NICOLAS MADURO

One of the six oil executives with a Texas-based company who was imprisoned five years in Venezuela is suing his company for $100 million.

Venezuela’s oil czar has announced his resignation as officials investigate alleged corruption among public officials

Venezuela’s socialist government has ordered the arrest of three exiled former lawmakers at the forefront of renewed efforts to unseat President Nicolas Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition has selected an all-female team of mostly unknown exiled former lawmakers to replace the beleaguered Juan Guaidó as the face of its faltering efforts to remove socialist President Nicolas Maduro. On Thursday, those same former lawmakers chose Dinorah Figueroa as his replacement. But it remains to see how, living outside Venezuela, they will manage to mobilize their compatriots to counter Maduro's increasingly firm grip on power. Figueroa, a medical surgeon who has been living in Spain, appealed for unity in her first address to fellow Maduro opponents. Guaidó was quickly recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate leader by the United States and dozens of governments in Europe and Latin America.

Venezuela’s opposition has selected an all-female team of exiled former lawmakers to replace the beleaguered Juan Guaidó as the face of its faltering efforts to remove socialist President Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela’s opposition has selected an all-female team of exiled former lawmakers to replace the beleaguered Juan Guaidó as the face of its faltering efforts to remove socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

Colombia and Venezuela are opening a key bridge linking the countries that had been closed for almost seven years amid political tensions, launching a new era of improved relations under Colombia’s new leftist president.

Every year, Venezuela’s socialist government hands out thousands of Christmas presents to the nation’s poorest children

The U.S. in 2019 stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader, and Judge Robert Scola cited that determination as a basis for rejecting Saab's motion to dismiss the criminal charges. “It is clear that the United States does not recognize the Maduro regime to represent the official government of Venezuela,” Scola wrote. “Accordingly, any claim to diplomatic immunity asserted by a representative of the Maduro regime must also be considered illegitimate.”Saab’s attorney’s presented as evidence what they claim are diplomatic notes exchanged between Iran and Venezuela discussing what was to be Saab’s third trip to Iran. But prosecutors presented evidence that some of the documents bolstering Saab's claim — among them a Venezuelan diplomatic passport and a presidential decree published in Venezuela's Official Gazette — were possibly falsified. “But being a courier of diplomatic letters does not make one a diplomat.”Scola seemed to agree.

A federal judge in Miami has rejected attempts by a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to shield himself from U.S. criminal charges.

A group of opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is looking to strip Juan Guaidó of his authority as the internationally recognized head of the country's so-called interim government.

Nearly a decade since inheriting Venezuela's leadership, President Nicolás Maduro is working to regain the international recognition he lost when his 2018 re-election was deemed a sham by many.

David Rivera, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2013, was arrested at Atlanta’s airport, said Marlene Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami. To justify the large payments, PDV USA allegedly created “phony contracts” backdated to March 20, 2017 — the day before the consulting agreement took effect. Rivera's consulting contract had all the hallmarks of a sham, according to PDV USA, which since 2019 has been run by directors appointed by the U.S.-backed opposition. Rivera never met in person with anyone from Citgo or PDV USA while supposedly working on its behalf. “The written record is bereft of any evidence that Interamerican performed any of the contracted services,” PDV USA argues in the new filings.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government has been arrested in connection to an ongoing federal criminal investigation, law enforcement officials said. David Rivera, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2013, was arrested Monday at Atlanta’s airport, said Marlene Rodriguez, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami. She said Rivera was indicted by a Miami grand jury last month, but that document remains sealed and she could not discuss the charges. Rivera and Gorrin also discussed the changing price of concert tickets that attorneys for PDV USA stated were coded references to a bribe. Before being elected to Congress, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida legislator, serving from 2003 to 2010 in the House.

A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government was arrested Monday on charges of money laundering and representing a foreign government without registering.

A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government was arrested Monday on charges of money laundering and representing a foreign government without registering. David Rivera, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2013, was arrested at Atlanta’s airport, said Marlene Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami. The eight-count indictment alleges he was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to improve U.S.-Venezuela relations, resolve an oil company legal dispute and end U.S. economic sanctions against the South American nation — without registering as a foreign agent.

President Biden eased sanctions on Venezuela. That's a bad energy policy for America. Bad foreign policy. And bad environmental policy.

A former Venezuelan treasurer and nurse to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is contesting criminal charges in the U.S. Claudia Diaz is charged with money laundering, accused of taking at least $4.2 million in bribes and gifts in exchange for green lighting lucrative currency transactions.

Norwegian diplomats say the government of Venezuela and its opposition will resume over the weekend long-stalled negotiations meant to find a common path out of their country’s complex crisis

Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Tuesday shook hands with accused narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro, a man with a $15 million price on his head from the State Department.

The Venezuelan government and the political opposition are preparing to resume talks stalled for more than a year, according to three people familiar with the process

When Joe Biden was running for the White House, he denounced then-President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Venezuela’s opposition has suffered a rebuff as 19 members of the Organization of American States backed a proposal to remove its envoy from the regional forum for political and economic issues

U.S. secretary of State's trip to South America includes a stop at a center in Bogota that connects displaced Venezuelans with government services.

A law enforcement official in Venezuela says the fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” has requested asylum in the South American country.

The government of Venezuela has rejected a report by an independent experts working with the United Nations’ top human rights body who allege that President Nicolas Maduro personally ordered the detention of government opponents

Democrats in Florida are trying to make inroads with Latino voters by focusing on gun safety.

SAN DIEGO — (AP) — A fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who claims to have incriminating sex photos of U.S. Navy brass could become the latest bargaining chip in Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to win official recognition from the Biden administration, according to experts. He fled home custody in San Diego on Sept. 4 and was arrested by Venezuelan police Tuesday attempting to board a flight at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Caracas. Venezuela and the United States have an extradition agreement but it's not clear if U.S. authorities have made a formal request. While awaiting sentencing, he was given home confinement in San Diego to receive medical care. Venezuelan authorities say he then went to Cuba and then Venezuela, and was planning to go to Russia when he was apprehended.

A fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who claims to have incriminating sex photos of top U.S. Navy brass could become the latest bargaining chip in Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to win official recognition from the Biden administration.

House Republicans are quizzing DHS about a recent report that Venezuela is freeing prisoners and sending them to the U.S. southern border to gain entry.

Venezuelans have surpassed Guatemalans and Hondurans to become the second-largest nationality stopped at the U.S. border in August after Mexicans.

Independent experts working with the U.N.‘s human rights body say Venezuelan authorities have failed to hold to account state-backed perpetrators of violations including arbitrary executions, sexual violence and torture of civilians

Independent experts working with the U.N.‘s human rights body say Venezuelan authorities have failed to hold to account state-backed perpetrators of violations including arbitrary executions, sexual violence and torture of civilians.

A federal judge in Miami has awarded $73 million in damages to the family of a prominent opponent of Venezuela’s socialist government who died while in custody in what he described as a “murder for hire” carried out by a criminal enterprise led by President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has offered a broad accounting of millions of dollars under his control and took credit for social programs benefiting people across the troubled South American country.

About 6.8 million Venezuelans have left their homeland since economic crisis took hold in earnest for the country of some 28 million people.

Thousands of asylum seekers from across Latin America and the Caribbean are getting caught in the political battle over U.S. immigration policy after two Republican governors started sending busloads of migrants to New York City and Washington.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already bussed more than 8,000 migrants from the southern border to New York City, Washington, D.C., and other sanctuary cities outside Texas. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says Abbott is playing politics with people's lives. Michael George has the details.

Rivera's Interamerican Consulting was sued in 2020 by PDV USA — a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezuelan-owned Citgo. Rivera never provided any services to Citgo and, it appears, never intended to do so,” according to the filing by PDV USA. PDV USA alleges instead it was used to pay for maintenance on one of Gorrin's superyachts. But the new anti-Maduro management claims PDV USA never gave Rivera permission to outsource the work, as was expressly required by the consulting agreement. The consulting contract had all the hallmarks of a sham, according to PDV USA.

New filings in a civil suit allege that a former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government not only did no apparent work, but also channeled a large chunk of the money to a yacht company on behalf of a fugitive billionaire.

