Summary
Overview
This bonus episode explores the immediate aftermath of the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Through an interview with Teresa, a Venezuelan opposition organizer who participated in the 2024 election effort to oust Maduro, the episode reveals the complex emotions of witnessing the operation from her home near Caracas, followed by growing disappointment as the Trump administration negotiated with Maduro's vice president rather than installing the opposition leaders who won the election.
Context: The 2024 Venezuelan Election and Grassroots Movement
The episode opens with context about Venezuela's 2024 election, where tens of thousands of volunteers organized to not only vote out Maduro but also prove the opposition won. They collected paper receipts from voting centers nationwide, scanned them, and posted the results online, showing opposition candidate Edmundo González beat Maduro two-to-one. Despite international recognition of González as the rightful winner, Maduro stayed in power and cracked down with mass detentions and torture.
- Tens of thousands of volunteers planned and trained for months to get out the vote and collect paper proof of results
- Opposition collected paper receipts from most voting centers, proving Edmundo González beat Maduro two-to-one
- Election authorities declared Maduro winner; he stayed in power and cracked down with over 1,500 detentions
- UN found many detainees were tortured; world recognized González as rightful president
" Their numbers showed a two-to-one victory. People hated Maduro that much. "
The Night of the Attack: Witnessing the Operation from Home
Teresa describes the surreal experience of watching the U.S. military operation unfold from her window in the middle of the night while on vacation with her family. She saw six helicopters with no lights flying near her house under a full moon, while simultaneously receiving updates on her phone. The experience created conflicting emotions - gratitude that action was finally being taken against Maduro, but also fear about the invasion and concern for those paying the price.
- Teresa was watching TV with her daughter late at night when she heard droning sounds and saw six helicopters with no lights on through her window
- Information on phones and visual events outside the window happened simultaneously - it was a live event
- Mixed feelings of both being invaded and watching authorities go after 'the bad guys'
- A friend's house windows all exploded from the operation; Teresa worried about soldiers dying
- Witnessed a huge explosion near an airport like a lightning flash
" It was almost like a live action situation where we're like, what we're seeing outside our window and the information we're getting is totally communicating with each other. And it was just, it wasn't like live. It was in vivo. It was basically live. "
" On the one hand it's like, yes, they're bombarding our country, they're bombarding Venezuela, there's a kind of invasion, but on the other hand, they're going after the bad guys. "
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