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President Donald Trump is set to meet Thursday at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader Mara Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by then-President Nicols Maduro before the United States captured him in an audacious military raid this month. Less than two weeks after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges, Trump will host the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Machado, having already dismissed her credibility to run Venezuela and raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in the country. She's a very nice woman, Trump told Reuters in an interview about Machado. I've seen her on television. I think we're just going to talk basics. The meeting comes as Trump and his top advisers have signaled their willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodrguez, who was Maduro's vice president
Iranian officials signaled on Wednesday that fast trials and executions lay ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests, while the Islamic Republic promised retaliation if the US or Israel intervenes in the domestic unrest. The threats emerged as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate, even as President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements in a span of 24 hours that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran. In comments to reporters, the Republican president said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that help is on the way and that his administration would act accordingly to respond to the Islamic Republic's deadly crackdown. We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping it's stopped it's stopping, Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation.