US escalation with Maduro halts deportation flights to Venezuela

Recent U.S. military escalations involving Venezuela have halted flights carrying unlawful migrants from the United States back to the South American country, Venezuela's foreign ministry said, prompting criticism from anti-intervention voices.

PresidentDonald Trumpwarned pilots Saturday that the airspace "above and surrounding" Venezuela should be "closed in its entirety" as his administration weighs potential strikes on targets in and around Caracas.

"Through this action, the United States government has unilaterally suspended the Venezuelan migrant flights that were being carried out regularly and weekly as part of the repatriation of Venezuelans through the Plan Vuelta a la Patria (Return to the Homeland Plan)," the ministry said in a statement.

The deportation flights had been one of the only areas of cooperation between Washington and the government ofNicolás Maduro. Venezuelan officials say nearly 14,000 nationals have been returned on twice-weekly charter flights in recent months.

Venezuela Agrees To Resume Deportation Flights In Response To Pressure From Trump

At the same time, the Trump administration has continued moving forward with plans to end temporary protected status for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.

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"Genius. Enough with this immigration enforcement nonsense. Let's get back to True MAGA — neocon wars that exacerbate and cause migration crises. About darn time," said Curt Mills, executive editor of The American Conservative, criticizing the shift toward military action.

So far, U.S. strikes have targeted alleged narco-traffickers operating in theCaribbean near Venezuela. But officials have signaled that operations could expand to land-based targets as Washington increases pressure on Maduro to relinquish power.

Venezuela Will Face 'Severe, And Escalating Sanctions' If It Doesn't Accept Its Citizens, Rubio Says

Dozens of U.S. bombers have deployed to the region alongside the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, underscoring the scale of the buildup. With U.S. bombers and the Ford already positioned in the region, much of the world is waiting to see whether Trump will green-light the next phase ofstrikes against Venezuelan targets.

Trump confirmed he spoke with Maduro by phone recently.

"I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call," he told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday.

Trump presented Maduro with an ultimatum — step down or face potential U.S. military action. Maduro, theMiami Herald reported,sought global amnesty for himself, demanded to retain control of the military and resisted an immediate exit from power.

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Restraint-minded foreign policy analysts have sounded the alarm against a regime-change-driven intervention in Venezuela, arguing such a move could make migration patterns worse.

"Escalatory dynamics could trigger regional instability and hostility, with migration flows among the most predictable consequences," a report by Stimson Center analysts Evan Cooper and Alessandro Perri claimed. "Absent a credible transition structure inside Venezuela, external pressure is far more likely to deepen chaos — driving more Venezuelans to flee — than to produce political change."

Analysts in the libertarian foreign-policy space have issued similar warnings.

Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, argued that "U.S. militarized pressure on Venezuela is far more likely to worsen instability than to produce meaningful political change," adding that history shows "coercion in Venezuela leads to unpredictable outcomes and episodes of mass flight."

"Escalation without a stable political alternative inside Venezuela risks accelerating the very migration pressures Washington is trying to contain," said George A. López, a senior analyst at the Quincy Institute.

Original article source:US escalation with Maduro halts deportation flights to Venezuela

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 02, 2025

US escalation with Maduro halts deportation flights to Venezuela

Recent U.S. military escalations involving Venezuela have halted flights carrying unlawful migrants from the United State...

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‘Like a tsunami’: Asia reels from deadly cyclones and monsoon rains

Wassana Suthi spent last week trying to keep a nursing home running as the floodwaters rose around her in the southern Thai city of Hat Yai, cutting the home off from outside help, bar one helicopter dropping supplies on the roof.

Hat Yai city is one of hundreds of communities reeling from a combination of cyclonic storms and monsoon rains that have unleashed deadly flooding and landslides from Indonesia to Sri Lanka.

At least 1,250 people have been reported dead across the region, according to a CNN tally of national disaster agencies. Hundreds are still missing, and more than one million are displaced.

As rescuers dig through mud and debris and battle to restore links to communities cut off by the destruction, authorities say the death toll may rise.

Hat Yai, a major transport and trade hub in Thailand's Songkhla province, saw floodwaters as high as eight feet surge through its streets. The deluge left Suthi, her husband and 10 staff and patients – some of whom are bed-ridden – trapped inside, fearing the worst.

