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Venezuela Tag

Earlier this week, Mary wrote about the chaos in Venezuela as Juan Guaido Proclaims Himself Interim President, [and the] Military Backs Maduro.  At that point, the U.S. and Canada recognized Guaido as Venezuela's leader. Since then, Britain, Germany, France, and Spain said that Venezuela must agree to hold elections or they will recognize Guaido as the country's leader.  These countries have given Venezuela eight days to call the elections.

Venezuela's downward spiral gained some speed on Wednesday after National Assembly President Juan Guaido declared himself as the interim president. He claimed it's the only way "to rescue Venezuela from 'dictatorship.'" Guaido did this, even though Nicolas Maduro was sworn in a few weeks ago for another term, "after the Venezuelan National Assembly on Tuesday announced its takeover of the executive power."

Actor Jim Carrey appeared on Bill Maher's show last week and sang the praises of socialism; at one point he stated, "We have to say yes to socialism — to the word and everything.” Venezuelan journalist Laureano Márquez was appalled and wrote a searing response in which he noted that Venezuela's on-going crises are the direct result of socialism. He also points out that people are "fleeing the country 'however way they can' as they do not have access to medication, food or other basic needs."

As Venezuela collapses, stories have leaked out about the hunger in the country. But the one thing the socialist government has guarded the most are the malnutrition deaths, especially children. We all know it's happening, but the details remain dark. The New York Times investigated the effects of Venezuela's collapse on children and it's heartbreaking. It will make you cry, but the world needs to know this is going on. Children with severe malnutrition overwhelm emergency rooms across the nation since there is hardly any food.

Venezuela has been in a state of unrest and seemingly near collapse for years, and it's not clear how much longer Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro can hang onto power.  Food, medicine, and toilet paper shortages resulting from Maduro's socialist policies have created unrest among many Venezuelans.  Anti-Maduro protests and the responses from the Maduro government have resulted in over 100 deaths. One small group of military men staged an uprising at a military base that was quickly quashed by Maduro loyalists.  The group's goal, they stated, was to "restore constitutional order." The Maduro government is calling the uprising a "terrorist attack."  Reports indicate that one person died, another was badly wounded, and seven were arrested.

There has been new rioting in Venezuela of an extremely disturbing sort:
A mob stormed Venezuela’s opposition-dominated National Assembly on Wednesday with the apparent acquiescence of government troops and carried out a startling attack on lawmakers and journalists. Bloodied lawmakers were treated for broken ribs and head injuries, and journalists said the attackers had stolen their equipment. The episode in Caracas, which coincided with Venezuela’s Independence Day, was a sharp escalation of lawlessness in a country roiled by a failing economy and daily street demonstrations.

Social media took off late Tuesday night after video caught a helicopter circling Venezuelan government buildings, including the Supreme Court. Reports indicate that the helicopter "fired 15 shots at the Interior Ministry, where scores of people were at a social event, and dropped four grenades on the court, where judges were meeting." President Nicolas Maduro immediately slammed the attack, which he called a coup attempt. But other theories have come to light with the opposition saying Maduro staged the coup attempt as a way to crackdown on his opponents and grab more power.

Reuters has reported that President Donald Trump's administration has started to think about possible sanctions against Venezuela's lucrative oil sector. The sanctions would include PDVSA, the country's state oil company. Venezuela continues to see protests against socialist President Nicolás Maduro, but he keeps cracking down on the opposition to keep his power. His policies have decimated the oil rich country, which have left the people starving and without proper medical care. A strike to Venezuela's top economic source would surely decimate his administration. The country "relies on oil for some 95 percent of export revenues." This means the administration must proceed with caution.

The situation in Venezuela has worsened in recent weeks. People are fighting in the streets with government forces and multiple people have died. Reuters reports:
Venezuela Death Toll Rises to at Least 42 The death toll in Venezuela's six-week wave of anti-government unrest has risen to at least 42, according to the state prosecutor's office, which announced three deaths on Tuesday.

General Motors has closed down its Venezuela plant after the socialist country seized the plant on Wednesday. Officials swiped the company's "production facilities and car stock," which forced GM to lay off 2,700 workers. The closure comes only a day after Venezuela erupted in more protests that have left at least three dead. President Nicolas Maduro's policies have left people jobless and without food. Bloomberg reported:
GM’s factory was “unexpectedly taken by the public authorities, preventing normal operations,” according to an emailed statement. The Detroit-based automaker said it “strongly rejects the arbitrary measures taken by the authorities and will vigorously take all legal actions, within and outside of Venezuela, to defend its rights.”