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A day after Fourth of July festivities in the U.S., Venezuela marked its Independence Day, but Venezuelans are still recovering from last month's devastating twin earthquakes. And what's more, there's not much independence left to celebrate. Here's reporter John Otis.
JOHN OTIS, BYLINE: Two hundred fifteen years ago, Venezuela became the first Spanish colony in South America to declare independence. But after back-to-back earthquakes that killed more than 3,300 people, the mood is somber. Here in Caracas, police tell me that military parades have been canceled. Venezuelans often holiday at the beach in nearby La Guaira state, but that area was hit hardest by the quakes and is now a disaster zone.
Next to the National Pantheon, a mausoleum where Simon Bolivar and other independence leaders are buried, quake survivors huddle in tents on the sidewalk. Posters taped to trees show photos of people who have gone missing. Volunteers hand out juice and sandwiches. A music teacher straps on a guitar to keep children entertained.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: (Singing in Spanish).
OTIS: But there's another reason this is no normal Independence Day. Venezuela lost much of its sovereignty on January 3, after U.S. troops captured authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro. Later that day, President Trump declared that the U.S. is now in charge.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: So we're going to stay until such time as - we're going to run it, essentially, until such time as a proper transition can take place.
OTIS: The U.S. now controls Venezuela's oil revenue, the source of more than 90% of its export income. It's also working closely with acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: She said, we'll do whatever you need. She - I think she was quite gracious, but she really doesn't have a choice.
OTIS: It's a radical turn of events for Venezuelans after 27 years under Maduro and his far more popular mentor, Hugo Chavez. Chavez, who ushered in a socialist revolution, constantly warned about U.S. imperialism.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HUGO CHAVEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: Chavez died in 2013. Since then, the ruling socialist party has erected so many statues and plaques in his honor that they're far easier to find than tributes to Venezuela's founders.
One example is right here in front of me. It's an eternal flame commemorating the day in 1992 that Hugo Chavez led an uprising - a military coup - against the democratic government.
Chavez's handpicked successor, Nicolás Maduro, led Venezuela into economic crisis and nearly destroyed the country's democracy. That prompted more than a quarter of the population to flee Venezuela and paved the way for the U.S. military operation in January.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: Pro-Maduro die-hards, like Gustavo Canchica, are still coming to grips with the country's new status as a vassal state. We meet at a baseball park, where he's handing out food and clothes to quake victims.
GUSTAVO CANCHICA: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: Canchica readily admits that there's a lot he likes about the U.S.
CANCHICA: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: "When Rambo fought the Russians in that movie, I was on his side. When Michael Jackson danced, I loved it," he says, "but Trump bombed us. So I'm no fan of Trump."
Others see advantages in the new alliance.
WILFREDO DELGADO: (Speaking Spanish).
(SOUNDBITE OF BANGING WOOD)
DELGADO: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: They include Wilfredo Delgado, who's inspecting his apartment building for quake damage. He thinks the partnership could mean more earthquake aid.
DELGADO: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: "If Delcy Rodriguez is managed by Trump," he says, "let's hope it's for the good of Venezuelans."
Back outside, I finally see a patriotic symbol, a red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flag on the top of Delgado's building, but it's not for Independence Day.
DELGADO: (Speaking Spanish).
OTIS: "In the wake of the earthquake," Delgado says, "the flag means Venezuela is still alive."
For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Caracas.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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