First, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-9-26.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 9  A reading list to better understand this moment in Venezuela. Reported by Alejandra Marquez Janse, Mary Louise Kelly and William Troop | NPR  Venezuelan journalist and author Paula Ramon in Caracas offers a reading list for anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of Venezuela at this moment. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for YEMEN 1-8-26 and for VENEZUELA, UKRAINE, PHOTO, and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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Separatist group in southern Yemen announces dissolution after its leader flees to the UAE, by Fatma Khaled | AP  CAIRO — Yemen’s main separatist group and its institutions will be dismantled effective today, the group’s secretary-general said, following weeks of unrest in areas of southern Yemen and a day after its leader fled to the United Arab Emirates. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye, and HERE for a Jan. 8 report from the Cradle.

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How Oman went from mediator to silent Saudi partner in Yemen fight, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  For years, as fighting raged in Yemen, neighbouring Oman strained to keep its profile as a neutral mediator among warring sides. But when UAE-backed separatists swarmed into a Yemeni region on its border, Muscat took sides. A western and Arab diplomat said that Oman shared . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to nine reports (to in Spanish only): from the Associated Press, Agencia EFE, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-8-26 and up or down for YEMEN, UKRAINE, PHOTO and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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U.S. intercepts fifth sanctioned tanker as it exerts control over Venezuelan oil distribution, by Konstantin Toropin and Aamer Madhani | AP  WASHINGTON — U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on today, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration continues to target sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from EFE in Spanish only, and HERE for others. 

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Trump meets with oil executives at the White House on Friday, seeking investments in Venezuela, by Josh Boak | AP  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House today in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Trump promises Venezuelan renaissance, locals struggle with crumbling economy, by Regina Garcia Cano and Matt Sedensky | AP  CARACAS — At a sprawling street market in Venezuela’s capital city, utility worker Ana Calderón wishes she could afford the ingredients to make a pot of soup. READ MORE . . .

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After Venezuela frees fewer than 1% of prisoners, activists try to stay hopeful, by Regina Garcia Cano and Megan Janetsky| AP  GUATIRE, Venezuela — A day after Venezuela ’s government pledged to free a “significant number” of prisoners, a local human rights group said only eight people had been released, or less than 1% of the citizens and foreigners the group says are detained for political reasons. READ MORE. . .  Click HERE for a Jan. 8 AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Three from NPR. “Trump to meet with U.S. oil executives for help reviving Venezuela’s oil industry,” by Scott Horsley; “Trump says the U.S. could be in Venezuela for ‘years.’ What that could look like,” by Danielle Kurtzleben and A Martínez; and “A long U.S. stay in Venezuela? What past interventions reveal,” by Steve Inskeep. Click HERE for links to all three, and others.

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For today, links to two reports from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-2-26 and up or down for YEMEN, VENEZUELA, PHOTO and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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Russia uses its new ballistic missile in major attack on Ukraine and a warning to West, by Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack, officials said today, killing at least four people in the capital. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, it used a powerful, new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others and HERE for second AP report in English only.

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For today, a link to a photo from the Minneapolis Star Tribune via National Public Radio, other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll up or down for YEMEN, UKRAINE, VENEZUELA and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

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Children sleep during nap time at Minnesota Child Care in Minneapolis on Dec. 30, by photographer Renee Jones Schneider | The Minnesota Star Tribune / Getty Images / NPR  This photo accompanied a Jan. 5 report on NPR’s All Things Considered titled “Amid fraud claims, Trump admin announces more changes to federal child care funding,” by Kadin Mills, Sequoia Carrillo and Nicole Cohen.

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A link to the third in a series of articles from Thought Crimes and Misdemeanors on Substack; others are accessible by clicking its name below. (9/11 TRUTH 11-23-25 and 9/11 TRUTH 11-27-25 are HERE and HERE.  Scroll up for YEMEN, UKRAINE, VENEZUELA and PHOTO.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 12  Assassinating AE911Truth — Part 3, by Craig McKee* | Thought Crimes and Misdemeanors  The November 2025 collapse of the attempted leadership transition at AE911Truth has exposed a deeper crisis – one not just of governance but of integrity. And this crisis could have significant repercussions for the entire 9/11 truth cause. READ MORE . . .

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* McKee is a Canadian journalist. He and Andy Steele, for a few years executive director of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, dared to widen the organization’s scope to explore the impossibilities of the U.S. government’s whopper about the Pentagon’s being crashed into by a Boeing 757 (American Airlines 77) on Sept. 11, 2001. AE911Truth is apparently moribund now, with no fresh information on its website and some information deleted.

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For now, links to two reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to five interpretive articles from Middle East Eye and AP; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for YEMEN 1-4-26.) — MCM

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Saudi Arabia alleges UAE smuggled wanted Yemen separatist leader out of the country, by Jon Gambrell | AP DUBAI — Saudi Arabia said today that the United Arab Emirates smuggled a separatist leader in Yemen wanted for treason out of the country and flew him to Abu Dhabi. The accusation further escalates tensions between the neighboring nations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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By standing up to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh could reshape the Middle East, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  Saudi Arabia and Algeria, principally, and Egypt potentially have realised that a plan to dominate and control the key chokepoints of the region by Israel (explicitly) and the United Arab Emirates (implicitly) is a threat to their national interests. READ MORE . . .

