Maduro

• The U.S. is pursuing a second criminal investigation into ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to Reuters, adding to existing legal pressure on the Venezuelan leader. • A Justice Department official and another source familiar with the matter said the new probe raises the possibility of additional charges beyond earlier cases. • The development is significant because it signals continuing U.S. efforts to hold Maduro accountable while Venezuela remains a major foreign-policy and sanctions issue.

Some feel optimistic change will come, but for many it’s business as usual for the movement Hugo Chávez startedWhen Ángel Linares heard a strange buzz followed by an explosion, his first thought was that neighbours were setting off fireworks to celebrate the new year.Then his windows shattered, the building’s walls shook and its facade was ripped off, sending him flying on to the ground of an apartment suddenly reduced to rubble. His 85-year-old mother, Jesucita, feared Venezuela’s northern coast had been devastated by an earthquake, like the one she remembers from 1967. Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege Gannon Van Dyke won $400,000 using insider information to bet on Maduro raid on Polymarket The US army soldier charged with winning $400,000 by using insider information to bet on the removal of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to fraud charges on Tuesday.Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, entered the plea in US district judge Margaret Garnett’s courtroom in Manhattan. Van Dyke sported a shaved head and wore a black blazer, jeans and brown shoes as he arrived to the courtroom with his lawyers, Zach Intrater and Mark Geragos. Continue reading...

• The White House is ramping up pressure on Cuba for political change following Operation Absolute Resolve, which successfully extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. • US military presence is expanding across Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on combating drug-trafficking by transnational criminal organizations like Mexican Cartels, MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and Haitian gangs, topping the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment. • Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa seeks stronger US military ties after a failed 2025 referendum on foreign bases, while Paraguay ratified a State of Forces Agreement allowing temporary US troop deployments for training.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who allegedly made more than $400,000 on Polymarket, could face up to 60 years in prisonA US soldier who played a role in the January capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro is now in custody after allegedly cashing in over $400,000 on wagers about the politician’s removal from office, federal authorities announced on Thursday.Prosecutors say beginning in early December the soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, was involved in planning for the military operation to capture and depose Maduro. Continue reading...

Exiled leader to revive push for change amid US backing of Delcy Rodríguez and delays to democratic transitionVenezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, will seek to revive her push for political change with a rally in Madrid on Saturday, having found herself sidelined by Donald Trump after the abduction of the president Nicolás Maduro.“Venezuela will be free,” the Nobel peace prize winner insisted in an interview on the eve of this weekend’s demonstration in the Puerta del Sol square, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters. Continue reading...

• Venezuelan authorities arrested prominent opposition figure Carlos Moreno on April 5 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated; his detention marks the fourth major opposition arrest this year. • Moreno led a coalition pushing for democratic reforms and transparency; human rights groups documented allegations of torture during detention and denied him legal representation for 36 hours. • The US condemned the arrest, stating it violates international norms and democratic principles; the State Department threatened additional sanctions targeting regime officials if arrests continue.