A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government not only did no apparent work, but also channeled a large chunk of the money to a yacht company on behalf of a fugitive billionaire, according to new allegations in a civil suit. The accusations against former Congressman David Rivera come in a new filing Friday in New York federal court by opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who now control the U.S.-based affiliates of the South American nation's state oil company. Rivera’s Interamerican Consulting was sued in 2020 by PDV USA — a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezuelan-owned Citgo.

A veteran Afro-Colombian politician who studied in the Soviet Union and fled his country after being kidnapped by a paramilitary group has been named Colombia’s next ambassador to the United States.

Venezuela Tropical Storm People take cover from the rain with pieces of cardboard in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. The fast-moving disturbance known merely as Potential Tropical Cyclone Two has been drenching parts of the Caribbean region since Monday without ever meeting the criteria for a named tropical storm. It was moving west at 20 mph (31 kph) and was projected to hit the Nicaragua-Costa Rica area as a tropical storm by late Friday or Saturday. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) — right at the edge of tropical storm force, through with ragged wind circulation, apparently due to its rapid advance westward. Venezuela and several Caribbean islands closed schools as the storm approached over recent days.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America is expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific.

Senior Biden administration officials have quietly traveled to Caracas in the latest bid to rebuild relations with the South American oil giant as the war in Ukraine drags on, driving higher gas prices and forcing the U.S. to recalibrate other foreign policy objectives.

It’s one of the United States’ few enduring alliances in an often-turbulent Latin America, one built around a decades-long partnership combating the nation’s drug cartels.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has met with Qatar’s ruling emir as part of his Mideast tour

Juan Guaidó on Tuesday blamed the altercation on President Nicolas Maduro, presenting photos from Saturday's attack that he said showed associates of Venezuela’s ruling party. A photo released after Satuday’s attack showed Guaidó being held back as people gather around him and someone rips his shirt off. Diosdado Cabello, leader of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, on Monday suggested the attack involved members of Voluntad Popular, Guaidó’s party. Where they pass through, they generate violence,” Cabello said referring to the opposition party. Since Saturday, officials in the U.S. and other countries that back Guaidó have demanded that the attack on the opposition leader be investigated.

The Venezuelan opposition group backed by the United States will file a formal complaint with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the physical attack its leader suffered over the weekend during a visit to a rural community.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on his first visit to Iran says the Islamic Republic helped his nation by sending badly needed fuel despite U.S. sanctions and threats

Iranian state-run media say Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on a two-day state visit

Algeria’s president has met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was welcomed with pomp as he visited the North African nation

Turkey Venezuela Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, right, reviews a military honour guard with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcome ceremony, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Turkey and Venezuela have deepened their ties in recent years, with trade rising to nearly $850 million, according to Erdogan. Venezuela’s gold trade with Turkey has risen as U.S. sanctions have cut off other sources of income for Caracas. Erdogan told a news conference with Maduro that Turkey was against the “one-sided” sanctions on Venezuela. Erdogan was the first Turkish president to visit Venezuela in 2018 while Maduro has traveled to Turkey on several occasions.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been welcomed in the Turkish capital one the same day as the foreign minister of Russia, a key ally of the ostracized Latin American regime, was also visiting the city.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was welcomed in the Turkish capital on Wednesday just as the foreign minister of Russia, a key ally of the ostracized Latin American regime, was also visiting the city. Maduro is on a Eurasian tour after being rebuffed by Washington, which decided not to invite him to the Summit of the Americas. Turkey is one of a handful of places around the world – Russia and Iran are other friendly states – where Maduro is welcome amid U.S. sanctions on his country.

Cuba ALBA Summit Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro arrives to Revolution Palace to attend the XXI ALBA Summit in Havana, Cuba, Friday, May 27, 2022. (Ernesto Mastrascusa/Pool Photo via AP) (Ernesto Mastrascusa)MIAMI — (AP) — The Biden administration has renewed a license partially exempting Chevron from sanctions on Venezuela so it can keep operating in the oil-rich, socialist-run nation. Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and ensuing international sanctions targeting Russia's oil industry have led the Biden administration to reconsider longstanding policies isolating two other oil powers: Venezuela and Iran. Their carrot: the possible lifting of crippling oil sanctions imposed in 2019 after Maduro breezed into a second term following elections considered undemocratic by the U.S. and dozens of allies. Chevron, which has been operating in Venezuela since the 1920s, had been pushing for an expanded license that would allow it to resume exports and stem the growing influence of oil companies from China, Russia, Iran and other U.S. adversaries.

