Summary:

• US Increases Earthquake aid
• Aftershock rattles Caracas on Monday morning 
• +50,000 people remain missing according to independent monitoring platform
• US Military Begins Humanitarian Operation In Quake-Ravaged Venezuela

US Increases Earthquake Aid

The US has increased its financial commitment to Venezuela's earthquake response to more than $300 million, according to the State Department.

We reported this past weekend that U.S. military personnel were, in fact, on the ground and had begun search-and-rescue operations.

The latest pledge includes an additional $50 million in funding for partner operations, on top of previously announced humanitarian funding.

The money is intended to support life-saving relief efforts as hospitals, emergency responders, and aid groups struggle to manage the fallout from last week's twin quakes.

The death toll is expected to climb in the days ahead, as 50,000 people remain missing, according to an independent monitoring platform. The official death toll stands at around 1,500.

Earlier this morning, a 4.6-magnitude quake rattled Caracas.

Meanwhile... 

Boots On The Ground? US Military Begins Humanitarian Operation In Quake-Ravaged Venezuela 

At least 1,400 people were killed and 3,360 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, officials said.

The coastal state of La Guaira, near Caracas, suffered the worst damage, with entire condo towers reduced to rubble.

The death toll is expected to climb in the days ahead, as 64,500 people remain missing, according to an independent monitoring platform.

U.S. Southern Command has deployed a large package of naval and aviation assets, including Navy warships, transport aircraft, and helicopters, to support humanitarian assistance operations on the ground in Venezuela. The scale of the deployment suggests the Trump administration is moving quickly to establish command-and-control nodes for humanitarian operations.

The U.S. government account, USA en Español on X, says that U.S. Marines from Littoral Combat Force-24 and U.S. sailors from the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) delivered critically important humanitarian aid supplies to the port of La Guaira on Saturday night.

SOUTHCOM reports that the MV-22B Osprey and UH-1Y Venom helicopters are now conducting search-and-rescue operations in La Guaira.

There have been around-the-clock shipments of supplies from the U.S. via a vast network of C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The Miami-based news outlet UHN Plus pointed out that the quake-ravaged region of La Guaira was home to socialist housing projects built by the Maduro regime using "low-quality materials," which may be one of the reasons so many structures collapsed.

Earlier this year, U.S. Delta Force operators removed socialist leader Nicolás Maduro from power to reset Venezuela's politics and install a U.S.-friendly regime.

No U.S. occupation was needed for the regime change operation, but now, under the guise of a humanitarian effort, there are U.S. boots on the ground. This raises questions about how long the new U.S. presence will remain in Venezuela.

President Trump has joked about turning Venezuela into America's 51st state.