Trump claims he cancelled second wave of attacks on Venezuela
Good morning. Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, in the early hours of this morning, Donald Trump claimed that he had cancelled a second wave of attacks on Venezuela that would have followed Saturday’s raid, in which the US seized the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
The US president wrote:
Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of “Seeking Peace.” This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes. At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Earlier, Venezuela had announced the release of an “important number” of detainees in what the congressional president characterised as a gesture to “consolidate peace”.
Former opposition candidate Enrique Márquez was among those released from prison, according to an opposition statement. “It’s all over now,” Márquez said in a video taken by a local journalist who accompanied him and his wife, as well as another opposition member Biagio Pilieri, who was also released.
Thiago Rogero, our South American correspondent, has further details on the release:
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Updated at 05.14 EST
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Richard Luscombe
The killing of a US citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis was a five-alarm fire for the Trump administration. But a torrent of untruths, half-truths, smears, and innuendo has been unleashed by the White House, and amplified by its social media and cable television acolytes, in an attempt to douse the flames.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, called homeland security secretary Kristi Noem a “stone cold liar” on Thursday for her efforts to falsely portray the victim Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and award-winning poet, as a “domestic terrorist”.
Good, Noem said, without presenting evidence, had been “stalking and impeding” Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) officers before using her car as a weapon to try to run down the agent who killed her.
Jacob Frey, the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis, condemned as “bullshit” a concerted push by homeland security officials and others to immediately paint the officer’s action as self-defense, when video of the incident is unclear at best, and an investigation had yet to begin.
“People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice-president, to Kristi Noem … [they] have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” Tim Walz, Minnesota’s Democratic governor, told a press conference on Thursday.
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Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday she did not believe the United States would launch a military strike to take control of Greenland, warning that any such move would have serious consequences for Nato.
At her traditional new year’s press conference, Meloni added that there was a need for a “serious and significant” Nato presence in the Arctic region, including Greenland.
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Supreme court could rule on Trump tariffs later today
The US Supreme court could issue a ruling later in the day determining whether Trump can invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without the approval of Congress.
Although it is unclear whether the supreme court will issue a ruling, it has scheduled Friday as a “decision day” for releasing opinions, fuelling speculation that the tariff case could be decided this afternoon.
The case centers on whether the administration can invoke the IEEPA to impose the tariffs and, if not, whether the United States would be required to refund duties already paid by importers.
The court’s ruling could also fall short of a definitive outcome on both issues.
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Updated at 05.51 EST
Moscow says US released two Russian crew from seized tanker
Russia on Friday said 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.
The American authorities said the tanker was part of a shadow fleet that carried oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions, and seized it in the North Atlantic despite the ship being escorted by the Russian navy.
“In response to our request, US president Donald Trump has decided to release two Russian citizens aboard the Marinera tanker, previously detained by the United States 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,” she added.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Telegram that Trump decided to release “all Russians” on board the Marinera tanker. The United States said previously the Marinera’s crew could be prosecuted – which Russia said was “categorically unacceptable.”
Moscow on Thursday accused Washington of stoking tensions and threatening international shipping with the seizure of the tanker, which it has cast as illegal.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the move will “only result in further military and political tensions”, adding that it was worried by “Washington’s willingness to generate acute international crisis situations.”
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Two people shot by US federal agents in Portland
Robert Mackey
US 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 in a statement on Thursday afternoon that two people were in hospital after a shooting involving federal agents, adding that the conditions of those shot were not known.
Police initially responded to reports of a shooting outside the Adventist hospital campus in east Portland, the department said, before learning “that a man who had been shot was calling and requesting help” about 3 miles (5km) away.
“Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel. The patients were transported to the hospital,” the police said.
“Officers have determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents.”
Authorities have not confirmed the condition of the injured, but emergency dispatch audio obtained by FOX 12 Oregon indicated that the 911 call came from a man who said he was shot twice in the arm and his wife had been shot in the chest.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement that US border patrol agents had stopped a vehicle to search for a man they suspected of being an undocumented immigrant connected to a Venezuelan gang. According to the agents, they opened fire when the driver of the vehicle tried to run them over, the statement said. “Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” McLaughlin said.
Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, said at a news conference: “We know what the federal government says happened here. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past.”
Bob Day, the Portland police chief, said: “This is a federal investigation. It’s being led by the FBI.”
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Trump claims he cancelled second wave of attacks on Venezuela
Good morning. Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, in the early hours of this morning, Donald Trump claimed that he had cancelled a second wave of attacks on Venezuela that would have followed Saturday’s raid, in which the US seized the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
The US president wrote:
Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of “Seeking Peace.” This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes. At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Earlier, Venezuela had announced the release of an “important number” of detainees in what the congressional president characterised as a gesture to “consolidate peace”.
Former opposition candidate Enrique Márquez was among those released from prison, according to an opposition statement. “It’s all over now,” Márquez said in a video taken by a local journalist who accompanied him and his wife, as well as another opposition member Biagio Pilieri, who was also released.
Thiago Rogero, our South American correspondent, has further details on the release:
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Updated at 05.14 EST
