I would also suggest listening to the interview for we discuss the struggle many liberals are having about what Trump is doing in Venezuela. Removal of Maduro is a universal desire and good. How we get there is open to debate and discussion.
Folks need to be aware that Putin is the main backer of the Venezuelan government, and Russian influence operations were almost certainly very active yesterday across the world denigrating Machado and the Nobel Committee's choice.
I know nothing about Machado's statements about Israel, but I have Venezuelan family members who were forced to leave their country out of fears for their safety. All of my cousins have either witnessed shootings or known people who were killed. One of my cousins witnessed a random murder on the street at 8:00 am. Another cousin's wife was held up by highway robbers 41 times on her way to the capital to leave the country. She knew this was going to happen and filled the car with food and her pockets with US dollars. Fortunately they were not harmed physically, but that kind of psychological terror leaves scars. They were thrilled with this choice. (I realize that you're not in support of the Maduro regime, but my family members, who have followed Machado's work for decades, believe her to be an inspired choice.)
Laurie FFS the main "concern" here is about her support of Israel and the condemnation comes from a US based Muslim group? I mean, come on. It's ridiculous. Watch the interview with arguably the most important Latin journalist in America today whose family has spend decades fighting for freedom and democracy throughout the Americas. I welcome debate and discourse here but it must be informed and trashing a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate based on a single Facebook post you've read is not a responsible way of engaging here.
many many trolls on the internet, disinformation campaign around her being awarded the prize. One of the things T lies about frequently is what ppl say to him. so work at reading internet posts critically, especially fb. Did you watch the video of the Nobel committee chair informing her she'd been awarded the prize? that should answer your questions - her humility. Yes, she wanted to share the prize - WITH THE VENEZUELAN PPL WORKING FOR DEMOCRACY - but the Nobel chair insisted she deserves it. I'll link the clip here when / if I run across it again. Perhaps Leon Krauze mentions, I have not had a chance to watch interview with him yet.
Well, apologies all, Simon posted the call to her yesterday - missive I just got a chance to read.
Overwhelmed with earthworm level as Emily H. terms it
This is really important frameworking from Permaculture Gal, Angela, who is now living on the front lines in Portland Oregon. It is uplifting regarding testimony from the military commander before the Oregon legislature and I find her a calming influence in these crazy days.
She also talks about how the resistance used its humanity to overturn Slobadan Milosivic in Serbia, which is also timely advice.
Thank you so much for your insightful post, Simon. It is so important to see the Illinois Senators standing up for their constituents. It is especially meaningful that Sen. Duckworth was there.
I am headed out to knock doors this afternoon and will report back later. Excited to get out the vote for Mikie!
Good lord. “Thank you to President Putin.” 5 words that demonstrate not only how laughable it is that he thought he would be in the conversation for a Nobel Peace Prize, but how unfit he is to be President.
Voted yesterday, and had a good conversation with my 23-year-old daughter about the election. She basically views gerrymandering as wrong and doesn’t like that Prop. 50 is necessary, but she does agree it’s necessary. I think the structure of Prop. 50 as a temporary measure is very well thought out — that was reassuring for her. Dropped her ballot off as well as mine.
I think she's reading the tea leaves and is hoping to assume the mantle of the leader of the post-Trump GOP. I find that easier to believe than she has grown a conscience, but I suppose there could be a mixture of the two.
While I hope that the "peace deal" will stand, I have little faith that whatever Netanyahu and Trump have concocted will last very long. If the hostages are returned and Palestinians are fed, its a win.
The rest is just right wing propaganda to my mind. Thanks for the gift link, it's the only way I see legacy media these days...
Yesterday China announced that it would be restricting the export of rare earth minerals, which are important to the tech and medical equipment industries. Trump had a hissy fit. He threatened 100% tariffs on China. As soon as he did that, the market took a nose dive, the DOW dropping 1.9% and the NASDAQ dropping 3.56%. After the markets closed, Trump doubled down on his threat. The NASDAQ futures are now down 4.35%, the DOW down 2.4%.
We'll see how this unfolds. I recall this from the Guardian:
"Recessions happen rarely and the same goes for financial crashes. Both are predicted more often than they materialise. Leaving to one side the exceptional circumstances of the 2020 pandemic, it has been 17 years since there was a prolonged fall in share prices. Memories of the slump that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers 17 years ago this month have dimmed. Traders in their 20s and 30s have little or no experience of what a genuine financial market panic feels like.
"That’s the first warning sign. The longer the period between crises, the greater the complacency, the sense that the good times will go on for ever. Those who note that all previous booms have ended in painful busts are ignored. The old lie – it’s different this time – is trotted out."
