International
María Corina Machado denies Maduro and denies that he has fled to Spain: “I’m here in Venezuela”
The anti-Chavista leader María Corina Machado assured, in an interview with EVTV, that she is “in Venezuela,” with which she denies the Government of Nicolás Maduro, who had said shortly before that the former deputy “fled the country to Spain,” where the opponent Edmundo González Urrutia is exiled.
“Venezuelans know that I am here in Venezuela, people know it and Nicolás Maduro also knows it. What happens is that they are desperate to know where I am, and I am not going to give them that pleasure,” said Machado, who maintained that she and the citizens of the country are “here fighting and determined to advance to the end.”
On the other hand, the head of state, according to Machado, is in a “parallel universe surrounded by bodyguards” because “he knows that the people defeated him” in the presidential elections of July 28, in which the opponent asserts that González Urrutia was the “elected” candidate, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro the winner.
“María Corina Machado fled to Spain,” says the Government
Shortly before, the Government of Venezuela had assured that Machado “fled the country to Spain,” where the standard-bearer of the opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, considered the winner of the last presidential elections of July 28 by the Spanish Congress of Deputies, is exiled.
In a televised event, President Nicolás Maduro – proclaimed re-elected by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) – said that “the sayona” – as he usually refers to in a derogatory way to Machado – “also left” the country and “fled” to “a very good tavern there somewhere in Spain.”
Although the head of state did not mention the name of the opponent, the Minister of Communication, Freddy Ñáñez, collected these statements and assured on Telegram that, according to the president, “María Corina Machado fled the country to Spain.”
Specifically, Maduro said: “I have a secret from you, but I don’t know, do you know how to keep a secret? (…) Who likes gossip? (…) It turns out that the old man (in reference to González Urrutia) left a month ago, (…) and the sayona also left, fled, fled, (…) left until the end, a very good tavern there in a place in Spain, (…) that’s where he got. Please don’t tell this to anyone.”
The ‘Sayona’ is a character who, according to Venezuelan oral literature, appears in the form of a specter and punishes unfaithful men.
Machado and González Urrutia
Last Monday, the president, without giving names or direct references, said that “she” had left the country, despite the fact that she has been banned from leaving the national territory since June 2014.
“Don’t tell anyone, he left the country, my sources tell me that he fled (…) they are cowards, they are good at sending messages of hatred and intolerance, but he left, his Gucci suitcases arrived and he left,” he said then, once again, without giving any name.
González Urrutia, leader of the main opposition coalition – the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – arrived in Madrid on September 8, after requesting asylum due to the political and judicial “persecution” that he denounced having suffered in his country after the elections.
After the departure of the opponent, Machado, who claims to be in “the clandestinity”, fearing for his “life” and “freedom”, reiterated that he will continue to fight from Venezuela, while González Urrutia will do so “from the outside.”
Likewise, on September 30, the former deputy, in her speech of gratitude by videoconference after having won the Václav Havel Human Rights Award, reiterated that she will “continue to fight alongside the Venezuelan people.”
International
Ninth Victim Recovered After Deadliest U.S. Avalanche in Decades
Rescue teams in California on Saturday recovered the body of the ninth and final victim of a deadly avalanche in the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the local sheriff’s office.
The avalanche struck a group of 11 skiers and four guides on Tuesday as they were returning from a three-day backcountry trip near Castle Peak, a 2,777-meter (9,111-foot) mountain and popular tourist destination on the U.S. West Coast.
Six people were rescued alive on Tuesday. Authorities said the incident marks the deadliest avalanche in the United States since 1981.
“All nine individuals who lost their lives in the February 17 Castle Peak avalanche have been safely recovered from the mountain,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“There are no words that can truly capture the magnitude of this loss, and our hearts grieve alongside the families affected by this catastrophic event,” Sheriff Shannan Moon said.
Officials had warned on Thursday that search operations would likely continue through the weekend due to severe weather conditions in the area.
Survivors were able to call for help shortly after the avalanche occurred. However, near-zero visibility and the risk of additional snow slides prevented rescue teams from reaching them for several hours.
International
Trump Defies Supreme Court With New 10% Global Tariff
Defiant in the face of a judicial setback, Donald Trump on Friday imposed a new across-the-board 10% tariff after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that he does not have the authority to levy customs duties under the guise of a national emergency.
The Republican president signed the order in the Oval Office and announced on social media that the measure would take effect “almost immediately.” According to a statement from the White House, the decree will formally enter into force on February 24 for a period of 150 days.
It remains unclear whether the new tariff will apply to countries that have already negotiated trade agreements establishing rates higher than 10%.
Earlier in the day, the conservative-majority court ruled that a 1977 law cited by Trump to abruptly impose tariffs on individual countries — disrupting global trade — “does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.”
Trump said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and accused some justices of being influenced by “foreign interests.”
Although he has made variable tariffs a cornerstone of his foreign policy, Trump acknowledged that it is uncertain whether the government will have to refund revenue already collected. A study by the University of Pennsylvaniaestimated that the amount at stake could reach as much as $175 billion.
“That issue was not addressed by the Court,” Trump told reporters, warning that the legal battle could drag on for “years.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who dissented from the Court’s 6–3 majority opinion, cautioned that the legal process could become a “mess.”
Trump denied any error or haste in using tariffs as a policy tool, arguing instead that the six justices who ruled against him were motivated by “political correctness.” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that the Court had acted “outside the law.”
International
U.S. Targets Members of Outgoing Boric Administration With Visa Revocations
The United States government announced on Friday the revocation of visas for three Chilean officials—whose identities were not initially disclosed—citing activities that allegedly “undermined regional security,” an accusation that Chile denies.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of State did not provide specific details about the individuals involved but criticized the outgoing administration of leftist President Gabriel Boric.
“The legacy of the Boric government will be further tarnished by actions that undermine regional security to the ultimate detriment of the Chilean people,” the statement read. It was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Chile’s Minister of Transport, Juan Carlos Muñoz, later confirmed in a video message to the press that he is among those sanctioned.
“I was recently informed that my visa to enter the United States has been revoked by that country, which I deeply regret,” Muñoz said.
The U.S. statement also noted that Washington hopes to “advance shared priorities, including those that strengthen security in our hemisphere, with the upcoming Kast government.”
The electoral victory of ultraconservative leader José Antonio Kast was welcomed in Washington, which has been building alliances with like-minded governments in the region to reinforce its diplomatic and economic agenda—particularly in response to China’s growing investment presence in Latin America.
“We remain committed to promoting accountability for Chilean individuals who deliberately work to destabilize our hemisphere,” the statement concluded.
Ninth Victim Recovered After Deadliest U.S. Avalanche in Decades
Trump Defies Supreme Court With New 10% Global Tariff
U.S. Targets Members of Outgoing Boric Administration With Visa Revocations
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