Author: Scott Smith

MIAMI • Nicolás Maduro effectively converted Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups as he and his allies stole billions from the South American country, the Justice Department charged in several indictments against the embattled socialist and his inner circle that were made public Thursday. The coordinated unsealing…

CARACAS, Venezuela • National Security Adviser John Bolton pressed his case Tuesday for sweeping action against Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, warning foreign governments and companies that they could face retaliation in the U.S. if they continue to do business with his socialist administration. Bolton’s comments came after the White House froze all Venezuelan government assets…

CARACAS, Venezuela • Wary Venezuelans emerged on the streets of the nation’s capital Wednesday waving their nation’s tricolor flag and banging pots and pans, hoping to drum up momentum after opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s bold attempt to spark a military uprising that has thus far failed to tilt the balance of power. Thousands gathered to…

CARACAS, Venezuela • Venezuelans on Monday converged on a polluted river in Caracas to fill water bottles and held scattered protests in several cities as growing chaos took hold in a country whose people have had little power, water and communications for days. A 3-year-old girl with a brain tumor languished in a Caracas hospital,…

CARACAS, Venezuela • As a showdown looms over humanitarian aid destined for Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro closed off his country’s border with Brazil, vowing on Thursday to block the emergency food and medicine that has rallied his opponents and which he claims is part of a U.S.-led coup plot. Amid the mounting tensions, opposition leader…

CUCUTA, Colombia • Nearly three weeks after the Trump administration backed an all-out effort to overthrow Nicolas Maduro, there is little sign the Venezuelan president is losing his grip on power. Dozens of nations have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido’s claim to the presidency and the U.S. has tightened sanctions aimed at cutting off billions…

CARACAS, Venezuela • The struggle for control of Venezuela turned to the military Sunday, as supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido handed leaflets to soldiers detailing a proposed amnesty law that would protect them for helping overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. At the same time, Maduro demonstrated his might, wearing tan fatigues at military exercises. Flanked…

CARACAS, Venezuela • Venezuela’s top military brass pledged their unwavering support for embattled President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday, delivering vows of loyalty before rows of green-uniformed officers on state television. A half-dozen generals belonging largely to district commands and with direct control over thousands of troops joined Maduro in accusing the United States of meddling…

SAN FRANCISCO — A massive new rock fall hit Yosemite National Park on Thursday, cracking with a thundering roar off the El Capitan rock formation, injuring one person and sending huge plumes of white dust surging through the valley floor below. The slide came a day after a giant slab of granite plunged from the…