Dear Everybody:
As Jeff Tiedrich tweeted, "It’s time to play America’s new game, ‘What the fuck am I waking up to now?" In this case, it was the news this morning that Trump had struck Venezuela in a surprise attack and captured the head of state Maduro and his wife.
--Trump said he was flying Maduro and his wife to the United States to face charges on narco-terrorism. (Note: Surprise attacks on other sovereign nations to get their resources. Now who does that remind me of?)
--There are videos of large-scale strikes raining down on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas in random bombing. Not isolated to military targets.
--Trump posted photos of Maduro in handcuffs, a blindfold, and earphones on board the USS Iwo Jima. Trump announced Maduro and his wife have now arrived in New York.
--Trump announced the strike on Truth Social at 4:21 a.m.: "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement...Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
--queenbella: "Done in conjunction with US law enforcement? Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? This was an utterly lawless act! Maduro can’t be charged under US law when apprehended in his own nation when he himself is his own country’s chief law enforcement officer!"
--Master-Shake: "So Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth think it’s perfectly legal to launch an attack on a foreign country and arrest their president based on made-up crimes."
--Trump did not get authorization from Congress for this invasion or brief Congress on it before the attack. He still hasn’t briefed Congress.
--Dem Rep Seth Moulton: "When we had briefings on Venezuela, we asked, ‘Are you going to invade the country?’ We were told no. ‘Do you plan to put troops on the ground in Venezuela?’ We were told no. ‘Do you intend regime change in Venezuela?’ We were told no. So, in a sense, we have been briefed, we have just been completely lied to."
--The news follows days and days of bad press about Trump’s failing health and increased dementia, more revelations from the Epstein files, criticism of ICE, falling polls, bad economy, and increased desperation by Trump to turn the story around.;
--Republicans are claiming that "This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect US personnel from an actual or imminent attack." (Which is insane. Venezuela was no threat to our soldiers, and in any case has not nearly the power of the United States.)
--Our allies were not informed. The British Prime Minister says the UK was not informed and that he has been trying to reach Trump.
--Al Jazeera News: "Moscow is deeply concerned and condemned an ‘act of armed agression.' Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive military intervention from outside.’ The ministry also said it was ‘extremely concerned’ about the capture of Maduro and his wife, adding that if such actions took place, they ‘constitute an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state.’" (Oh, the irony! Are you listening to this, Ukraine?)
--Pam Bondi says that Maduro and his wife have been arrested and are being flown back to the United States to face charges. She says Maduro "has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States." (Note: These are the exact same charges as those against Honduras’s ex-President that Trump just pardoned.)
--Bondi: "They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire US DOJ I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers."
--"War crimes committed on the soil of a signature nation to the International Criminal Court expose those committing crimes to the jurisdiction of the ICC--even if their own country is not a member. Venezuela is a member of the ICC. Thus Trump can and MUST be prosecuted at the Hague. And it is possible that Maduro has head-of-state immunity from prosecution under international law."
Trump is in hog heaven over the strike:
--He called Fox this morning to boast about how he was able to watch the attack in real time from Mar-a-lago: "I watched it literally like I was watching a television show, and if you would have seen the speed, the violence, it was an amazing thing, an amazing job that these people did! We watched it from a room, we had a room, and we watched it and we watched every aspect of it."
--MKey2: "Normal, mentally and physically healthy adults do not talk like that."
--Petey Wheatstraw: "A grown man spoke those words. Think about that for a second."
--sonofroyrogers: "Obama watched the attack on Bin Laden...in the CORRECT PLACE for a REAL President with REAL GROWNUPS in the room."
--Yavo: "Bin Laden actually attacked the US. But Venezuela did not."
--Trump: "We were surrounded by lots of people, including generals and they knew everything that was happening, and it was very complex, extremely complex...They just broke in and they broke into places that were not really able to be broken into, with steel doors that were put there for just this reason, and they got taken out in a matter of seconds."
--In an offhand remark, he suggested that, yeah, Venezuelans might have been killed: "And to have a few injuries and no death--on our side--is really amazing."
--mfiles: "Trump thinks if Putin can invade a country then he can, too. Polishing his bonafides as a world-wide predator."
--rd16917: "He’s like a child with a shiny new toy. Pathetic."
--Stop TheIdiocracy: "It’s all a game show to him, like his failed show, ‘The Apprentice.’ Like when he said he will make migrants fight the WWE to win their immigration."
--Adventure49: "Have you ever dealt with a person who has Alzheimer’s? In the early stages you often only have to suggest something to get them to do it."
Then mid-morning Trump held a press conference about the strike, and it turns out it’s not just a strike and an arrest, it’s a full-blow invasion:
--Trump: "We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years, so we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition, and it has to be judicious."
