news

Note, in addition to China, both Russia and Belarus also demanded that Washington immediately release President Maduro and reinstate him as head of state.

Snip:

China expresses serious concern over the US' forcible control of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and their transfer out of the country. The US' move is in clear violation of international law and the basic norms in international relations and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday in response to reports that on January 3, the US sent forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and took them out of the country and the governments of multiple countries have voiced opposition.

China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation, the spokesperson said.

Paywalled original: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2k0101enyo

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/17009

Recently, we reported on the rise of so-called ‘prediction markets’. While these sites claim they’re not gambling, they are for all intents and purposes gambling. The key difference is they allow people to gamble on real-life events rather than simply sports. This is why we’re now seeing dystopian occurrences like the following over Venezuela:

Some war related insider trading? A brand new account in polymarket, only invested in US going to war with Venezuela and Maduro out by January 31. Up 13k so far, was spending thousands on Maduro out at bargain prices as recently as 4 hours ago. Now it’s at .50. pic.twitter.com/GLnfvAfEZc

— tyson brody (@tysonbrody) January 3, 2026

Now that Maduro out is at .99 following the Trump announcement this account has in one week realized nearly $150k in profit and has hundreds of thousands more in unrealized profits pic.twitter.com/AFRq2y06wD

— tyson brody (@tysonbrody) January 3, 2026

Gamblification on Venezuela

The difference between prediction markets and gambling is that in the former, users are buying stocks in a question. The difference in value between the ‘yes’ traders and the ‘no’ traders determines the odds.

Given that people are gambling on real-life events, there’s obviously an opportunity for people with inside knowledge to game the system. If you were part of the Trump administration, for example, you could put your money on Venezuelan president Maduro being forced out, knowing that plans were afoot to abduct him. You could also be a close relative of Trump who happens to be a strategic advisor to Kalshi (one of the two main prediction markets):

Donald Trump Jr is a paid strategic advisor for Kalshi — where they are setting odds so people can bet on the decisions made by his father.

Just an all-time grift. https://t.co/X3r7SonDxZ pic.twitter.com/VcqBJsGIK2

— Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) December 22, 2025

Oh, and Trump Jr. is also an investor in the other prediction market, Polymarket:

Feels like a problem that the president's son is invested in Polymarket, a crypto betting site that lets people wager on election outcomes, via a VC firm that he joined after his father won.

It's not like Trump has a history of trying to manipulate election results or anything. pic.twitter.com/SKLeWoWF6g

— Emma Vigeland (@EmmaVigeland) September 4, 2025

Regarding ‘insider trading’, people have highlighted that it’s actually encouraged to an extent:

A newly created Polymarket account invested over $30,000 yesterday in Maduro's exit. The US then took Maduro into custody overnight, and the trader profited $400,000 in less than 24 hours. Insider trading is not only allowed on prediction markets; it's encouraged. https://t.co/EtZyW1IWTa pic.twitter.com/MzsU9kOU73

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 3, 2026

Kalshi’s founders have spoken about inside traders being an advantage because it means the predictions end up being more accurate, as Coffeezilla covered in the following video:

Trade wars

Prediction markets recently became more well known because of the following:

The co-founder of Kalshi says: " The long-term vision is to financialize everything and create a tradable asset out of any difference in opinion." pic.twitter.com/M1gf0leJFV

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) December 3, 2025

It attracted so much attention because it perfectly encapsulates what we all know to be true; that no matter what goes wrong in the world, the rich always profit, because the system is stacked in their favour.

Creating financial markets from division is the obvious end point to this sociopathic culture.

Featured image via Pexels

By Willem Moore

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Snip:

On Saturday, Cubans gathered at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune in Havana to condemn the U.S. military action against the Venezuelan government and people.

With chants of “Down with imperialism!”, the crowd forcefully rejected the seizure of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, whom the U.S. government has accused without evidence of being linked to criminal operations.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel vehemently denounced the White House’s actions, which he labeled as brutal, treacherous, unacceptable and vulgar. In doing so, he summarized Cuba’s rejection of the U.S. terrorist attacks, which violate the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a “Zone of Peace” and the basic norms of international law.

