". . .In authoring the Declaration, Jefferson’s achievements and contradictions are an embodiment of the story even more than is widely realized: from his initial effort to retain ties with the monarchy to being a leader in the effort against it; to the vast gap between his stated ideals of equality and his actions as an enslaver; to his desperate flight from the British army five years after he wrote the Declaration that set the war in motion.
Whatever Jefferson meant, there is no debate that the Declaration and its call that all men are created equal has inspired at least 120 nations and peoples to adopt their own versions, leading it to be called the greatest spark for democracy the world has known.
Nearly a century after the Declaration was written, President Abraham Lincoln elevated its status as a foundational document amid the Civil War and debate over slavery.
Yet it has also been noted that when it was written, the Declaration in effect excluded the enslaved and Native Americans — famously not mentioning slavery in a compromise to appease southern states.
Washington Post reporter Michael Kranish is a former fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies and the author of “Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War.”
2 Nov, 2025 08:56
The US military buildup off Venezuela’s coast could help bring about regime change, opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has said. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate this year signaled she would welcome US strikes on the country if they help remove President Nicolas Maduro.
Washington has accused Maduro of having ties to drug cartels, calling him a “narcoterrorist.” Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump deployed a naval armada to the western Caribbean, and since September, US forces have struck alleged drug-smuggling vessels off Venezuela’s coast.
Media reports say Washington is expanding its naval presence, with analysts suggesting that the mission could extend beyond counter-narcotics. Trump denied planning direct strikes inside Venezuela, but reportedly reviewed a list of potential targets.
Asked on Bloomberg’s ‘The Mishal Husain Show’ if she backs US military action, Machado said, “I believe the escalation that’s taking place is the only way to force Maduro to understand that it’s time to go.”
She claimed that Maduro “illegally” seized power in last year’s election, from which she was barred. Machado also claimed that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the election. Ousting Maduro, she said, would not be “regime change in the conventional way,” since he is “not the legitimate president” but “the head of a narcoterrorist structure.”
“This is not regime change, this is enforcing the will of the Venezuelan people,” she stressed.
Maduro has accused Machado of channeling US funds to “fascist” anti-government groups, calling her a front for Washington’s interference in Venezuelan affairs. Machado has had close contacts with the US government for decades. In 2005, then-President George W. Bush received her at the Oval Office.
Asked if US military force is the only way to remove Maduro, Machado said the threat alone could be sufficient: “It was absolutely indispensable to have a credible threat.” She added that the Venezuelan opposition is “ready to take over government,” backed by the military and police, claiming that “more than 80% of them are joining and will be part of this orderly transition as soon as it starts.”
Maduro has denied US drug-trafficking accusations, accusing Trump of “fabricating a new war.” Caracas called the US operations a violation of sovereignty and a coup attempt, reportedly seeking help from Russia, China, and Iran to strengthen its defenses.
Russia, which ratified a strategic partnership treaty with Venezuela on Monday, has condemned the US campaign.
MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has announced that Ukraine has received new Patriot air defense systems from Germany.
"We have strengthened the ‘Patriot’ component of our air defense. I thank Germany and personally Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz for this joint step," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on September 29 that Berlin had provided Kiev with three Patriot systems and would supply two more such systems by the end of this year with support from the Norwegian partners.
Jan 23, 2026 During the EU Summit yesterday, the EU leaders ...
