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WATCH: US intel’s take on TdA gang misses mark on ties to Maduro regime, ex-Venezuela army officer says

A former high-ranking officer in the Venezuelan military is contesting a recent report by the U.S. intelligence community about the massive Tren de Aragua gang present throughout the country.
Jose Arocha, who is a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan military, told Fox News Digital that the recent intel community report denying Tren de Aragua is linked to the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is missing a key aspect: the socialist regime’s animosity towards the United States and penchant for asymmetric warfare.
Tren de Aragua, also known simply as TdA, is a violent Venezuelan gang that has been terrorizing U.S. cities over the last several years. The group is linked to high-profile murders such as the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and the seizure of an entire apartment building in Aurora, Colorado.
As one of his first moves back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump directed the State Department to designate TdA a «foreign terrorist organization.»
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Jose Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan military (El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images and Center for a Secure Free Society)
Speaking with Fox News Digital via Zoom, Arocha, a national security expert at the Center for a Secure Free Society, said he agrees with the Trump administration’s moves against Tren de Aragua, which he believes is an «asymmetrical warfare» tool of the Maduro regime to sow discord in the United States and other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
«The Maduro regime doesn’t need to send troops to the USA. It sends criminals instead,» he said. «TdA is a plug-and-play insurgency – assembled in prison, deployed abroad.»
Arocha’s statements, however, contrast with a new public memo released by U.S. intelligence agencies last month that denied any solid connection between the Maduro government in Caracas and the gang.
«While Venezuela’s permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States,» the report states.
The report says that the intelligence community based its conclusion «on Venezuelan law enforcement actions demonstrating the regime treats TDA as a threat; an uneasy mix of cooperation and confrontation rather than top-down directives [that] characterize the regime’s ties to other armed groups; and the decentralized makeup of TDA that would make such a relationship logistically challenging.»
Arocha, meanwhile, said that «the missing point here is that the intelligence report is too narrow a lens about the TdA.»
«It’s about crime and migration, but they’re missing the warfare dimension,» he said. «They are missing that for the Maduro regime, the United States is the enemy, has been the enemy for years.»
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President Nicolás Maduro (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
«The TdA is not a gang,» he went on. «It’s the enabler arm of the Venezuelan regime in the hybrid warfare strategy, the asymmetrical tour of war. That’s the missing point. And that is the point that explains how a local gang is right now in more than 10 countries, including the United States. That’s incredible, and that is not possible without a state sponsor behind them.»
While the report points to law enforcement actions the Maduro government has taken against TdA, Arocha explained that in reality Venezuelan prisons, including the «Tocorón» prison where the gang started, are more like resort hotels.
«Tocorón, [which] they said is the epicenter of the crime in Venezuela, it wasn’t a prison, it was a palace for organized crime. Full equipment, we have a zoo, nightclubs and even a pool for the prisoners there,» he said.
Arocha also posited that the 2023 raid the Venezuelan government conducted on Tocorón «appears choreographed» and that key TdA leadership was able to escape through pre-made tunnels.
«While the regime gained optics of cracking down on crime, TdA’s mobility remained intact,» Arocha told Fox News Digital.
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This image shows two Tren de Aragua gang members caught at the southern border. (U.S. Border Patrol)
The intel report admitted that the escaped TdA members were «possibly assisted by low-level Venezuelan military and political leaders.» But to Arocha, the connection goes straight to the top.
He pointed to the kidnapping and murder of Venezuelan political dissident Ronald Ojeda in Chile, which, according to Reuters, is being investigated by the Chilean government as a possible Tren de Aragua operation sponsored by the Maduro government.
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Reuters reported in March that Chilean Attorney General Angel Valencia said that Ojeda’s murder «doesn’t have the characteristics of a normal crime» and «all the evidence we have at this state of the investigation lets us conclude that a cell or group linked to the Tren de Aragua that was politically motivated that originated from an order of a political nature.»
The outlet also reported that the Venezuelan government denied the accusations as baseless.
Arocha further pointed to former Maduro Vice President Tareck El Aissami, who has alleged ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, as evidence that the Venezuelan government is embedded with America’s worst enemies.
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In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort the inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT on March 16, 2025, in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)
El Aissami was arrested on corruption charges and is currently in prison.
«He has a strong influence with Iran and China and Russia, too. Right now, he’s in prison, which means that he’s living in the palace in prison,» Arocha remarked, smiling.
«The Venezuelan regime is a proxy of Russia, China and Iran, especially China right now,» he went on. «They use Venezuela [to] create chaos in Latin America especially … not confronting directly the United States, but indirectly, using criminals, using disinformation, using every single tool they have.»
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In response, Arocha urged the Trump administration to continue to take a whole-of-government approach in combating TdA. He urged the administration to «increase our scope» by reaching out to Latin American countries with experience with TdA, such as the Chilean government.
«They have a knowledge right now about the TdA. We have to understand what they’ve learned about, and we have to put all the pieces together to have the big picture instead of the local one,» he said. «And then I’m very sure that we are going to realize the missing and the main link is in Caracas.»
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Immigration,Terrorism,Venezuelan Political Crisis,Narco-Terror,Foreign Policy,Latin America
INTERNACIONAL
Pentagon unveils $961B budget request: Fund for Golden Dome, missiles and drones, fewer F-35 jets

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The Pentagon unveiled details of its $961 billion budget request on Thursday, a budget roadmap that may deprioritize new F-35 fighter jets in favor of next-generation aircraft and drones.
The budget would reach that figure through $848.3 billion in its discretionary defense budget and an additional $113 billion through reconciliation, the «One Big Beautiful Bill» the Trump administration is trying to muscle through Congress right now.
The parallel budget requests include $25 billion for Golden Dome, President Donald Trump’s homeland missile defense initiative.
And as the Trump administration moves forward with the Air Force’s 6th-gen fighter jet, dubbed the F-47, the budget calls for a reduction in the next purchase of F-35s from 74 to 47. It requests $3.4 billion for the F-47 program.
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Defense budget prioritizes drones and missiles while cutting F-35 orders from 74 to 47. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alora R. Blosch)
Officials are still unsure whether the Navy’s next-gen fighter jet, F/A-XX, will move forward.
«Waiting for a decision from the secretary of the Navy, secretary of defense, and the president,» a defense official told reporters. «That’s an active conversation, whether to continue with the program or not.»
The program will proceed right now with «minimal funding» for design, the official said.
Asked whether other service branches may get a different variant of the F-47 instead of entirely separate programs, the official said the idea is under consideration.
«I would say pretty much everything is under consideration to get the [tactical] air capability that our war fighters need as quickly as possible, and that’s really what we’re looking at the most, is the schedule of all these programs.»
The budget requests funding for three new Navy ships through the discretionary request and another 16 through the reconciliation request.
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The budget boosts spending on low-cost small drones, which have proven effective in the war between Russia and Ukraine. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
The proposed budget seeks $197.4 billion for the Army, $292.2 billion for the Navy, $301.1 billion for the Air Force and $170.9 billion defense-wide. In the Air Force budget request is $40 billion for Space Force, a 30% increase from fiscal year 2025.
The unusual budget structure, which officials classify as «one budget, two bills,» is part of a broader $1 trillion defense strategy when combined with national security spending at the Department of Energy. Administration officials have been working overtime to convince lawmakers to pass the One Big Beautiful bill by July 4.
The budget asks for a 3.8% pay raise for troops, and it reveals plans to cut its civilian employee workforce by 7,286 people.
The Pentagon plans to continue to invest in munitions and weapons systems: the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range and Long Range Anti-Ship missile, which have longer ranges and may be more effective in the Pacific – but it seeks far fewer Precision Strike Missiles.
The budget boosts spending on low-cost small drones which have proven effective in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In an ideal world, Congress would pass 12 separate appropriations bills before the start of the fiscal year on October 1. But in recent years, it has often punted the headache down the road. (Reuters/Al Drago)
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The E-7 radar plane will be cut, the senior defense official confirmed, «due to significant delays with cost increases from $588 million to $724 million per aircraft and survivability concerns in this contested environment.»
In an ideal world, Congress would pass 12 separate appropriations bills before the start of the fiscal year on October 1. But in recent years, it has often punted the headache down the road with continuing resolutions, or bills that temporarily fund the government at the previous year’s levels, and omnibuses, sprawling bills that contain funding for all 12 agencies in one up-or-down vote.
INTERNACIONAL
Todo sobre el casamiento de Jeff Bezos: una desmesura VIP con doble de cuerpo incluido y un muñeco flotando en el Gran Canal

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Landsgemeinde, la democracia a mano alzada que resiste en los Alpes

En el cantón suizo de Glarus, el sistema Landsgemeinde representa una de las formas de democracia directa más antiguas del mundo que aún siguen en práctica. Según National Geographic, esta tradición se remonta a la época medieval y superó los 700 años de vigencia, manteniéndose como una de las señas de identidad de la vida política y social local.
La Landsgemeinde, cuyo nombre significa “asamblea comunitaria cantonal” en alemán, se desarrolla anualmente en la plaza principal de la localidad de Glarus, situada al pie de los Alpes. En esta jornada, que normalmente ocurre el primer domingo de mayo, los ciudadanos se congregan para decidir de manera pública sobre cuestiones legales y administrativas clave. Este método ancestral de votación, que ha sobrevivido a los cambios tecnológicos y a la modernización de los procesos electorales, sustituye las urnas y boletas por una votación a mano alzada frente a todos los presentes.
De acuerdo con National Geographic, solo dos cantones suizos conservan el Landsgemeinde: Glarus y Appenzell Innerrhoden. En Glarus, con una población cercana a los 41.000 habitantes, la costumbre de la asamblea se considera una herramienta central para buscar acuerdos en comunidad. El objetivo es hallar soluciones que, según la fórmula local, sean “un poco satisfactorias para todos y un poco insatisfactorias para todos”, favoreciendo el consenso y la tolerancia.
El desarrollo de la sesión está a cargo del funcionario principal, conocido como Landammann, quien dirige los debates y verifica visualmente, desde un estrado de madera, la cantidad de votos que apoyan o rechazan cada propuesta en discusión.

