Bravo NYC Mayor Mamdani. Informed that the kidnapped Maduros were to be tried in NYC, he posted this on Xitter: “I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City,” Mamdani, 34, wrote on X in a post viewed 11.8 million times. “Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home. My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance.” He told the NYT: “I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act.”
The Senate will vote next week on a bipartisan war powers resolution to block Trump from continuing military action against Venezuela — a vote that takes on heightened importance after U.S. forces attacked the South American nation and arrested President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday.
The resolution to block the administration from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela is privileged, which means Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cannot stop it from coming to the floor.
The measure is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
It needs only a simple majority to pass the Senate.
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade,” Kaine said in a statement. “My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week.
“We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape,” the senator added.
Schiff warned that Trump’s action against Maduro risks plunging the region into “chaos."
Senate
Senate to vote next week to block Trump’s military action against Venezuela
by Alexander Bolton - 01/03/26 11:30 AM ET
Current Time 0:02
/
Duration 0:59
The Senate will vote next week on a bipartisan war powers resolution to block President Trump from continuing military action against Venezuela — a vote that takes on heightened importance after U.S. forces attacked the South American nation and arrested President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday.
The resolution to block the administration from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela is privileged, which means Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cannot stop it from coming to the floor.
The measure is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
It needs only a simple majority to pass the Senate.
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade,” Kaine said in a statement. “My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week.
“We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape,” the senator added.
Schiff warned that Trump’s action against Maduro risks plunging the region into “chaos.” "Acting without Congressional approval or the buy-in of the public, Trump risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them,”
We may finally have reached a point where Libertarians are actually useful. Rep. Thomas Massie, another Libertarian, spoke out in strong opposition to the action in Venezuela. He also spearheaded the bill to release the Epstein files. He and Rand Paul may have circled so far right they're lefties now (selectively).
In case you still need a good reason to cancel your WaPo subscription, the Ed Board just announced their support for the invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro. How far they have fallen.
Schumer: "It makes you think that maybe to Trump he wants to distract the American people, as he always does, from the skyrocketing costs they are facing, from the Epstein files."
China and Russia have economic tentacles around large swathes of South America. China has already condemned the invasion. This could go sideways real fast.
In the meantime, if as Trump says the US will be "running things" in Venezuela temporarily, please have him send his entire cabinet and the GOP majority there because none of them is doing jack squat for ordinary Americans. Trump himself can stay at MAL, and the rest of us will muddle through somehow. Imperialism lives!!
China - which wants to do to Taiwan what Trump just did to Venezuela - and Putin, already doing it to Ukraine - both announced how "shocked and saddened" they were by the US "abandoning the rules of international law." Xi and Putin were probably laughing their asses off when they approved those messages.
Right. I can hear their knee-slapping all the way across both oceans. (Bless you for always reminding us that we're not the crazy ones because it increasingly feels like we're spinning around in some kind of phantasmagoria. Why can't Trump nod off, fall forward and split his melon so we can watch the snakes and effluvium ooze out?)
Judith, even though I know Tom is typing basically those same words with every post, I continue to read them and tell myself, "SEE?! We AREN'T the crazy ones!!"
I’m glad you mentioned Country Joe and the Fish. This is every bit as insane, if not more so, than Vietnam. We have to stay sane and focused, which is why I cleaned the kitty litter box with great care today. It seemed like an appropriate way to deal with this shitshow .
Your second point, Michael. Absolutely! It should hasten the folding of MAGA.
Does Senior Trump even speak with his children? He walked right past Tiffany as she was about to hug him at State of the Union a while back. Of course, she’s not as pretty as Ivanka. . .
AI says: U.S. Gulf Coast refineries heavily relied on Venezuelan heavy crude for decades until US sanctions disrupted this flow, forcing refiners to find costlier or less optimal alternatives. Chevron will be happy.
Country Joe and the Fish was running through my mind well before I got to the mention.
