CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday appointed a ruling socialist party boss to oversee the country’s police forces, empowering a hard-line loyalist who has vowed to pursue government opponents as part of a crackdown that has alarmed human rights groups.
Maduro named Diosdado Cabello interior minister as part of a Cabinet shuffle following last month's contested presidential election.
Along with Maduro, Cabello is one of the most fervent stalwarts of the so-called Bolivarian revolution started by the late Hugo Chávez and has long been considered the second most powerful person in Venezuela after Maduro. A retired army lieutenant, he fought alongside Chávez in a failed military uprising in 1992 and later served as acting president when Chávez himself was removed in a brief coup a decade later.
However, Chávez passed him over when he picked Maduro — a civilian with no military pedigree — as his successor shortly before he died of cancer in 2013. Since then, Cabello has served in a number of roles, including National Assembly president and head of the ruling socialist party. Until now, he never served in Maduro's Cabinet, an omission that has long fueled speculation of an unspoken rivalry between them.
Human rights groups fear that Cabello's appointment to interior minister, with oversight of Venezuela's police forces, will intensify the government's heavy-handed response to protests that erupted after last month's presidential election, when Maduro was declared the winner despite strong evidence presented by the opposition that its candidate prevailed by a 2-to-1 margin.
“If the new Cabinet is a bellwether of what Maduro intends to do, Cabello’s appointment is an indication of even more repression to come,” said Juanita Goebertus, director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch.
More than 2,000 people — including journalists, politicians and aid workers — have been arrested since the July 28 election. The wave of arrests is likely to feature prominently at a special meeting Wednesday of the Organization of American States in Washington to discuss a report on the crackdown by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The latest opponent to be detained is a lawyer for opposition powerhouse María Corina Machado, who was barred from running for office against Maduro and instead campaigned in support of a last-minute, stand-in candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González.
“They trying to subdue us, to distract us and to terrify us,” Machado said on Tuesday denouncing what she called the “kidnapping" of the aide, Perkins Rocha.
“We will continue moving forward, for Perkins, for all the prisoners and persecuted, and for all of Venezuela,” Machado wrote on the social media platform X. “We will be fee.”
Cabello, 61, has been among key insiders calling for a forceful response to those casting doubt on Maduro's victory. With deep roots in the security forces, he's seen his influence expand as Venezuelans have tired of Maduro, blaming him for wrecking the oil-rich economy.
“They’re hiding like rats but we’re going to grab them,” Cabello said about several prominent opponents in an address to the Maduro-controlled legislature a day after the election.
The U.S., Canada, European Union and Switzerland are among governments that have sanctioned Cabello for an array of alleged crimes ranging from money laundering to human rights abuses. The U.S. has also offered a $10 million reward for his arrest to face federal charges of leading what U.S. prosecutors have dubbed the "Cartel of the Suns,” an alleged drug-smuggling ring involving Venezuela’s military.
Cabello is perhaps best known — and feared — for a weekly talk show on state TV, called “Hitting it With a Sledgehammer,” in which he smears and attacks government opponents.
Maduro said the Cabinet shuffle aims to “accelerate and deepen changes that the people need.” As part of the shakeup, his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, will also now serve as oil minister. Hector Rodriguez, governor of Miranda state surrounding Caracas and who some saw as a younger alternative to Maduro, was picked to serve as education minister.
Goodman reported from Miami.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Lawmaker Diosdado Cabello stands next to an image of late President Hugo Chavez in Congress as the National Assembly debates a bill that controls and regulates NGOs, in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Residents of the Carrollton neighborhood in New Orleans are among thousands who remained without power Friday after Hurricane Francine passed through. Their frustration mounted as the city’s electrical provider, Entergy, sent out notifications informing some people their power had been “restored” even though they still had no electricity.
“Every single storm, every one, no matter how big or how small, the same thing happens,” said Rudy Cerone, 71, referring to the power outages. “Entergy just doesn’t seem to take the necessary preparatory actions to harden this system to provide the power that we’re paying through the nose for.”
An Entergy New Orleans spokesperson said the city had restored power to more than 40,000 customers since Thursday and that many more would regain electricity by the end of the day Friday. Around 6,500 Entergy customers in the city lacked power as of Friday afternoon, part of about 95,000 customers in Louisiana still without electricity, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.
The spokesperson also said the information used to update outage numbers comes from crews in the field.
“These steps take time, and our teams are committed to providing customers with the latest restoration information as it is available,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said electricity is the major issue facing the state since Francine rolled through.
“The biggest challenge we have had in this storm is utilities – trying to get the power back on,” Landry said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Prior to Francine making landfall, utility crews were pre-positioned in areas that would likely be impacted by power outages, Landry said.
“The speed under which they’re putting those utilities online comes from the fact that prior storms have given us an opportunity to build grid resilience,” he said.
Another Carrollton resident, Alexandra Canary, 73, said she left to stay with her son in another part of the city where power had returned and she could sleep with the comfort of air conditioning. But she was annoyed at the inconveniences of the power outage, like having to throw away all the perishable food items in her refrigerator, and the stuffy heat of her own home.
“It’s not pleasant, I’ll survive it, but it just seems unbelievable that their system is not working,” she said.
Davante Lewis, an elected member of the state Public Service Commission that regulates utilities, did a ride along on Thursday with Entergy to assess the damage. He said much of it was broken branches and trees — likely weakened by recent drought conditions in the state — on power lines.
“I think what we are seeing right now is a lot of vegetation issues and we just don’t have enough hands to move it (debris) that fast or enough hours in the day to safely do so in sunlight,” Lewis said.
Utility crews from Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and elsewhere are working to restore power, Lewis said, with projections for full restoration by Sunday.
