Pinned
ericfarns
@natsecguy.bsky.social
· Jul 28
Venezuela’s Lost Year | Journal of Democracy
A year ago Nicolás Maduro stole Venezuela’s election and entrenched his power by jailing and killing those who opposed him. But the world’s democracies don’t need to sit on the sidelines.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
NEW: my latest, in the blue chip Journal of Democracy, on #Venezuela one year after the stolen elections. Please have a read and let me know you views!
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
Reposted by ericfarns
Chicago Bears players head into the offseason proud of being part of a franchise turnaround. But the run to the divisional playoffs was “not far enough.”
Column: Chicago Bears restored the city’s faith this season. Their next challenge? Avoiding regression.
Chicago Bears players head into the offseason proud of being part of a franchise turnaround. But the run to the divisional playoffs was “not far enough.”
trib.al
January 20, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Chicago Bears players head into the offseason proud of being part of a franchise turnaround. But the run to the divisional playoffs was “not far enough.”
Spain was a long time, direct enabler of Chavez and Maduro in Venezuela
Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez:
I believe that in this moral rearmament Europe is undergoing,in standing as the standard-bearer of international law,Spain is playing a leading&pivotal role,because we’ve not accepted double standards when we talk about Gaza,Ukraine,Greenland,or Venezuela.
📹La Vanguardia
I believe that in this moral rearmament Europe is undergoing,in standing as the standard-bearer of international law,Spain is playing a leading&pivotal role,because we’ve not accepted double standards when we talk about Gaza,Ukraine,Greenland,or Venezuela.
📹La Vanguardia
January 18, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Spain was a long time, direct enabler of Chavez and Maduro in Venezuela
Most people take their prizes and put them on a shelf at home. Maria Corina Machado has used hers to advance the cause of democracy in Venezuela.
January 16, 2026 at 12:23 AM
Most people take their prizes and put them on a shelf at home. Maria Corina Machado has used hers to advance the cause of democracy in Venezuela.
Reposted by ericfarns
China Reveals New J-20 Fifth-gen Fighter Variant Can Strike Maritime Targets — USNI News
news.usni.org/2026/01/14/c...
news.usni.org/2026/01/14/c...
China Reveals New J-20 Fifth-gen Fighter Variant Can Strike Maritime Targets - USNI News
Beijing’s newest variant of its J-20 fifth-generation fighter aircraft has the ability to conduct precision strikes on maritime targets, according to Chinese state media. This new capability will be a...
news.usni.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:52 PM
China Reveals New J-20 Fifth-gen Fighter Variant Can Strike Maritime Targets — USNI News
news.usni.org/2026/01/14/c...
news.usni.org/2026/01/14/c...
Reposted by ericfarns
Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado in a private audience at the Vatican on Monday.
Pope Leo XIV meets with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in surprise audience
Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado in a private audience at the Vatican.
trib.al
January 13, 2026 at 5:21 AM
Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado in a private audience at the Vatican on Monday.
Reposted by ericfarns
If you think The Dead were Jerry Garcia’s band you don’t know them. From “The Other One” to “Sugar Magnolia,”“Jack Straw,” “Estimated Prophet” and “Cassidy” Bob Weir penned (often with Barlow’s lyrics) or took lead vocals on of much of the canon.
www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
January 11, 2026 at 5:04 AM
If you think The Dead were Jerry Garcia’s band you don’t know them. From “The Other One” to “Sugar Magnolia,”“Jack Straw,” “Estimated Prophet” and “Cassidy” Bob Weir penned (often with Barlow’s lyrics) or took lead vocals on of much of the canon.
www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
Reposted by ericfarns
Russia and China have launched influence operations to quickly capitalize on controversy — this time surrounding the U.S. operation to seize the Venezuelan president — by spreading conspiracy theories and disingenuous content, researchers said.
How China and Russia are using Maduro’s capture to sway U.S. discourse
Chinese and Russian influence operations have sought to capitalize on the U.S. operation in Venezuela by spreading conspiracy theories, confusion and inflammatory claims, researchers say.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Russia and China have launched influence operations to quickly capitalize on controversy — this time surrounding the U.S. operation to seize the Venezuelan president — by spreading conspiracy theories and disingenuous content, researchers said.
Reposted by ericfarns
A medic at one Tehran hospital said there were "direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well", while a doctor said an eye hospital in the capital had gone into crisis mode
Iran medics describe hospitals overwhelmed with dead and injured protesters
Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed and injured by the security forces, with more than 70 bodies brought to one hospital.
www.bbc.com
January 11, 2026 at 12:43 AM
A medic at one Tehran hospital said there were "direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well", while a doctor said an eye hospital in the capital had gone into crisis mode
It is not inconceivable that 2026 is the year that tyrannies in Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba all fall.
January 10, 2026 at 5:28 PM
It is not inconceivable that 2026 is the year that tyrannies in Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba all fall.
