Politics

Maria Corina Machado has worked her way through Venezuela's political landscape ...  and her efforts are being recognized by the international community in a big way -- because she's just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

We're taking a look at what she's done to reach this point ... and check out how one particular international politician is not thrilled about her receiving the distinction.

Machado, 58, is from Venezuela ... her father was an industrialist in the country, according to The Wall Street Journal. Machado studied engineering during her university days, and she eventually earned a master's degree in finance.

Her philanthropic activities kicked off in 1992, when she founded Fundación Atenea, which provides aid to street children in Caracas.

Machado entered politics 10 years later when she founded Sumate, a vote-monitoring organization, and she subsequently left Atenea in order to focus on her political ambitions, according to The Independent.

Machado was elected to Venezuela's National Assembly in 2010, reportedly pulling in a record number of supporters.

She cofounded a liberal-leaning political party, Vente Venezuela, in 2012, and she helped set up the Soy Venezuela alliance, which brings together right and left-wing politicians to work on shared issues.

Machado achieved notoriety as a vocal opponent of Venezuela's longtime president Nicolas Maduro, and she ended up expelled from the country's National Assembly in 2014.

Machado announced her candidacy for president in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election, but she was ultimately banned from holding public office. Maduro reportedly won the election with 51% of the vote -- although inconsistencies in the polls were widely publicized -- and Machado went into hiding after the election, according to NPR.

After months underground, Machado made her first public appearance at an opposition protest in Caracas in January 2025, according to The Independent. Her political group, Comando Con Venezuela, said she'd been "violently intercepted" as she was leaving the rally, after which she was detained.

Machado's team later claimed she'd been forced to record several videos during her detainment, which was reportedly denounced by various governments.

Venezuelan government officials alleged she'd faked the arrest and detainment to drum up support for the opposition.

Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 10, 2025, "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," according to the Nobel Prize Foundation website.

A video showing the moment she was notified she'd won the prize was released on Friday, and she said she didn't deserve the distinction before expressing the prize was "the achievement of a whole society."

3:30 PM PT -- President Trump spoke out on not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize ... telling the media, "I'm happy because i saved millions of lives."

6:50 AM PT -- The Chairman of the Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, has been asked whether Trump deserves the peace prize ... Frydnes said, "This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. We base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel."

President Donald Trump fell short of winning the Nobel Peace Prize despite helping broker the recent Israeli-Hamas ceasefire deal and lobbying for the prestigious award with his Republican base.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee passed over Trump and handed the prize to Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Trump's rep, Steven Cheung, blasted the decision, writing on X that “the Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace” by not recognizing Trump.

It looks like Melania Trump's trying to cool things down between Russia and Ukraine ... because she apparently helped eight children reunite with their families.

The First Lady said she wrote a letter about establishing peace between the warring countries and had  President Donald Trump hand-deliver the letter to Vladimir Putin when they met in Alaska in August, reports the Associated Press.

Melania claimed the Russian president responded to her letter in writing, and they began communicating about the well-being of children displaced during the country's ongoing war with Ukraine.

Ukrainian children have been taken by Russian forces, who've attempted to raise the children as Russians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised the alarm multiple times.

Three of the kids were taken from their families and brought to Russia during the fighting. The other five were reportedly separated across borders.

Melania also said plans to get more kids back with their families were currently underway.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology won't be getting extra cash from President Donald Trump anytime soon ... because its president just turned down the Trump administration's education agenda.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth sent a letter to the Department of Education on Friday to let them know the school was okay without preferential consideration for federal funds, as they'd have to agree to several terms set down by 47's administration, according to NBC News.

The institution would have had to agree to various conditions, like freezing tuition rates for American students for the next five years and skipping out on prospective students who held "hostility" toward the United States.

Kornbluth argued MIT had already caught up with most of the standards set out by the Trump administration -- and added the school is a big proponent of freedom of expression.

She noted the institution believes funding for scientific activities "should be based on scientific merit alone."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says there's another link between autism rates and Tylenol use ... and he says it involves pain treatment for circumcisions.

President Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary made the claim Thursday during a cabinet meeting ... saying there are multiple studies that show children who are circumcised early in life have double the rate of autism.

RFK Jr. says it's "highly likely" the use of Tylenol in these infants is the reason for elevated autism rates. He did not cite a specific study or research.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia.

James has been charged with two felony counts -- bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, according to CNN.

The allegations against James began circulating in April, when Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte referred her to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for prosecution.

Bondi later appointed a "special attorney" to investigate the allegations against James.

James led a successful civil fraud case against President Donald Trump before he started his second presidential term.

The case against James stalled in September when federal prosecutors concluded they didn't have enough evidence to land a conviction if they went to trial, reports NBC News.

Trump subsequently appointed Lindsey Halligan, who joined his legal team in 2022, to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, even though her background is primarily in insurance law.

President Donald Trump's been big on promoting his own view of American history -- just ask the folks over at the Smithsonian.

47 signed a proclamation Thursday to honor historic Italian explorer Christopher Columbus -- Monday, October 13, 2025, will be Columbus Day.

Trump, reacting positively to the applause following the signing of the proclamation, quipped, "We're back, Italians."

FYI ... Columbus Day's been a federal holiday for several decades, and it's been especially celebrated in the Italian-American community.

