CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The American flag was raised Saturday over the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela for the first time since 2019, a move that highlighted the recent shift in relations between the two countries since then President Nicolás Maduro was captured by American troops in January.
Though the flag is now waving, the building is undergoing renovations and it remains unclear when it will fully reopen.
The move comes after several statements from U.S. President Donald Trump in support of Maduro’s successor, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who has tried to keep negotiations open with the American government.
The flag was raised "exactly seven years after it was taken down,” the U.S. Embassy team said in a statement published on its social media channels.
The American flag being raised drew immediate attention from local residents.
“It’s a good thing, really, what a joy,” said Caracas resident Luz Verónica López. “Other countries must come back too because that’s what we need; progress, to move forward with good relations with the rest of the world, as it should be.”
Alessandro Di Benedetto, another Caracas resident, noted the positive atmosphere among those witnessing the moment.
“I found several people here surprised and happy because today they raised the U.S. flag at the embassy,” he said. “This is positive; this is another step.”
Despite the initiative, large chunks of Venezuelan society and the political establishment remain critics of Trump, his decision to forcefully remove Maduro from office and jail him in New York with his wife, and growing U.S. influence in the South American country's oil industry.
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An American flag flies again at the US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, March 14, 2026, seven years after it was lowered when Washington and Caracas cut diplomatic relations in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
An American flag flies again at the US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, March 14, 2026, seven years after it was lowered when Washington and Caracas cut diplomatic relations in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
An American flag flies again at the US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, March 14, 2026, seven years after it was lowered when Washington and Caracas cut diplomatic relations in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
CHICAGO (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, and No. 3 Michigan beat Nick Boyd and No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 on Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Aday Mara scored 16 points and Elliot Cadeau had 15 as top-seeded Michigan (31-2) avenged its only conference loss from the regular season, a 91-88 setback against Wisconsin on Jan. 10. Mara also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots.
Michigan is going for its second straight Big Ten Tournament title and fifth overall. It will play No. 18 Purdue on Sunday after the Boilermakers eliminated UCLA with a 73-66 win.
Lendeborg got off to another slow start after he had just six points in Friday’s quarterfinal victory over Ohio State. But the Big Ten player of the year began to assert himself right before halftime, and he connected on the biggest shot of the game.
Lendeborg grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Cadeau for a 3 with 45 seconds left, giving Michigan a 65-62 lead. But Boyd responded with a tying 3 for Wisconsin.
With the United Center crowd standing in anticipation, Michigan tried to find Lendeborg inside on its last possession. But he ended up making his way back outside before getting a pass from Cadeau and drilling the winning 3.
Wisconsin’s Austin Rapp made six 3-pointers while scoring each of his 18 points in the second half. Boyd had 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting a day after he scored a career-high 38 points in a wild overtime victory over No. 9 Illinois.
The Badgers (24-10) had reached the Big Ten tourney final in each of the past two years, losing to the Wolverines in 2025.
Shaking off a sluggish start, Michigan closed the first half with a 10-2 run. Lendeborg made a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying it at 28. It was his first basket of the game.
The Wolverines were shooting 26.7% (8 for 30) from the field at the break, but the Badgers weren’t much better at 32.3% (10 for 31).
Michigan beat Purdue 91-80 on Feb. 17. Cadeau scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half of the road win.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr., right, battles for a loose ball with Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
