EDITORIAL
BY DHIREN SHAH
Hello Readers,
Happy New Year to you all. I wish everyone a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2026.
The biggest story of this week is Donald Trump and the U.S. attack on Venezuela, capturing Mr. and Mrs. Maduro and bringing them to the Unites States of America.
President Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago press conference on January 3 that the U.S. will run Venezuela until the right person is found to lead going forward. By the constitution, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president. She criticized Trump and the U.S., asking them to return Maduro immediately. This will not happen and Maduro will be tried in the court of law for his drug trafficking. This has been in the talk for decades, since Maduro took over the office as president in 2013.
Per PBS News: “In July 2024, Maduro declared victory following an election that international observers described as fraudulent. The country’s opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, received about 70% of the vote.…
“Tensions between Trump and Maduro escalated in September after the U.S. government began attacking vessels off the coast of Venezuela, killing more than 100 people, in what Trump described as an effort to thwart drug smuggling.”
Maduro has already pleaded not guilty to the charges in New York. This is the system of the USA, where everyone gets a chance to prove that they are innocent. Maduro hired Barry Pollack, an experienced and meticulous trial attorney who previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange successfully. He also defended an Enron executive accused of fraud. It will be interesting to collect the proof from Venezuela. They have collected a lot of evidence for a few years, but what the judge will allow remains to be seen.
Russia has recently made an agreement to invest about $20 billion, out of which they have already invested $17 billion, in Venezuela. Putin already spoke against the U.S. attack on Venezuela, and I think Russia will be helping Maduro in the case.
Russia-Ukraine negotiations took a turn when a Ukraine drone attacked Putin’s residence. A Trump negotiator said that 90% of the truce deal is done between the U.S. and Ukraine. Once 100% of the deal is finished, it will be sent to Russia for their approval and corrections. Trump wants to get the Nobel Peace Prize, and he is trying very hard to make a deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Tim Waltz has declared that he will not run for a third term as Minnesota Governor. This comes as fraud investigations are popping up to look into Somali businesses and charities, with many feeling that Walz was performing his job and stopping the crime. He went from possibly being the Vice President right now to a laughingstock. What a fall.
l week. I’ll talk to you next week.