--Kyle Griffin: "Trump just said the United States is ‘going to run’ Venezuela until there’s a transition of power--raising immediate questions as to whether he will order US military deployments."
--Dem Senator Tim Kaine: "Where will this go next? Will the President deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters?...To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies? Trump has threatened to do all this and more and sees no need to seek legal authorization."
--Trump said he deserves the $50 million dollar reward for information leading to the Venezuelan president’s arrest. "Don’t let anybody claim it! Nobody deserves it but us!"
--Trump threatened more attacks. "We’re prepared to do a second wave, a much bigger wave actually."
--Trump says he’s taking the oil from Venezuela "in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused by that country."
--Trump on the US running Venezuela: "It will not cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is substantial. We’re going to take back the oil."
--Trump: "All the way back it dated to the Monroe Doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal. But we’ve superseded it by a lot. By a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Document. I don’t know. It’s Monroe Doctrine. We sort of forgot about it."
--Trump: "I settled eight and one quarter war. You know what the one quarter was? Thailand and Cambodia. I did it again/...I’m giving myself one quarter."
--Trump: "The attack was overwhelming--air, land, and sea was used to launch a spectacular assault, and it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II."
--George Conway: "I don’t see how any intelligent and lucid person could watch this press conference and conclude that the President of the United States has anywhere near sufficient cognitive ability to properly execute the duties of his office."
--According to Raw Story, Trump appeared to doze off during his press conference. "Trump’s eyes appeared to shut for extended periods of time while Gen. Dan Caine, Trump’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was providing new details about the attack on Venezuela."
--MSNBC host Crystal Ball: "Nothing says end of empire like a grasping regime change war launched by an aging leader who can’t even stay awake for the announcement."
--Journalist Peter Rothpletz: "A literal coup isn’t thrilling enough to keep him awake."
--Aaron Bastani: "Trump sounds exhausted while talking and can’t keep his eyes open. The neocons got what they wanted. Curious to see when he’s disposed of."
Nobody’s buying it:
--New York Times Editorial Board: "By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority, or domestic endorsement, mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia, and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors."
--Dem Rep Seth Moulton: "This is insane. What the hell are we doing? This is illegal."
--George Conway: "Even though Maduro is an evil criminal who stole an election, and is probably guilty of the charges in the indictment, the operation to seize him brazenly violated domestic and international law."
--Dem Rep Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee: "Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, but I have seen no evidence that his presidency poses a threat that would justify military action without Congressional authorization, nor have I heard a strategy for the day after and how we will prevent Venezuela from descending into chaos."
--Dem Rep Becca Balint: I’m angry. This was not necessary, it was not legal, and we saw this coming. This has been the plan the entire time. It was never about narco-drug trafficking, this was about oil, this was about minerals, this was about regime change."
--GOP Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene: "This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy, were we wrong...this is a clear move for control over Venezuelan oil supplies that will ensure stability for the next obvious regime change war in Iran."
--Cynthia Lyman: "And Trump’s capture of Venezuela leader Maduro and his wife is yet more wagging of the dog in his ongoing attempt to distract from Epstein."
--jayjq6: Needed to change the conversation before Congress returned on Monday."
--EvviesD: "About Venezuela. Not about drugs. He pardoned the former president of Honduras who was serving 45 years in prison for trafficking drugs to the US and charges Maduro with narco-terrorism. It’s about the oil, rare earth minerals, and it’s deflection from Epstein."
--Finback Rich: "IT’S ALL ABOUT THE OIL."
--Kasparov Knows Putin: "In just the last few months Trump has attacked Iran, Nigeria, Venezuela. All major oil producers."
--And right on schedule, Trump said on Fox, "We have the greatest oil companies in the world--the biggest, the greatest--and we’re going to be very much involved."
--GOP Rep Maria Salazar has previously boasted about how American oil companies would have a "field day" enriching themselves with Venezuela’s oil reserves.
--Vicki M: "So...the maladministration officially launched their own version of "wag the dog" distraction."
--TMID 2.0: "Wag the Dog. Good movie, but a crime in real life."
--Douglas Dunlap: "Trump is a criminal by starting a war in Venezuela. Epstein must be really bad. Trump must be impeached and removed."
--GaraColga: "So we have kidnapped the President of a foreign country along with his wife. What now?"
--Katie: "Okay, America. When is enough enough?"
--Master-Shake: "Both Trump and Pete Hegseth should be held accountable for these illegal actions."
--tickman6 (a guy who self-identifies as America First): "Ohhh great another war."
--Rick Stengel: "Maduro is not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination, but capturing him through an extra-legal action that violates international law undermines any US credibility with Russia in Ukraine and China with Taiwan. (Plus) we have a terrible history with toppling leaders without a post-war plan."