En el cantón de Glarus, el Landsgemeinde no solo permite la votación pública a mano alzada, sino que habilita a cualquier ciudadano con derecho a voto a proponer iniciativas —siempre que estas no contravengan la ley—. El proceso requiere que al menos 10 de los 60 parlamentarios cantonales respalden la iniciativa para que la propuesta avance al debate general en la asamblea.
Lo que hace especial este sistema, según palabras de sus protagonistas y autoridades como el Landammann Kaspar Becker, es la centralidad del compromiso y la búsqueda del consenso. La transparencia es absoluta: cada postura queda expuesta ante la comunidad, fomentando el respeto mutuo. Liderazgos políticos y ciudadanos sostienen que esta apertura alimenta un entorno social donde cada opinión puede ser defendida en público, y las diferencias de criterio no desembocan en enfrentamientos, sino en la aceptación plural.
Eva-Marie Kreis, concejala de Gemeinde Glarus y vicepresidenta del Partido Verde, comentó a National Geographic: “No importa que la gente sepa cómo voto, porque quiero que me respeten tal como soy. Y ese es el ADN de nuestro sistema político y democrático: que cada persona sea respetada tal como es”.
La experiencia ha demostrado que la democracia directa en Glarus −alejada de sistemas de votación secreta y burocratización− refuerza la participación voluntaria y la responsabilidad individual frente al colectivo. Aunque menos del 20% del censo asiste habitualmente, la decisión compartida y visible cultiva una noción de lo público difícil de replicar en otras escalas.
La naturaleza del modelo disuade, en la práctica, la imposición de grandes mayorías sobre minorías, favoreciendo acuerdos que, como señala la cultura local, son “un poco satisfactorios para todos y un poco insatisfactorios para todos”. No obstante, según Kreis, el sistema electoral de Glarus es clave para que la ciudad se haya convertido en un centro de política progresista. “Cuando la gente sabe lo que haces, votan más por lo que funciona para todos”, afirmó.

El sistema Landsgemeinde de Glarus ha sido escenario de decisiones innovadoras y reformas políticas que reflejan tanto el espíritu de adaptación como la voluntad mayoritaria de la comunidad. A lo largo de su historia reciente, destacan algunos hitos que posicionan a Glarus como referente en materia de progresismo dentro del contexto suizo.
En 2007, los ciudadanos de Glarus votaron para reducir la edad mínima para votar de 18 a 16 años, convirtiéndose en el único cantón en Suiza que permite ejercer el sufragio antes de la mayoría de edad. Esta decisión no solo subraya el compromiso con la inclusión de juventud en los procesos cívicos, sino que marca una diferencia respecto a la política nacional.
En el plano ambiental, el Landsgemeinde también ha dado pasos pioneros. En 2021, el parlamento cantonal endureció la Ley de Energía local, prohibiendo la instalación de sistemas de calefacción con combustibles fósiles en edificaciones nuevas. Este ajuste normativo convirtió a la ley energética de Glarus en una de las más avanzadas y restrictivas de toda Suiza.

Uno de los principales desafíos radica en la estimación visual de los votos: el Landammann debe decidir cuál opción es apoyada por más manos alzadas, un método sujeto a errores, sobre todo en votaciones ajustadas.
Además, la participación efectiva de la población es relativamente baja; menos del 20% de los ciudadanos habilitados acude a votar en la plaza, y la presencia física es esencial para incidir. Esto genera cuestionamientos sobre el alcance real de la representatividad de las decisiones adoptadas.
El derecho de palabra en la asamblea también tiene restricciones, ya que el tiempo otorgado para intervenir es limitado, lo que puede dejar propuestas sin exposición completa ante la asamblea. Un ejemplo reciente fue el de Nils Landolt, quien no logró terminar su defensa de una iniciativa educativa antes de ser interrumpido, lo que le dejó una sensación de frustración pese al orgullo de participar.
Finalmente, el carácter público de la votación, si bien valora la transparencia, puede influir sobre la libertad individual: todos pueden ver cómo vota cada quien, lo que en contextos más polarizados podría implicar presiones sociales. Lo que le dejó una sensación de frustración pese al orgullo de participar.
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