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Opinion: The rotting effects of Venezuela's half century of oil corruption made its industry easy prey for President Trump. But the real outrage is blocking the re-democratization that could fix that very flaw.On the latest episode of Americas Decoded, WLRN’s Americas editor Tim Padgett says that decades of corruption and mismanagement had made Venezuela’s nationalized oil industry ripe for the takeover President Trump just orchestrated. So the real outrage is that Trump intends to use the deal not just to hasten the flow of petroleum to the U.S. – but to stall the return of democracy to Venezuela.You can watch the video for this and other Americas Decoded commentaries on WLRN News’s YouTube channel at WLRN.org/Decoded.Subscribe to Tim’s Substack to receive his weekly digital commentaries at WLRN.org/AD.Sign up for his Americas Report newsletter at WLRN.org/newsletters.WLRN is South Florida’s NPR member station.

Two of Miami International Airport's four runways are still shut down in the aftermath of Sunday's fatal crash of an Amazon Cargo plane. A leak on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is delaying the launch of a crew of four to the International Space Station.

We now know the names of five people who died in a deadly cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport on Sunday. A family member says all four relatives aboard a small plane that went missing off the Bahamas Monday were found dead.

The wife of a man killed when an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport is suing for wrongful death. St. Thomas University president David Armstrong has resigned, and it comes after an investigation into his conduct was launched.

Over a hundred truck-driving schools across the country have been shut down in the past month as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on commercial drivers who are undocumented immigrants or do not speak English.

The wife of a man killed when an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport is suing for wrongful death. The Broward County School Board approved a $4.7 billion budget for the 2026-27 school year.

Politicians across the United States are divided over how to regulate artificial intelligence as the technology evolves at a break-neck pace. The School District of Palm Beach County has approved its 2027 budget that was influenced by a decline in enrollment.

The mastermind of much of Venezuela’s epic corruption pleaded guilty today in a Miami federal court. A man from North Carolina was arrested over the weekend in the Lower Keys after authorities caught him with undersized spiny lobsters.

A newly released report from the Florida Department of Education shows about 600 books were removed, restricted or discontinued from public schools across Florida last school year. Today is National Voter Registration Day.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly says he won't debate GOP candidate Byron Donalds.//A fishing charter company out of Pensacola caught a suspected military drone off Florida waters.

Scattered thunderstorms are streaming across South Florida again this afternoon. //Monroe County Commissioners have finalized the budget for the next fiscal year.

Florida has required all license plate-reading cameras on state roads be removed. Unemployment in Florida dropped in August, though state economists have cautioned an uptick is expected before the end of the year.

Gas prices in Florida jumped this past week amid global supply disruptions tied primarily to renewed conflicts in the Middle East. Florida voters approved a ballot proposal in 2020 raising the minimum wage a dollar a year until it reached 15 dollars. That final increase comes at the end of this month.

WLRN News is among more than a dozen South Florida newsrooms and media partnerships receiving funding to increase their local coverage. South Florida has gotten drenched in the last few days.

Broward County will end its partnership with its Sheriff’s Office for Fire Rescue Services. Instead, the county will take over in 2028. There has been a lot of discussion around postpartum disorders due to the Lindsay Clancy Trial.

Three powerhouse public media stations — WNYC in New York City, GBH News in Boston and WLRN in South Florida — reunite for a second edition of “Haiti On The Line,” a live call-in broadcast special.

The city of Doral is embroiled in controversy over its immigration enforcement agreement with the federal government whose agents are stepping up arrests there. The Broward County Commission has taken steps to sever the relationship between the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s and the County's Fire-Rescue department.

People in rural areas and small towns, including those in Florida, are bound to have a harder time meeting new Medicaid work reporting requirements that go into effect in January 2027. Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Angie Nixon says charges stemming from her May arrest in the Florida Capitol have been resolved.

The Broward County Office of the Inspector General has found a Margate commissioner voted to approve legislation that enriched his business. Sports teams at the University of Miami will be wearing the Nike logo once again starting next year.

In this episode of “Between the Lines” from State Affairs, Dara chats with José Javier Rodríguez, the Democratic candidate for Florida attorney general, who says his campaign is rooted in fighting for everyday Floridians and challenging entrenched power.Rodríguez, who hopes to become the first Democrat elected as the state’s top legal eagle in nearly twenty‑five years, faces incumbent AG James Uthmeier. The Democratic challenger argues that his Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed challenger is vulnerable on a number of fronts — including the controversial and expensive immigration detention center in the Everglades and questions surrounding its oversight and costs.Rodríguez reflects on his time in the Florida Senate, including the impact of the 2020 "ghost candidate" scandal and what it taught him about corporate influence in Tallahassee.On the campaign trail, Rodríguez says voters are most concerned about rising costs and corruption, issues he believes the AG’s office must prioritize. The Democrat says the office can — and should — actively push back against utility and insurance rate hikes and refocus on protecting everyday FloridiansIn a twist, Rodríguez notes that his push to restore traditional priorities to the office makes him feel “kind of like the conservative” in the race.Plus, Capitol mainstays will want to stick around to find out whatever happened to JJR’s rainboots?