Most of the stock market's stability (even growth) since Trump 2.0 began has been attributed to "AI exuberance" (i.e. bubble) with less regard for traditional indicators like inflation, farmers on the ropes, declining jobs, etc.
This move could be a resurfacing of his pattern of gaming the system, with insider pals shorting the market, and then he might TACO in the coming days and the crooks make out like bandits.. But either way its destabilizing. He might also decide to threaten Greenland as an alternative source of rare earth minerals.
I repeat: time to holler "Invoke the 25th amendment" far and wide. I continue to add that point to my calls to my electeds.
Maria Corina Machado's heroic story is a worthy basis for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, I wonder if she is out of touch with political events outside of Venezuela. I do not remember the specific news source, but yesterday 10/10/25 it was reported she thanked Trump for encouraging her and dedicated her prize to him. How ironic she is fighting authoritarianism in Venezuela and doesn't seem to realize Trump is creating an authoritarian state in the U.S.
"Fascism a Warning" by Madeline Albright warns fascism can come from the left, right, or center and all of us need to be vigilant and see the warning signs - any use of force, threats or fraud to get what fascists want.
MANY Venezuelans were initially pro-Trump for a lot of reasons. I don't know what she has said recently, but keep in mind that comments on the internet live forever and can easily be spun out of context. My Venezuelan family members report that the Venezuelans here in the US have turned on Trump, despite many of them loving him during his first term and supporting him last November. The reasons for the initial support are complicated.
The Supremes have allowed Donnie Diddler to revoke the TPA for some Venezuelans in the U.S. Scary, right? I guess Venezuelans in the U.S. will find out what it really means when you vote for Donnie Diddler. He throws everyone under the bus and everything he touches dies.
Sorry, hard pass for me on Machado. She thanked the Venezuelan people and Donald Trump when she accepted her Nobel Peace Prize, can't get any more current than that. She may be against HER dictator but she's not against OUR dictator. She's okay with anything Donnie Diddler does to destabilize Maduro's government. Blowing up fishermen without due process, U.S. naval presence near her country. Inviting Donnie Diddler to invade her country. Maybe good things for her but bad for us. You can have her.
I don't have enough background info to make a judgment on this, but agree that it's not a good look. You would think that a Venezuelan would recognize authoritarianism.
It might be as simple as the enemy of my enemy is my friend but the conditions Machado has described that exist in her country are what OUR dictator wants for us..poor access to health care and medicine, limited access to education...she has been persecuted for her beliefs so I'm sure there is limited freedom of the press and crackdown on views that oppose Maduro. What does that situation sound like?
So glad to see Trump's overreach turn Democratic congresspeople into fighters. It's heartening to see the resistance grow.
And, yes. This was, and is, the time to stand up for the Latino community--both because it is the moral thing to do and the politically smart thing to do. It has long been my frustration with the party that its leaders tend to sacrifice parts of the coalition in fear of losing some working class white voter in a swing state, not really understanding that these votes matter as well. And that the mere acting of standing up and fighting demonstrates strength (not to mention what Greg Sargent beautifully framed as "activating" public sentiment). I will keep focusing my calls on that, but seeing the fire begin to spark across the party gives me hope.
We got our solar panels yesterday, and today I join fellow childrens' authors as callers in Banned Books Bingo. Loved this interview. Grateful to you all.
Thanks for this conversation, Simon and Leon. I lived in Miami (Morningside) for six years and met the kindest, most innovative, and most creative humans from all over the world. San Francisco is my home, but I left my heart in Miami.
There are GOP house members in swing districts who are unhappy with Trump 2.0 (ICE raids, shutdown on top of Epstein stuff), so my question is what happens when the primary filing deadline in their states are in the rearview? Will some liberate themselves and push back against the MAGA leadership? Might we see a few more defections? As the impact of tariffs hits in the holiday season, might we see a handful grow a spine?
Maybe. Marjorie Taylor Greene is leading the way. If these people ever wondered how they would behave had they lived in 1930s Germany, well, now they know. It's not pretty! ICE was the focus of my calls to my two GOP senators and my Democratic representative today.
I'm looking forward to watching the interview later. Yesterday it conflicted with other things.
I think if he continues with this tariff insanity, and the market suffers another major decline like it did after "liberation day" (or, perhaps "immolation day" is better), even if he tacos, I think it's going to leave some lasting damage. I think the original decline in his polling was due to the market, and his temporary recovery was due to his taco before Musk unloaded on him.
I don't think a taco after all this bullshit will save him. Maybe he'll start bouncing around off a 35 approval floor... maybe lower? A lot of retirees holding stocks who voted for him care about this stuff.
