President Donald Trump believes US companies can revive Venezuela’s beleaguered oil industry, benefiting both that nation and America. But even if that happens, it would be a fraction of changes needed to get the destitute country back on its feet.

Once one of the world's richest nations, Venezuela has faced a decadeslong collapse that triggered one of the largest migrations in history.

Now that we're at a crisis point — with the United Nations saying U.S. President Donald Trump's weekend invasion of Venezuela contravened its charter and with Nicolas Maduro appearing in a U.S. court — it's a good time to review what led to this moment.

BY CASSIDY GODA Cassidy Goda is a Pre-Law/ Political Science Major at Skidmore College. She serves on the Saratoga Springs

Venezuela's oil recovery is hampered by both long-term structural damage from the collapse of PDVSA and later, faster-acting disruption from US sanctions, with a near-term rebound hinging most on sanctions relief.

Despite holding the world’s largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela’s oil industry collapsed after expropriations, mismanagement, and the loss of foreign expertise left it unable to produce its technically demanding heavy crude at scale.

U.S. sanctions helped cause the collapse of Venezuelan oil production — damage that Trump is now using as justification for his strike against the country.

We’ve been checking in on the economic conditions in Venezuela for about a decade now. In response to the U.S. strike and the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro this weekend, we’re re-surfacing this episode with an update.

From Venezuela to Minneapolis, the rapid rollout of deepfakes around major news events is stirring confusion and suspicion about real news.

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Start your morning with The National News Desk as Jan Jeffcoat sits down with Steve Moore to discuss Venezuela's economic collapse, bringing insight and context to the stories shaping the day. Watch weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST, Monday through Friday.

A flotilla of US oil tankers is poised to begin lifting stranded Venezuelan oil, as analysts warned the country’s production will “collapse” unless Washington halts its naval blockade. What to know: Chevron,