This is CBSI and the world.

I'm John Batscher.

I welcome Mary Anastasia,

greatly to the America's columnist for the Wall Street Journal editorial page.

It helped with two stories, neighboring countries, and both in shadows.

Colombia and Venezuela.

Venezuela first.

In the middle of July, you will note that there was a news

item that 10 Americans were freed by the Maduro regime regarded as illegitimate since the

cooked election of 2024. In exchange, we were told for more than 200 Venezuelans held in El Salvador

who had been deported by the United States and were

suspect gang members. However, the rest of the story may be Chevron, the very large global

conglomerate oil company that has interests in Venezuela, Long has had those interests.

Mary, a very good evening to you. There's no

immediate connecting the dot, but it does appear after the release of the hostages announced

by the Secretary of State, for example, 10 Americans freed by Venezuela in a prisoner swap.

There was more to this swap in terms of a conversation between Washington and Caracas, because now we have the news that the Chevron company will be permitted again to pump oil and to sell oil out of Venezuela, which in your column you identified is a big plus for a regime that is otherwise regarded as

unacceptable. However, I'm not saying the dots connect. I'm just puzzling as you do, Mary,

in your column. Do we understand what the Trump administration policy is towards Venezuela? Good

evening to you. Well, good evening, John. You know, when you looked at that deal, you kind of had to ask yourself, what did Venezuela

get out of this? They released 10 Americans and then these 200 Venezuelans, which were

held in El Salvador, were put back in Venezuela, which was also something that Trump

...