"It rained so much that you couldn't leave the house," said Suthi.

First, the rains flooded the ground floor, forcing Suthi and her husband to move their panicked residents upstairs. Then the flooding cut off the mains electricity supply, forcing them to switch to batteries to run the remaining oxygen tanks she had left.

Like others in Hat Yai, Suthi and her staff worked by candlelight for days to try and keep things running.

From the menacing, laden skies above, a Thai Army helicopter dropped food supplies onto their roof, their only contact with outsiders through the flooding ordeal.

When the waters finally receded over the weekend, they left behind streets slick with mud and with debris strewn everywhere.

"When I saw people on the street lining up to get food, some people were looking for their lost relatives, cars were left abandoned on the streets. It was almost like a movie scene like an apocalypse," Suthi said.

She and her staff are kept busy cleaning the debris, but one main worry preoccupies her.

"I am now more concerned about liquid food for my patients. Since we have to feed them through the noses, it is so difficult to find them (the liquid supplies) in my area right now."

Most of the 181 deaths Thailand has reported from the floods occurred in Hat Yai's Songkhla province.

Hundreds missing in floodwaters

Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have also reportedmassive impactfrom the rains.

In Indonesia, 744 people were killed and 551 remain missing after Cyclone Senyar caused catastrophic landslides and flooding on Sumatra, an island renowned for its lush rainforests, active volcanoes and a critically endangered orangutan population.

Almost a thousand miles away on the other side of the Indian Ocean, the island of Sri Lanka is reeling from another cyclone, Ditwah, which brought the country's worst floods in a decade, Reuters reported.

Across the island famed for its beaches and popular with foreign tourists, the death toll has risen to 410 people, with 336 missing, according to the country's Disaster Management Center.

Military helicopters and ships have been deployed from neighboring India to assist in rescue operations and to distribute humanitarian supplies, India's foreign affairs ministry said on Monday.

Its Air Force had rescued nationals of Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the statement said.

Indian arch-rival Pakistan has also dispatched a team from its military to assist in rescue efforts in Sri Lanka, according to Islamabad's National Disaster Management Authority.

Back in Thailand, Suthi is left to pick up the pieces and wonder how bad next season's rains could get.

"It was never this severe. But this year, everyone is saying the same thing: it was like a tsunami."

CNN's Sophia Saifi in Islamabad and Esha Mitra in New Delhi contributed reporting.

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byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 02, 2025

‘Like a tsunami’: Asia reels from deadly cyclones and monsoon rains

Wassana Suthi spent last week trying to keep a nursing home running as the floodwaters rose around her in the southern Thai city of Hat Yai...

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Texas college student Brianna Aguilera found dead after football game as heartbroken mother demands answers

The mother of a Texas college student is desperately searching for answers after her daughter was found dead near campus after attending a tailgate, according to reports and authorities.

Brianna Aguilera, a 19-year-old student at Texas A&M University, was discovered dead outside an apartment complex around 1 a.m. Saturday, just hours after she attended a tailgate for Texas A&M's football game against the University of Texas,KSAT reported.

Aguilera's mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, told the outlet that she has received inconsistent answers from the Austin Police Department after investigators said Aguilera likely died by suicide.

Detectives told her she had fallen from 17 floors, the mother recalled.

"There are a lot of inconsistencies with the story," Rodriguez said. "He told me they said she jumped, and then he told me that the friends said they didn't know her whereabouts."

The heartbroken mother said her daughter, a sophomore at the university, was not suicidal and was looking forward to her future as a lawyer.

Rodriguez called police after her daughter did not answer her phone after Friday's game, noting she saw Aguilera's phone pinging in Austin.

Cops then instructed her to wait 24 hours before filing a missing persons report, the outlet reported.

Officers later found Aguilera's cellphone on Saturday. However, Rodriguez was not told until 4 p.m. that day that her daughter was in the morgue, the mother recalled.

Rodriguez believes something more sinister could have been at play leading up to the fatal fall.

She maintained that one of the 15 people inside the apartment must know something about her daughter's death.

"There was a fight that happened between my daughter and another girl, and they were all staying in the same apartment that I have actual text messages of, and the detective just disregarded them," Rodriguez said.

