AI Summary
5 min readTrump Attacks Venezuela after Disaster
On June 24th, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck north-central Venezuela, followed 39 seconds later by a larger 7.5 magnitude quake at nearly the same spot. The official death count stands at approximately 2,000, with over 10,000 injured and tens of thousands still missing. More than 58,000 buildings were likely destroyed. But the natural disaster is only part of the story. The episode argues that the Trump administration's alignment with Venezuela's authoritarian leadership—and its active blocking of the country's democratically elected opposition leader—has compounded the catastrophe, turning a humanitarian crisis into a political one with bodies to show for it.
The Deportation Flight and the Collapsed Hotel
The most visceral example comes from a deportation flight that landed at Simon Bolivar International Airport on the morning of the earthquake. The flight, operated by ICE, carried 146 people from Miami to Venezuela, including 19 women and seven children. They were taken to a hotel in La Guaira called Hotel Sanctuario—"the sanctuary hotel." Hours later, the earthquake struck, and the hotel collapsed. The episode claims that approximately 140 of those deportees are now likely dead or missing as a direct result of the Trump administration's decision to deport them that day.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction & Sponsor Messages** - The episode opens with a public service announcement and several sponsor advertisements before transitioning to the main topic.
- 2 (01:57) **Catastrophe in Venezuela: Earthquakes and Political Crisis** - The host introduces the main story: a catastrophic earthquake on June 24th has devastated Venezuela, with 2,000 confirmed dead, tens of thousands missing, and over 10,000 injured.
- 3 (04:19) **Receipt by Receipt: Trump's Alleged Complicity** - The host begins a detailed, "receipt by receipt" breakdown of the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela.
- 4 (05:16) **The Hotel Sanctuario Tragedy** - The host details the story of 148 Venezuelans deported by ICE on the day of the earthquake, who were taken to a hotel that subsequently collapsed.
- 5 (06:11) **Trump Blocks Opposition Leader Machado** - The host discusses how the Trump administration is blocking Maria Carino Machado, the recognized opposition leader, from returning to Venezuela.
- 6 (07:31) **Katie Fang Report: The Deportation Flight to Hotel Sanctuario** - The host plays a clip from Katie Fang of the MeidasTouch Network, who provides a detailed report on the deportation flight.
- 7 (09:47) **MAGA Rep. Carlos Jimenez Responds to the Tragedy** - The host plays a clip of Republican Congressman Carlos Jimenez being asked about the deportees.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on all hell breaking loose in Venezuela following the catastrophic earthquakes on June 24 as Trump’s behavior is making the situation much worse by his deportations and by his support of Delcy Rodriguez.
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