# The US is currently attacking Caracas (Venezuela), has captured Maduro **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 3, 2026, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296 "2026-01-03T06:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/321 "2026-01-15T21:58:29Z")
> **[María Corina Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel peace prize medal](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/maria-corina-machado-says-she-presented-trump-with-her-nobel-peace-prize-medal?CMP=share_btn_url)** > > The Venezuelan opposition leader did not confirm whether the US president accepted the award The article says it’s not known if Trump took her award. Oh, let me guess. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/322 "2026-01-15T22:04:21Z")
“Now give it back…” “Give what back?” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/323 "2026-01-15T22:07:28Z")
I wonder if the Nobel Committee has a clause like the Oscars do where they can reclaim possession of the physical medal if it’s being misused. And/or if Trump’s gonna start wearing it around his neck like Al Gore in South Park. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/324 "2026-01-15T22:10:46Z")
If so, good luck with the return. Trump had the US military kidnap a president just to get it. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/325 "2026-01-17T18:45:34Z")
Just a quick update: Gerald Ford is full of shit _and_ has a serious case of atherosclerosis: [**Major plumbing headache haunts $13 billion U.S. carrier off the coast of Venezuela - NPR**](https://www.npr.org/2026/01/17/nx-s1-5680167/major-plumbing-headache-haunts-13-billion-u-s-carrier-off-the-coast-of-venezuela) You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/326 "2026-01-17T21:08:30Z")
Meanwhile, the Maduro case is assigned to a judge who is freaking 92 YEARS OLD, and has a habit of falling asleep on the bench. What is with these old farts who are unwilling to step down when they pass 80?! > **[Maduro Judge, 92, Spotted Sleeping During Major Trial](https://www.thedailybeast.com/maduro-judge-92-spotted-sleeping-during-major-trial/)** > > An opinion piece in The New York Times argued that Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein should step aside. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/327 "2026-01-17T21:15:16Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > [Maduro Judge, 92, Spotted Sleeping During Major Trial](https://www.thedailybeast.com/maduro-judge-92-spotted-sleeping-during-major-trial/) Still better than any Trump appointed judge whatever their age. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/328 "2026-08-29T14:58:03Z")
Decide to reanimate this zombie because Trump has dropped the second shoe. Which, in fairness, he promised he would do. [Trump says US has entered deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves](https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-oil-reserves-eb0ed5a1e99602c21a7f690c3368020e) But if the government is taking over oil fields to ensure a stable and affordable supply of oil for us, isn’t that. . . “socialism”? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/329 "2026-08-29T15:09:19Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > But if the government is taking over oil fields to ensure a stable and affordable supply of oil for us, isn’t that. . . “socialism”? Is it socialism if you nationalize another country’s resources, or is it colonial conquest? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/330 "2026-08-29T15:10:17Z")
It’s only socialism if you do it in your own country. Do that in someone else’s country and you’re a tough guy or something. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/331 "2026-08-29T15:11:24Z")
It can be both, can’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/332 "2026-08-29T15:12:00Z")
Is there any reason why I shouldn’t ignore any headline that starts with “Trump Says…”? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/333 "2026-08-29T16:32:01Z")
Concerning the 65 billion barrel of very heavy and difficult to refine Venezuelan oil that is still underground in a country without the means to extract that oil or to refine it, I would like to remind the readers that the USA’s strategic reserve, that is: oil that has been extracted and refined, stored for quick access when disruptions like losing a war against Iran request it, is at its lowest level since 1982 **[cite](https://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/maerkte/rohstoff-deal-trump-usa-sichern-sich-riesige-oelvorkommen-in-venezuela/100250481.html)** in German, probably paywalled, so DeepL’s translation: > **War with Iran is depleting US oil reserves** > Like other nations, the US is seeking to alleviate the tense situation on the oil market by drawing on its own strategic reserves. These are not oil deposits still in the ground, but oil that has already been extracted. However, the US reserve has already shrunk rapidly since the start of the war and is now at its lowest level in around 44 years. > Trump stated that this “historic transaction” would significantly improve the US oil supply and lower petrol prices for all Americans. The deal would not incur any costs for US taxpayers. Apart from that, the details of a 65 billion barrel deal would really interest me. And who gets what cut, commission, kick-back or whatever they call it. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/334 "2026-08-29T16:34:37Z")
Naturally, Trump gets that. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/335 "2026-08-29T16:37:04Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > very heavy and difficult to refine Venezuelan oil that is still underground in a country without the means to extract that oil or to refine it But other than that this is the bestest deal that’s ever dealed! ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/336 "2026-08-29T16:50:18Z")
Yes, of course. But how much, and when, and through which channels, on which account, in which country? In cryptocurrency, in US$, or in rubles?And who else gets what? Those little details, you know… ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/337 "2026-08-29T17:21:45Z")
Oh, I don’t forsee an accounting like that ever happening, possibly not even if Democrats take control of congress. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/338 "2026-08-29T17:28:10Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Oh, I don’t forsee an accounting like that ever happening Oh, it will happen…sadly, by historians. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/339 "2026-08-29T19:06:05Z")
This is going to take a very long time to develop the infrastructure to get that oil out of the ground. So the logical thing to do is to immediately piss off the trading partner to the north that supplies crude via pipeline to US Midwest markets. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/340 "2026-08-30T11:49:35Z")
A pseudo-gift-link from the NYT: [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/29/business/energy-environment/venezuela-alejandro-betancourt-oil-trump.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.9VA.Hj7-.09vGihENiulY&smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/29/business/energy-environment/venezuela-alejandro-betancourt-oil-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9VA.Hj7-.09vGihENiulY&smid=url-share) Jeeezzz… they want your data for peeking at a “gift” link but are still not capable of letting the preview show properly! Failing NYT indeed! Some excerps from here and there in this article. It’s a long article: > The federal government is expected to back the development of a significant portion of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves through the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital, while Mr. Betancourt’s company [NABEP] would lead operations […]. The deal covers 17 oil fields spread across Venezuela. > Mr. Trump described the deal as giving the United States “majority control” over a large portion of the country’s reserves, though many of the details of the highly unorthodox arrangement remained unclear […] and were expected to change as the project gets going. > Mr. Trump believes, the person said, that additional oil from Venezuela would reduce the market power that Middle Eastern countries have and would help stabilize energy prices, which have risen sharply since the United States and Israel started attacking Iran in February. > Any meaningful new production from Venezuela will take years to materialize. As a result, the effort will have little immediate impact on global commodity prices, which in turn determine what U.S. consumers pay at the pump. > Neither the White House nor the State Department answered specific questions on Mr. Betancourt’s role, his company or the structure of the deal. > Mr. Betancourt’s personal bank accounts have been under investigation for more than a decade by prosecutors in Zurich, but he has not been formally charged in Switzerland. > “Mr. Betancourt has never been charged with a crime in any jurisdiction,” Sara Chouraqui, NABEP’s general counsel, said in a statement. > The Trump administration began looking into Mr. Betancourt last year, as it sought out partners who would help it advance U.S. interests after the removal of Mr. Maduro. > This year, State Department officials tried to pressure the Swiss government to ease up on investigations into Mr. Betancourt and asked the British government to lift travel restrictions on him […]. The department also gave Mr. Betancourt a multiple-entry visa to the United States so he could meet with Trump administration officials. > The Pentagon did not answer specific questions about how its Office of Strategic Capital would work with Mr. Betancourt’s company. The office “conducts extensive due diligence and comprehensive legal review of potential transactions to fulfill all applicable legal and regulatory requirements,” Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > [@bobot](#): > > > > Oh, I don’t forsee an accounting like that ever happening > > Oh, it will happen…sadly, by historians. Historians will have a lot of work to do. I foresee many a PhD earned with this deal. PhDs on history, economy, international relations, corruption, obfuscation, manipulation… the list will go on. There will even be new academic deparments like trumpology, which will be seen as the study of a great man in some quarters and as what it is in others: the movement and the man who made the USA’s decline irreversible. Oh, and concerning how he will be paid? It seems to me after reading the article that the answer is: in warrants. > A warrant allows its owner to buy shares in a company at a predetermined price. Warrants can be traded and can rise and fall in value based on the price of the shares of the company that issued them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296.md?page=16)