Austin police said Aguilera's death is not being investigated as a homicide, as the investigation has not revealed any suspicious details, the outlet reported.

The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the aspiring lawyer's cause of death.

Aguilera hailed from Laredo, where she attended United High School. She was a "seasoned cheerleader" and received magna cum laude honors before graduating high school, according to a GoFundMe organized for her loved ones.

"She was pursuing her dream of becoming a lawyer and was attending The Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M," the statement continued.

"The details surrounding what happened next remain unclear, and her mother is still awaiting answers," the fundraiser continued.

The GoFundMe has since raised over $28,000, more than double its $12,000 goal.

"Im so grateful for your love and support at this moment. The unexpected loss of my brie brie has been a tremendous challenge, but I find strength in the outpouring of kindness," Rodriguez said in a Monday message to the hordes of supporters.

"I've experienced every parent's worst fear, but I'm comforted by the knowledge that my brie brie touched so many hearts."

Texas A&M University did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 02, 2025

Texas college student Brianna Aguilera found dead after football game as heartbroken mother demands answers

The mother of a Texas college student is desperately searching for answers after her daughter was found dead near campus after attending a ...

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The 12-team College Football Playoff was supposed to eliminate chaos. Whoops.

When the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday night, only one thing is for certain: People are going to be angry.

Since its inception in 2014, the CFP was meant to bring order and stability after the nebulous Bowl Championship System relied on a stew of polls and computer rankings to determine a national championship game. The playoff was supposed to bring a more traditional championship structure to college football, beginning with the four-team bracket in 2014 before it switched to the current 12-team format last season.

Except ... even with the expanded field, the decisions of the rotating 13-member committee have created a new set of problems — most notably, schools every year complaining vociferously about their exclusion.

This season is shaping up to be no different. With only the conference championship games left, Tuesday's rankings should reveal where the playoff is headed before the 12-team field is set on Sunday. Here are the biggest issues headed into the second-to-last rankings.

Miami vs. Notre Dame

The rivalry affectionately (and, uh, problematically) referred to as "Catholics vs. Convicts" has been as hot off the field as on it this season. In Week 1, the Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish 27-24 on a late field goal. Miami had built a 21-7 lead before a furious comeback by Notre Dame.

The problem for the Hurricanes? Since the first ranking was released on Nov. 4, Miami has been rankedbehindNotre Dame every week. And it hasn't been close. The Hurricanes went from unranked to 15th to 12th to 11th before Tuesday. Meanwhile, after having started 10th, the Fighting Irish have been cruising at ninth the last three weeks.

That has happened even though the teams sport the same record (10-2) and Miami owns a head-to-head win. What has hurt the Hurricanes are their losses to SMU and Louisville, two schools the committee seems not to hold in high regard. To many, it seems as though Notre Dame is getting more credit for losing to Miami than the Hurricanes are getting for beating the Fighting Irish. (Notre Dame's other loss was a one-point defeat to then-No. 3 Texas A&M in Week 2. The Fighting Irish have won 10 in a row.)

After a win over Pittsburgh to end the regular season, Miami coach Mario Cristobal made it clear what he believes should separate his team from Notre Dame.

"You know what's the best part about football?" Cristobal said. "You get to settle it on the field, where head-to-head is always the No. 1 criteria for anything regarding athletics and football."

We'll see whether the committee feels the same way!

Don't forget those pesky auto-bids

The 12-team bracket was designed to fix hurt feelings by creating an automatic bid system for the five highest-ranked conference champions. That was clearly created to protect the Power Five schools, especially teams in the Big 12, the Pac-12 and the ACC, who were constantly concerned about SEC and Big Ten bias.

Of course, the automatic bids have set off a new round of chaos.

The first problem was when the Power Five became the Power Four after the Pac-12 almost entirely disbanded at the end of the 2024 season. The result is four unwieldy conferences with unbalanced schedules that make teams incredibly difficult to compare with one another.

Meanwhile, the ACC's byzantine conference tiebreaker system is playing a massive role this season. Duke is 7-5 but will play in the conference championship game over Miami, the highest-ranked ACC team in the CFP field. If the Blue Devils defeat Virginia in the ACC title game, there's a good chance the ACC is left out of the CFP fieldentirely. The committee is required to take the five highest-ranked conference champs ... which means the Sun Belt Conference's James Madison (11-1) could ultimately squeak in over the Hurricanes.

