Orinoco Tribune: US increases bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million Foreign Minister Yván Gil condemned the increase in the US bounty on President Maduro to $50 million. US Attorney General “Pamela Bondi’s pathetic ‘reward’ is the most ridiculous smokescreen we have ever seen. While we dismantle the terrorist plots orchestrated from your country, this lady comes out with a media circus to please Venezuela’s defeated far right.” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello rejected the Cartel de los Soles as “an invention of Venezuela’s far right and US imperialism,” asserting the DEA is “the world’s largest drug cartel.” He highlighted Venezuela’s seizure of “over 50 tons of drugs this year” in operations against narco-gangs and groups “financing violence.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated unequivocally: “We have no evidence” linking Maduro to Mexican drug trafficking. She challenged Washington: “If they have any evidence, they should present it.”
TeleSur: Evo Morales Backs Null Vote in Bolivia Former Bolivian President Evo Morales (2006–2019) said that the proposal to cast null votes in the upcoming Aug. 17 election is gaining momentum. Morales pointed out that “the right wing” is attempting to return to power and urged his followers to remember that “only through union struggle did we defeat the empire.” Morales spoke at a Runasur congress (an anti-imperialist indigenous continental coalition) with delegations from Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Chile, and Brazil to reflect on “the unity of the peoples.” The RUNASUR meeting concluded with a resolution to create the Intercontinental Anticolonial Movement, which also seeks to unite Indigenous communities in Africa and Asia in the fight against imperialism.
Venezuelanalysis: 252 Venezuelans in El Salvador’s CECOT prison cleared of Tren de Aragua gang association Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed following an investigation that the 252 Venezuelan men forcibly removed from the US and held for four months in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison were found to have no ties to the so-called Tren de Aragua gang. “Only 20 have criminal records, with just seven involved in serious crimes, and none of them were linked to Tren de Aragua.” The assessment that none were affiliated with Tren de Aragua is consistent with the results of independent investigations, which found that most of the 252 men had no criminal record in Venezuela or the US. These reports revealed that they were profiled as gang members based solely on tattoos and social media posts, which experts have insisted are not reliable indicators of gang affiliation. Caracas has condemned the widespread criminalization of Venezuelan migrants and asserted that Tren de Aragua was dismantled in 2023 following an intervention at its Tocorón prison base. A declassified US intelligence memo likewise confirmed that US officials had no evidence of the gang’s presence in the US or of any links to the Maduro administration.
Joe Emersberger: Amnesty International Is Evil Amnesty International feels the Empire’s pain. It demands that the “International community” prioritize what Washington demands in Venezuela, where the US has been trying to overthrow the government for decades. There is palpable frustration in the words that Amnesty published about Venezuela the other day: “The international community cannot normalize or ignore the human rights crisis in Venezuela. The scale and gravity of the crimes committed in the country – particularly the enforced disappearance of people – must stir the conscience of the world, and propel international justice into action.” What Amnesty calls “the international community” is a genocidal US-led imperial order. The holocaust in Gaza cannot happen without the sponsorship of the US, its top western allies, and various other institutions and governments corrupted by them.
Yet Amnesty’s latest statement says that “Venezuelan authorities are demonstrating that their cruelty knows no bounds.” Amnesty denounces Israeli atrocities but makes sure to vilify Palestinian armed resistance as well. Since 2012 Amnesty has supported a full arms embargo on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Amnesty granted “Prisoner of Conscience” status to Leopoldo Lopez, a participant in the 2002 coup and other coup attempts that followed, but denied the designation to Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange.
Venezuelanalysis: Nora Castañeda and Women’s Emancipation through Economic Transformation Nora Castañeda founded the Women’s Development Bank in 2001, el Banco de Desarrollo de la Mujer [Banmujer], which was key for the economic independence of women. Historian Sandra Angeleri interviewed Castañeda in her final years, and her book follows the revolutionary economist from her working-class upbringing in Caracas and participation in clandestine struggles to her later realization of the Women’s Bank. Growing up in the barrios, she came to understand that working-class communities are generally organized by women.