“The land of Bolivar is sacred and an attack on it is an attack on all the dignified sons and daughters of America. For it, we are willing to give our own blood and life,” Diaz-Canel said. He warned that unjustified and overbearing U.S. attacks break regional stability.

Snip:

On Saturday, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) denounced the U.S. cowardly military aggression against the South American nation, which included the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

“Faced with such a grave attack on our sovereignty, the PSUV calls for the immediate mobilization of all its members… In absolute unity, under the orders of our High Command, we, the Venezuelan men and women, are prepared to defend our country against any type of foreign attack,” the PSUV stated. It demanded that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration prove that Maduro and his wife are alive.

“We are the party founded by Commander Hugo Chavez, the political and moral vanguard of the Bolivarian Revolution. That is why we close ranks, today more than ever, with the Bolivarian government and express our absolute loyalty to President Nicolas Maduro,” the PSUV added.

The Socialist party called on governments and the international community to “express total condemnation” of the U.S. “grotesque” military action, which “violates the United Nations Charter and tramples international law.”

Snip:

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has strongly condemned an illegal US military attack that resulted in the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, demanding their immediate release and warning that Venezuela is prepared to defend itself.

Speaking in a live public address on Saturday, Rodriguez denounced the early-morning attack as “barbaric,” denouncing Washington for besieging and blockading Venezuela with the aim of forcing regime-change and seizing the country’s natural wealth.

“We demand the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the only president of Venezuela,” Rodríguez said, adding that the aggression had exposed the true objectives of the United States.

“The masks have fallen and it is clear that they had only one objective: A regime-change in Venezuela, so that they could seize our energy, mineral, and natural resources,” she said. “They want to enslave us again. We will never be slaves again, we will never be a colony of any empire of any kind.”

Snip:

Iran’s foreign minister has sharply condemned the United States’ military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, describing the move as a “clear instance of state terrorism” and a blatant violation of the Venezuelan people’s sovereignty.

Abbas Araghchi made the remarks during a telephone conversation on Saturday evening with Yvan Gil Pinto, his Venezuelan counterpart, as the two discussed the latest developments following the aggression.

The former denounced the abduction of Venezuela’s legitimate president and his spouse in the strongest terms, saying the action constituted an open assault on Venezuela’s national will.

He reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s support for the Venezuelan people and their elected government.

Snip:

Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, denounced an “unprecedented” US military aggression against Venezuela that culminated in the “illegal kidnapping” of President Nicolás Maduro and First Fighter Lady Cilia Flores.

VP Rodríguez, accompanied by senior officials, headed an emergency meeting of the National Defense Council, recalling that the Venezuelan government had already warned about an ongoing aggression under “false excuses”.

The vice president emphasized that the true objective of this operation is “regime change in Venezuela,” which would allow the United States to “capture our energy, mineral, and natural resources.” She called on the international community to be aware of this truth.

The Vice President of Venezuela demanded the release of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores during the National Defense Council, reaffirming Maduro as the sole president and at the same time announcing the activation of the Citizen Security Agency and national power to defend independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which they denounce as attacked.

Twito

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/10263379

There is no opposition party in the United States, only proud fascists and those who pretend they aren’t fascists

https://web.archive.org/web/20260103162459/https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115832088990838303

https://www.newsweek.com/photo-of-nicolas-maduro-captured-released-11302442

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/16925

After threatening to do so for several months, the United States has launched a direct military attack on the sovereign nation of Venezuela. Images and videos show multiple explosions occurred in the capital Caracas, as well as Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. Venezuelans additionally reported the presence of low-flying aircraft.

BREAKING: Explosions are rocking Caracas, Venezuela while their citizens are sleeping, as it appears the so-called "Peace President" trump is starting a war without Congress' approval.

Those Epstein files must be really, really bad.pic.twitter.com/B3qohuQx4Z

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) January 3, 2026

While the US initially did not admit to perpetrating the attacks, it has since taken responsibility. It also claims to have captured president Nicolás Maduro and flown him out of the country.

The “Peace President” just announced a unilateral bombing & regime change in Venezuela – no Congress – then schedules a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, the same venue where Vanilla Ice recently performed with a Ninja Turtle.

America is no longer a serious country. pic.twitter.com/bSBm4IUQxY

— Canada Hates Trump (@AntiTrumpCanada) January 3, 2026

Of course, Donald Trump openly admitted in 2023 exactly why he would want to attack Venezuela: its oil:

Trump has, in recent years, been very open about why he wants to pursue regime change in Venezuela. It's about the oil, pure and simple.

And any media organisation which doesn't foreground this context is simply low-information parrot squawk. https://t.co/HzDQDkTHLq

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) January 3, 2026

Yet so far, much of the corporate media has either failed to centre the US’s potential resource grab in the story – or, like the BBC, even mention it at all. Both Sky News and the Independent mentioned Trump’s end-game over oil in passing in their live coverage. Yet the Financial Times said nothing at all.

Multiple US strikes on Venezuela

Several sources published images and videos of the US attack on Venezuela, including Mohamad Safa who works with the UN:

The United States is bombing Venezuela while the people are asleep!

Venezuela produces less than 1% of the world’s illegal drugs. But they do have the world’s largest proven oil reserve.

Still think this is really about stopping the cartels? pic.twitter.com/N1iJHzbZfz

— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) January 3, 2026

Marwa Osman of Press TV shared the following video:

This is what Caracas looks like right now… another country under attack by U.S. imperialism, without a single prior provocation. Venezuela has never killed a single American citizen.

The world's real terrorists are the imperialists, not those who resist them.#StopUSTerrorism pic.twitter.com/OuEUPSPqjv

— Marwa Osman || مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) January 3, 2026

Drop Site and Hasan Piker also commented on the unfolding situation:

belligerent mad man sitting on the throne of a dying empire lashing out in every direction pulling the rest of the world into chaos and destruction. https://t.co/z6XAM82K7S

— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) January 3, 2026

Reportedly, the US may have struck a graveyard:

Repugnant state terror straight from the gusano-neocon imagination of Marco Rubio https://t.co/LpTAHrCdsM

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 3, 2026

Kidnapped

Several hours after the attack, the US claimed to have captured Maduro and to have flown him out of the country. America had a $50m reward out for Maduro’s capture.

Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez, the vice president of Venezuela, has confirmed they do not know where Maduro and his wife are. She has also demanded “immediate proof of life”.

The defence minister, meanwhile, has said Venezuela will “resist” foreign troops should the US launch a ground invasion. Since this statement, they have deployed the armed forces nationwide.

#BREAKING Venezuela's defense minister is alive and has released a video message calling for an "anti-imperialist and liberation war" against the American empire. pic.twitter.com/Wo0vjUwBd8

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) January 3, 2026

The US, meanwhile, has said there will be ‘no further action’ following the kidnapping. This information comes from a conversation between senator Mike Lee and secretary of state Marco Rubio.

Many have criticised America’s latest intervention, including Jeremy Corbyn of Your Party:

The US has launched an unprovoked and illegal attack on Venezuela.

This is a brazen attempt to secure control over Venezuelan natural resources.

It is an act of war that puts the lives of millions of people at risk — and should be condemned by anyone who believes in sovereignty…

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 3, 2026

People have also linked the aggression towards Venezuela with the country’s oil reserves, including Your Party’s Zarah Sultana:

Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves — and that’s no coincidence.

This is naked U.S. imperialism: an illegal assault on Caracas aimed at overthrowing a sovereign government and plundering its resources.

Starmer’s Labour government must condemn this unequivocally.…

— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) January 3, 2026

Why has Trump attacked Venezuela? Oil have to have a think about that.. pic.twitter.com/DNa8OP4xvJ

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) January 3, 2026

Featured image via Eneas de Troya

By Willem Moore

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https://web.archive.org/web/20260103092549/https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115830428767897167