🇻🇪 The US Has Collected $13 Billion of Venezuela’s Oil Money and Won’t Say Where It Went
The Trump administration has collected more than $13 billion from Venezuelan oil sales this year but has said almost nothing about what happened to the money, according to a Financial Times investigation that cited Kpler shipping data and Argus pricing. The report follows the June 24 twin earthquakes in the country, which the UN estimates caused $37 billion in damage.
🔸 Little appears to be reaching Caracas. The government’s own tracking website lists a single transfer of $300 million in March. First-quarter growth came in at 2.5%, the lowest in nearly five years.
🔸 Washington seized Venezuela’s oil exports after capturing President Nicolás Maduro in January and installing Delcy Rodríguez as leader. Oil is roughly a quarter of the country’s GDP
🔸 The administration’s story keeps changing, the report says. The January executive order called the US role “custodial,” with the money remaining Venezuelan property. The Energy Department said it would be spent for the benefit of “the American people and the Venezuelan people.” Trump said the revenues “will be controlled by me,” and later that the US had recovered the cost of the invasion “28 times” and is “making a lot of money, too.”
🔸 US officials acknowledge the funds are leverage. “It’s their money but they have to get our permission,” a senior State Department official told Congress. The arrangement lets Washington govern Venezuela through its own installed leadership
🔸 Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said the invasion “has been about oil, power and graft from the very beginning,” with Congress “kept in the dark.”
Not enough people remember this. Infantino hand selected Inter Miami to participate in the Club World Cup. Not the MLS champions, but Inter Miami.
They’re the only team that didn’t have to qualify
🚨🗣 Egypt's Coach Hossam Hassan couldn't control himself after full-time:
"I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence, this was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it"
"And I want to say one more thing, if they want them [Argentina] to win so bad, why call everyone to come and participate?"
Either the rule is mild contact is to be expected and so Egypt’s goal is valid and this is not a penalty OR all contact leads to a foul, in which case this is a penalty and Egypt’s goal was invalid.
The rule can’t be “a foul is whatever fills Gianni Infantino’s pockets more”
🚨🇧🇷 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥: João Pedro, who recorded 20 goals and 6 assists in the Premier League this season, was left out of Brazil's World Cup squad so Neymar could go instead.
Neymar ended up playing just around 40 minutes in total.
Igor Thiago started Brazil's first game against Egypt, was used as a 2nd-half sub in the second game against Morocco, and hasn't appeared again. That's 3 straight games on the bench without seeing a second.
Now, tell me if João Pedro wouldn't have done a lot more than this guy.