NEW: Yes, oil is a factor in Trump's attack on Venezuela. But it's not the primary one, argues IPS scholar @ocampomar.bsky.social. The core motivation is "to exert complete political control — and economic domination — over Latin America. It’s classic U.S. imperialism."

In FPIF, I argue that Vzlan oil was a secondary motivation. The main motive is to oust China from having access to strategic assets in LatAm & Trump is not afraid to use the War on Drugs as a pretext. Vzla is a test lab to see how the world reacts to US interference. fpif.org/venezuela-an...

“It’s not just that US billionaires are entering 2026 with record-breaking increases in wealth: it’s that they are also paying far less in taxes compared to the huge amount of wealth they amass." My quote in this article by @ohiocapitaljournal.com

Bicycle socialism.

NEW: Not only is there "certainly no fentanyl involved" between Venezuela and the U.S., but the region's most prolific drug traffickers have often in fact been U.S. allies. In a new BBC interview, IPS drug policy scholar @sanho.bsky.social dismantles Trump admin claims. Watch:

And just like that, Trump’s imaginary “narcoterrorist cartel” vanishes. I talked about it in my BBC interview last night.

Drug trafficking was always a BS pretext, but oil is a secondary motivation. Trump appealed to extractive imperialism to sell the intervention. Maduro's removal always implied oil sector development bc it's Vzla's cash cow, but US oil companies are now guaranteed to get profitable oil concessions.

The situation is obviously fluid, but if true, this means there was a negotiated settlement where Venezuela's top brass sacrificed Maduro in exchange for a long-term transition. Vladimir Padrino López and Diosdado Cabello were most likely the ones behind giving him up.

There is only one democratic force, and that is the working class.

My New Year’s Resolution is to actively post on Bluesky.

Oh. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

El Pacto Histórico in Colombia had their primaries yesterday and elected Iván Cepeda as their presidential candidate next year. Experts expected a turnout of about 700,000 voters, but more than 2.7 million went to the polls. www.lasillavacia.com/silla-nacion...

According to La Silla Vacía, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has not been added to the traditional Clinton List, but a list created by Joe Biden in 2021 where "a direct link with a drug trafficker does not need to be shown." WTF! www.lasillavacia.com/silla-nacion...

First World Series between two cities threatened with invasion or invaded by a U.S. president.

NEW: Massachusetts is one of a few states considering subsidizing Sustainable Aviation Fuels, or SAFs. In reality, SAFs won't help reduce greenhouse gas emissions — instead, the best solution is simply to reduce flying and increase other transit. REPORT from Neil Rasmussen and @chuck77.bsky.social:

It is important that we do not separate politics from economics. Extreme wealth disparities undermine our democracy, increase political inequality & makes us vulnerable to the arbitrary power of oligarchs. Here are a couple of graphs illustrating the extreme concentration of material resources 👇🏻

NEW: Since 1989, the share of U.S. wealth owned by the top 0.1% has grown nearly 60%. In the same time, the share owned by the bottom 50% of households has declined 26%. This is wealth concentration. IPS scholars @chuck77.bsky.social and @ocampomar.bsky.social in @inequality.org:

Sounds like an argument for worker-ownership of businesses where workers decide, democratically, how to distribute the surpluses/profits they produce 👍🏻

I have a theory that the authoritarian agenda of the Trump administration is upstream from Florida's fanatical and undemocratic state politics.

A historic moment here at Sheridan Circle as the four sons of Orlando Letelier (former Chilean ambassador & government official and fellow at my office) approach the place where their father was assassinated by a car bomb planted by General Pinochet’s thugs 49 years ago.

We are $37 trillion in debt.

I'm sorry, but Milei is not that important of an ally for the US to dedicate our taxes to bail out a president who considers any state intervention in the economy an attack on liberty. Everyone warned of the dangers of shock therapy. Let them suffer the consequences of libertarianism.

There is no law or censorship regime on the books (yet), but this action against Jimmy Kimmel is an assault to our civil liberties. All individuals and the press are now vulnerable to the temperament of the Trump administration. There is no freedom if we all have to watch and filter what we say.

Horrors of Trump detention centre: Lisburn man tells his story after arrest for 'looking like a Mexican' Lee Stinton was lifted by US immigration police on an American street — in an incident he compared to a kidnapping. Here, he tells us his story.

It was a pathetic display of bowing and scraping.

Right now is the perfect time to trial balloon a millionaires' tax in both Texas and Florida. The net migration of millionaires that both states received has not helped or benefited Texans or Floridians.

