Benjamin Alvarez
@benjalvarez1.bsky.social
US Correspondent for DW
"The White House is weighing giving Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy White House chief of staff and homeland security adviser, a more elevated role in overseeing post-Maduro operations in Venezuela, according to one person with knowledge of the conversations" www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
U.S. plan to ‘run’ Venezuela clouded in confusion
In Washington and Caracas, the vision for administering Venezuela in the weeks and months ahead appears uncertain and stubbornly complex.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:55 PM
"The White House is weighing giving Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy White House chief of staff and homeland security adviser, a more elevated role in overseeing post-Maduro operations in Venezuela, according to one person with knowledge of the conversations" www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Nicolás Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others.
January 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Nicolás Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others.
Trump calls Colombian President Petro "a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the US, and he's not gonna be doing it very long." Asked if there will be a US operation in Colombia, he replied: "Sounds good to me."
January 5, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Trump calls Colombian President Petro "a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the US, and he's not gonna be doing it very long." Asked if there will be a US operation in Colombia, he replied: "Sounds good to me."
"Today it is Venezuela, tomorrow it could be any other country." Chilean President Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of the Maduro regime, strongly condemned the US military action. "If they can do it there, why wouldn't they do it elsewhere in the future?" he asked.
January 4, 2026 at 1:25 PM
"Today it is Venezuela, tomorrow it could be any other country." Chilean President Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of the Maduro regime, strongly condemned the US military action. "If they can do it there, why wouldn't they do it elsewhere in the future?" he asked.
The White House did not seek congressional authorization to capture Venezuelan authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro, sparking outrage among members of Congress. So how legal are Donald Trump's actions in Venezuela?
January 4, 2026 at 2:33 AM
The White House did not seek congressional authorization to capture Venezuelan authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro, sparking outrage among members of Congress. So how legal are Donald Trump's actions in Venezuela?
A plane carrying the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has landed in New York, where the ousted leader and his wife are set to face drug trafficking charges.
January 3, 2026 at 10:51 PM
A plane carrying the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has landed in New York, where the ousted leader and his wife are set to face drug trafficking charges.
A quick reminder that opposing the Maduro regime does not logically require supporting U.S. military intervention as the solution. There is no contradiction in holding both positions simultaneously.
January 3, 2026 at 7:32 PM
A quick reminder that opposing the Maduro regime does not logically require supporting U.S. military intervention as the solution. There is no contradiction in holding both positions simultaneously.
Reposted by Benjamin Alvarez
Venezuela’s Rodriguez appears in Caracas—apparently disproving earlier Reuters story claiming she was in Moscow—alongside regime leadership. Calls Maduro the sole president, demands his release; says if something happens to him, will mobilise security forces and supporters in the streets.
January 3, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Venezuela’s Rodriguez appears in Caracas—apparently disproving earlier Reuters story claiming she was in Moscow—alongside regime leadership. Calls Maduro the sole president, demands his release; says if something happens to him, will mobilise security forces and supporters in the streets.
"La oposición al régimen de Maduro no implica respaldar una intervención militar estadounidense; ambas posturas pueden coexistir", escribe la politóloga mexicana Mariana Chávez García.
January 3, 2026 at 7:12 PM
"La oposición al régimen de Maduro no implica respaldar una intervención militar estadounidense; ambas posturas pueden coexistir", escribe la politóloga mexicana Mariana Chávez García.
US President Trump shared a series of images on Truth Social, which appear to show him and other officials watching last night's strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
January 3, 2026 at 7:08 PM
US President Trump shared a series of images on Truth Social, which appear to show him and other officials watching last night's strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Asked about the mixed results of U.S. intervention and sponsorship of coups in Latin America, President Trump just answered "Not with me." "We have a perfect record of winning," Trump added.
January 3, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Asked about the mixed results of U.S. intervention and sponsorship of coups in Latin America, President Trump just answered "Not with me." "We have a perfect record of winning," Trump added.
"We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," US President Donald Trump just said of Venezuela.
January 3, 2026 at 4:59 PM
"We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," US President Donald Trump just said of Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump just posted this photo showing Nicolás Maduro in US custody onboard the USS Iwo Jima.
January 3, 2026 at 4:41 PM
US President Donald Trump just posted this photo showing Nicolás Maduro in US custody onboard the USS Iwo Jima.
"Trump promised Americans he would stay out of wars, but his irresponsible actions are only leading to more chaos that puts Americans in danger and makes the United States less trusted in the world," the Center for American Progress says in a new statement.
