Vera Bergengruen

Exclusive | Rescued at Sea: How Venezuela’s Machado Survived the Riskiest Leg of Her Escape The Nobel Peace Prize winner was lost in the Caribbean with no communication for hours before an extraction team found her.

In a proof-of-life video sent to U.S. officials & shared with The Wall Street Journal, Machado tries to steady herself as the boat tosses on the waves. “My name is María Corina Machado,” she says, “I am alive, safe, and very grateful

www.wsj.com/world/americ...

NEW: Maria Corina Machado drifted on a skiff in the Caribbean for almost three hours after its GPS fell overboard on rough seas and a backup failed. She didn’t meet the extraction team at a designated pickup point, setting off a scramble to find her.

Inside "Operation Golden Dynamite"

NEW: Wearing a wig and a disguise, Maria Corina Machado evaded 10 military checkpoints to reach a small fishing skiff that would take her out of Venezuela to Curaçao.

The group alerted the US military: “We coordinated so that they would not blow up the boat." www.wsj.com/world/americ...

New US security strategy aligns with Russia's vision, Moscow says The Kremlin welcomes the starkly worded document, which does not cast Russia as a threat to the US.

“Russia has welcomed President Donald Trump's new National Security Strategy, calling it "largely consistent" with Moscow's vision.” www.bbc.com/news/article...

How a Man Convicted of Running a Latin American Narco State Landed a Pardon Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández’s unusual network of Trump allies and MAGA influencers helped deliver an extraordinary pardon to him.

Trump’s decision to pardon Hernandez stunned the president’s allies and some members of his administration, including U.S. officials who spent a decade building the landmark case against him, according to people familiar with the matter. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

How a Man Convicted of Running a Latin American Narco State Landed a Pardon Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández’s unusual network of Trump allies and MAGA influencers helped deliver an extraordinary pardon to him.

NEW: Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Hernández was the result of something extraordinary for a Central American leader & convicted cocaine trafficker—a web of powerful advocates stretching from Washington to Silicon Valley and Mar-a-Lago.

Behind the scenes ⬇️ www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Exclusive | Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord The relationship between the Pentagon chief and Adm. Alvin Holsey had been rocky since Trump’s inauguration.

A few weeks after he took over SOUTHCOM, Holsey met with the newly confirmed Hegseth and received his marching orders.

“You’re either on the team or you’re not,” Hegseth told Holsey. “When you get an order, you move out fast and don’t ask questions.” www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

Exclusive | Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord The relationship between the Pentagon chief and Adm. Alvin Holsey had been rocky since Trump’s inauguration.

NEW: Hegseth asked SOUTHCOM Adm. Alvin Holsey to step down, a de facto ouster that was the culmination of months of discord between the two that intensified when Holsey had initial concerns about the legality of lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

In Miami’s ‘Little Venezuela,’ Deportation Fears Collide With Hope for Regime Change Residents of the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S. are caught between Trump’s immigration crackdown and his campaign against Nicolás Maduro.

“We don’t care how Trump does it."
“No mercy. The time for talking is over.”
“Give me a chance. I’ll go with them.”

Inside Miami's "Doralzuela," where hope that Trump will force out Maduro is colliding with anxiety over his immigration crackdown www.wsj.com/world/americ...

Thank you for reading 📰

@lageneralista.ca talking “The Information Animal” at @carnegieendowment.org with @verambergen.bsky.social of the @wsj.com!

The Information Animal: Are Humans in a Competition for Reality? Join the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program for a conversation with Vera Bergengruen, national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Dr. Alicia Wanless to di...

In case you missed the DC launch, @carnegieendowment.org has you covered with the full video - wherein @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org made the best of introductions and @verambergen.bsky.social adeptly dealt with my lack of answers: carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

U.S. Eyes Striking Venezuelan Military Targets Used for Drug Trafficking If President Trump decides to move forward with airstrikes, the targets would send a clear message to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that it is time to step down, according to U.S. officials.

NEW: The Trump admin has identified targets in Venezuela that include military facilities used to smuggle drugs, U.S. officials say.

If Trump decides to move forward w/ airstrikes, they say, the targets would send a clear message to Maduro that it is time to step down. www.wsj.com/world/americ...

Pentagon Orders National Guard to Establish Quick-Reaction Forces for Civil Unrest, Riots The riot control units are a major shift, underscoring the Trump administration’s push to directly involve the military in responding to demonstrations and other domestic missions.

The Pentagon has ordered the National Guard to create “quick reaction” forces in every state by January that are trained and equipped to respond to riots and civil unrest within the U.S., according to internal DOD memos. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

The Information Animal: Are Humans in a Competition for Reality? Join the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program for a conversation with Vera Bergengruen, national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Dr. Alicia Wanless to di...

Excited to be back at @carnegieendowment.org for this chat with @verambergen.bsky.social about The Information Animal - should be fun! If you’re in DC on November 5, please come.

carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

And with that, see y’all in a couple weeks!

The human-technology relationship has followed a similar pattern since ancient times. Is history doomed to repeat itself?

Join @lageneralista.bsky.social and @verambergen.bsky.social to discuss questions like this – & Alicia’s book!

Nov 5, 4pm EST, hybrid carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

Essay | Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ Aims to Dominate the Americas From attacking drug boats to pressuring Venezuela’s leader, the President is putting the Western Hemisphere at the center of his foreign policy.

In his second term, President Trump is seeking to dominate the Americas with a new "Donroe Doctrine."

Trump’s Immigration Push Diverts U.S. Agents From Drug, Money and Sex-Crime Cases Federal investigators are resigning, and morale is low, as they juggle complex cases and detain migrants.

Thousands of federal agents once tasked with investigating drug smuggling, sexual exploitation and organized crime have been redirected to immigration enforcement.

Hegseth Focuses on Fitness, Even as Pentagon Goes High Tech The emphasis on physical prowess comes as experts say future wars will depend more on cutting-edge technology, precision strikes and AI.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s emphasis on physical prowess comes as experts say future wars will depend more on cutting-edge technology, precision strikes and AI on.wsj.com/3KvrcH1

Trump’s Immigration Push Diverts U.S. Agents From Drug, Money and Sex-Crime Cases Federal investigators are resigning, and morale is low, as they juggle complex cases and detain migrants.

NEW: Thousands of federal agents once tasked with investigating drug smuggling, sexual exploitation, and organized crime have been redirected to immigration enforcement under President Trump’s second-term push to accelerate deportations www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Charlie Kirk’s Death Unites a Global Right That Sees Its Movement Under Siege Conservative leaders from Pretoria to Tokyo framed the killing of the U.S. activist and organizer as proof of an existential threat.

For those not steeped in online conservative circles, Charlie Kirk was hardly a household name outside the U.S. before this past week. But his death has galvanized right-wing figures abroad who have hailed him as a martyr for a global movement.

Latest ⬇️ www.wsj.com/world/charli...

New: Inside the lobbying campaign by Ukraine, European officials and evangelical Christian organizations to bring the Ukrainian children forcibly removed to Russia to Trump’s attention & make their return a demand in peace negotiations

www.wsj.com/world/inside...

Defense Secretary Authorizes National Guard in D.C. to Carry Arms Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard soldiers in Washington to carry weapons, the latest move in President Trump’s efforts to ramp up security in the nation’s capital.

New: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Spotted in Mount Pleasant

Also spotted in DC

Seen on my block in Columbia Heights

Earlier this week, federal agents parked outside a bilingual daycare center near Mount Pleasant, and made arrests. “The staff were terrified. Students were scared. Parents were scared."

Santos said her 5-year-old son “asked if Donald Trump was going to come into his school.”

“ICE is seeking to spend millions of dollars on SUVs and custom, gold-detailed vehicle wraps emblazoned with the words “DEFEND THE HOMELAND,” according to a contractor’s social media post and records that describe the decked-out fleet” www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid Nearly half of the arrests under the security crackdown have been of people in the country illegally.

Of the 465 total arrests from the start of operations in the District of Columbia through Tuesday, roughly 44%, or 206, have been arrests of immigrants in the country illegally, according to a White House official.

www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...

Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid Nearly half of the arrests under the security crackdown have been of people in the country illegally.

Nearly half of the arrests under President Trump’s security crackdown in the nation’s capital have been of people in the country illegally.