I wonder if Barron inherited his father's "bone spurs"?! Not that I exactly expect him to voluntarily enter any form of the military.
Anyone else remember Trump's request for a billion dollar donation from the oil companies during his campaign? Did I just imagine that? Hmmmm....
I listened to about 5 minutes of Trump's ramble, tuning in at about 11 am Central time. The audible SNIFFING he was doing was really annoying! What was that?!?
WE are not the crazy ones...we are NOT the crazy ones...we are not the CRAZY ones......
Is anyone else experiencing an absence of the audio button? I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app without improvement in this situation.
Since I am partially sight impaired I rely on the audio option as a way of "reading"/hearing the news. This is also happening in the columns of the numerous Substack writers I subscribe to and support, not just TCinLA. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
Bravo NYC Mayor Mamdani. Informed that the kidnapped Maduros were to be tried in NYC, he posted this on Xitter: “I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City,” Mamdani, 34, wrote on X in a post viewed 11.8 million times. “Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home. My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance.” He told the NYT: “I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act.”
Mamdani is a leader for these times!!
The Senate will vote next week on a bipartisan war powers resolution to block Trump from continuing military action against Venezuela — a vote that takes on heightened importance after U.S. forces attacked the South American nation and arrested President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday.
The resolution to block the administration from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela is privileged, which means Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cannot stop it from coming to the floor.
The measure is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
It needs only a simple majority to pass the Senate.
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade,” Kaine said in a statement. “My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week.
“We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape,” the senator added.
Schiff warned that Trump’s action against Maduro risks plunging the region into “chaos."
Senate
Senate to vote next week to block Trump’s military action against Venezuela
by Alexander Bolton - 01/03/26 11:30 AM ET
Current Time 0:02
/
Duration 0:59
The Senate will vote next week on a bipartisan war powers resolution to block President Trump from continuing military action against Venezuela — a vote that takes on heightened importance after U.S. forces attacked the South American nation and arrested President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday.
The resolution to block the administration from engaging in further hostilities against Venezuela is privileged, which means Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cannot stop it from coming to the floor.
The measure is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
It needs only a simple majority to pass the Senate.
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade,” Kaine said in a statement. “My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week.
“We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape,” the senator added.
Schiff warned that Trump’s action against Maduro risks plunging the region into “chaos.” "Acting without Congressional approval or the buy-in of the public, Trump risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them,”
We may finally have reached a point where Libertarians are actually useful. Rep. Thomas Massie, another Libertarian, spoke out in strong opposition to the action in Venezuela. He also spearheaded the bill to release the Epstein files. He and Rand Paul may have circled so far right they're lefties now (selectively).
In case you still need a good reason to cancel your WaPo subscription, the Ed Board just announced their support for the invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro. How far they have fallen.
It's Bezos' rag now, only a slight upgrade from Murdoch's rag in New York (the Post).
Schumer: "It makes you think that maybe to Trump he wants to distract the American people, as he always does, from the skyrocketing costs they are facing, from the Epstein files."
China and Russia have economic tentacles around large swathes of South America. China has already condemned the invasion. This could go sideways real fast.
In the meantime, if as Trump says the US will be "running things" in Venezuela temporarily, please have him send his entire cabinet and the GOP majority there because none of them is doing jack squat for ordinary Americans. Trump himself can stay at MAL, and the rest of us will muddle through somehow. Imperialism lives!!
China - which wants to do to Taiwan what Trump just did to Venezuela - and Putin, already doing it to Ukraine - both announced how "shocked and saddened" they were by the US "abandoning the rules of international law." Xi and Putin were probably laughing their asses off when they approved those messages.
Right. I can hear their knee-slapping all the way across both oceans. (Bless you for always reminding us that we're not the crazy ones because it increasingly feels like we're spinning around in some kind of phantasmagoria. Why can't Trump nod off, fall forward and split his melon so we can watch the snakes and effluvium ooze out?)
I love your way with words, Judith!