January 3, 2026 at 3:32 PM
"Trump promised Americans he would stay out of wars, but his irresponsible actions are only leading to more chaos that puts Americans in danger and makes the United States less trusted in the world," the Center for American Progress says in a new statement.
President Trump confirmed that the US had "successfully" carried out a "large-scale" strike against Venezuela. In a social media post he added that authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country."
January 3, 2026 at 1:15 PM
President Trump confirmed that the US had "successfully" carried out a "large-scale" strike against Venezuela. In a social media post he added that authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country."
Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City's mayor at a shuttered subway station.
January 1, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City's mayor at a shuttered subway station.
Feliz Año Nuevo
Happy New Year
Frohes neues Jahr
Happy New Year
Frohes neues Jahr
January 1, 2026 at 3:53 AM
Feliz Año Nuevo
Happy New Year
Frohes neues Jahr
Happy New Year
Frohes neues Jahr
"The far-right leader is the first president in a democratic era to have supported the military regime. Although he avoided speaking about pardoning human rights abusers in 2025, he visited them in prison in 2017." english.elpais.com/internationa...
Pinochet’s victims grapple with José Antonio Kast’s rise in Chile
The far-right leader is the first president in a democratic era to have supported the military regime. Although he avoided speaking about pardoning human rights abusers in 2025, he visited them in pri...
english.elpais.com
December 30, 2025 at 10:42 PM
"The far-right leader is the first president in a democratic era to have supported the military regime. Although he avoided speaking about pardoning human rights abusers in 2025, he visited them in prison in 2017." english.elpais.com/internationa...
Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026, including Doctors Without Borders. www.pbs.org/newshour/wor...
Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026, including Doctors Without Borders
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said the organizations that will be banned on Jan. 1 did not meet its new requirements for sharing staff, funding and operations information.
www.pbs.org
December 30, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026, including Doctors Without Borders. www.pbs.org/newshour/wor...
Environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of late President John F. Kennedy, has died at 35, her family says. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/u...
Tatiana Schlossberg, Kennedy Daughter Who Wrote of Her Cancer, Dies at 35
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of late President John F. Kennedy, has died at 35, her family says. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/u...
Chile: A Boeing 737 "Fireliner", a 737-300 converted into an aerial firefighting air tanker, is offering aerial support to combat an active wildfire on the outskirts of the capital Santiago.
December 30, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Chile: A Boeing 737 "Fireliner", a 737-300 converted into an aerial firefighting air tanker, is offering aerial support to combat an active wildfire on the outskirts of the capital Santiago.
New Year’s Eve Concerts at Kennedy Center Are Canceled. A veteran jazz ensemble and a New York dance company have canceled events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, intensifying the fallout after the arts center was renamed to include Trump.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/a...
New Year’s Eve Concerts at Kennedy Center Are Canceled
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:53 AM
New Year’s Eve Concerts at Kennedy Center Are Canceled. A veteran jazz ensemble and a New York dance company have canceled events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, intensifying the fallout after the arts center was renamed to include Trump.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/a...
Reposted by Benjamin Alvarez
If the US did attack VZ:
1) US military doesn’t seem to be responsible.
2) Supposed domestic legal basis would be Article 2.
3) Would violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter (and by extension POTUS’s obligations under Take Care Clause.)
4) Could mean an international armed conflict exists with VZ.
1) US military doesn’t seem to be responsible.
2) Supposed domestic legal basis would be Article 2.
3) Would violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter (and by extension POTUS’s obligations under Take Care Clause.)
4) Could mean an international armed conflict exists with VZ.
December 29, 2025 at 9:40 PM
If the US did attack VZ:
1) US military doesn’t seem to be responsible.
2) Supposed domestic legal basis would be Article 2.
3) Would violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter (and by extension POTUS’s obligations under Take Care Clause.)
4) Could mean an international armed conflict exists with VZ.
1) US military doesn’t seem to be responsible.
2) Supposed domestic legal basis would be Article 2.
3) Would violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter (and by extension POTUS’s obligations under Take Care Clause.)
4) Could mean an international armed conflict exists with VZ.
Trump yesterday: "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed."
Trump today: "I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing."
Trump today: "I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing."
December 29, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Trump yesterday: "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed."
Trump today: "I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing."
Trump today: "I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing."
"I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing," President Trump says next to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu when asked about concerns that Israel's government is not moving to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan.
December 29, 2025 at 9:14 PM
"I'm not concerned about anything that Israel is doing," President Trump says next to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu when asked about concerns that Israel's government is not moving to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan.