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US Seizure of Maduro Leads to Uneasy Normalcy in Caracas
Nearly a month after U.S. forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Caracas is settling into an uneasy normal, with major changes and lingering questions about the future, according to NPR. The operation, which took place approximately a month prior to February 1, 2026, has led to significant shifts in the city.
The United States' top priority was to remove Maduro from power. Sarah McCammon, reporting for NPR, noted the uncertainty surrounding the long-term effects of the intervention.
In other news, concerns are rising over potential debt crises in Japan and the operational risks associated with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems in enterprises.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent contacted his Japanese counterpart after tremors in the $7.3 trillion Japan Government Bond (JGB) market sparked fears of a debt crisis, Fortune reported. Japan's debt is already more than 200% of its GDP, and proposed fiscal stimulus plans could exacerbate the situation. Investors have reacted with caution, as JGB yields have surged following weak debt auctions. Snap elections are scheduled for Feb. 8, and both Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her opponent are promising similar economic agendas.
Meanwhile, enterprises are increasingly adopting RAG to integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) with proprietary data, VentureBeat reported. However, many organizations are realizing that retrieval has evolved into a critical system dependency. Varun Raj of VentureBeat noted that failures in retrieval can undermine trust, compliance, and operational reliability. He reframes retrieval as infrastructure rather than application logic.
In other developments, Frank Bisignano was appointed as the first CEO of the IRS, according to Fortune. Bisignano, a former protégé of Jamie Dimon, received the offer from President and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in early October. "The president told me it was Scott's recommendation that I also run the IRS as its first CEO," Bisignano recalled. "I said, 'Yes, I'll do whatever you want,' and the president said that he's counting on me to make the IRS great again." Bisignano faces a $5 trillion test this tax season.
Separately, a leaked chat log exposed the inner workings of a scam compound in Southeast Asia, Hacker News reported. The compound, disguised as a typical corporate sales team, was involved in "pig butchering" scams, defrauding victims of significant sums through romance and crypto investment schemes. An office manager named Amani sent daily motivational messages to his subordinates, encouraging them to deceive customers. "Every day brings a new opportunitya chance to connect, to inspire, and to make a difference," Amani wrote in one message.
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