NATIONAL NEWS

US lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez

Apr 1, 2026, 1:34 PM

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, right, speaks next to the World Baseball Classic trop...

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, right, speaks next to the World Baseball Classic trophy a day after her team's victory over the United States in the championship match, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to an Office of Foreign Assets Control entry on the Treasury Department website.

The newly announced sanctions relief represents a strong signal that the U.S. recognizes Rodríguez as a legitimate authority in Venezuela. Washington has already formally recognized her as the country’s head of state in legal and diplomatic settings.

The lifted sanctions come as the Trump administration has been engaging with Venezuela’s interim government since the U.S. military captured Rodriguez’s predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife on Jan. 3 in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

The pair were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges and both have pleaded not guilty.

National News

U.S. Rep.-elect Bob Brooks, front left, U.S. Rep.-elect Paige Cognetti, back left, both of Pennsylv...

Associated Press

The Latest: Now Democrats have to figure out ‘What’s Next’

Following a historic blue wave of midterm election wins, Democrats are gathering in Denver for a What’s Next conference hosted by a new group called Majority Democrats. President Donald Trump wants Vice President JD Vance to talk less about the Iran war and more about corruption and crime in Democratic-controlled cities and states. Vance’s blunt […]

31 minutes ago

Shoppers shop at a grocery store in Glenview, Ill., Wednesday, October. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. ...

Associated Press

Wholesale inflation declined last month yet remains stubbornly elevated

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale inflation cooled a bit last month yet remains elevated, evidence of stubbornly higher prices that have soured Americans on the economy and fueled big gains for Democrats in the midterm elections last week. The Labor Department’s producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.3% from […]

40 minutes ago

Associated Press

The Latest: Microsoft says recovery efforts are making progress on worldwide outage

Microsoft is fixing a massive global outage for its popular workplace software that dragged on into a second day, disrupting everything from emails to police emergency calls and AI tools. A wide range of Microsoft 365 services including Outlook, Teams and AI assistant Copilot were affected. Microsoft first flagged the problem on Thursday. It indicated […]

1 hour ago

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters after leadership elections at the Ca...

Associated Press

Republicans dazed by midterm election defeats grapple with what went wrong

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Richard Hudson wanted a triumphant return to Capitol Hill this week after steering Republicans to another majority. Instead, the North Carolina Republican is facing the reality that he and dozens of colleagues will soon clear out their offices. “It was really people coming out to send a message,” Hudson, the chair […]

2 hours ago

FILE - A slurry line wraps around billowing smoke from the Grizzly Creek Fire on Aug. 24, 2020. (Ke...

Associated Press

Bigger and more-frequent wildfires threaten water supplies across the US

Wildfires leave behind charred trees and scorched vegetation that impact the streams and rivers providing drinking water to much of the country, and new studies show that contamination could remain for more than a decade. These findings about the longevity of contamination in the nation’s drinking water supplies are especially concerning as climate change and […]

3 hours ago

Inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility attend a screening and Q&A session of "Crime and Punishm...

Associated Press

At Sing Sing prison, incarcerated men get preview of new PBS documentary on nation’s justice system

OSSINING, New York (AP) — As the lights dimmed inside the chapel at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, around 30 incarcerated men sat scattered across the pews, waiting to preview a new docuseries on the history of the nation’s criminal justice system. Our Lady of Hope chapel was soon abuzz with discussion, […]

6 hours ago

US lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez