Photo by Andrea Pavlish | The Doane Owl
As the truth of what’s really happening in our world becomes more and more obscure, Dr. Tim Hill and Professor Carlos Rivera-Morales cleared up some confusion about U.S.-Venezuela relations and other recent political events at “What’s Happening in Washington?” on Thursday, Jan. 29, in East/West Dining.
With the Jan. 3 military strike on Venezuela, people are beginning to ask questions about why the government chose this line of action. Professor Rivera-Morales explained that over 100 people have been killed by these strikes that began back in September 2025, although not officially named until November 2025: Operation Absolute Resolve. After Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro’s capture, Trump has said that the U.S. will “run Venezuela” indefinitely until a formal transition of power. While this is only a small snippet of the magnitude of the situation(s) that the U.S. has been involved in as of late, both professors aimed to answer questions about this conflict.
After Professor Rivera-Morales elaborated on the state of US-Venezuelan relations, as well as some added background information on the South American country, Dr. Hill opened up the floor to questions about other current events, such as what’s happening in Minneapolis or the Epstein Files, while also continuing to add commentary on the Venezuela situation.
Events like this aim to create a more politically educated population and answer any questions that you may have about world or even local events and what they mean for us.