Ole Miss is definitely in, though, right?

It would be shocking if the committee added insult to injury and kept the Rebels out of the playoff after the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin, wholeft the school high and dryto take the same job at LSU.

Ole Miss is 11-1 and enters Tuesday seventh in the CFP rankings. But the committee has set a precedent that a team like the Rebels could be dropped from the field.

In 2023, Florida State was excluded from the four-team playoff even though it completed a 13-0 season and won the ACC. The main reason given was a season-ending injury to quarterback Jordan Travis, which he suffered during the ACC title game, with the committee saying that made the Seminoles "a different team."

The committee opted to put Alabama in over Florida State, a decision that drew widespread criticism. It would be shocking to see the same thing happen to Ole Miss, but if several coaches leave with Kiffin, is that all that different from why Florida State was left out a couple of years ago?

At least the conference championship games still matter?

In another world, this Saturday's Big Ten championship game between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana would be incredibly dramatic. In the BCS era, it would be a pseudo-semifinal. In the four-team era, it could knock one of the schools out of the playoff field.

The stakes are much lower this year, though, as both schools are all but assured of playoff spots regardless of the outcome.

The Big 12 (No. 11 BYU vs. No. 5 Texas Tech) and the SEC (No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 10 Alabama) could certainly prove to be consequential. But they carry different weights in the expanded field.

The field, by the way, is expected to expand even more beginning next season. Expect the complaints to grow along with it.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 02, 2025

The 12-team College Football Playoff was supposed to eliminate chaos. Whoops.

When the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday night, only one thing is for certain: People are going to be an...

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Russian skiers and snowboarders win CAS ruling to try to qualify for Winter Olympics in Italy

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russian skiers and snowboarderswon a court rulingon Tuesday to apply as neutral athletes for qualification events to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after nearly four years of being excluded during the war on Ukraine.

Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov posted on social media that an appeal from Russia to the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a blanket ban imposed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) within days of the full military invasion in February 2022. FIS renewed the ban in October.

CAS later published its ruling in another legal win for Russian and Belarusian winter sports athletes.

In October, asimilar appeal to CASby the Russian luge federation and athletes ruled against a long-standing blanket ban based on their passports.

Sports bodies have excluded Russians mainly for security reasons to protect athletes and prevent protests that also could disrupt the field of play.

Still, there is little time for FIS to process applications from athletes to be approved with neutral status ahead of a Jan. 18 qualification deadline. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 6.

Neutral status can be approved in most sports, following International Olympic Committee guidance, for athletes who have not publicly supported the military invasion of Ukraine and do not have ties to military or state security agencies.

Russian athletes and team officials also face challenges getting visas to enter some countries that host qualifying events such as on the World Cup circuit in Alpine, cross-country and freestyle skiing, and snowboarding.

FIS runs almost half of the entire Winter Games program — 57 of 116 gold medal events.

CAS said its judges gave an urgent ruling combining separate appeals that Russian and Belarusian athletes who meet eligibility standards set by FIS should be allowed to enter international events.

"Both panels (of judges) found that the FIS statutes protect individuals from discrimination and require the FIS to be politically neutral," the Lausanne-based court said in a statement.

Some Russian and Belarusian athletes competed at the Paris Summer Games last year without their national identity of flag, anthem and team colors. Both countries were banned from team sports.

The IOC must also assess the neutral status of Russian and Belarusian athletes before inviting them to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

Two Russian figure skaters and one from Belarus wereinvited to the Olympics by the IOClast week.

Degtyaryov has said he expects as few as 15 Russian athletes to compete at the Winter Games.

AP Winter Olympics athttps://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 02, 2025

Russian skiers and snowboarders win CAS ruling to try to qualify for Winter Olympics in Italy

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russian skiers and snowboarderswon a court rulingon Tuesday to apply as neutral athletes for...

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NBA Cup bracket, schedule: What to know ahead of the knockout rounds

The NBA Cup has run through its group stage. Now, only eight teams remain, and we're bursting into the quarterfinals to determine the third annual in-season tournament winner.

