Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaidó declares 'final phase of Operation Freedom'

[jmyrlefuller]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/30/americas/venezuela-juan-guaido-leopoldo-lopez-intl/index.html

The leader of Venezuela's opposition, Juan Guaidó, on Tuesday declared "the start of the end of the usurpation," in a dawn address in which he was flanked by men in military fatigues and armored vehicles in the capital Caracas.

Guaidó, who is head of Venezuela's national assembly and has been recognized as president by dozens of other countries, has led months of protest against the Maduro government, yet Tuesday marked his boldest attempt yet to involve the military in the removal of the Venezuelan president.

(excerpt)

[jmyrlefuller]

It appears that an ouster attempt against the Maduro regime is imminent.

[mountaineer]

Pro-Guaido police are arresting pro-Maduro police. Meanwhile:

Venezuela’s Opposition Leader Juan Guaido calls for Military Uprising
By Jennie Taer -
April 30, 2019

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido has posted a video on social media calling for a military uprising. In it he says: ‘The moment is now’. He is surrounded by men in military uniforms, as well as another key opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. Guaido says what he calls “the final phase” of a plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro has now begun. The government says it is confronting what it’s calling a small group of traitors.

From SaraACarter.com (with video)

[mountaineer]

Rubio's tweeting:

Marco Rubio
‏Verified account @marcorubio

Legitimate Interim President of #Venezuela @jguaido has been joined this morning by members of military at the Miranda Air Force base in #Caracas.

It is time for every branch of govt including TSJ to help restore constitutional order.
6:10 AM - 30 Apr 2019

[mystery-ak]

Venezuela’s Guaido calls for military uprising while flanked by soldiers at Caracas airbase: ‘The moment is now’
https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuela-guaido-military-uprising-caracas-airbase

[mountaineer]

Vice President Mike Pence  Verified account @VP

To @jguaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertad—Estamos con ustedes! We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios! #FreeVenezuela
9:48 AM - 30 Apr 2019

[TomSea]

Yes, it appears a coup is on right now, "May Day Caracas" at drudge report.  But I think CNN is actually reporting it's on too....

!!! Intense clashes, a Venezuelan military vehicle just drove into a crowd of civilians on the highway. #Venezuela
Video

https://twitter.com/aletweetsnews/status/1123252665859936256

I see protesters jump out of the way,   I see no one get hurt. Still, telling video.  I think one person indeed, did get knocked to the ground.

Okay, Alejandro Alvarez does say Guiado has some soldiers on his side, that would probably be hard to even assemble forces for your side down there. We will see if the Cubans and Russians play into this.

[TomSea]

Setting sticky, will probably remove sticky on other threads if they have no responses for 7 days.

A lot here is going on, if one thinks the title should be changed, we can change it later on or the OP,  @jmyrlefuller

can change it to something like "Venezuela Crisis (Live Updates)", something like this.

Again, good twitter accounts to folow:

https://twitter.com/marcorubio

https://twitter.com/aletweetsnews

https://twitter.com/BreakingNLive

https://twitter.com/BRNewsFlash

https://twitter.com/BNONews

Others too.

[TomSea]

BNO News
‏Verified account @BNONews
3m3 minutes ago

Media taken off the air in Venezuela today:
- BBC World News
- CNN International
- Radio Caracas Radio

- BNO news.

One has to wonder, I do, if there is some "red line" that could be crossed and we go in there.  I think it looks like that is a possibility.

Live coverage:


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

[mountaineer]

Protests in D.C.

Jesús A. Rodríguez   @jesusrodriguezb

I’m at the Venezuelan embassy at Georgetown, which has been taken over by antiwar protesters for +2 wks. Venezuelan opposition protesters are here saying “Hands off my embassy” and waving their Venezuelan passports and ID cards. Secret Service standing btw protest groups.
0:31
12:31 PM - 30 Apr 2019
___________________

Charles Lister  Verified account @Charles_Lister
Charles Lister Retweeted Jesús A. Rodríguez

This is totally out of my wheelhouse, but it's truly bizarre.

White [leftist/socialist] Americans are protecting the #Venezuela Embassy from... [wait for it...] *Venezuelan citizens* - who are now in #Georgetown chanting "hands off our Embassy."

2:41 PM - 30 Apr 2019

[mountaineer]

Daniel Flatley   @DanielPFlatley

.@LindseyGrahamSC on Venezuela:

“We need to put Cuba and Russia on notice that if any violence is directed toward Guaido — if they try to arrest him or kill him — we’re going to hold Russia and Cuba liable and we will respond appropriately and all options are on the table.”
3:19 PM - 30 Apr 2019

[mountaineer]

Venezuelan military truck plows into crowd during uprising
By Kate Sheehy
April 30, 2019 | 2:29pm

An armored vehicle plowed straight into a group of protesters in the capital of Venezuela on Tuesday as the government battled back against what it called a “coup” launched by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, video footage shows.

The white truck was among several military vehicles armed with water hoses and operated by forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro that were sent to disperse a crowd of hundreds of protesters in the Guaidó-loyal neighborhood of Altamira in Caracas, reports said.

As protesters angrily threw stones and waved sticks at the armored trucks, one of the vehicles circled back around, jumped the curb and zoomed straight into the heart of the protesters, striking at least one. ...  Story and video at NY Post

[Fishrrman]

If you strike at the king, you had better kill him.

