Members of the U.S. Congress on Saturday demanded emergency legislative action to prevent the Trump administration from taking further military action in Venezuela after the president threatened a “second wave” of attacks and said the U.S. will control the South American country’s government indefinitely. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)…
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On September 2, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office that the US Navy had carried out an air strike on a boat in international waters. That boat strike rewrote US policy for Latin America overnight. Three months later, 26 boats have been hit, killing more than 90 people. The United States has codified its justification for the boat strikes as part of a new National Security Strategy, published in early December 2025. In the National Security Strategy, Trump announced a new Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which he hopes can propel the United States and the US military to preeminence in the hemisphere. Trump’s actions suggest he believes he has broad latitude to take whatever measures he deems necessary, regardless of international law, the sovereignty of other nations, or the impact on human life. This reenvisioning of US policy for Latin America has disastrous implications for the region. More missile strikes. Loss of innocent lives. And even wrapping the United States into war close to home.
Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 will respond in real time to the Trump Administration’s onslaught in Latin America. We begin today where we started in the last episode of Season 1… in Panama.
Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. Edited by Heather Gies.
This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.
Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Monte Perdido’s new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or
President Trump has ordered what he called a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, as the United States escalates pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The move comes amid a major U.S. military buildup in the region and days after U.S. forces seized an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. Since September, the U.S.
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President Donald Trump has escalated threats against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in recent weeks, and reports now say the Trump administration is preparing for the days after a potential Maduro overthrow. What might happen in such a scenario? In November, Michael Crowley at The New York Times pursued this question by reminding readers that, during Trump’s first term, U.S.
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On Wednesday, December 10, Donald Trump announced that the United States had seized a tanker in the Caribbean carrying more than 1.6 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil. “Large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening,” Trump told the press. The seizure is only the latest move in a long build-up of U.S. military action in the Caribbean and…
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troops seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, a major escalation that the Venezuelan government called “international piracy.” We speak with New York University professor Alejandro Velasco about the Trump administration’s intentions in the country, which has the world’s largest known oil reserves. Though the Pentagon has claimed the conflict is aimed at combating…
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