Seems like there may be an inconsistency here
The fate of chavismo—and Venezuela’s regime—now rests, at least in part, with Delcy Rodríguez
Venezuela’s new dictator is a regime loyalist—and America’s hostage
Delcy Rodríguez called building a socialist state her “personal revenge”. Now Donald Trump wants to “run” her country
econ.st
January 10, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Seems like there may be an inconsistency here
I was alive and I waited, waited
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history
~ Jesus Jones
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history
~ Jesus Jones
The fall of the Islamic State might be near.
Following Reza Pahlavi’s call for not just protest but control of public spaces, Tehran residents have responded. By 19:34 local time, demonstrators reportedly took full control of the streets around Farahzadi Square. Security forces pulled back.
January 10, 2026 at 5:11 PM
I was alive and I waited, waited
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history
~ Jesus Jones
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history
~ Jesus Jones
Reposted by ericfarns
The fall of the Islamic State might be near.
Following Reza Pahlavi’s call for not just protest but control of public spaces, Tehran residents have responded. By 19:34 local time, demonstrators reportedly took full control of the streets around Farahzadi Square. Security forces pulled back.
January 10, 2026 at 4:10 PM
The fall of the Islamic State might be near.
Reposted by ericfarns
Venezuela owes at least $95bn to three groups of creditors, who hope America will ease sanctions to allow negotiations with its government. Much could still go wrong
Venezuela’s astoundingly messy debts are about to get messier
Oil majors, hedge funds, Chinese lenders—all have a stake
econ.st
January 10, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Venezuela owes at least $95bn to three groups of creditors, who hope America will ease sanctions to allow negotiations with its government. Much could still go wrong
Reposted by ericfarns
Opposite of maintenance
January 9, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Opposite of maintenance
Also, return the Venezuela flag to 7 stars please and thank you
January 10, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Also, return the Venezuela flag to 7 stars please and thank you
Reposted by ericfarns
Or worse, rooting for US failure in Venezuela, as too many are doing. Not a winning formula.
"If we Democrats seem like we’re defending a narco-state’s sovereignty over American neighborhoods, we deserve to lose."
The latest from David Brock:
The latest from David Brock:
Opinion | Democrats need to learn the difference between arrest and occupation
Don’t obsess about procedures and oil in Venezuela. Demand a plan from Trump and set limits.
wapo.st
January 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Or worse, rooting for US failure in Venezuela, as too many are doing. Not a winning formula.
Reposted by ericfarns
Alfredo Romero of Foro Penal expressed cautious hope that the release of Rocio San Miguel & others “is indeed the beginning of the dismantling of a repressive system in Venezuela ... and not a mere gesture, a charade of releasing some prisoners and incarcerating others.”
apnews.com/article/vene...
apnews.com/article/vene...
Venezuela releases imprisoned opposition figures and activists, which Trump says US requested
Venezuela has released a number of imprisoned high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists — both citizens and foreigners — nearly a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captur...
apnews.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Alfredo Romero of Foro Penal expressed cautious hope that the release of Rocio San Miguel & others “is indeed the beginning of the dismantling of a repressive system in Venezuela ... and not a mere gesture, a charade of releasing some prisoners and incarcerating others.”
apnews.com/article/vene...
apnews.com/article/vene...
Reposted by ericfarns
Bessent says [on X] that Argentina has paid back the dollars it swapped with the Treasury for pesos.
January 9, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Bessent says [on X] that Argentina has paid back the dollars it swapped with the Treasury for pesos.
On @cnn.com today I called explicitly and directly for the closing of Helicoide, the main SEBIN torture center in the heart of Caracas…
January 6, 2026 at 7:23 PM
On @cnn.com today I called explicitly and directly for the closing of Helicoide, the main SEBIN torture center in the heart of Caracas…
Reposted by ericfarns
China’s influence in US backyard tested by Maduro’s downfall ft.trib.al/IhBJPYp
China’s influence in US backyard tested by Maduro’s downfall
Beijing has deep geopolitical and economic interests in Venezuela
ft.trib.al
January 6, 2026 at 1:56 AM
China’s influence in US backyard tested by Maduro’s downfall ft.trib.al/IhBJPYp
Including 32 (!) Cubans, almost half of the total. Cuban security and intelligence officials have had the run of Venezuela for years, including the most sensitive activities. It’s time they returned to Cuba.
The death toll from the attack on Venezuela is now at 80, per Venezuelan officials. That includes civilians. Every article about the attack, or how the US somehow claims it will run the country, should mention the fact that, you know, people died, including civilians. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Live Updates: As Venezuela Projects Defiance, Rubio Says U.S. Will Use ‘Leverage’ to Advance Its Interests
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Including 32 (!) Cubans, almost half of the total. Cuban security and intelligence officials have had the run of Venezuela for years, including the most sensitive activities. It’s time they returned to Cuba.
A reminder that the US has no embassy or ambassador in Venezuela.
January 5, 2026 at 2:28 AM
A reminder that the US has no embassy or ambassador in Venezuela.
Must’ve taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ended up in Maduro’s innermost security detail. Strange.
Cuba diz que 32 cidadãos do país morreram durante captura de Maduro
Cuba diz que 32 cidadãos do país morreram durante captura de Maduro
www.cnnbrasil.com.br
January 5, 2026 at 2:06 AM
Must’ve taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ended up in Maduro’s innermost security detail. Strange.