The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela has arrived in the Venezuelan capital Caracas. Thursday's nonstop flight comes seven years after the U.S. Homeland Security Department suspended flights over safety concerns. Flight AA3599 departed Miami in the morning. It arrived around three hours later in Caracas. The resumption follows the U.S. reopening its embassy in Caracas and restoring full diplomatic relations. U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans in January to open airspace over Venezuela. American Airlines was the last U.S. airline flying to Venezuela before suspending flights in 2019.
Venezuela's acting President Delcy RodrÃguez vows to continue releasing prisoners detained under former President Nicolás Maduro. She made the remarks Wednesday during her first press briefing since Maduro was ousted by the United States earlier this month. RodrÃguez served as Maduro's vice president since 2018, running Venezuela's feared intelligence service and managing its crucial oil industry. A 56-year-old lawyer and politician, RodrÃguez was sworn in as interim president two days after the Trump administration snatched Maduro from his fortified compound and claimed the U.S. would be calling the shots in Venezuela. President Donald Trump said he held his first conversation with Rodriguez since Maduro's ouster and that "we're getting along very well with Venezuela."