Leon has a way of pulling you in, commanding without hysteria, that you listen to what he has to say. I listened to the interview as I ran around the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where my family, as immigrants, lived when they came here well over a century ago, along with "everybody" else.
And if you are familiar with the Lower East Side of Manhattan, you know exactly what I mean by "everybody" else, because there was every sort of person down there, from everywhere around the globe, seeking prosperity, liberty, safety, and opportunity.
Their arrival was met with editorials that read "the sewers have been unchoked."
Speaking of sewers, has anyone seen this video from Meidas about Melania's recent front-and-center appearances and "back-channel" talks with Putin?
he is a very effective speaker; clear, with a strong command of facts; i knew about machado because i have colombian family through my wife, and many of them did not like her politics but supported her because she was for democracy and rule of law; there has been a crisis on the border and there are many refugees taxing the colombian system; i would point out president petro is a leftist but not an authoritarian; he will honor democratic institutions, though i believe he is term limited. also, he's not popular with everyone down there, i mean ,who is...there is a difference between leftists like petro and lula and those like maduro and noriega. one cannot paint with a broad brush. what we see over here among the right wing is a very clear disdain for democracy, from the weakening of the voting rights act to gerrymandering. and the lies.....i was talking with a latina, middle aged woman at the vet's office, and she was like, but what about biden, he was awful , no? i broke out the graphs on jobs from this site, showed them to her and said that's all i have to say....crickets. you have to engage people whenever you can....
Laurie, posts like this are not allowed here at Hopium. Provide links, back ups to your concerns or take the post down for it is slanderous as is.
I would also suggest listening to the interview for we discuss the struggle many liberals are having about what Trump is doing in Venezuela. Removal of Maduro is a universal desire and good. How we get there is open to debate and discussion.
Folks need to be aware that Putin is the main backer of the Venezuelan government, and Russian influence operations were almost certainly very active yesterday across the world denigrating Machado and the Nobel Committee's choice.
The PRESIDENT LIES ALL THE TIME. What are you doing here Laurie??????
I know nothing about Machado's statements about Israel, but I have Venezuelan family members who were forced to leave their country out of fears for their safety. All of my cousins have either witnessed shootings or known people who were killed. One of my cousins witnessed a random murder on the street at 8:00 am. Another cousin's wife was held up by highway robbers 41 times on her way to the capital to leave the country. She knew this was going to happen and filled the car with food and her pockets with US dollars. Fortunately they were not harmed physically, but that kind of psychological terror leaves scars. They were thrilled with this choice. (I realize that you're not in support of the Maduro regime, but my family members, who have followed Machado's work for decades, believe her to be an inspired choice.)
Laurie FFS the main "concern" here is about her support of Israel and the condemnation comes from a US based Muslim group? I mean, come on. It's ridiculous. Watch the interview with arguably the most important Latin journalist in America today whose family has spend decades fighting for freedom and democracy throughout the Americas. I welcome debate and discourse here but it must be informed and trashing a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate based on a single Facebook post you've read is not a responsible way of engaging here.
many many trolls on the internet, disinformation campaign around her being awarded the prize. One of the things T lies about frequently is what ppl say to him. so work at reading internet posts critically, especially fb. Did you watch the video of the Nobel committee chair informing her she'd been awarded the prize? that should answer your questions - her humility. Yes, she wanted to share the prize - WITH THE VENEZUELAN PPL WORKING FOR DEMOCRACY - but the Nobel chair insisted she deserves it. I'll link the clip here when / if I run across it again. Perhaps Leon Krauze mentions, I have not had a chance to watch interview with him yet.
Well, apologies all, Simon posted the call to her yesterday - missive I just got a chance to read.
Overwhelmed with earthworm level as Emily H. terms it
This is really important frameworking from Permaculture Gal, Angela, who is now living on the front lines in Portland Oregon. It is uplifting regarding testimony from the military commander before the Oregon legislature and I find her a calming influence in these crazy days.
She also talks about how the resistance used its humanity to overturn Slobadan Milosivic in Serbia, which is also timely advice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wydlV_WZnqY
thanks so much for this link
Thank you so much for your insightful post, Simon. It is so important to see the Illinois Senators standing up for their constituents. It is especially meaningful that Sen. Duckworth was there.
I am headed out to knock doors this afternoon and will report back later. Excited to get out the vote for Mikie!
Keep going!
Good lord. “Thank you to President Putin.” 5 words that demonstrate not only how laughable it is that he thought he would be in the conversation for a Nobel Peace Prize, but how unfit he is to be President.
Voted yesterday, and had a good conversation with my 23-year-old daughter about the election. She basically views gerrymandering as wrong and doesn’t like that Prop. 50 is necessary, but she does agree it’s necessary. I think the structure of Prop. 50 as a temporary measure is very well thought out — that was reassuring for her. Dropped her ballot off as well as mine.
another widening of the maga cracks -- MTG calls out FoxNews as propaganda
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2231436227304205
I am so curious about why she embarked on this path.
I think she's reading the tea leaves and is hoping to assume the mantle of the leader of the post-Trump GOP. I find that easier to believe than she has grown a conscience, but I suppose there could be a mixture of the two.
Here's one take on it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/us/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-maga-split.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sk8.l5XD.oJ7VB8NNpsGS&smid=url-share
Phase of the moon?
I'm very cynical about any major shifts she makes.
I’m sharing the linked WSJ article (gift), which speaks for itself. I welcome a robust discussion on whether it has merit.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-second-term-policies-gifts-494731c7?st=GQMH7t
Trump is delusional, as is the WSJ.
While I hope that the "peace deal" will stand, I have little faith that whatever Netanyahu and Trump have concocted will last very long. If the hostages are returned and Palestinians are fed, its a win.
The rest is just right wing propaganda to my mind. Thanks for the gift link, it's the only way I see legacy media these days...
Yesterday China announced that it would be restricting the export of rare earth minerals, which are important to the tech and medical equipment industries. Trump had a hissy fit. He threatened 100% tariffs on China. As soon as he did that, the market took a nose dive, the DOW dropping 1.9% and the NASDAQ dropping 3.56%. After the markets closed, Trump doubled down on his threat. The NASDAQ futures are now down 4.35%, the DOW down 2.4%.
We'll see how this unfolds. I recall this from the Guardian:
"Recessions happen rarely and the same goes for financial crashes. Both are predicted more often than they materialise. Leaving to one side the exceptional circumstances of the 2020 pandemic, it has been 17 years since there was a prolonged fall in share prices. Memories of the slump that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers 17 years ago this month have dimmed. Traders in their 20s and 30s have little or no experience of what a genuine financial market panic feels like.
"That’s the first warning sign. The longer the period between crises, the greater the complacency, the sense that the good times will go on for ever. Those who note that all previous booms have ended in painful busts are ignored. The old lie – it’s different this time – is trotted out."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/25/us-stock-market-trump-wall-street-financial-crisis-federal-reserve
Most of the stock market's stability (even growth) since Trump 2.0 began has been attributed to "AI exuberance" (i.e. bubble) with less regard for traditional indicators like inflation, farmers on the ropes, declining jobs, etc.
This move could be a resurfacing of his pattern of gaming the system, with insider pals shorting the market, and then he might TACO in the coming days and the crooks make out like bandits.. But either way its destabilizing. He might also decide to threaten Greenland as an alternative source of rare earth minerals.
I repeat: time to holler "Invoke the 25th amendment" far and wide. I continue to add that point to my calls to my electeds.
Maria Corina Machado's heroic story is a worthy basis for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, I wonder if she is out of touch with political events outside of Venezuela. I do not remember the specific news source, but yesterday 10/10/25 it was reported she thanked Trump for encouraging her and dedicated her prize to him. How ironic she is fighting authoritarianism in Venezuela and doesn't seem to realize Trump is creating an authoritarian state in the U.S.
I am eager to be corrected by someone who actually knows what they're talking about, but this could be read as a savvy move.
Do you have a link? I have yet to see anything reliable in that regard. do not recognize the fb posters
About Machado, I received the following post. Now I’m really confused. Is she pro-Trump?
https://www.facebook.com/share/17DED7E8pJ/
"Fascism a Warning" by Madeline Albright warns fascism can come from the left, right, or center and all of us need to be vigilant and see the warning signs - any use of force, threats or fraud to get what fascists want.
Can you provide a link?
Amazon
https://a.co/d/8tABoT0
Audible
Listen to Fascism by Madeleine Albright on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B078XKS3N6?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007
MANY Venezuelans were initially pro-Trump for a lot of reasons. I don't know what she has said recently, but keep in mind that comments on the internet live forever and can easily be spun out of context. My Venezuelan family members report that the Venezuelans here in the US have turned on Trump, despite many of them loving him during his first term and supporting him last November. The reasons for the initial support are complicated.
The Supremes have allowed Donnie Diddler to revoke the TPA for some Venezuelans in the U.S. Scary, right? I guess Venezuelans in the U.S. will find out what it really means when you vote for Donnie Diddler. He throws everyone under the bus and everything he touches dies.