“Any amount of time without power in Louisiana, especially for vulnerable communities, is too long,” Lewis said. “But we have seen restoration times a lot shorter than some of the earlier predictions and we are faring better.”
The storm, which drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters, came ashore Wednesday in Louisiana with 100 mph (160 kph) winds and drenched a large swath of the South, including parts of Arkansas and Florida. Forecasters expected Francine to weaken Friday as it crossed northern Arkansas, but the storm's slow progress will mean days of heavy rain in the Southeast, creating a flash flooding risk.
Another 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters), with about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in some locations, were expected in parts of central and northern Alabama through Sunday. In northeastern Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, another 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) was expected.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in Francine's aftermath.
Rushing water nearly enveloped a pickup truck in a New Orleans underpass, trapping the driver inside. A 39-year-old emergency room nurse who lived nearby waded into the waist-high water with a hammer, smashed the window and pulled out the driver. The rescue was captured live by WDSU-TV.
“It’s just second nature I guess, being a nurse, you just go in and get it done, right?” Miles Crawford told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I just had to get to get him out of there.”
In the coastal community of Cocodrie in southern Louisiana, where many families own seasonal homes along the bayou for fishing, police guarded a road to prevent looting as people cleaned their properties.
Brooks Pellegrin, 50, and his family cleared muck out of their campsite, a two-story structure with a large dock on a canal about 14 miles (22 kilometers) from the Gulf of Mexico. They worked well into Thursday afternoon raking marsh grass and spraying down muddy floors after a 10-foot (3-meter) storm surge washed away the building’s back wall, porch and much of the boat deck.
“We built everything up so we wouldn’t have to do this. This one brought in a lot more water than Ida,” Pellegrin said. “It packed a lot more punch than I was expecting.”
For many in the area bordered by bayous, swamps, lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, threats of flooding and hurricanes have become a way of life, Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said.
Water comprises about a quarter of the area in the parish, which is home to about 97,000 people south of New Orleans. In 2021, Ida made landfall in the southern point of the parish as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph).
That storm was “cataclysmic” and “the most significant hurricane” to impact the area. Following the 2021 storm, 90% of homes in the area needed a roof replacement and many houses were damaged beyond repair, Webre said.
Over the years, the area has become more resilient against storms, improving drainage and pumping stations and replacing roofs that can better withstand hurricane-force winds. Residents re also evacuating more quickly when there are significant storm threats, Webre said.
“This population is very resilient. They’re very independent. They’re very pioneering,” he said.
Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Kevin McGill in New Orleans and Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida, contributed to this story.
Alexis Dibuono stands in her hallway as she takes in the salvage work that needs to be done to her flood damaged home, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Norco, La., two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
An egret forages next to the flooded on-ramp to Interstate 10 in Laplace, La., Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 , two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Gavin Hinchman with Precision One Construction Group carefully steps around water-damaged doors and walls as he guts part of a flooded home in Norco, La., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Cars drive off of Interstate 10 in Laplace, La., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, as floodwater still covers the roadway two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Debra Matherne describes her experience as she rode out Hurricane Francine the previous night, along Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Natalie Bergeron, a letter carrier who has been delivering mail on this route for 43 years, helps a customer clean up debris who took damage from Hurricane Francine, in Cocodrie, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Kelsie Schmidt, right, walks a board to a debris pile from her family's home after floodwater came up a few inches in the house making most of the walls, floors, and doors wet after Hurricane Francine in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Flooding along Whitney Street in the Shoreline Park neighborhood in Hancock County, Miss., after Hurricane Francine on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP)
John Finney and his son Gabriel, 2, using gloves a little too big for him, clean up debris after Hurricane Francine near their home in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Friloux, right, leads Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana State Police Col Robert P. Hodges to a helicopter for an aerial tour of damage from Hurricane Francine, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La., (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La., regarding the impact of Hurricane Francine on the state of Louisiana. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La., regarding the impact of Hurricane Francine on the state of Louisiana. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
Flooding along Whitney Street in the Shoreline Park neighborhood in Hancock County, Miss., after Hurricane Francine on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP)
Debra Matherne describes her experience as she rode out Hurricane Francine the previous night, along Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A man walks through floodwaters along Tigris Street in Shoreline Park in Hancock County, Miss., after Hurricane Francine on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ruhoff/The Sun Herald via AP)
Bailee Boudreaux, 14, center, and her family bring out the chickens they let sleep in their house during the height of Hurricane Francine in Houma, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Bailee Boudreaux, 14, center, and her sister, Brylee, 7, back right, check on the chickens they let sleep in their house during the height of Hurricane Francine in Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Shawn Murphy removes drywall at a friend's house after floodwater came up a few inches in the house making most of the walls, floors, and doors wet after Hurricane Francine in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Little Caillou Fire Department staff take initial surveys of the damage from Hurricane Francine at the end of Highway 57 in the southern most point of Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
City of Tallahassee, Florida utility crews help straighten a utility pole s damaged by Hurricane Francine Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in downtown Houma, La. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Jansen Pellegrin, back right, and Drew Foret, right, remove a small tree that floated into a living room area at their fishing camp from Hurricane Francine in Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Allen McCoy helps clean out his family's camp, which took on a storm surge, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Cocodrie, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Jansen Pellegrin, right, rakes away marsh grass that floated into a living room area at his family's fishing camp from Hurricane Francine in Terrebonne Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Tombs are seen after being disturbed by flooding, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Dulac, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Tombs are seen after being disturbed by flooding, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Dulac, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Lori-Ann Bergeron checks on the graves of her sister and mother to see that they were not disturbed by flooding, in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, in Dulac, La., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
