Venezuela released U.S. Air Force veteran Joseph St. Clair on Tuesday in a bid to ease tensions with the United States.

St. Clair, 33, boarded a private chartered flight in Antigua and Barbuda and arrived in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. Richard Grenell, the U.S. envoy for special missions, oversaw the handoff between Venezuelan and U.S. authorities.

Nine other Americans remain in Venezuelan custody. St. Clair and eight of the remaining prisoners were declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department on March 3. The ninth is expected to be designated wrongfully detained soon, WSJ reports.

“Joe St. Clair is back in America,” Grenell posted to social media along with photos of himself and the Air Force veteran. “I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. This is only possible because @realDonaldTrump puts Americans first.”

Joe St. Clair is back in America.

I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy.

This is only possible because @realDonaldTrump puts Americans first. @tsori233 pic.twitter.com/BItEnF9Ngg

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 20, 2025

With St. Clair’s release, Caracas is hoping to placate the Trump administration into allowing Western oil companies to operate in the country, according to WSJ.

After coming into office, the Trump administration moved to pressure Venezuela and its dictator, Nicolas Maduro, by isolating the country economically and sequestering it from the global oil market. In February, Trump revoked a license that allowed Chevron to partner with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company to do business in the country.

Trump later took steps to block other Western oil companies from doing business in the country, as well. The president also threatened to place 25% tariffs on any country that purchases Venezuelan oil.

In recent months, Venezuela has shown more willingness to work with the United States. In addition to releasing St. Clair, Caracas has also accepted a number of deportees back from the United States.

In return, the Trump administration will reportedly delay the final cutoff for Western oil companies to stop doing business in Venezuela.

St. Clair served four tours in Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in 2019, however struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression while trying to reenter civilian life. He sought treatment in South America, and was arrested by Venezuelan authorities on the border of Venezuela and Columbia in October.

Elon Musk ripped Bill Gates over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after Gates criticized Musk over cuts to USAID funding.

Musk hit back at Gates on Tuesday during an interview at the Bloomberg Qatar Economic Forum. Gates had claimed that cuts to USAID, spearheaded by Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, had placed children all over the world in danger.

“Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children” given his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Musk responded when asked about Gates’ comments. The quip elicited cheers and applause from some in the audience.

“I wouldn’t trust that guy to babysit my kids, I can tell you that,” Musk added.

Musk said of Gates’ assertion that the cuts to USAID are endangering children: “Show us any evidence whatsoever that that is true. It’s false.”

https://x.com/tomselliott/status/1924827130136813973

Gates met Epstein in 2013 and joined him for several dinners, Gates has said. Gates has since said that meeting with Epstein, who pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008, was a “huge mistake.”

The relationship yielded none of the benefits Gates had hoped for, namely to raise money for philanthropic causes. According to Gates’ ex-wife, the relationship also caused strains on his marriage. Gates and his wife divorced in 2021.

Musk’s comments were in response to remarks Gates made to the Financial Times in an article published earlier this month. Gates said that saving U.S. taxpayer money through cuts to USAID is “killing” children and leading them to contract HIV.

“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates said. “I’d love for him to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut that money.”