And they may just be getting started.
--Ben Rhodes: "Bombing Venezuela, Nigeria, and Iran with no legal basis, coherent rationale, or even public debate. And Trump seems to just be getting started."
--RileyDog: "He’s so deranged he’s thinking, ‘Wow, that was really cool, love all the destruction. Let’s find some place else for another bombing."
--A former senior Trump official and vice-president of the Heritage Foundation, Victoria Coates, said on TV this morning, "This is broader than Venezuela--Cuba may now collapse...That’s 90 miles off the shores of Florida, that is a direct threat to the United states, we could get rid of that hostile communist regime at long last 690 short years later." She also said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum might also be captured by the US military. "I think Claudia Sheinbaum is probably legitimately concerned given her ties to the drug cartels in Mexico, that she could be indicted and she could be subject to this kind of thing."
--Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "If I lived in Havana in the government, I’d be concerned."
--Lindsey Graham: "To my Chinese friends: in case you were planning a follow up meeting with Maduro, he has a new address. It will be difficult to schedule another appointment, but I know he means a lot to you. Good luck. Oh, by the way, quit propping up narcoterrorist dictators like Maduro, quit buying oil from Putin that is keeping his war machine flush with case, and reconsider propping up the ayatollah in Iran--a religious Nazi--by buying his oil. China has aligned itself with every bad actor on the planet keeping conflict ablaze. It’s time they pay a price for the chaos they are sowing."
--Trump: "We have to do something...and they come in through the southern border. Something’s gonna have to be done with Mexico."
--Master-Shake: "I’m sure Colombia is next on their list. Maduro wasn’t the guy smuggling drugs." (So, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and China. Got it. Can we compare him to Hitler NOW?)
--pauly: "What’s to stop Trump from invading Greenland and Canada? He’s unpredictable and very dangerous to the whole world. Who’s pulling his strings? We all know he’s not smart enough to pull of invasions on his own."
--SteveVozzolo: "Trump’s primary interest in Venezuela is not oil or regime change. It is to declare war on Venezuela so he has international approval to set up a number of concentration camps to house the hundreds of thousands of people which will be illegally deported from America."
--Plus, there’s the issue of what he will now do at home. Many people think that his going to war will be an excuse for him to declare a national emergency and cancel all elections and/or deploy troops to put down dissent in American cities.
--Bronx Rocker Girl: "He will use this to cancel elections.
And now there’s this news from SkyNews:
--SkyNews: "Contacts in the Venezuela political opposition tell SkyNews Stuart Ramsay this was a negotiated deal between Maduro and the US government--an agreed exit strategy."
--There are Russian troops in Venezuela.
In interesting side notes:
--Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that a land strike in Venezuela would require congressional authorization.
--Last week Lara Trump was on Fox News saying the US ought to have mandatory military service for everyone.
--baxter318: "So, they think it’s legal for a foreign government to fly into a country and arrest its President for perceived crimes. Interesting. Get to work, Canada."
--MisogynySux: "Strongly agree. I hope Mexico and Canada decide Trump must be arrested and make it so."
--Trump said the armed forces assumed that a second wave would be necessary but that the first attack "was so successful we probably don’t have to do a second." (Now what does THAT remind me of? That’s exactly what the Japanese Navy said after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They were planning to do a second attack to take out the rest of the ships and harbor facilities and completely destroy the harbor, but decided not to--with DISASTROUS results for them.)
--A reporter asked Trump why, if he’s arresting Maduro for drug trafficking, why he pardoned the former President of Honduras for drug trafficking. Trump: "He was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump. This was a man persecuted very unfairly. He was the ehad of the country. He was persecuted very unfairly."
The invasion follows days of stories about Trump’s poor health, dementia, and incapacity to run the country:
--Yesterday he spent the day golfing and picking out marble for his ballroom.
--He also ordered his staff to give him "fewer, more important meetings."
--liberalchristian: "Him wanting an easier schedule, means he doesn’t want to show up at all. He arrives at ‘work’ around noon and ends his ‘work day’ at 4, with an hour and a half off for lunch. ;Yet he has a hard time staying awake for the two and a half hours of ‘work’ sitting in his chair."
--And the website "Did Trump Play Golf Today?" had this announcement: "Until further notice, golf days will not be updated unless a confirmed sighting of Trump on the golf course occurs. The Trump administration is actively narrative (sic) crafting information to hide Trump’s declining health including his published schedule to discourage media questions."
All of the ramifications and consequences and comments are still coming in as people try to recover from the shock of what’s happened. I’ll have lots more tomorrow. In the meantime,
Keep calm and carry on,
Connie Willis