Exxon was among more than a dozen companies represented during a White House meeting Friday. Leaders of Chevron, ConocoPhillips and others were also there.

Industry leaders say what happens overseas can influence hiring decisions at home, even if changes don’t come quickly.

HOUSTON — During a news conference about the military operation in Venezuela, he mentioned Jocelyn Nungaray, a Houston girl who was killed in June of 2024 in north Houston. Venezuelan nationals Franklin Peña, 26, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, are charged with capital murder in connection with her death.

Leaders from more than a dozen oil companies with major operations in Houston – including Exxon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips — gathered at the White House.

Duno-Gottberg is currently completing a book titled Dangerous People: Hegemony, Representation and Culture in Contemporary Venezuela, which examines political violence, popular mobilization and fractures within liberation movements. Recent events, he said, have only reinforced its relevance.

Some Venezuelans in Houston say the country suffered through economic hardships under Nicolás Maduro's watch and feel it's time for a new head of state.