What Trump is currently proposing for Venezuela is that the country maintain a nationalized oil system with Trump personally at the helm, dictating where oil goes, including to him, personally. He's fashioning himself to be Putin or Mohammed bin Salman. It is pure gangster, illegal, & unprecedented.

After two decades of reporting and writing books on wars for oil, I'm looking forward to joining @npr.org's @kqedforum.bsky.social tomorrow, January 7th, starting at 1:20pm Eastern to discuss the latest: Trump v. Venezuela. Please listen and call in with your questions. www.kqed.org/forum/

Note that we're seeing a public negotiation taking place, with U.S. oil companies using many in the media to help them apply public pressure on the Venezuelan government to grant foreign oil companies the best terms possible to enter the country. 1/3

The U.S. does not have a nationalized oil system and the federal government does not own the nation's oil companies--if anything, it's the other way around. What's good for U.S. oil companies abroad translates not at all into inherent benefits for the U.S. 1/3

I seek out those elements of hope and glimmers of good that are in fact in every story. But when the January 6 anniversary meets the oil-induced invasion of another country, meets the rise of Authoritarianism in America, and on and on, please give me a moment for Community's darkest timeline.

Five years ago today, a violent mob invaded the US Capitol, at President Trump’s urging, to disrupt certification of an election he lost. This attack on the US government was a clear and disturbing sign of the authoritarian path he took then—and continues to advance today. (🧵)

January 6 Was a Violent Insurrection; It Was Also a Fraud Against the GOP Faithful www.emptywheel.net/2026/01/06/j...

Just after 2:00 p.m., on the west front, the police - bloodied, battered, and overwhelmed - blasted this message, ordering people to leave. The Capitol was breached minutes later.

"Take his helmet off!"

"You better run, cops!"

Jeffies: "Donald Trump had the nerve to dismiss the popular opposition leader of Venezuela. He said that she did not have the support of the Venezuelan people. Donald Trump does not have the support of the American people! He's historically unpopular."

Here it is: bsky.app/profile/tank...

Again, I believe the war is "over" from Trump's perspective, with Maduro replaced his VP Delcy Rodríguez "who had impressed Trump officials with her management of Venezuela’s crucial oil industry" and who they believe "will protect and champion future American energy investments in the country."-NYT

Friendly reminder: Americans don't like war and Trump's base is particularly isolationist and already highly piqued at him for not paying enough attention to domestic matters. A recent CBS News poll shows 70% of those polled oppose the U.S. taking military action against Venezuela.

New York Times Editorial Board: Trump's Attack on Venezuela is Illegal and Unwise. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

It's already on. 20 officials from U.S. finance, energy and defense sectors, tentative plan: travel to VZ in March, meet with new government including new president, finance minister, energy minister, economy minister, head of central bank and Caracas stock exchange." www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

Who is going to run Venezuela? Trump says, "We are going to run the country," adding later that "we're going have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in..."

Venezuela has massive oil reserves (estimated the largest, but also tough to extract), but this isn't just about VZ's oil. VZ threatened the entire region's oil, particularly Guyana, which also happens to be Exxon & Chevron's largest biggest newest easiest pot of oil in the world after TX Permian.

Yes, this is a war for oil, Exxon & other U.S. oil corps are direct beneficiaries. Like all wars for oil, there are other objectives as well, with regime change in Cuba certainly high on the Trump administration's list, accomplished via cutting off oil flows (and the money from their sales) from VZ.

I think the "war" is already over. Maduro likely negotiated his own ouster. The oil companies, among others, have "won."

Yes, this is a war for oil, Exxon & other U.S. oil corps are direct beneficiaries. Like all wars for oil, there are other objectives as well, with regime change in Cuba certainly high on the Trump administration's list, accomplished via cutting off oil flows from VZ. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Score another win for Exxon. I guess this "war" is already over. Maduro must have successfully negotiated his own ouster. Trump says Venezuela's Maduro captured after strikes. Trump says US successfully hit Venezuela, took away Maduro. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Did I just stumble upon a Netflix Real Housewives knock off — Members Only: Palm Beach — that involves Mar-a-Lago?!

Breaking from AP: “The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter.”

A 2-judge panel rejected an emergency appeal by environmental groups to block the Trump administration's permit to Exxon-backed Sable offering no insights as to how they arrived at their conclusion. But the dispute over California's offshore oil is far from over. www.independent.com/2026/01/02/s...

I also love America and believe in its stated values. And I understand that this pronouncement lands very differently when it comes from an organization that has intentionally been overhauled in order to curry favor with a jingoistic proto-fascist who says his opponents hate the country.

Great coverage from NPR and Washington Post on how the new class of billionaires solidified outsized political influence in 2025. Trump's so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" will make matters worse, concentrating greater wealth among the already ultra-wealthy and powerful. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

I am a climate scientist and this is correct ⬇️

Watch both the swearing in ceremony inside a NY City subway station and the inauguration ceremony of Mayor @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social , including this powerful speech by the city's new Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams, embracing contradiction and possibility. www.nytimes.com/video/nyregi...

Score this as a big win for Exxon and Trump. Sable Offshore Corp. can begin pumping oil from its three platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., after a federal appeals court allowed the restart of a contested pipeline Wednesday. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...

Commentary: Donald Trump spent 2025 attacking the free press, further eroding the First Amendment and empowering autocrats around the world www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Time for my year-end reporting review! This may well have been the most important year of my career to be excellent at what I do and the year that I accomplished some of my most vital reporting thanks to @rollingstone.com, @seanwoods.bsky.social, @andrewperez.bsky.social and @ryanbort.bsky.social

In a radio interview, Trump said today that the U.S. carried out an attack in Venezuela. Trump claimed the U.S. recently carried out an attack on a dock area in Venezuela where drugs are loaded onto boats and trafficked across international waters, claiming that a “major explosion” had occurred.

A key determinant of sea-level rise resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and global warming - The Doomsday Glacier Is Getting Closer and Closer to Irreversible Collapse. @wired.com www.wired.com/story/the-do...

Pittman clarifies below that the Epstein note appears to have been written in August 2019, during President Donald Trump's first term. Trump, according to the note, "shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to 'grab snatch,'" presumably referring to her vagina.

Donald Trump has said, “One way or the other, we’re going to get" Greenland. Rolling Stone spoke with Greenlanders about their feelings regarding Trump’s threats, Denmark, and independence. Read: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Today the Trump administration suspended leases for 5 offshore wind farms in federal waters that would generate electricity to some 2.5 million homes. I wrote about the high cost of Trump's fossil fuel industry-induced opposition to to wind for @rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

My essay on this whole deal.....

Well, this is interesting: A survey last week by The Argument/Verasight showed @aoc.bsky.social with a slight lead over Vice President JD Vance in a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup between the two, 51% to 49% or within the margin of error, making the two candidates statistically tied.

This is a key goal of the Trump admin, esp. Rubio. It's working: Cuba’s economy is nearing collapse as the result of the U.S. oil blockade and military buildup against Venezuela. www.wsj.com/world/americ...

The UN Global Environment Outlook report found that developing food and energy production in a climate-efficient way could deliver around $20 trillion in annual economic benefits to the global economy. www.theguardian.com/environment/... , climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications...

The foundations of Democracy remain, but take them for granted at your own risk. The DOJ’s Messy Effort to Prosecute George Soros. New from @tessastuart.bsky.social in @rollingstone.com Read: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

U.S. Seizes Second Oil Tanker Near Venezuela www.wsj.com/world/americ...

Burning fossil fuels causes a climate crisis causing extreme weather, including drought. For the 2nd year, my elderly father is in a house without power because drought conditions + electricity poles turn Colorado's extreme wind events into potential fire-starters. www.denverpost.com/2025/12/18/c...

Our full report on how to clean up manufacturing through electrification is available at: www.2035initiative.com/clean-manufa... You can also explore data on facilities in your state and community using our webtool: www.2035initiative.com/clean-manufa...

NCAR is quite literally our global mothership. Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources. Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet. Unbelievable.

Exxon is happy to help the tech industry meet its greenwashing needs, claiming that 90% of emissions from fossil-powered data centers will be captured. Never mind that CCS has never been successfully deployed at a gas plant and no CCS facility has ever come close to 90%. @emorwee.bsky.social

The fund gives the U.S. favorable access to investment projects in Ukraine, focus on critical minerals, energy, infrastructure, ICT and emerging technology. The U.S. is particularly interested in Ukraine’s critical raw materials, like lithium and fossil fuels. kyivindependent.com/us-ukraine-m...

From my book, The Bush Agenda. On eve of the U.S. invasion in 1990, President H.W. Bush says, “Our jobs, our way of life, our own freedom and the freedom of friendly countries around the world would all suffer if control of the world’s great oil reserves fell into the hands of Saddam Hussein."

Creating or posting video or images using AI? Announce and label it, including spoofs or seemingly "obvious" content. Otherwise, the public will be unable to trust a single image or video posted or shared ever again. Better yet, don't alter your content in the first place, even for laughs.