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What to know about the latest tensions in Yemen and the parties involved, by Cara Anna | AP  Yemen is threatening to fracture even further, exposing a growing rift between Middle East powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Here’s a look at the forces involved. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 7  Who is Aidarous al-Zubaidi, Yemen’s southern separatist leader? by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  He the head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a separatist movement that controls large parts of the country’s south. On Wednesday, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council accused him of high treason and stripped him of his position within the body. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 5  Why Yemen is a key tool in UAE-Israeli plot for regional chaos, by Andrew Hammond | Middle East Eye   The Saudi-Emirati conflict over Yemen has been long simmering, but the emerging alliance between Israel and the UAE — and their policy of weakening larger traditional powers across the region — has forced Riyadh, against its nature, to take a tough stance. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 12  Who are the Southern Transitional Council? Why are they backed by the UAE? by Daniel Tester | Middle East Eye  The conflict in Yemen, a country already ripped apart by a decade of civil war, has taken another turn. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, a link to commentary from the Floutist; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-6-26 and VENEZUELA 1-7-26.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 4  ‘The coup,’ by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist  We are on notice that the language used to describe the events of this weekend will be highly manipulated: This is and will remain key to the manufacture of consent as the Trump regime proceeds brazenly on its way. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to 16 or so reports: from the Grayzone via ScheerPost, and the Associated Press, Agencia EFE, Agence France-Presse, Common Dreams, and National Public Radio; and to commentary from Truthout via Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-6-26. Scroll up for MEDIA 1-7-26.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 6  Behind the DOJ’s politicized indictment of Maduro: A CIA-created ‘network’ and coerced star witness, by Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone / ScheerPost  The Jan. 3 U.S. military raid on Venezuela to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores was followed by the Department of Justice’s release of its superseding indictment of the two abductees as well as their son, Nicolasito Maduro, and two close political allies: former Minister of Justice Ramon Chacin and ex-Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Diosdado Cabello. The DOJ has also thrown Tren De Aragua cartel leader Hector “Niño” Guerrero into the mix of defendants, situating him at the heart of its narrative. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. says it’s seized 2 sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela back-to-back, edited by Curtis Yee and Michael Warren | AP  The U.S. seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back actions in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, officials said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE to read another AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from EFE in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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UK says provided ‘enabling support’ to U.S. in N. Atlantic tanker seizure. From AFP. The UK provided “enabling support” to the U.S. during the seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic, which was linked to Venezuelan oil — support including operational assistance and air surveillance as part of efforts to enforce sanctions against vessels involved in illegal oil transport. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for longer AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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FROM JAN. 5  Meet Paul Singer, the billionaire Trump megadonor set to make a killing on Venezuela oil, by Stephen Prager | Common Dreams  One of President Donald Trump’s top billionaire donors has spent the past several months backing a push for regime change in Venezuela. He is about to cash in after the president’s kidnapping of the nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Jan. 7 interview from NPR.

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Three of five from NPR. “Trump administraton’s pans for the future of Venezuela remain unclear.” “Former diplomat talks about President Trump and the future of Venezuela.” “What does U.S. history tell us about what’s unfolding in Venezuela?” Click HERE for links to all five reports from Morning Edition.

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FROM JAN. 6  Colombia condemns U.S. actions in Venezuela before OAS as a regional threat. From EFE. WASHINGTON — The Colombian government condemned before the Organization of American States on Tuesday the “unilateral military actions” of the United States in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, considering them a “worrisome” threat to the security and sovereignty of the region. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 6  Three of four from NPR. “Crude prices are low. Will U.S. companies want Venezuela’s oil?” “From the border with Colombia: The view of the uncertainty in Venezuela.” “Who’s running Venezuela?” Click HERE for links to all four reports on All Things Considered.

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FROM JAN. 5  White House can’t make Venezuela attack legal, by Marjorie Cohn | Truthout / Consortium News  The Trump administration’s massive military attack on Venezuela, launched with 150 aircraft, reportedly killed upwards of 80 people, including civilians. In utter defiance of the mandates of the United Nations Charter, U.S. forces launched the attack as they kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, belatedly, links to three reports: from Agencia EFE, Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press; others or headlines only are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-5-26 and for today’s MEDIA.) — MCM

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U.S. indictment no longer labels Maduro as head of ‘Cartel of the Suns.’ From EFE. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has removed references identifying Nicolás Maduro as the leader of the so-called Cartel of the Suns in a revised indictment, softening earlier claims while maintaining drug trafficking charges against the Venezuelan president. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same EFE report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JAN. 5  Fifty-five Cuban, Venezuelan troops killed during Maduro capture: official tolls. From AFP. Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Sunday that Maduro’s presidential guard was largely wiped out “in cold blood” by U.S. troops who bombarded the capital and seized him from his home. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for AFP (with Le Parisien) report  in French, and HERE for headlines of others. Click HERE for Jan. 4 report from AP.

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TO BE CONTINUED