This is CBS. I on the world. I'm John Batchel. I welcome my good colleague, Mary Kissel,

Executive Vice President Stevens, Inc. Long, the assistant to the senior assistant to the

Secretary of State traveling in the trumpet first term.

And before that, many years in Asia, with the Wall Street Journal editorial page,

traveling the rise of the miracle of China.

We begin, however, with the State Department's attention to none of the above,

Venezuela,

much in the news these last days, including a phone call, we're told, without a readout

of the President of the United States to the illegitimate dictator of Venezuela, a man by the

name Maduro, who inherited his brutality from a man named Chavez, who died of cancer

very early in life. Maduro has maintained his authority with thuggery, theft, and the help of

outsiders such as Moscow and Beijing. He also has Cuba to thank because I'm told over the years Cuban

state security was a big part of his enforcement, so much so that 7 to 9 million

Venezuelans have fled the country to Brazil, to Colombia, some to the United States.

I know all this because I routinely every week interview one of the

opposition figures who was jailed in the first mass arrest by Maduro after the stolen election

of 2024. There was a momentary amnesty and my colleague, Alejandro Pina Esclusa, bugged out smartly and is in Europe.

However, there is good news, and the good news includes that in these next days,

Maria Karina Machado, the leader of the opposition, will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. And I think all of

Venezuela that's not tied down will be there. It will be quite a celebration. However, none of the

above is the immediate concern I need attended to by Mary. It's how State Department approaches

a matter where there's a fleet gathered off the coast of Venezuela,

...