I am convinced the US will not invade Venezuela, but it's unsurprising that a country that materially supports genocide in Gaza breaks international law by bombing a vessel. We may never know the full details, but Rubio's State Department is not afraid to commit war crimes just to grandstand.

I appeared on a Uruguayan podcast last week, Es la hora de hablar, & spoke about Álvaro Uribe's historic guilty verdict. The US invested a lot in strengthening Colombia's judicial system, but the Trump administration is denouncing the verdict for ideological reasons. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw60...

NEW: Trump's National Guard deployment in D.C. is costing taxpayers up to and over $1 million per day, IPS @nationalpriorities.bsky.social researcher @hannahomestead.bsky.social calculated in newly released findings. “It’s unconscionable." @nickturse.bsky.social in @theintercept.com:

@ocampomar.bsky.social explaining how government/city run grocery stores actually work - help debunk the BS propaganda and share please youtube.com/watch?v=f2pZ...

As private grocers abandon low-income neighborhoods, Zohran Mamdani’s public ownership proposal offers a direct solution to market failures and food deserts. inequality.org/article/how-...

Nayyib Bukele just reformed El Salvador's constitution to eliminate term limits. He wants to be president for life. I am sure Marco Rubio (🙄) is somewhere drafting a statement expressing his concerns over Salvadoran democracy and that he's ready to impose sanctions. elpais.com/america/2025...

Despite immense pressure from the Colombian right and the United States, former president Álvaro Uribe is found guilty of "bribing and intimidating witnesses as part of investigations into his links to narco and paramilitary organizations." www.piratewireservices.com/p/uribe-foun...

Time to puncture once and for all the myth of “millionaire tax flight.” The stats show no grand exodus by the rich out of jurisdictions that raise tax rates on their wealthiest. @patrioticmillionaires.org #taxtherich #inequality

NEW: 1 in 5 homes in California are now owned by investors. If homes continue to be built at prices that are only affordable to these profiteers, then the housing crisis will be "a never-ending cycle," points out IPS scholar @ocampomar.bsky.social in @us.theguardian.com:

First Bolsonaro in Brazil, now the Trump administration is expressing "concern" over Álvaro Uribe in Colombia. Judicial meddling by the US should not be tolerated, and we cannot condition foreign aid on whether Trump and Marco Rubio allies get acquittals. www.infobae.com/colombia/202...

Petro decreed a minimum wage increase, above inflation, in 2025 & business leaders & economists warned that this would tank the economy & harm employment/job creation. The data is in: unemployment has fallen & it is now in single digits. Moral of the story: ignore neoliberal economic theory.

We need to hear from the pathetic clowns in this photo who naively thought the Epstein files were going to be released to the public. This photo is the opposite of aging like fine wine 😂👎🏻

LL Cool J stands for Labor Loves Cool James www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainmen...

Marco Rubio recalls the US chargé d'affairs ad interim to Colombia in the midst of a temper tantrum bc Colombian reps expressed concern that three South Florida politicians met with Álvaro Leyva, who was seeking to gather support for the overthrow of Gustavo Petro. elpais.com/america-colo...

These unhinged tweets from Rep. Díaz-Balart make a lot more sense now that the Spanish newspaper El País revealed that he met with Álvaro Leyva to discuss the overthrow of Colombian President Gustavo Petro. We need to ask the congressman if he supported Leyva's coup plot & attack on democracy?

Good week to re-up this report by @ocampomar.bsky.social and @ips-dc.org: Following Massachusetts' Fair Share Amendment (tax on millionaires), did the millionaires leave en masse as they had threatened? No, the millionaires stayed -- and tax revenue increased! ips-dc.org/report-wealt...

Clown conservative reactionaries like Representative Ogles are absolutely unhinged and hate democracy.

A 49 year old Canadian has died while in ICE custody.

Play the world's smallest violin 🎻

It is important to detail why Iran's nuclear program is a threat. It is not a threat bc Iran will develop a weapon to nuke their enemies, it's a threat bc it will deter attacks/regime change, thereby obstructing Western hegemony in the region, which includes the complete colonization of Palestine.

Las políticas derechistas de Donald Trump hará que la economía estadounidense pierda más de 12.000 millones de dólares en el sector turístico, ampliando el déficit comercial del país.

No surprise here. It is important to remember that Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Reform bill - where he cut taxes for the rich - was the most unpopular piece of legislation to be approved and signed into law in the twenty first century.

The "anti-war" candidate knows that Iran will not unconditionally surrender. Such a demand can only be made by someone with unscrupulous war lust knowing it will be rejected, thus setting the stage for regime change in Iran plus paving the way for complete colonization of Palestine.

La ciudad de la eterna primavera.