Search and Rescue in Venezuela, Election Security, Free Childcare

June 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Three days after a powerful double earthquake struck Venezuela, the country is struggling to cope with an overwhelmed health system, limited heavy equipment, and residents using their bare hands to dig for survivors. Meanwhile, President Trump is pushing a major election overhaul bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote—a measure that has little chance of passing but that election officials see as groundwork for contesting results this fall. And in New Mexico, a universal free childcare program funded by oil revenue has proven so popular that the main challenge is now a shortage of available daycare slots.

Venezuela's Earthquake Response Hampered by Past Failures

The earthquake, which the government says killed more than 900 people, struck a country already reeling from years of political and economic crisis. NPR's John Otis drove from the Colombian border into Caracas because the international airport was badly damaged and remains closed. In the upscale Altamira neighborhood, rescue workers used chainsaws to cut tunnels through collapsed high-rise apartment buildings. Survivors too scared to sleep indoors camped in parks, with Otis describing one couple curled up in blankets with their pet poodle next to a sculpture.

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What you'll learn

1 (02:08) **Venezuela Earthquake Aftermath** - Three days after a double earthquake, the country struggles with over 900 dead, limited equipment, and overwhelmed hospitals; residents dig for survivors with bare hands.
2 (06:00) **Election Security and the SAVE Act** - President Trump refuses to sign a bipartisan housing bill, pushing instead for the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote, despite it having no path to passage.
3 (09:02) **Trump’s Strategy to Contest Elections** - Voting officials see Trump's push for the SAVE Act as part of a plan to cast doubt on upcoming election results, regardless of whether the bill passes.
4 (10:41) **New Mexico’s Universal Free Childcare** - New Mexico has rolled out free childcare for nearly all parents, funded by oil revenue, but faces a major supply shortage.
5 Standout Quotes
6 (09:48) "Republicans, my team are going to lose seats. But they're going to say, if we'd won these lawsuits, if we pass the Save America Act, if we did all these things, we would have won. And that's what they're building towards." — Gabriel Sterling, Georgia Republican election official
7 (10:12) "So much of the work to undermine democracy is about creating this narrative that democracy can't be trusted. So that even if you lose in court, people have lost so much faith in the system that they give up on it and walk away." — Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State

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Guests on this episode

John Otis

Show Notes

Three days after twin earthquakes hit Venezuela, rescue teams race against time, President Trump's interest in overhauling elections is not shared by all of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, and New Mexico tries to provide free childcare for all residents.

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