Sorry, hard pass for me on Machado. She thanked the Venezuelan people and Donald Trump when she accepted her Nobel Peace Prize, can't get any more current than that. She may be against HER dictator but she's not against OUR dictator. She's okay with anything Donnie Diddler does to destabilize Maduro's government. Blowing up fishermen without due process, U.S. naval presence near her country. Inviting Donnie Diddler to invade her country. Maybe good things for her but bad for us. You can have her.
I don't have enough background info to make a judgment on this, but agree that it's not a good look. You would think that a Venezuelan would recognize authoritarianism.
It might be as simple as the enemy of my enemy is my friend but the conditions Machado has described that exist in her country are what OUR dictator wants for us..poor access to health care and medicine, limited access to education...she has been persecuted for her beliefs so I'm sure there is limited freedom of the press and crackdown on views that oppose Maduro. What does that situation sound like?
So glad to see Trump's overreach turn Democratic congresspeople into fighters. It's heartening to see the resistance grow.
And, yes. This was, and is, the time to stand up for the Latino community--both because it is the moral thing to do and the politically smart thing to do. It has long been my frustration with the party that its leaders tend to sacrifice parts of the coalition in fear of losing some working class white voter in a swing state, not really understanding that these votes matter as well. And that the mere acting of standing up and fighting demonstrates strength (not to mention what Greg Sargent beautifully framed as "activating" public sentiment). I will keep focusing my calls on that, but seeing the fire begin to spark across the party gives me hope.
We got our solar panels yesterday, and today I join fellow childrens' authors as callers in Banned Books Bingo. Loved this interview. Grateful to you all.
Wonderful, wide-ranging interview with Leon Krauze. Thank you.
Informative interview! Thank you both.
Thanks for this conversation, Simon and Leon. I lived in Miami (Morningside) for six years and met the kindest, most innovative, and most creative humans from all over the world. San Francisco is my home, but I left my heart in Miami.
There are GOP house members in swing districts who are unhappy with Trump 2.0 (ICE raids, shutdown on top of Epstein stuff), so my question is what happens when the primary filing deadline in their states are in the rearview? Will some liberate themselves and push back against the MAGA leadership? Might we see a few more defections? As the impact of tariffs hits in the holiday season, might we see a handful grow a spine?
Maybe. Marjorie Taylor Greene is leading the way. If these people ever wondered how they would behave had they lived in 1930s Germany, well, now they know. It's not pretty! ICE was the focus of my calls to my two GOP senators and my Democratic representative today.
As Lisa I. likes to say, "Keep going!"
I'm looking forward to watching the interview later. Yesterday it conflicted with other things.
I think if he continues with this tariff insanity, and the market suffers another major decline like it did after "liberation day" (or, perhaps "immolation day" is better), even if he tacos, I think it's going to leave some lasting damage. I think the original decline in his polling was due to the market, and his temporary recovery was due to his taco before Musk unloaded on him.
I don't think a taco after all this bullshit will save him. Maybe he'll start bouncing around off a 35 approval floor... maybe lower? A lot of retirees holding stocks who voted for him care about this stuff.
Leon has a way of pulling you in, commanding without hysteria, that you listen to what he has to say. I listened to the interview as I ran around the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where my family, as immigrants, lived when they came here well over a century ago, along with "everybody" else.
And if you are familiar with the Lower East Side of Manhattan, you know exactly what I mean by "everybody" else, because there was every sort of person down there, from everywhere around the globe, seeking prosperity, liberty, safety, and opportunity.
Their arrival was met with editorials that read "the sewers have been unchoked."
Speaking of sewers, has anyone seen this video from Meidas about Melania's recent front-and-center appearances and "back-channel" talks with Putin?
https://youtu.be/Q_m7lG1Tmuo?si=pyk9z3Agg55cWPiR
he is a very effective speaker; clear, with a strong command of facts; i knew about machado because i have colombian family through my wife, and many of them did not like her politics but supported her because she was for democracy and rule of law; there has been a crisis on the border and there are many refugees taxing the colombian system; i would point out president petro is a leftist but not an authoritarian; he will honor democratic institutions, though i believe he is term limited. also, he's not popular with everyone down there, i mean ,who is...there is a difference between leftists like petro and lula and those like maduro and noriega. one cannot paint with a broad brush. what we see over here among the right wing is a very clear disdain for democracy, from the weakening of the voting rights act to gerrymandering. and the lies.....i was talking with a latina, middle aged woman at the vet's office, and she was like, but what about biden, he was awful , no? i broke out the graphs on jobs from this site, showed them to her and said that's all i have to say....crickets. you have to engage people whenever you can....
Heads down. Keep fighting y'all
Looking forward to Monday's calls