The Biden administration has renewed a license partially exempting Chevron from sanctions on Venezuela so it can keep operating in the oil-rich, socialist-run nation.

Venezuela Stock Sale Pedestrians walk past an out of service National Telephone Company of Venezuela, CANTV, phone booth, in Caracas,Venezuela, Friday, May 13, 2022. A number of Venezuelan state-owned companies, including in the telecommunications sector, will sell up to 10% of their shares starting Monday. Maduro during this week's announcement said the state-owned companies would be listed in the country’s “various stock exchanges" without specifying. But by Friday, Gustavo Pulido, president of the Stock Exchange of Caracas, had not received any information of the planned stock sales. That missing component, he said, creates an scenario similar to post-Soviet reforms in which a large number of state-owned companies were privatized.

Venezuela’s government is seeking private investors to pump funds into vital but crippled state-run companies, decades after seizing them in the name of socialism.

Mexico’s president says he won't attend next month’s Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles if the Biden administration excludes Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

They’ve produced letters to Iran’s supreme leader by Maduro’s foreign minister and a diplomatic note from Iran’s Embassy in Caracas backing their claim. But prosecutors have cast doubt on the authenticity of those documents and point out that the State Department has never accepted Saab’s supposed status as diplomat. Maduro’s officials consider Saab a “kidnapping” victim and have tried to rally popular support in Venezuela to demand his freedom. Maduro led supporters to chants of “Free Alex Saab” at a rally Sunday in Caracas to commemorate May Day. But the deadline passed and Saab never showed up, having ended all communication with U.S. officials, according to the court record.

A federal appeals panel has thwarted an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s attempts to be recognized as a foreign diplomat.

Maduro said authorities arrested two U.S. citizens among a group of "mercenaries" the day after a beach raid purportedly aimed at capturing Maduro. Goudreau nonetheless plowed ahead, traveling to Colombia to help train a ragtag army of volunteers at secret camps set up by deserters from Venezuela's military. “It’s another crazy, delusional and baseless claim inside an originally baseless lawsuit,” he told The Associated Press in a brief statement. Rendón has questioned Goudreau's motives for bringing a lawsuit he considers frivolous. In his lawsuit, Goudreau claims that that what was known as the "Alcala plan" — for one of its ringleaders, former Venezuelan Army Gen. Clíver Alcalá — had been approved by the U.S. government.

Maduro said authorities arrested two U.S. citizens among a group of "mercenaries" the day after a beach raid purportedly aimed at capturing Maduro. Rendón denied making any such threats, saying that his door to his apartment is bulletproofed and he doesn't possess any guns. “It's another crazy, delusional and baseless claim inside an originally baseless lawsuit,” he told The Associated Press in a brief statement. Rendón in the past has questioned Goudreau's motives for bringing a lawsuit he considers frivolous. In his lawsuit, Goudreau claims that that what was known as the "Alcala plan" — for one of its ringleaders, former Venezuelan Army Gen. Clíver Alcalá — had been approved by the U.S. government.

A Venezuelan political strategist allegedly threatened to shoot a gun through the door of his luxury Miami condo to avoid being served a lawsuit by a former U.S. Green Beret he hired as part of a plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