But, the holiday and Columbus himself came under closer scrutiny in recent years, given Columbus documented misconduct of indigenous people, and several states and cities have celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day either alongside or in place of Columbus Day.

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl announcement has left a lot of people asking for a different choice ... and they just got their wish.

Turning Point USA -- the nonprofit cofounded by the late Charlie Kirk and now headed by his widow, Erika Kirk -- is putting on their own halftime show the same day as the Super Bowl.

The company posted Thursday it's "thrilled to announce The All American Halftime Show."

Katie Porter -- the Democratic frontrunner for California governor in 2026 -- is seen losing her cool once again ... caught on camera yelling at a staffer to get out of her "f***ing shot."

The newly resurfaced video, obtained by POLITICO, shows a convo between Porter -- then a member of Congress -- and former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in July 2021.

Check out the video ... midway through the convo, Porter snaps at a staffer who steps into frame to fact-check one of her comments about electric vehicles.

Jimmy Kimmel's still on the air despite President Donald Trump's protestations ... but, if he wants to tell Kimmel's whole audience exactly what he thinks of the host, Jimmy's willing to give him a chance.

The comedian sat down for an interview with Bloomberg Radio ... and, he was asked if he or his team had reached out to Trump or Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr about appearing on his show since his temporary suspension was lifted.

Kimmel says he wouldn't want to have Carr on the show -- though he doesn't give a specific reason for that ... however, Kimmel adds he's super interested in putting President Trump in the hot seat.

Immigration and Customs Administration agents may have to atone for their sins ... after one agent was caught on video shooting a reverend in the head with a pepper ball during an ICE protest -- but the feds say the footage doesn't show the full story.

The icy confrontation between federal agents and protesters went down at an ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois on September 19 ... but the video is only now making the rounds.

Watch the clip ... you can see Reverend David Black on the sidewalk, pleading with arms open toward three agents in combat gear standing on the roof ... The agents start firing pepper balls at the crowd during the demonstration -- one of many over the past weeks protesting the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

One person’s backing House Speaker Mike Johnson’s call to swap Bad Bunny for Lee Greenwood at the Super Bowl ... it’s the country singer himself!

Lee tells TMZ he’s right in step with what Speaker Johnson said yesterday ... confirming he’d crush the Super Bowl gig, thanks to years of belting it out for NFL teams, especially at their Salute to Service games.

In fact, the 82-year-old's such a hot ticket, he’s set to rock halftime for the Dallas Cowboys on MNF come November 3rd -- and since football’s basically America’s favorite pastime, he says busting out the anthem or "God Bless the U.S.A." at games is always a thrill.

Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to criminal charges many have viewed as an act of retribution by President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday.

The government figure was charged with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, according to The New York Times.

Comey entered his plea at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday. The judge who's overseeing the case has set a trial date for January 5, 2026.

The former FBI Director wasn't taken into custody after he entered his plea, and there won't be any conditions for his release. His lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, stated he'll be filing a motion to dismiss the case prior to its scheduled start date.

Comey was indicted in September, and the charges both stem from his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020. He's been accused of lying about leaking confidential information to the media.

The prosecution will be led by Lindsey Halligan, who was selected by Trump to replace the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia ... who had resigned in protest over being pressured to prosecute Comey.

Halligan's background is mostly in insurance law ... she joined Trump's personal legal team in 2022 after the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Halligan later started working in the White House as an aide in January 2025.

The Comey trial is estimated to take two to three days to complete. Fitzgerald said he's confident the case will be dismissed on motions he plans to file regarding vindictive prosecution, and Halligan's appointment, which he sees as wrongful.

Bad Bunny raised eyebrows at the New York Yankees game Tuesday night ... choosing not to stand during the singing of "God Bless America."

During the 7th inning stretch, the crowd mostly stood and sang during the rendition of "God Bless America." In a live photo obtained by TMZ, you hear the crowd singing "guide her" ... as in the verse "stand beside her and guide her," which is toward the beginning of the song.

The Grammy winner was snapped taking in the game alongside friends during the Bronx Bombers' 9-6 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.

After watching the intense, personal showdown between House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Mike Lawler, we can now answer the question Rodney King asked decades ago -- "Can't we all just get along." The answer is NO.

Jeffries, a Democrat, was speaking to reporters when Lawler, a Republican, approached and confronted him ... asking why he wouldn't sign on to a bill that would reopen the federal government.

That triggered 4-minutes of personal attacks and insults. It's not even so much what they said as how it was said. Each talks over the other -- they both represent New York -- and at one point Jeffries wags his finger right at Lawler's chest.

Interviews can be pretty big newsmaking events for politicians ... and this one with former Democratic Representative for California Katie Porter didn't disappoint.

Porter -- who's currently running for Governor of California -- went viral Tuesday after a clip from an interview with CBS News investigative reporter Julie Watts began making the rounds on social media.

In the interview, which took place last month, Porter was asked what she'd do to win over voters who'd picked Trump in the past ... Porter claimed she wouldn't need their support, then chuckled a little.

Porter and Watts went back and forth ... Porter then declared she was fed up with the follow-up questions and said she was ending the session.

CBS News confirmed Porter ended up sticking around, and answered further questions after threatening to hit the road.

Porter's conduct in the interview was criticized by several other gubernatorial hopefuls, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, according to USA Today.