Nora saw Banmujer as a tool to challenge and transform both patriarchal and capitalist structures. It was designed to avoid “assistencialismo” [non-transformative social assistance] by providing financial support to groups of organized women, not to individuals. Banmujer offered low-interest microcredits and always accompanied its financial support with educational workshops. It was about forming a nationwide network of women with economic autonomy and generating a new political consciousness. At one point, the bank had around 40,000 women participating. Banmujer quickly lost its vitality when she passed – another victim of the blockade.
TeleSur: Three Critical Developments in Venezuela’s Rising Anti-Terrorism Operation under Diosdado Cabello The anti-terrorism operation intensified with the recent discovery of a large arsenal and arrest of 21 individuals involved in coordinated explosive attacks and destabilizing plots. Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, revealed the seizure of over 54,000 hollow charges and detonating cords in a warehouse—signaling a severe threat to public security. The minister credited citizen vigilance for helping thwart the attack, highlighting the role of a local resident who filmed suspicious activity and alerted authorities. “This is how the people defend peace,” Cabello said, urging Venezuelans to remain alert to opposition-led destabilization efforts. Cabello also accused the United States of backing the plot, claiming that the plan was part of a broader strategy to sabotage upcoming elections and destabilize the country.
On Cuba News: Venezuelan oil supply to Cuba jumps in July, according to news agencies After reduced shipments in recent months, the arrival of Venezuelan oil to Cuba experienced a jump in July, when 31,000 barrels per day of crude oil, gasoline and jet fuel were shipped to the island, although no results were seen in terms of power generation. According to another Reuters report, PDVSA closed 2024 with the export of 24,000 barrels per day to Cuba, while in 2023 they were around 56,000.
Peoples Dispatch: El Abrazo de Los Pueblos documentary portrays Latin American resistance and the history of ALBA Movimientos The founding assembly of ALBA Movimientos took place in 2013 with the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) in Brazil. The trajectory of this alliance, which brings together popular movements from Latin America and the Caribbean, is portrayed in the documentary “El Abrazo de Los Pueblos” (“The Embrace of the Peoples”) – with English subtitles. The documentary was released on Monday, July 28, in Caracas, Venezuela, with representatives from various countries in attendance. Currently, ALBA Movimentos is preparing for its 4th Continental Assembly, which is scheduled to take place in Cuba in 2026, the year that marks the centenary of Fidel Castro.
Granma: The Venezuelan economy develops despite the US With the “noose around its neck”: without access to external financing or international bank accounts, and the White House blocking any avenue for progress, Venezuela managed to pull itself up by its bootstraps. Taking advantage of domestic resources, it has now enjoyed 17 months of continuous economic growth, the largest increase in the region. The first two quarters of 2025 saw growth of 9% and 6.65%. The sectors that most drove this half-yearly growth were agriculture; manufacturing; information, telecommunications and communications; trade; accommodation and food services; mining; and hydrocarbons.
Upcoming Events
August 24, 3 pm ET: Nicaragua Webinar. Learn about SINAPRED, Nicaragua’s National System for Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters, and how it contrasts with the US system.
August 29-31 (Detroit): Peoples Conference for Palestine
September 7 (Britain): Viva la Solidaridad! Stand with Latin America Against Trump
September 12 (Toronto): Defend the Human Rights of Latin American Migrants!
September 21, 3 pm ET: Nicaragua Webinar on Nicaragua’s and Venezuela’s remarkable housing programs, with Sofia Clark and Elizabeth Santos from Venezuela’s FundaVivienda
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Delegations to Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela:
Venezuela
December delegation to Venezuela for the World Summit for Mother Earth-Global ecosocialists
Cuba
Witness for Peace delegations to Cuba
November 15-23: Cooperatives & 10 Best Practices in Cuba
Friendly Planet delegations to Cuba
Nicaragua
Casa Ben Linder Email casabenjaminlinder@gmail.com to apply:
November 2025: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua
22-31 January 2026: The Bird Brigade: Birding in Solentiname Arquipelago
7-15 March 2026: Power & Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua
June 2026: Global Health: Family and Community Health in Nicaragua
July 2026: Solidarity in Action: Nicaragua’s Popular Revolution
October 2026: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua
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Chicago ALBA Solidarity 