Thanks, Carol.
When circumstances agitate me, I cast about wildly in trying to find ways to avoid f-bombing every comment.
Judith, even though I know Tom is typing basically those same words with every post, I continue to read them and tell myself, "SEE?! We AREN'T the crazy ones!!"
I would call it crocodile tears, but that insults actual crocodiles.
Must just be a coincidence that every country we try and spread democracy to is a major oil producer...
Entirely coincidental - you doubt that our Fearless Leader is not the most wonderfullest genius in history ever? (/snark)
I know you’re snarking but still…🤮🤮🤮
😘
Nope, didn't see it coming, nope, not at all. BTW Guyana, Venezuela's neighbor to the east, is also sitting on some huge oil reserves.
I am so sick of that disgusting POS. I don't know how I'm going to stand/tolerate/survive the next 3 years.
Release the rest of the Epstein files!
He won't live 3 years, so there's that.
I’m glad you mentioned Country Joe and the Fish. This is every bit as insane, if not more so, than Vietnam. We have to stay sane and focused, which is why I cleaned the kitty litter box with great care today. It seemed like an appropriate way to deal with this shitshow .
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽 ha! Great care with the kitty box. Of course! Love it!
Unlike doofus of the golden throne, cats are neat and tidy around their litter box!
Strangely comforting.
First, MAGA will fold. Sorry. If not, they would join Democrats to oust the administration, period.
Second, he showed how bad his dementia is. Everybody saw it except the people at The New York Times.
Third, I still think this is all because Maduro cut off Don, Jr.'s coke supply.
Your second point, Michael. Absolutely! It should hasten the folding of MAGA.
Does Senior Trump even speak with his children? He walked right past Tiffany as she was about to hug him at State of the Union a while back. Of course, she’s not as pretty as Ivanka. . .
He also doesn't have any kids with Tiffany. I would be willing to make a wager that Ivanka's kids are his.
Politics makes strange bedfellows. If MTG can get his ass canned, fine with me.
She has just one more day to do so, if you're talking about deposing Squeaker Johnson; she resigns effective tomorrow.
Maga listens to her so hopefully she keeps speaking out.
AI says: U.S. Gulf Coast refineries heavily relied on Venezuelan heavy crude for decades until US sanctions disrupted this flow, forcing refiners to find costlier or less optimal alternatives. Chevron will be happy.
Chevron is also the most-despised American company in Venezuela for their actions there. So no wonder they support the illegal invasion.
Pretty good ROI for the several million that they donated to trump's campaign.
It may be awhile, though, based on this Reuters article. Be careful what you wish for...
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/venezuelan-oil-industry-worlds-largest-reserves-decaying-infrastructure-2026-01-03/
“Gimmie an F…”
Tom -" Fux and Friends" - You kill me!!! It just gets better and better. If only it was a tv show and not our insane govt.
“The West Wing” is playing on Netflix. Well worth watching again.
Random thoughts:
Country Joe and the Fish was running through my mind well before I got to the mention.
I wonder if Barron inherited his father's "bone spurs"?! Not that I exactly expect him to voluntarily enter any form of the military.
Anyone else remember Trump's request for a billion dollar donation from the oil companies during his campaign? Did I just imagine that? Hmmmm....
I listened to about 5 minutes of Trump's ramble, tuning in at about 11 am Central time. The audible SNIFFING he was doing was really annoying! What was that?!?
WE are not the crazy ones...we are NOT the crazy ones...we are not the CRAZY ones......
Is anyone else experiencing an absence of the audio button? I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app without improvement in this situation.
Since I am partially sight impaired I rely on the audio option as a way of "reading"/hearing the news. This is also happening in the columns of the numerous Substack writers I subscribe to and support, not just TCinLA. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
I don't use audio but I do see the icon for it when I go to the Home screen. I click on the icon foe audio and see it show up on my substacks.
...ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee we're all gonna die.
I see rocks and shoals ahead my friend.