With over half a million dollars on the line for each player on the winning team, you know that most squads still in the running will be putting their best foot forward in an effort to earn that payday. So, will it be one of the surprise teams paving their way to an NBA Cup title, or will one of the league's juggernauts like theOklahoma City Thunder,Los Angeles LakersorNew York Knicksemerge victorious?

Here's everything to know heading into the knockout rounds:

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Final NBA Cup group play standings

*- indicates a team that advanced to the quarterfinals

East Group A

1. Toronto Raptors (4-0)*

2. Atlanta Hawks (2-2)

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2)

4. Indiana Pacers (1-3)

5. Washington Wizards (1-3)

East Group B

1. Orlando Magic (4-0)*

2. Boston Celtics (2-2)

3. Detroit Pistons (2-2)

4. Philadelphia 76ers (1-3)

5. Brooklyn Nets (1-3)

East Group C

1. New York Knicks (3-1)*

2. Miami Heat (3-1)*

3. Milwaukee Bucks (2-2)

4. Charlotte Hornets (1-3)

5. Chicago Bulls (1-3)

West Group A

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)*

2. Phoenix Suns (3-1)*

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)

4. Utah Jazz (1-3)

5. Sacramento Kings (0-4)

West Group B

1. Los Angeles Lakers (4-0)*

2. Memphis Grizzlies (3-1)

3. Los Angeles Clippers (2-2)

4. Dallas Mavericks (1-3)

5. New Orleans Pelicans (0-4)

West Group C

1. San Antonio Spurs (3-1)*

2. Denver Nuggets (2-2)

3. Houston Rockets (2-2)

4. Portland Trail Blazers (2-2)

5. Golden State Warriors (1-3)

NBA Cup knockout stage schedule

*All knockout stage games will stream on Amazon Prime

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Dec. 9

• Miami Heat at Orlando Magic, 6 p.m. ET

• New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors, 8:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, Dec. 10

• Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. ET

• San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET

Semifinals

• Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET

• Saturday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET

Finals

• Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NBA Cup updated bracket, schedule for knockout rounds

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 02, 2025

NBA Cup bracket, schedule: What to know ahead of the knockout rounds

The NBA Cup has run through its group stage. Now, only eight teams remain, and we're bursting into the quarterfina...

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Will Stein grew up 'die-hard' Kentucky fan. Now, Oregon OC will coach Wildcats, report

Fewer than 24 hours after firing 13-year head coachMark Stoops, Kentuckyreportedly named his replacement Dec. 1.

Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, a Louisville alum, will be taking the reins in Lexington as a first-time head coach,per a report from ESPN.He will take over a 5-7 Wildcats team that just lost 41-0 to Stein's alma mater, as he attempts to right the ship.

Stoops was the all-time winningest coach at Kentucky, racking up 82 wins. He barely finished his career there above .500, going 82-80 in that span. Kentucky missed bowl games in consecutive years for the first time in 10 seasons, exacerbating the urgency to show Stoops the door.

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The timing of firing Stoops was puzzling, with Jon Sumrall accepting the Florida job earlier on Nov. 30. Sumrall, who played at Kentucky, was a popular name being tied to the job as an alum. But the subsequent timing of Stein's hiring indicates he was a priority target for Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart and the Kentucky brass.

Oregon is preparing to likely host a first round game at Autzen Stadium in the College Football Playoff. However, in another interesting wrinkle, Stein will get to do what Lane Kiffin could not for Mississippi: coach his 2025 team with a new destination in 2026 set,per Thamel.

The seeds for Stein to Kentucky have been cultivated for over a year.

"I grew up a die-hard Cats fan, actually. My dad played there, so I went to every game at Commonwealth Stadium. I grew up in really SEC football,"Stein said ahead of the 2024 season, per On3.

Now, Stein will have an opportunity to prove he can thrive in SEC football as well, as he looks to do what Clark Lea has done at Vanderbilt and help one of the more difficult jobs in the conference turn things around.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Kentucky to hire Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein as new head coach

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

Will Stein grew up 'die-hard' Kentucky fan. Now, Oregon OC will coach Wildcats, report

Fewer than 24 hours after firing 13-year head coachMark Stoops, Kentuckyreportedly named his replacement Dec. 1. ...

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