilie Roang, told AFP. It is regrettable. Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction, she said. According to the Verdens Gang daily, which revealed the information, the embassy services were no longer answering the phone on Monday afternoon.
As Grenada's government considers the Trump administration's request to set up a military radar base on the island to monitor nearby Venezuela, calls for authorities and islanders to reject the move and allow Grenada to avoid an impending war are beginning to emerge. Leading the charge for the Dickon Mitchell administration to politely say no to the base at the Maurice Bishop International Airport comes from no less influential regional labor leader and ex-senate president Chester Humphrey.
