Trump claims to have cancelled ‘previously expected’ second wave of attacks on Venezuela – US politics live | US politics
Trump claims he canceled second wave of attacks on Venezuela
Good morning. Sending on the social media platform Truth SocialEarlier this morning, Donald Trump claimed that the United States had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela, following Saturday’s raid on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
The US president wrote:
Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of its “Quest for Peace.” This is a very important and wise gesture. The United States and Venezuela work well together, especially on rebuilding their oil and gas infrastructure in much bigger, better and more modern ways. Due to this cooperation I have canceled the previously anticipated second Attack Wave, it looks like it will not be needed, but all ships will remain in place for safety and security reasons. I will meet with all of them today at the White House. BIG OIL will invest at least 100 Billion Dollars. Thank you for your interest in this topic!
Earlier, Venezuela announced the release of a “significant number” of detainees in what the congress president described as a gesture aimed at “strengthening peace”.
According to the opposition statement, former opposition candidate Enrique Márquez was among those released from prison. “It’s all over now,” Márquez said in the video shot by a local journalist who accompanied him and his wife, as well as another freed opposition member, Biagio Pilieri.
Our South America correspondent Thiago Rogero has more details for this post:
important events
Richard Luscombe
The killing of a U.S. citizen by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis was a five-alarm fire for the Trump administration. But in an attempt to douse the flames, a torrent of lies, half-truths, smears and insinuations was unleashed by the White House and further amplified by social media and cable television acolytes.
Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday called Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a “completely cold liar” for her efforts to falsely portray Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and award-winning poet, as a “domestic terrorist.”
Fine, Noem said she “stalked and obstructed” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers without providing any evidence before using her car as a weapon to capture the agent who killed her.
Minneapolis’ Democratic mayor, Jacob Frey, condemned as “nonsense” a concerted effort by Homeland Security officials and others to immediately portray the officer’s action as self-defense, while video of the incident was vague at best and the investigation had not yet begun.
“People in positions of power, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem, have already passed judgment… [they] Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, said at a news conference Thursday: “I stood and told you things that were verifiably false, verifiably false.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that he did not believe the United States would launch a military offensive to seize control of Greenland, warning that such a move would have serious consequences for NATO.
At the traditional new year press conference, Meloni added that a “serious and significant” NATO presence is needed in the Arctic region, including Greenland.
Supreme court could rule on Trump tariffs later today
The U.S. Supreme Court could issue a ruling later in the day determining whether Trump can use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without approval from Congress.
While it’s unclear whether the high court will rule, scheduling Friday as a “decision day” for comments has increased speculation that the tariff case could be decided this afternoon.
The case centers on whether the administration can invoke IEEPA to impose the tariffs and, if not, whether the U.S. will be required to refund duties already paid by importers.
The court’s decision may be insufficient to reach a definitive conclusion on both issues.
Moscow says US released two Russian crew from seized tanker
Russia said on Friday that the United States had decided to release two Russian members of the crew of a Russian-flagged oil tanker that Washington seized earlier this week, AFP reported.
American officials said the tanker was part of a shadow fleet carrying oil to countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions, and was seized in the North Atlantic even though the ship was accompanied by the Russian navy.
“US President Donald Trump, in response to our request, decided to release two Russian citizens on board the Marinera tanker, who were previously detained by the US during an operation in the North Atlantic,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
“We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership,” he added.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Telegram that Trump had decided to release “all Russians” aboard the Marinera tanker. The US had previously said the Marinera crew could be prosecuted; Russia stated that this was “categorically unacceptable”.
Moscow accused Washington on Thursday of escalating tensions and threatening international shipping by seizing the tanker, which it described as illegal.
The Russian foreign ministry said the move would “only lead to further military and political tensions,” adding that it was concerned about “Washington’s willingness to create acute international crisis situations.”
Two people shot by US federal agents in Portland
Robert Mackey
U.S. Border Patrol agents shot two people outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon, a day after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said Thursday afternoon that two people were hospitalized after a shooting involving federal agents, and the conditions of those shot were unknown.
The department said police initially responded to reports of a shooting outside the Adventist hospital campus in east Portland, then learned “a man who had been shot was calling for help” about 3 miles (5 km) away.
“Officers responded and found a man and a woman with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied tourniquets and called emergency medical personnel. The patients were transported to the hospital,” police said.
“Officers determined two people were injured in a federal agent-involved shooting.”
Authorities have not confirmed the condition of the injured, but emergency audio recordings obtained by FOX 12 Oregon indicate that the 911 call came from a man saying he had been shot twice in the arm and his wife had been shot in the chest.
U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle to search for a man they suspected was an undocumented immigrant with ties to a Venezuelan gang, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. According to agents, shots were fired when the driver of the vehicle tried to run them over, the statement said. “An agent, fearing for his life and safety, opened fire in defense. The driver fled the scene with the passenger,” McLaughlin said.
Portland mayor Keith Wilson said at a news conference: “We know what the federal government says is here. There was a time when we could trust their word. That time has long passed.”
Portland police Chief Bob Day said: “This is a federal investigation. It’s being conducted by the FBI.”
Trump claims he canceled second wave of attacks on Venezuela
Good morning. Sending on the social media platform Truth SocialEarlier this morning, Donald Trump claimed that the United States had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela, following Saturday’s raid on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
The US president wrote:
Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of its “Quest for Peace.” This is a very important and wise gesture. The United States and Venezuela work well together, especially on rebuilding their oil and gas infrastructure in much bigger, better and more modern ways. Due to this cooperation I have canceled the previously anticipated second Attack Wave, it looks like it will not be needed, but all ships will remain in place for safety and security reasons. I will meet with all of them today at the White House. BIG OIL will invest at least 100 Billion Dollars. Thank you for your interest in this topic!
Earlier, Venezuela announced the release of a “significant number” of detainees in what the congress president described as a gesture aimed at “strengthening peace”.
According to the opposition statement, former opposition candidate Enrique Márquez was among those released from prison. “It’s all over now,” Márquez said in the video shot by a local journalist who accompanied him and his wife, as well as another freed opposition member, Biagio Pilieri.
Our South America correspondent Thiago Rogero has more details for this post:
