Rubio visits Guyana as part of his Caribbean tour to promote energy independence and curb migration
Rubio was making a brief stop in Georgetown for talks with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and other officials before traveling to Suriname for an even shorter visit to Paramaribo.
Guyana, which has significant offshore oil deposits, could play a key role in the Republican administration's attempts to wean the region from imports of Venezuelan energy, against which President Donald Trump has imposed major sanctions.
It also has a troubled relationship with neighboring Venezuela. Earlier this month, it denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters where ExxonMobil is developing a mammoth oil deposit.
Ali said on March 1 that the Venezuelan ship passed close to several huge vessels used to store oil being produced by three oilfields operated by Exxon and partners Hess Corp. and CNOOC of China in the Stabroek Block, which contains an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil.
'Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime,' the State Department said at the time, referring to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has since announced severe sanctions, including 25% tariffs on goods produced in countries that import Venezuelan oil.
Rubio is expected to sign a security cooperation agreement with Guyana's foreign minister, according to the State Department, which did not preview specifics of the pact. Guyana is already part of the U.S.-created Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
Since ExxonMobil made its major oil discovery in Guyana in 2015, Venezuela has revived a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and taken steps to annex the remote Essequibo region, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana's land mass.
Maduro's government has called Guyana's development of the oil fields 'illegal.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's $100B AI Shockwave: Nvidia Back in China, Coal Back on the Grid
The Trump administration is preparing a full-court press on artificial intelligence, with a major policy address scheduled for July 23 titled Winning the AI Race. It's expected to be Trump's most detailed take on the technology to date. The event is backed by White House AI and crypto advisor David Sacks and his All-In podcast co-hosts. Behind the scenes, a sweeping AI action plan is nearing completionbuilt with heavy industry inputand could soon be cemented by executive order. The blueprint focuses on cutting red tape, expanding energy access for data centers, and getting federal buy-in on a more streamlined, pro-growth regulatory regime. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with NVDA. One of the headline shifts: the U.S. now plans to allow AI chipmakers to resume some exports to China. That includes Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA)'s H20 chips, a move seen as a significant win for CEO Jensen Huang, who has been openly critical of prior export bans. Huang met privately with Trump in Washington last week, where discussions reportedly focused on boosting U.S. AI competitiveness. For Nvidia and AMD, this could reopen a multi-billion-dollar channel that had been shut off earlier this year. The reversal comes amid growing concern over China's rapid AI developmenthighlighted by DeepSeek's surprisingly cheap R1 model that raised eyebrows across Wall Street in January. Energy is also taking center stage. With AI data centers projected to more than double their share of U.S. electricity demand by 2035from 3.5% to 8.6%the Trump team is calling for expanded use of coal, gas, and nuclear power. Earlier this year, Trump helped broker a $100 billion data center investment involving SoftBank, Oracle, and OpenAI. Meanwhile, a controversial bid to preempt state AI laws for a decade was ultimately stripped from the recent tax package, but not before it gained vocal support from tech investors like Marc Andreessen and Joe Lonsdale. Taken together, Trump's AI agenda is shaping up to be aggressive, industry-led, and laser-focused on outpacing China. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Politico
9 minutes ago
- Politico
Johnson eyes Wednesday re-vote to take up crypto, Defense spending bills
Speaker Mike Johnson said he hopes to try again Wednesday on a procedural vote that would allow the House to take up a slate of cryptocurrency bills after GOP hard-liners tanked the measure Tuesday afternoon. Republicans are 'still having conversations, answering questions for people,' Johnson told reporters leaving the Capitol. Asked how he might win over conservative holdouts, the Louisiana Republican said 'it's a priority of the White House, the Senate and the House to do all of these crypto bills.' House conservatives are calling on GOP leaders to amend a Senate-passed bill to regulate so-called stablecoins or package it with two other digital assets bills that were slated for floor votes this week in a bid to force the Senate to take all of them up together. But Johnson said leaving the Capitol Tuesday that 'we have to do them in succession,' suggesting that GOP leaders won't seek to directly link the bills in one package. A combined package that ties the Senate's stablecoin legislation with the two other bills — a sweeping crypto market structure bill and a third measure that would ban a central bank digital currency — would likely be dead on arrival in the upper chamber. 'We cannot stuff these into one package,' one senior House Republican said, noting that it would trigger a host of issues.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hundreds march through Oakland to protest President Donald Trump's visit for energy summit
Protestors blocked all traffic on Forbes in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon, as they made their way from Pitt's campus toward Carnegie Mellon University Hundreds of people first gathered in the morning near the Cathedral of Learning, where they pushed back against President Trump's visit to CMU. He was briefly in town for the Technology and and Innovation Summit. RELATED COVERAGE >>> Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick team up to promote energy and tech investments in Pennsylvania 'There are a lot of beautiful people here. It's a diverse crowd of people who are standing for everything they believe in, and protesting and exercising their American rights,' protester Michael Bennett told Channel 11. Protestors spoke out against President Trump's policies, specifically mentioning earlier this year, when ICE revoked several visas from CMU undergrads and graduate students. RELATED COVERAGE >>> 2 students, 5 recent grads from Carnegie Mellon University have visas revoked 'I felt it was right to come out and stand up for our international student community and the immigrant community that is under threat right now,' protester Daniel Curtis said. When protestors got closer to CMU, they were met with mounted patrols and officers dressed in riot gear, who stopped them from reaching campus. However, Channel 11 did see people who were supporting Trump's visit to Pittsburgh, and are excited about what this summit could mean for our city's future. 'It's wonderful. The jobs that we're going to get. The young people are going to stay here now. They go to our universities, and when they graduate, they leave because they can't find jobs here. Maybe now they'll stay,' Linda Mazur told Channel 11. Late this afternoon, Mayor Ed Gainey released a statement saying he stands with the peaceful protestors. He added that we need to make sure the benefits of economic growth are felt broadly across the region, and that Pittsburgh deserves federal leadership that invests in people, not just profit. You can read his full statement below. 'Today, President Donald Trump visited Carnegie Mellon University as part of a summit on artificial intelligence and energy. As Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, I want to emphasize while we will do our part to ensure safety and civility during the President's visit, we cannot ignore the real harm caused by his administration's destructive policies that threaten the well-being of our residents. 'Pittsburgh is a city built on hard work, mutual care, and a deep belief that everyone deserves a fair shot — no matter their income, background, or ZIP code. Cruel policies like slashing health care, reducing access to food assistance, and making it harder for people to live safely and affordably in their own neighborhoods have no place in our city. 'Pittsburgh and Southwest Pennsylvania are at the leading edge of the development and application of artificial intelligence. The promise of these technologies and the infrastructure needed to scale them have the ability to transform our local economy, and the way that we manage that transformation will determine whether that change benefits or harms our communities. We must work to ensure that this growth does not come at the expense of our environment, the privacy of our people, and the values and morals we hold dear. There are many experts and voices nationally and locally calling attention to these issues and we need to listen to them. 'We also need to make sure that the benefits of economic growth are felt broadly across our region. Our communities have heard too many promises about prosperity only to face deeper hardships and inequities. Our city deserves federal leadership that invests in people — not just profit. That protects working families — not just corporate interests. That listens to everyday Americans — not just the wealthiest and most powerful. 'Many in our community spoke out during the President's visit. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, and I stand firmly with those raising their voices for justice, fairness, and real opportunity for all. We will always defend the right to speak truth to power. In Pittsburgh, we know what progress looks like: affordable health care, safe housing, strong public schools, and an economy that puts people first. That's the future we're building — no matter who sits in the White House." Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
