Venezuela’s opposition accuses Maduro government of ‘repressive escalation’ as court upholds election ban on candidate
CNN
Chief negotiator Gerardo Blyde says Maduro’s government had an obligation to hold free elections, and “it’s not happening.’
The chief negotiator for Venezuela’s opposition has accused Nicolas Maduro’s government of a “repressive escalation” ahead of presidential elections this year, after the Supreme Court upheld a ban against the opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado. Speaking at a press conference in Caracas on Saturday, Gerardo Blyde said Maduro’s government had an obligation to hold free elections, “such as inviting international observers and setting a date for the vote.” “It’s not happening, and instead they’re using the power of the state to begin a repressive escalation,” Blyde said. He also rejected any claims that the opposition was seeking to forcefully remove Maduro from power. Both the opposition and the United States have accused the Maduro government of repudiating a historic agreement signed in Barbados in October 2023 – in which Maduro pledged to hold free and fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief, among other conditions. Supported by the United States, the opposition and Maduro struck a deal in October 2023 known as the Barbados Agreement, which saw 10 Americans released from detention in Venezuela in exchange for the release of one of Maduro’s allies. As part of the deal, Venezuela agreed to hold free and fair elections in 2024 in exchange for sanctions relief.
Botched Epstein redactions trace back to Virgin Islands’ 2020 civil racketeering case against estate
A botched redaction in the Epstein files revealed that government attorneys once accused his lawyers of paying over $400,000 to “young female models and actresses” to cover up his criminal activities
Some Medicare enrollees may soon be able to access super-popular drugs for obesity under a voluntary model program, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Tuesday. Eligible beneficiaries will only have to pay $50 a month.
The Justice Department’s leadership asked career prosecutors in Florida Tuesday to volunteer over the “next several days” to help to redact the Epstein files, in the latest internal Trump administrationpush toward releasing the hundreds of thousands of photos, internal memos and other evidence around the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The US State Department on Tuesday imposed visa sanctions on a former top European Union official and employees of organizations that combat disinformation for alleged censorship – sharply ratcheting up the Trump administration’s fight against European regulations that have impacted digital platforms, far-right politicians and Trump allies, including Elon Musk.
A Delaware state trooper was killed along with the suspected gunman Tuesday during a shooting at a motor vehicle agency near Wilmington, authorities said.
Wyoming’s lone U.S. representative is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Cynthia Lummis, who isn’t seeking re-election.
A new lawsuit filed in Washington, DC’s federal court Monday challenges the Kennedy Center board of trustees’ move to add President Donald Trump’s name to the cultural institution.
Warning: This post contains language readers may find disturbing.
Some staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs are finding little to be merry about after the agency said it would eliminate tens of thousands of open, unfilled positions across the country as it looks to streamline its staffing.
Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse announced Tuesday that he’s been diagnosed with “metastasized, stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.”
CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.
Political opposites are closing 2025 as they did 2024: on each side of America’s Donald Trump divide. But CNN’s “All Over the Map” survey did provide several interesting takeaways. Some may be instructive about the midterm election climate, at least at this beginning stage.
A 2-year-old child is among at least five people who were killed when a Mexican Navy plane carrying medical patients crashed into the waters of Galveston Bay in Texas on Monday afternoon, US Coast Guard officials say.