A Venezuelan political strategist allegedly threatened to shoot a gun through the door of his luxury Miami condo to avoid being served a lawsuit by a former U.S. Green Beret he hired as part of a plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro, according to a court hearing Monday. Jordan Goudreau in October 2020 sued JJ Rendón for $1.4 million, alleging breach of contract, after Rendon walked away from a plan he briefly pushed on behalf of the Venezuelan opposition to depose Maduro with the help of the three-time Bronze Star recipient and Iraq war veteran. Goudreau nonetheless plowed ahead, traveling to Colombia to help train a ragtag army of volunteers at secret camps set up by deserters from Venezuela's military.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. hits a record $4.17 on Tuesday as the country prepares to ban Russian oil imports. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Jae C. Hong)MIAMI — (AP) — Pressure is building on the Biden administration to begin unwinding sanctions on Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro freed two American prisoners and promised to resume negotiations with his opponents. One official described it as “a constructive, diplomatic but very candid dialogue” that did not entail any quid pro quo but allowed the Biden administration to share its “view of the world” with Maduro. Even as he hosts top U.S. officials, Maduro has shown little sign he is willing to abandon Russian President Vladimir Putin. Opposition hardliners, as well as their allies in the U.S., have started to chastise Biden for abandoning a multilateral policy of isolating Maduro.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. hits a record $4.17 on Tuesday as the country prepares to ban Russian oil imports. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Jae C. Hong)MIAMI — (AP) — Pressure is building on the Biden administration to begin unwinding sanctions on Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro freed two American prisoners and promised to resume negotiations with his opponents. One official described it as “a constructive, diplomatic but very candid dialogue” that did not entail any quid pro quo but allowed the Biden administration to share its “view of the world” with Maduro. Even as he hosts top U.S. officials, Maduro has shown little sign he is willing to abandon Russian President Vladimir Putin. Opposition hardliners, as well as their allies in the U.S., have started to chastise Biden for abandoning a multilateral policy of isolating Maduro.

Pressure is building on the Biden administration to begin unwinding sanctions on Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro freed two American prisoners and promised to resume negotiations with opponents.

The U.S. is hoping to isolate Russia from its key Latin American ally.

The U.S. is hoping to isolate Russia from its key Latin American ally.

Venezuela US FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) (Matias Delacroix)WASHINGTON — (AP) — An American freed from custody in Venezuela said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday that his family's nightmare has ended, but that his five colleagues who are still detained "deserve the same blessings." Together, the men are known as the “Citgo 6.”He also thanked the U.S officials who helped secure his release. Gustavo Cardenas was released following a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, the first White House trip to the county in more than two decades. They had been lured to Venezuela in order to attend a meeting at the headquarters of Citgo’s parent, state-run oil giant PDVSA.

The president vowed to make Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a pariah, but soaring oil prices may have softened his resolve.

A high-level delegation traveled to the South American country last weekend to in part discuss the health of detained U.S. citizens.

Venezuela US FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) (Matias Delacroix)CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — The White House says two American detainees have been released by the Venezuelan government. Jorge Fernandez was arrested last year on what the White House described as “spurious charges.”The move follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that “there were a range of topics discussed during that trip, including the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens.”THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The move follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator.

Venezuela US FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) (Matias Delacroix)CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — The White House says two American detainees have been released by the Venezuelan government. Jorge Fernandez was arrested last year on what the White House described as “spurious charges.”The move follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that “there were a range of topics discussed during that trip, including the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens.”THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The move follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator.

Venezuela US FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) (Matias Delacroix)CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — The Venezuelan government freed at least one jailed American on Tuesday night as it seeks to improve relations with the Biden administration, which is looking to undercut support for Russia in Latin America. The moved follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, came home empty-handed from a previous trip to Caracas in December. But he returned to Venezuela this weekend with other administration officials including Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council director for the Western Hemisphere, and Ambassador James Story, who heads the U.S. government’s Venezuelan Affairs Unit out of neighboring Colombia.

Venezuela US FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) (Matias Delacroix)CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — The Venezuelan government freed at least one jailed American on Tuesday night as it seeks to improve relations with the Biden administration, which is looking to undercut support for Russia in Latin America. The moved follows a secret weekend visit to Venezuela by senior Biden administration officials, including the top White House official on Latin America and the State Department’s top hostage negotiator. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, came home empty-handed from a previous trip to Caracas in December. But he returned to Venezuela this weekend with other administration officials including Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council director for the Western Hemisphere, and Ambassador James Story, who heads the U.S. government’s Venezuelan Affairs Unit out of neighboring Colombia.

Venezuela Russia Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks after the signing of an accord with Russia, at the Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. “We have agreed to work on an agenda going forward, issues of interest,” Maduro said. “It seemed to me very important to be able, face to face, discuss issues of maximum interest to Venezuela and the world. Its reentry into U.S. energy markets could mitigate the fallout at the pump from a possible oil embargo on Russia. If we are asking for dialogue for the world, we have to set an example in the country.”___Goodman reported from Miami.

One alternative is to let Chevron, the last American oil company in Venezuela, boost production and possibly resume oil exports to Gulf Coast refineries tailor made to process the country's tar-like crude, the official said prior to the weekend's shuttle diplomacy. Under U.S. sanctions, Chevron is banned from doing all but basic upkeep on wells it operates in connection with PDVSA, the state run oil giant. Russia emerged as the top buyer of Venezuela’s crude oil in the wake of the U.S. sanctions. Despite sitting atop the world's largest petroleum reserves, oil production in Venezuela plunged to the lowest level in a century last year. —AP Writers Eric Tucker in Washington and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela contributed to this report.

Senior U.S. officials secretly traveled to Venezuela over the weekend in a risky bid to unfreeze hostile relations with Vladimir Putin’s top ally in Latin America, a top oil exporter whose re-entry into U.S. energy markets could mitigate the fallout at the pump from a possible oil embargo on Russia.

Families of American hostages and detainees say they're frustrated with the Justice Department over what they see as the agency's refusal to consider prisoner exchanges that could get their loved ones home.

Newly unsealed court records show that the Colombian businessman linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was secretly signed up by the D.E.A. as a cooperating source in 2018 and gave agents information about bribes he paid to Venezuelan officials. But his contact with U.S. law enforcement ended abruptly after he missed a May 30, 2019 deadline to surrender to or face criminal charges, according to prosecutors. But in the end he got burned.”The Associated Press in November reported that Saab has held several meetings with U.S. law enforcement in his native Colombia as well as Europe. As part of U.S. criminal investigations, it’s common for targets to meet with U.S. law enforcement agents to sniff out information about the probe and explore a possible plea deal.

Newly unsealed court records show that a Colombian businessman linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was secretly signed up by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a cooperating source in 2018 and gave agents information about bribes he paid to Venezuelan officials.

The Venezuelan opposition was re-energized recently by an unexpected gubernatorial victory in the home state of the late President Hugo Chavez.

For nationalities that don’t need a visa, Mexico can be the ticket to seeking asylum in the United States.

A retired Venezuelan army general says U.S. officials at the highest levels of the CIA and other federal agencies were aware of his efforts to oust Nicolás Maduro — a role he says should immediately debunk criminal charges that he worked alongside the socialist leader to flood the U.S. with cocaine.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council says an opposition petition drive seeking to force a recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro fell far short of the signatures needed.

Venezuelans are getting a chance on to demand a recall of President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he has spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about cooperation between the two countries.

Twice in less than two months, Venezuela’s opposition has prevailed in the gubernatorial race in the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez, with the results giving hope to that faction while shocking the ruling party.

Voters in the home state of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez have picked an opposition candidate for governor in a closely watched special election called after the contender representing that faction in November’s regular contest was retroactively disqualified as he was ahead in the vote count.

The Associated Press has learned that a senior U.S. diplomat quietly traveled to Venezuela this week and met with imprisoned Americans in an ongoing effort to secure their release.

A recently revealed identification card shows that the German-born father of Chilean presidential candidate José Antonio Kast belonged to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party.

Federal prosecutors have unveiled criminal charges against an alleged corruption ring accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to a top ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to profit from lucrative contracts to import food and medicine at a time of widespread hardship in the South American country.

State Sen. Annette Taddeo is entering the Democratic primary for governor in Florida.

A businessman who prosecutors say was a major conduit for corruption by Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle has appeared for the first time in Miami federal court after an extradition that has further strained relations between the U.S. and Venezuela’s socialist government.

A Rome court has rejected a request by Venezuela to extradite its former oil czar to face corruption charges, citing the country’s record in violating human rights.

The government of Venezuela and its opposition are scheduled to begin a new dialogue this week, marking the third effort in four years.

Iranian state TV says that an Iranian destroyer and support vessel are now sailing in the Atlantic Ocean in a rare mission far from the Islamic Republic, without offering the vessels’ final destination.