Mr. Guaido better win this putsch.
If he doesn't, chances are he'll be a dead man walking...

[Sanguine]

BKMK

[TomSea]

What appears as a good development of the past several hours...

Head of Venezuela's secret police breaks with Maduro
By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News

The head of Venezuela's feared secret police has turned his back on disputed President Nicolas Maduro in an open letter made public Tuesday night.

...

Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, the head of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN), is the highest-ranking member of the country's security forces to break with Maduro since Guaidó called for a military uprising Tuesday morning.

In the letter, the authenticity of which was confirmed to The Associated Press by a U.S. official, Figuera wrote that while he always had been loyal to Maduro, "the time has come to seek new ways of doing politics" to try and "rebuild the country." The letter did not mention Guaidó by name but did say that Venezuela has experienced a damaging decline.

More: https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuela-secret-police-head-breaks-with-maduro

This gloomy article by the Washington Post... despite that, maybe it has some useful info still. I don't think they have much,  I scanned it, not much to glean:

Analysis | Did Trump fumble an uprising in Venezuela?
By Ishaan Tharoor

...

But as night fell in Caracas, it seemed Guaidó's gambit had achieved little — let alone the conquest López had urged in the morning. One person died and dozens were injured by rubber bullets, tear gas and live ammunition in melees in at least five states across the country, my colleagues reported. In one filmed incident, an armored vehicle ran into a group of Guaidó supporters in the capital.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/01/did-trump-fumble-an-uprising-venezuela/

It does look like this action flopped... but we will see. Maybe some good will come.

It seemed a bit premature and ill-thought-out at that... but maybe they had something else up their sleeves.

 

[mountaineer]

Something about Guaidó bothers me. Perhaps its his facial resemblance to B. Hussein Obama. 
Meanwhile, a few relevant tweets:

Prof. Steve Hanke  Verified account @steve_hanke

Amidst all the chaos, #Venezuela's inflation rate remains the highest in the world. As I measured it this morning, 5/1/19, inflation is 76,954%/yr.
7:36 AM - 1 May 2019
________________________________
Reuters Top News Verified account @Reuters

U.S. military action in Venezuela is possibility if 'required': Pompeo https://reut.rs/2XUufL6
8:20 AM - 1 May 2019
_________________________________
Andres Oppenheimer   Verified account @oppenheimera

"Russia and Cuba's presence in Venezuela may draw some international concern, but nothing like an unprecedented demonstration against Maduro will re-energize domestic and foreign support for the restoration of democracy." See this: https://hrld.us/2VFEjuc   @miamiherald @Jguaido
7:57 AM - 1 May 2019 from United States

[ScottinVA]

"U.S. military action in Venezuela is possibility if 'required': Pompeo"

Not "NO," but "HELL NO!"  Venezuela supported and voted in socialism.  It's THEIR fight, not ours!  They are not worth one drop of American blood.

[ScottinVA]

It does look like this action flopped... but we will see. Maybe some good will come.

 

Typical "Blame Trump" tripe from the WaPo.  The only way Trump would "fail" is by intervening militarily.  THAT would be an unmitigated disaster.

[Sanguine]

  

[XenaLee]

"U.S. military action in Venezuela is possibility if 'required': Pompeo"

Not "NO," but "HELL NO!"  Venezuela supported and voted in socialism.  It's THEIR fight, not ours!  They are not worth one drop of American blood.

Agreed.   Their choice, their consequences.  Besides, the US is not (now, at least) in the business of nation-building .... or nation-saving.  We have our own problems (disasters) to deal with first.

[mountaineer]

It would take a lot for me to believe US intervention is "required."

[thackney]

See the moment CNN was taken off air in Venezuela
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/04/30/orig-venezuela-cnn.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/

The Venezuelan government took CNN off the air after it broadcast a live feed of military vehicles running over protesters in Caracas.

[mountaineer]

Cuba’s Castro dictatorship not only running Venezuela’s dictatorship, but its PR campaigns too
May 1, 2019 by Alberto de la Cruz   

Cuba’s Castro dictatorship is not only running the Venezuelan dictatorship and its repressive security forces, it is also running the Venezuelan regime’s public relations campaigns as well.

These two tweets appeared within minutes of each other. One tweet is from the Castro dictatorship’s puppet president in Cuba, Miguel Diaz Canel. The other tweet comes from the Castro dictatorship’s puppet defense minister in Venezuela, Vladimir Padrino.  ...


Babalu Blog

[dfwgator]

See the moment CNN was taken off air in Venezuela
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/04/30/orig-venezuela-cnn.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/

The Venezuelan government took CNN off the air after it broadcast a live feed of military vehicles running over protesters in Caracas.

Maybe the Venezuelan Government isn't so bad, after all.

[XenaLee]

Cuba’s Castro dictatorship not only running Venezuela’s dictatorship, but its PR campaigns too
May 1, 2019 by Alberto de la Cruz   

Cuba’s Castro dictatorship is not only running the Venezuelan dictatorship and its repressive security forces, it is also running the Venezuelan regime’s public relations campaigns as well.

These two tweets appeared within minutes of each other. One tweet is from the Castro dictatorship’s puppet president in Cuba, Miguel Diaz Canel. The other tweet comes from the Castro dictatorship’s puppet defense minister in Venezuela, Vladimir Padrino.  ...


Babalu Blog

Well hey, at least they remembered to change the name/nic.  Vladimir???