Source: RT en Español
What it’s about: The article features commentary by an Argentinian journalist, Stella Calloni, who claims that U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s recent trip to the region (which included visits to Brazil and Ecuador) was to promote a military invasion in Venezuela with regional partners. She also mentions that the recent violence seen in Nicaragua is part of a U.S. initiative to topple that country’s leadership and destabilize a member of the ALBA countries. The article highlights the agreement negotiated by Brazil and the U.S. whereby the U.S. is allowed to use Brazil’s Alcantara space launch center, claiming that Brazil has ceded Washington control over the operation. Finally, the article includes commentary made by Venezuela’s chancellor, Jorge Arreaza, in reaction to Pence’s visit to the region, labeling it as “ironic” and “hypocritical” considering the U.S.’s current crisis with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
What’s false about it: This article is false first and foremost because there is no evidence from other credible media sources that support Calloni’s claims of an imminent U.S.-led invasion in Venezuela. In fact, the main reason for Pence’s trip was to discuss the growing Venezuelan migrant crisis with regional leaders. The claim that Brazil has handed over control of the Alcantara launch center is refutable as it is well known that Brazil has been looking to tap into the growing commercial space industry and has slated Alcantara to become a commercial launch center, given its proximity to the equator and fuel cost-savings that it represents for operators.