On Tuesday night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the United States had rescued all the hostages kept by the socialist Venezuelan Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas.

Those five hostages were members of the opposition to Nicholas Maduro’s brutal regime. “The government of Argentine President Javier Milei allowed the five people into the ambassador’s residence in March 2024, when authorities loyal to Venezuela’s ruling party issued warrants for their arrest, accusing them of promoting acts of violence to destabilize the country,” The Washington Post reported, adding, “Since late November, the group had denounced the constant presence of intelligence service agents and police outside the residence.”

“The U.S. welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas,” Rubio wrote on X. “Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on U.S. soil. Maduro’s illegitimate regime has undermined Venezuela’s institutions, violated human rights, and endangered our regional security. We extend our gratitude to all personnel involved in this operation and to our partners who assisted in securing the safe liberation of these Venezuelan heroes.”

The U.S. welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas.

Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on U.S. soil. Maduro's illegitimate regime has undermined Venezuela's institutions, violated human…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 7, 2025

In January, Milei met with exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia in Casa Rosada, declaring him the Venezuelan “president elect.”

“Venezuelans, we will also meet in the streets of our beloved country,” González Urrutia wrote on X.

After the meeting, the Argentine government called González Urrutia “Venezuela’s president-elect,” adding he “is under political persecution by the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro,” the Buenos Aires Herald reported.

Maduro was declared the winner of the July 2024 presidential election in Venezuela by the National Electoral Council, while the opposition claimed that they were the winners. Milei wrote on X, “Venezuelans have chosen to end Nicolás Maduro’s communist dictatorship. The data indicates a crushing victory for the opposition, and the world awaits its recognition of defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence, and death. Argentina will not acknowledge another fraud, and expects the Armed Forces to defend democracy and the popular will this time.”

DICTADOR MADURO, AFUERA!!!

Los venezolanos eligieron terminar con la dictadura comunista de Nicolás Maduro. Los datos anuncian una victoria aplastante de la oposición y el mundo aguarda que reconozca la derrota luego de años de socialismo, miseria, decadencia y muerte.…

— Javier Milei (@JMilei) July 29, 2024

When González Urrutia met with Milei, he gave him a framed voting tally showing he had won.

A breakthrough in the tariff standoff between the United States and China emerged on Tuesday evening.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are poised to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland over the weekend to discuss trade and economic matters, according to their respective agencies. China reportedly confirmed there will be talks.

“I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss. Turns out, the Chinese team is traveling through Europe and they will be in Switzerland also. So, we will meet on Saturday and Sunday,” Bessent said during a Fox News interview.

.@SecScottBessent: “The world has been coming to the U.S. and China has been the missing piece. I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss. Turns out, the Chinese team is traveling through Europe and they will be in Switzerland also. So, we will meet on Saturday… pic.twitter.com/QJZHl98bOx

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 6, 2025

While many countries received a 90-day reprieve for “Liberation Day” tariffs above the baseline rate of 10% last month, the United States increased the overall penalty on Chinese goods to 145%. Beijing responded by raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.

“The world has been coming to the U.S. and China has been the missing piece,” Bessent said. He added later that the United States and China have “shared interests” and stressed that the current situation “isn’t sustainable, as I’ve said before, especially on the Chinese side.”

Protests erupted in China last month as factory workers in Suining, Hunan, and Inner Mongolia demanded unpaid wages and benefits after factory closures triggered by Trump’s steep tariffs. The economy in the United States has also been impacted, with shipments from China falling and growing concerns about price increases.

“We don’t want to decouple; what we want is fair trade,” Bessent said.

Bessent and Greer, who are traveling to Switzerland later this week, are also expected to meet with the country’s president, Karin Keller-Sutter, to discuss trade.

“At President Trump’s direction, I am negotiating with countries to rebalance our trade relations to achieve reciprocity, open new markets, and protect America’s economic and national security,” Greer said. “I look forward to having productive meetings with some of my counterparts as well as visiting with my team in Geneva who all work diligently to advance U.S. interests on a range of multilateral issues.”

Trump administration officials have been negotiating on trade with a host of nations over the past several weeks and have signaled progress in talks with the likes of India, South Korea, and Japan.