A contested election in Venezuela has led to widespread protests and turmoil for nearly a year. Now there is news of something like a coup. But did Trump start it? Sen Rubio of Florida seemed to know something was up last week.
After massive protests there recently for several days, with things reaching again a fever pitch, certain other critical leaders using some rather extreme language since Tuesday, have all shown support for the opposition in Venezuela. These include President Trump in the US, PM Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron President of France (suffering himself all winter from protests in his own country). Last night the state military leaders there have shown their support for President Nicholas Maduro and he in turn has called for the closing of the US Embassy in Caracas and for all US officials there to leave within 72 hours in response to Trump sending well-wishes to Juan Guaidó, an opposition leader in Venezuela.Background: The battle for Venezuela and its oil https://t.co/nw6ro37Fnt— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) January 24, 2019
Some worry if there is time as conditions can change rapidly on the ground.Alto mando militar de #Venezuela ratifica apoyo al mandatario @NicolasMaduro y dice que es presidente legítimo: Ministro de Defensa— Reuters Venezuela (@ReutersVzla) January 24, 2019
Russia has also said they support the Maduro government in their own elliptical way.Even though your media isn't telling you, the are massive, powerful marches in support of the Maduro government. It's not just the right wing protests backed by Trump. pic.twitter.com/Pcgsr3NBx4— Roberto Lovato (@robvato) January 23, 2019
Meanwhile, warnings about other matters of global significance are popping up from the best of newssources.#Russia's state TV host Evgeny Popov spells out one of the Kremlin's key motivations in #Venezuela:— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) January 25, 2019
"That country has the largest oil reserves in the world and of course — of course! — we'll gladly participate in reallocating those resources." ©️ pic.twitter.com/78JRUDna2k
______________________________________NATO, Russia fail to agree over missile breach, U.S. to quit treaty https://t.co/gH53oqcPQS— Bharat Manghnani (@bmangh) January 25, 2019
Because of the US government shutdown, air traffic controllers and stewards have been sounding alarm bells for weeks over safety concerns with so many employees calling in sick. Today airports in New York, Newark and Philadelphia have been held off and delayed.
LaGuardia is a Delta hub. Newark is a United hub. Philly is an American hub.— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) January 25, 2019
Basically, this has the potential to impact the entire air traffic grid very quickly.https://t.co/V31W0YTpZQ
Then Trump announced he would hold a press conference in the Rose Garden where he announced the shutdown would be over amid a bipartisan bill. He says the bill will call for a continuing resolution on spending to prop open government services for three weeks until February 15 or he will declare a national emergency over what he says is our great threat on our southern border. The government could not agree last month on how to spend the money to keep itself open led by the Republican majority while they sought a resolution to the several month's long impasse over border security. His great announcement today, was voiced as a threat:
Yet this merely temporary relief to hundreds of thousands of federal workers and millions more who are recipients of federal aid for medicine and other incomes remains tenuous. Naturally this statement by Trump was met with scepticism and embarassment.“ . . . or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency.”— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 25, 2019
That last word is significant. It's a threat to use emergency powers. pic.twitter.com/wlwbcTbOFT
So Trump is agreeing to the EXACT SAME DEAL he rejected 35 days ago. What a debacle. I'm so so sorry, America.— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 25, 2019
Later in the day, the Democratic leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives spoke to the public about the agreement to reopen the government.Janitors, security guards, food service employees and millions of other contract workers who keep our government functioning will not be reimbursed for paychecks missed during this shutdown. Every single one of them should receive back pay. Period.— Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) January 25, 2019
____________________________________________________.@SenSchumer & I are speaking to reporters at the Capitol now that @realDonaldTrump has agreed to end the #TrumpShutdown. https://t.co/trqjCW5oT8— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 25, 2019
Both the Huffington Post and Buzzfeed announced major layoffs of journalists yesterday and today. Even after a huge story last week at Buzzfeed.
OK! I’m leaving BuzzFeed News after ~7 years. The incredible national desk has been, uh, demolished.— jessica testa (@jtes) January 25, 2019
______________________________________________________Hi all. So some sad news. As of this morning, HuffPost's opinion section is no more. I and the rest of the team have been let go.— Bryan Maygers (@bmaygers) January 24, 2019
Also today, longtime advisor of US President Trump was arrested on seven charges and held briefly on $250,000 bail. He said the charges were bogus. He was captured in a pre-dawn raid by FBI officials who, it must be said, were not getting paid at the time. Here Stone is shown after being released on bail striking the famous pose that Richard Nixon did after he resigned. It's hard to see him taking any of this seriously.
The ramifications of all these rather sudden changes (and are any related?) will fill the newsslots for some time.He relished his late-night calls with Trump in 2016. He was in regular touch with the Trump campaign about WikiLeaks’ plans to destroy Trump’s foe, Hillary Clinton. And now Roger Stone has met his reckoning via Trump's other biggest foe: Robert Mueller. https://t.co/5H8Jq9Kq8t— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 25, 2019