By REGINA GARCIA CANO

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The United States government on Wednesday further asserted its self-appointed role in turning around Venezuela’s dilapidated oil industry with the arrival of Energy Secretary Chris Wright to the South American country for a firsthand assessment.

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Wright’s visit comes as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump continues to lift sanctions to allow foreign companies to operate in Venezuela and help rebuild the nation’s most important industry. It follows last month’s enactment of a Venezuelan law that opened the nation’s oil sector to private investment, reversing a tenet of the self-proclaimed socialist movement that has ruled the country for more than two decades.

The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela welcomed Wright to the country, writing on social platform X that “the U.S. private sector will be essential to boost the oil sector, modernize the electric grid and unlock Venezuela’s enormous potential.”

Wright is expected to meet with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, government officials, oil executives and others.

Rodríguez was sworn into her new role after the brazen Jan. 3 seizure of then-President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military attack in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. She proposed the overhaul of the country’s energy law after Trump said his administration would take control of Venezuela’s oil exports and revitalize the ailing industry by luring foreign investment.

Rodríguez’s government expects the changes to serve as assurances for major U.S. oil companies that have so far hesitated about returning to the volatile country. Some of those companies lost investments when the ruling party enacted the existing law two decades ago to favor Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA.

The new law now grants private companies control over oil production and sales, ending PDVSA’s monopoly over those activities as well as pricing. It also allows for independent arbitration of disputes, removing a mandate for disagreements to be settled only in Venezuelan courts, which are controlled by the ruling party.

Foreign investors view the involvement of independent arbitrators as crucial to guard against future expropriation.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

In some ways, it was an offseason of upheaval for the Twins. Executive chair Joe Pohlad was replaced by his brother, Tom; president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey left the organization and after nine seasons at the helm; manager Rocco Baldelli was fired and replaced with Derek Shelton.

In other ways, much remains the same. Little was done, for example, to a roster that underperformed in the first half of the season and limped to the finish line after a trade deadline sell-off.

Minnesota Twins vice president and assistant general manager Jeremy Zoll talks as new manager Derek Shelton is introduced during a baseball news conference, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

As spring training officially kicks off in Fort Myers, Florida, on Thursday, there are still plenty of questions to be answered in the six weeks leading up to Opening Day. Here are five.

How will the rotation shake out?

With eight potential starter options, how the rotation shakes out will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow in camp. Atop the rotation, the Twins have right-handers Joe Ryan and Pablo López, a pair of all-star starters who will be gone for much of spring training while competing in the World Baseball Classic. A return to form for Bailey Ober would do wonders for the Twins, who are relying upon the veteran to look more like the pre-2025 version than last year’s iteration.

Behind that trio, the Twins have a number of arms vying for innings. Simeon Woods Richardson is out of options and coming off a strong finish to last season. Taj Bradley, who like Ryan and López will pitch in the WBC, has spent much of the past three seasons pitching in the majors. The Twins also believe strongly in the futures of young starters David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel, each of whom have at least some major league experience.

How many starters will transition to the bullpen?

This goes hand and hand with the first question, as it’s possible that the Twins try to test out a starter or two who don’t make the rotation out of camp in the bullpen. They also have prospects who have yet to reach the majors such as Connor Prielipp or Marco Raya, with whom they could go this route.

It has been a common path, and some of the Twins’ best relievers of late — Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Louie Varland, for example — were converted starters. At the beginning of camp, the Twins will stretch their starters out, so this is something to keep an eye on toward the middle of camp.

“(We’re) going to … work through conversations later on as need be once we have as good a handle as possible on our situation with the state of the bullpen and the best opportunities to put everyone in the best position for success,” general manager Jeremy Zoll said.

Will there be more additions?

Zoll has said the Twins still plan to add to the bullpen — the only free-agent addition thus far has been a reunion with Taylor Rogers on a one-year deal — and it’s certainly possible the Twins can still accomplish that. In recent years, moves have come later and later. Rogers himself was traded right before Opening Day in 2022.

“In the past, you would use report date as, ‘Alright, we’re down in camp and ready to go,’ ” Zoll said. “I think we’ve become accustomed to knowing things could pivot and change.”

Zoll’s comment came Tuesday, a day after Philadelphia Phillies team president Dave Dombrowski said he was anticipating more trade activity than usual during spring training because the free agent market developed late this winter. If that’s the case, the Twins could be among the active teams.

Who will be pitching late in games?

The Twins are expected to carry eight relievers on their Opening Day roster; what that will look like is anyone’s guess right now. Over the course of the next six weeks, the Twins will need to choose relievers and settle on roles for each.

Rogers has experience closing, though at 35, he’s not the same pitcher as he was when he converted 30 saves for the Twins in 2019. Justin Topa might get a chance at some eighth- and ninth-inning opportunities, and so might Cole Sands. But neither has a ton of closing experience, and how the Twins will allocate those innings will be something to watch this spring after they traded away a stable of late-inning arms.

What will we learn about the new coaching staff?

While the roster may look similar to last year’s, the coaching staff sure doesn’t, and spring training should reveal some insights into how Shelton’s crew might operate.

Gone is Baldelli, who managed the team for the past seven years and in his place Shelton, who served as the Twins’ bench coach in 2018 and 2019 before leaving to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While some coaches kept their jobs, including pitching coach Pete Maki, the Twins did turn over much of their staff. New additions include former players LaTroy Hawkins and Grady Sizemore, as well as bench coaches Mark Hallberg and Mike Rabelo, major league field coordinator Toby Gardenhire and new lead hitting coach Keith Beauregard.

Shelton gathered his staff after TwinsFest and said they spent about two and a half days together. He also hosted the group for a staff Super Bowl party.

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By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing its plans to split into two companies.

Steve Cahillane, a former Kellogg Co. chief who became CEO of Kraft Heinz on Jan. 1, said he wants to ensure that all of the company’s resources are focused on profitable growth.

“I have seen that the opportunity is larger than expected and that many of our challenges are fixable and within our control,” Cahillane said in a statement.

The company’s shares were flat in morning trading Wednesday as Kraft Heinz reported lower quarterly and annual results. Investors are likely concerned that Kraft Heinz believes its businesses aren’t strong enough to stand on their own, said Robert Moskow, an analyst with TD Cowen, in a research note.

Kraft Heinz announced in September it was splitting into two companies a decade after a merger of the brands created one of the biggest food manufacturers on the planet.

One of the companies would include stronger-selling brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other would include slower-selling brands like Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables.

At the time, Kraft Heinz said it expected the split to be finalized in the second half of this year. The company hired Cahillane, who presided over a similar breakup at Kellogg Co. in 2023, in December.

But on Wednesday, Kraft Heinz said it will pivot from the split and invest $600 million in marketing, sales and product development.

“We are confident in the opportunity ahead and believe this investment will accelerate our return to profitable growth,” Cahillane said.

Kraft Heinz said Wednesday its net sales fell 3% to $6.35 billion in the October-December period. That was lower than the $6.37 billion Wall Street forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Sales fell 5% in North America but rose internationally.

Kraft Heinz’s net income fell 69.5% to $651 million in the fourth quarter. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned 67 cents per share, which beat analysts’ forecast of 61 cents.

The path to the merger of Kraft and Heinz began in 2013, when billionaire investor Warren Buffett teamed up with Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital to buy H.J. Heinz Co. At the time, the $23 billion deal was the most expensive ever in the food industry.

As a combined company, Kraft Heinz wanted to capitalize on its massive scale. But shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking out less processed foods and switching to cheaper store brands.

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Kraft Heinz tried to follow those trends. In 2021, the company sold both its Planters nut business and its natural cheese business, vowing to reinvest the money into higher-growth brands like P3 protein snacks. But the company continued to struggle.

Kraft Heinz’s net revenue has fallen every year since 2020, when it saw a pandemic-related bump in sales. In April, Kraft Heinz lowered its full-year sales and earnings guidance, citing weaker customer spending in the U.S. and the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Over the years, Buffett said he had come to realize that the company’s competitive moat around its brands wasn’t as strong as he thought. Two representatives from Buffett’s investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, resigned from the Kraft Heinz board last spring, and Berkshire later took a $3.76 billion write-down on its Kraft-Heinz investment. Buffett said he was disappointed in Kraft Heinz’ plan to split in two.

Buffett’s successor at Berkshire, Greg Abel, may now be seeking to unload its stake in the company altogether. Late last month, Kraft Heinz warned investors in a regulatory filing that Berkshire Hathaway may be interested in selling its 325 million shares.

Gophers defensive tackle Deven Eastern was invited Wednesday to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis Feb. 23-March 2. The senior from Shakopee, who participated in Senior Bowl activities last month, is one 319 prospects nationwide invited.

Eastern, who was all-Big Ten honorable mention in 2025, had 38 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for lost yards in all 13 games last season. He was given an above-average overall grade of 67.3 and credited with 14 total pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Gophers have had a player invited to the combine in seven straight years. Last year, they had six: Aireontae Ersery, Justin Walley, Cody Lindenberg, Jah Joyner, Max Brosmer and Daniel Jackson.

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