Análisis por Emiliano Giménez, CNN en Español

Casi una década pasó para que Venezuela pudiese encarar un proceso de reestructuración de su deuda soberana. Entre incumplimientos propios y sanciones de Estados Unidos, el país quedó gradualmete fuera del radar de los mercados voluntarios de crédito desde 2017, una situación que derivó en aislamiento global y en un fuerte impacto en la economía.

“Es obvio que Venezuela hubiese querido hacer esto hace mucho tiempo”, observa el economista venezolano y presidente de la consultora Datanálisis, Luis Vicente León, que explica además que esto se ha demorado por la situación interna del país y la falta de reconocimiento de Estados Unidos del gobierno del derrocado presidente Nicolás Maduro, siempre teniendo en cuenta que la mayor parte de la deuda del país tiene jurisdicción en la primera potencia mundial.

Para todos los países, reestructurar una deuda que siempre procede de un impago es un gesto de confianza del mercado a un posible ordenamiento en términos financieros, pero también términos políticos. Es cierto que Venezuela se encuentra recién en una etapa de anuncios. Resta todavía una negociación y luego pactar las condiciones de entendimiento con los acreedores. Recién ahí se conocerá el grado de aceptación y respaldo de todo este proceso. Pero el camino ha comenzado.

De acuerdo con estimaciones difundidas por la agencia Reuters unos meses atrás- Venezuela no difunde estadísticas oficiales sobre su pasivo- el total de la deuda externa del país asciende a entre US$ 150.000 y US$ 170.000 millones. Esto incluye todos los préstamos bilaterales, los laudos arbitrales y las obligaciones de la compañía estatal, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

La relación entre deuda y PBI está entre 180% y 200%, de acuerdo con estimaciones del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI). Para decirlo más sencillamente, el total de la deuda del país supera en casi un 200% a lo que Venezuela produce en un año. Es un porcentaje superior al promedio de la región. Según los últimos datos del mismo organismo, el vínculo promedio entre deuda y producto en América del Sur es del 79,7%.

“Es un tema muy complejo, es una deuda muy grande, con muchas aristas. Va a ser un proceso difícil. El anuncio es positivo. El tema central es que mientras un país tiene una deuda que desde 2017 está en default se acumulan intereses estrambóticos que aumentan la carga día a día. No se puede esperar el momento perfecto para hacerlo, hay que arrancar ese proceso. Hay que parar el sangrado de los intereses”, sostiene Luis Vicente León. En ese sentido, el economista entiende que Venezuela intentará renegociar en primer lugar la deuda cuantificada, documentada, que es la emitida bajo legislación de Nueva York, papeles del Estado y de PDVSA que cotizan en bolsa. “Eso facilita la negociación”, agrega. Y estima que la deuda más difícil de revisar será la bilateral, la que Venezuela tiene con organismos multilaterales y la que proviene de juicios, que es la mayor porción del total de acreencias.

Otros economistas venezolanos aseguran que para que el proceso sea exitoso, el país deberá renegociar al mismo tiempo todas sus deudas, no solamente las financieras.

Venezuela se asoma a la renegociación de su pasivo con el apoyo de Estados Unidos, en el contexto de una relación bilateral que ha cambiado desde la captura del presidente Nicolás Maduro, el pasado 3 de enero. Donald Trump le dio impulsó a este proceso al reconocer al gobierno venezolano, encabezado por Delcy Rodriguez. Y luego al emitir una licencia para asesorar al país caribeño en términos legales y financieros.

“El anuncio de reestructuración debe ser visto como un paso más hacia el restablecimiento de vínculos entre Venezuela y los mercados internacionales y es consistente con la reaproximación, forzada por el ataque militar estadounidense de enero, a Washington”, sostiene el analista internacional, Gabriel

By Dana Karni and Tal Shalev

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had directed Israel’s military to take over 70% of Gaza’s territory.

During an interview at a conference in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said that Israel is “tightening” its grip on Hamas. “We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%, we moved to 60%,” he said. “My directive is to move to – take it step by step – first of all 70. Let’s start with that.” As Netanyahu spoke, the audience called for him to take over all of Gaza’s territory.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued maps to international aid groups in late-April which already showed the military already controlling approximately 64% of Gaza.

The seizure of more of Gaza would force approximately 2 million Palestinians into a shrinking fraction of the coastal enclave’s shattered territory.

Under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces withdrew to a demarcation line known as the “yellow line” which encompassed roughly 53% of Gaza.

On Tuesday, Hamas accused Israel of moving the line, saying this “constitutes an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement, a serious violation of its provisions, and an exposed attempt to impose new facts on the ground by force, with the aim of entrenching military control over the Strip and undermining any real chance of stabilizing the situation or making de-escalation efforts succeed.”

This is a developing story.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Israeli PM Netanyahu says he directed the military to take over 70% of Gaza appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Katia Hetter, CNN

(CNN) — Vaping is often marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, but safer doesn’t always mean safe. New evidence suggests that nicotine-based e-cigarettes may increase the risk of some cancers, according to a recently published review in the journal Carcinogenesis.

What did the study find — how could vaping contribute to cancer? Is vaping an effective way to quit smoking? And what should parents know about teens and young adults and vaping?

To guide us through these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.

CNN: What did this study find about vaping and cancer risk?

Dr. Leana Wen: This paper was not a single experiment but rather a large scientific review of evidence on e-cigarettes and cancer-related mechanisms.
The authors reviewed findings from laboratory studies, animal studies, human biomarker studies and epidemiologic research looking at how vaping affects cells and tissues in ways linked to cancer development.

The review summarized evidence showing that e-cigarette aerosols can damage DNA and trigger chronic inflammation, which are processes associated with cancer formation. Researchers also examined studies finding that vaping aerosols contain potentially carcinogenic compounds, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and heavy metals such as nickel, chromium and lead that may come from heating elements within devices. In addition, they examined evidence suggesting possible associations between vaping and cancers involving the lungs, mouth and bladder.

The authors were careful to note the limitations of the current evidence.
E-cigarettes have only become widely used over the last decade or so, and many cancers take decades to develop. That means we do not yet have the kind of long-term population data that definitively quantifies cancer risk the way we can for traditional cigarettes. Many of the existing studies are laboratory-based, involve animals or examine short-term biological changes rather than actual cancer diagnoses in humans.

Still, taken together, the authors concluded that the consistency of findings across many different types of studies raises substantial concern that vaping is not benign and could increase cancer risk over time.

CNN: How could e-cigarettes contribute to cancer if they do not burn tobacco?

Wen: Many people assume that because e-cigarettes do not involve combustion, they are essentially harmless. It is true that vaping generally exposes users to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes. But fewer harmful chemicals does not mean no harmful chemicals.

E-cigarettes heat liquid solutions that often contain nicotine, flavoring chemicals and solvents such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. When these substances are heated, they can break down into compounds that may damage cells and DNA. The aerosol generated by vaping devices also contains ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause chronic inflammation.

Nicotine itself is also not biologically neutral. While nicotine is not considered a classic carcinogen in the same ca

By David Wright, CNN

(CNN) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer threw cold water Thursday on the idea of a 2028 presidential bid, saying that while “there will be a robust group of people running for president, I will not be one of them.”

Whitmer made the comments in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit while discussing her plans after she leaves office next year.

Saying that she was “looking forward to taking a little bit of a break” after leaving office, and “not jumping right into something,” Whitmer said she’d “gotten counsel” from former government officials such as former Rhode Island Gov. and Commerece Secretary Gina Raimondo, former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan.

A popular two-term governor from a premier battleground state, Whitmer has long been seen as a top potential contender in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. She was a finalist in former President Joe Biden’s 2020 vice presidential search and has spent years burnishing a national profile.

But Whitmer’s tenure has also included a few high-profile stumbles – including an infamous appearance at Trump’s White House last year during which she was captured holding a folder up to hide her face as cameras in the room snapped photos.

Whitmer has long given mixed signals about her intentions in 2028.

“I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter, but I want to have a hand in writing it, and I think I’ve got an important vantage point as the governor of an important swing state,” she told Canadian journalist Steve Paikin last fall.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she’s not running for president in 2028 appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — A former CIA officer in Virginia has been charged with stealing tens of millions of dollars in gold bars and foreign currency from the very agency he worked for, according to an FBI affidavit and a source familiar with the matter.

David Rush was arrested last week in Virginia on one charge of theft of public money. He has not yet entered a plea and remains behind bars pending a detention hearing in the case.

The FBI alleges Rush became a senior executive government employee with top-secret clearance by lying repeatedly on applications about his military service and education, falsely saying he was a Navy pilot and had advanced degrees.

Court documents, however, don’t clarify why the CIA failed to detect Rush’s false claims before hiring and promoting him. He worked for the agency for 17 years, according to an FBI affidavit, and his claims were easily dispelled by investigators.

CNN has attempted to reach an attorney for Rush for comment.

After leaving the military and joining the government, Rush falsely “claimed 744 hours of Military Leave on his official timesheet” since being honorably discharged in 2015, taking in roughly $77,000 in fraudulent compensation, the FBI affidavit claims.

Late last year, Rush asked for “a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses,” according to the FBI affidavit.

Two days before his arrest, the FBI searched Rush’s home, finding over 300 gold bars worth approximately $40 million along with $2 million in cash and “35 luxury watches, many of which were Rolex brand,” the affidavit says.

The remainder of the funds Rush allegedly stole have not yet been recovered.

Rush applied three separate times to work for the government and eventually was hired in 2009 and later promoted after lying about his time in the US Navy, falsely claiming he was a pilot, as well as falsely claiming he had bachelor’s and master’s degrees, the affidavit says.

The Navy told investigators Rush worked in part as an information systems technician during his service and the universities Rush claimed to have degrees from said they had no record of him.

Prosecutors alleged that Rush also falsely stated “he was the current Director of Test for a 145-person, 18-aircraft joint Army/Navy weapons test organization.”

In 2018, as part of his application for the senior executive service level, Rush also falsely claimed “he had an eleven-year tenure as a Thesis/Dissertation advisor at the Air Force Institute of Technology,” according to the affidavit.

He no longer works for the CIA.

In statements to CNN, the FBI and CIA said the person — who has now been identified as a CIA employee — was arrested on May 19.

“After a CIA internal investigation identified potential violations of the law, CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred the information to the FBI for a law enforcement investigation. The FBI is working closely with our partners at the CIA and the Department of Justice as we continue to investigate this matter fully. We are committed to following the facts, ensuring accountability, and pursuing justice in accordance with the law,” the FBI statement said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Former CIA officer charged with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of gold bars from government appeared first on Read more