Opposition leader says humanitarian aid finally made it into Venezuela


Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido announced Monday evening that despite a military blockade, he was able to get some humanitarian aid into the country.
People in Venezuela are experiencing food shortages and going without medicine and basic necessities, but President Nicolas Maduro ordered the military to put barricades up on the bridge linking Venezuela to Colombia in order to keep humanitarian aid out; he said Venezuelans aren't "beggars," and this is an attempt to undermine his presidency. For several days, the United States and other countries have been sending aid to the border town of Cucuta, Colombia.
Guaido says that last year's presidential election was a sham, and he is the legitimate leader; the United States and dozens of other countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's president. He didn't reveal how he was able to get the aid, which included nutritional supplements, or where it came from, but did say Maduro was committing a "crime against humanity" by not letting letting aid across the border.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland