Nicolás Maduro
President of Venezuela 2013 to 2026
Photo: Ricardo Stuckert, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 2d ago
Maduro and Flores plead not guilty to new US torture conspiracy charges
Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores denied new US charges of leading a repression system that included torture. The pleas came on Thursday, 15 October, in federal court in New York, and the chavista camp calls the couple kidnapped.
- 3d ago
US lifts sanctions on Venezuela's National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez
The US Treasury removed Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, from its sanctions list on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, without giving reasons. The step follows the January 2026 capture of Nicolás Maduro and a series of earlier easing measures.
- Oct 9
Machado calls for Venezuela presidential elections in 2027, saying there is enough time before July
Exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado wants a presidential election next year and says there is enough time to prepare before July. She acknowledged that her differences with Washington concern the pace of a transition, not its goal.
- Oct 9
Vente Venezuela demands immediate lifting of Machado's ban after ex-judge's coercion claim
Vente Venezuela says former Supreme Court magistrate Bárbara César Siero was forced to sign the rulings after her relatives were detained in December 2023. The party wants the disqualification lifted and an urgent investigation opened.
- Oct 8
US seizes 90 biodiesel shipments bound for Cuba, Havana calls it piracy
US authorities seized 90 biodiesel shipments bound for Cuba on Wednesday, most of them at Port Everglades in Florida, and Havana responded that fuel imports are legal under international law.
- Oct 8
US adds torture conspiracy charges against Maduro and Cilia Flores
US prosecutors charged Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture on Thursday, while a federal judge refused Flores's request for release from jail on health grounds.
- Oct 7
Donald Trump makes late Nobel Peace Prize pitch claiming resolution of eight wars
US President Donald Trump stated in Washington that he resolved eight wars and stopped nuclear proliferation, repeating his candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize two days before the announcement in Oslo.
- Oct 6
Democrats sue Donald Trump over $20 million taxpayer-funded television ad campaign
The Democratic National Committee and Common Cause filed federal lawsuits in Washington and New York to block the White House from using public funds to air promotional broadcasts before the November midterms.
- Oct 3
Latinobarometro poll shows China surpassing US in regional influence across Latin America
For the first time since 1995, Latin American respondents rate China's regional influence higher than that of the United States, with 65% viewing Beijing positively compared to 57% for Washington.
- Oct 2
Ex-congressman David Rivera gets 10-year prison sentence for secret Venezuela lobbying
Former Republican Representative David Rivera received a 10-year federal prison sentence on Friday for executing an undisclosed $50 million lobbying effort on behalf of Venezuela's government.
- Oct 2
US Coast Guard intercepts fuel cargo ship Grace bound for Cuba in the Caribbean
The US Coast Guard intercepted the 91-meter cargo vessel Grace in Caribbean waters and escorted it to Mexico, enforcing an oil blockade intended to cut off foreign fuel supplies to Cuba.
- Oct 2
Donald Trump queried Elon Musk's Grok chatbot before January raid on Nicolás Maduro
A December 2025 White House meeting saw Donald Trump consult xAI's chatbot Grok on Venezuelan public opinion roughly one month before United States forces detained Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
- Oct 1
Donald Trump hosts White House Hispanic reception as polling shows drop in Latino support
President Donald Trump convened Hispanic supporters at the White House for Hispanic Heritage Month, addressing ballroom renovations, immigration enforcement pressures, and declining poll numbers ahead of the 2026 midterms.
- Oct 1
Venezuela Opposition Rejects Delcy Rodriguez's Reform, Demanding Full Repeal of Anti-Hate Law
Venezuela's Democratic Unitary Platform has rejected acting President Delcy Rodríguez's proposal to amend the 2017 Anti-Hate Law, demanding that Parliament abolish the legislation entirely.
- Sep 25
US Army Reserve assesses unit readiness for potential operations directed at Cuba
An internal US Army document obtained by CBS News directs the Army Reserve to assess whether six support formations can deploy to Southern Command within 90 to 120 days.
- Sep 25
US appeals court upholds Pentagon decision to blacklist Anthropic as supply chain risk
A federal appeals court in Washington ruled on September 25 that the Pentagon acted within its authority when barring AI startup Anthropic and its Claude model from defense contracts over national security concerns.
- Sep 23
Delcy Rodriguez pledges Venezuela elections at UN General Assembly after meeting Donald Trump
Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez promised upcoming elections during her UN address, following bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and the signing of a 65-billion-barrel oil deal.
- Sep 23
Machado blocked in three return bids to Venezuela as Rodriguez meets Trump in New York
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado failed in three attempts to return to Venezuela from Panama on 21 September, coinciding with talks in New York between interim President Delcy Rodriguez and US President Donald Trump.
- Sep 22
Lula and Trump clash over Latin American sovereignty and US power at UN
Speaking at the 81st UN General Assembly on 22 September 2026, Brazilian President Lula rejected US regional dominance ahead of Brazil's 4 October general election, while US President Trump threatened military action across Latin America.
- Sep 19
Donald Trump to meet Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez at UN General Assembly in New York
The White House announced a Tuesday pull-aside meeting between Donald Trump and Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, marking the first such bilateral encounter in 11 years.
