Latest news with #Machado
Atlantic
12 hours ago
- Business
- Atlantic
Venezuela Is Open for Investment*
The end of Nicolás Maduro's vicious dictatorship, many people can agree, would be a good thing. Millions of Venezuelans certainly want it; various members of the Trump administration have said they want it, too. The European Parliament passed a resolution urging world leaders to support Venezuela's opposition to Maduro as a ' moral duty.' And yet, leaders of that opposition have felt the need to come up with a more persuasive message: Helping Venezuela's democratic cause is not just about doing the right thing, they imply. It's also a chance to make bank. Last Thursday, members of the press were invited to a Gilded Age mansion in Manhattan for a presentation titled 'A Trillion-Dollar Opportunity: The Global Upside of a Democratic Venezuela.' At the center of the event was María Corina Machado, the woman who campaigned for president of Venezuela last year and would very likely have won, had Maduro's regime not banned her from running and then declared victory over her substitute in what a Washington, D.C.–based think tank called 'the mother of all electoral frauds.' (The Organization of American States agrees that ' electoral fraud ' took place.) On a videochat from her hiding place in Caracas, Machado told the audience, in English, 'Today, Venezuela stands on the brink of a historic transformation.' She was referring to a democratic transition, which she expressed confidence would soon happen—and to 'the immense wealth-generation potential' that this transition would unleash. 'This opportunity extends beyond our borders,' she said. International investors would 'benefit from unparalleled conditions starting on day one.' What followed was not so much a press conference as a pitch to Wall Street. Sary Levy-Carciente, an economist on Machado's team, took the microphone. Should the opposition come to power, 'we are talking about 10 percent per year growth,' Levy-Carciente said, as aides handed out flyers listing sectors that would blossom under a hypothetical Machado-led government. These included tourism, where Venezuela is a 'sleeping giant'; real estate, where 'huge, huge profits' await; and, of course, fossil fuels, given that 'Venezuela boasts the world's largest oil reserves and the eighth-largest natural-gas reserves.' In 15 years, the money to be made from a democratic Venezuela—based on 'conservative assumptions,' investors could rest assured—amounted to $1.7 trillion. Machado's team did not explicitly address the precondition for unlocking this bonanza: the end of a 26-year dictatorship whose leader doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. In the past year, Maduro has ramped up repression, disappeared prominent activists, and imprisoned even low-profile protesters. An atmosphere of fear has swept Venezuela. The presentation called for investment in a democratic Venezuela that doesn't yet exist, without providing any guidance as to how exactly it was going to come into being. If Machado's team had anyone in mind to facilitate this transition—say, someone in the Trump administration—no one said so. Still, given that American financiers can do very little on their own to usher in the end of dictatorships in South America, Trump officials, if not Donald Trump himself, seemed to be the ultimate audience for the Machado team's new message—suggesting a new perception, among Venezuelan opposition leaders, of what will move the Trump administration to help their cause. During the first Trump administration, the notion that Washington might deliver Venezuela from Maduro didn't seem all that far-fetched (and didn't seem to require a profit motive). Trump often condemned Venezuela's dictatorship. In front of an excited crowd of Venezuelans in Miami in 2019, the president proclaimed that Maduro's days were numbered. He recognized Juan Guaidó, an opposition leader, as the interim president of Venezuela until the country could have free and fair elections. Dozens of nations around the world followed suit. The excitement fizzled out when it became clear that Maduro had no intention of relinquishing power, and Trump wasn't willing or able to make him. Since that time, the Venezuelan opposition has gotten stronger. Machado is much more popular than Guaidó, who emerged seemingly out of nowhere. Guaidó won Washington's backing because he happened to fill a certain role—he was the majority leader of the legislature—at a moment when that put him in line for the presidency. But Machado has a face that every Venezuelan recognizes because she has dedicated more than 20 years to fighting the country's dictatorship. She can rally crowds in the most remote parts of Venezuela. Even so, the second Trump administration appears to be more interested in deporting Venezuelans from America than in supporting a politician who could make Venezuela more livable. Gone are the days when Trump vowed to apply 'maximum pressure' on Maduro. I had a chance to ask Machado, just a couple weeks after Inauguration Day this year, what she expected from the new Trump administration. She said that she thought Trump would understand helping the Venezuelan opposition as a matter of 'national security and hemispheric security,' given the regional threats posed by the Venezuelan government. Maduro, after all, was the reason for the migrant outflows; he has also tolerated the rise of Tren de Aragua, the criminal gang Trump so frequently references. She didn't mention anything about economic interests. Machado had worked out a theory for how regime change could come about in Venezuela. If other countries exerted sufficient pressure on Maduro's government, she suggested, the 'cost of preserving the status quo' would go up. Top officials would eventually figure that their interests were better served by negotiating an exit deal with the opposition. That's why she supported American sanctions on Venezuela, regardless of what American think tanks and academics had to say about the pain they inflicted on Venezuelans. 'Sanctions to those who violate human rights harm the Venezuelan people?' Machado scoffed. 'What really harms the people is a criminal government that intentionally brought down our productive apparatus.' Machado does have one ally in the Trump administration: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently praised her as 'the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.' In November 2022, President Joe Biden issued a license to allow the oil company Chevron to evade sanctions in order to extract oil in Venezuela. Rubio has called this a ' pro-Maduro ' gift and pushed to let it expire. Unfortunately, for Machado at least, Rubio is not the only person in Washington trying to set policy on Venezuela. Trump's presidential envoy, Richard Grenell, appears to think that America stands to benefit from having a transactional relationship with Maduro. Shortly after the inauguration, Grenell traveled to Caracas to urge Maduro to accept deportation flights, and Maduro agreed to free six Americans detained in Venezuela. Grenell and Maduro shook hands and smiled for the camera—not exactly the ' maximum pressure ' Trump once promised to put on Maduro. Late last month, as the Chevron license's expiration date approached, Rubio and Grenell duked it out online. Grenell met with Maduro officials in the Caribbean, then went on a podcast to announce that the license would be extended–only for Rubio to contradict him the next day on X, where the secretary of state announced that the license would expire as scheduled. Eventually, the Trump administration settled on a compromise, extending the license but making it more restrictive. Observers have since talked about Rubio and Grenell as leaders of two competing factions within the Trump administration: the principled Venezuela hawks versus the pragmatists willing to make deals with Maduro. Now Machado appears to be trying to reconcile both sides. And she has a message for the pragmatists: Working with us will bring more financial benefits than dealing with Maduro. The stance has required an awkward bit of pragmatism from Machado herself. Her team has publicly urged the Trump administration not to revoke the protected status the Biden administration extended to Venezuelan immigrants. But Machado has also spoken in favor of deporting Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, without questioning the Trump administration's allegations that the Venezuelans it deported were, in fact, gang members. When I asked a question about this at the press conference, a moderator demurred, saying that such 'political questions' would be answered at the end and asking if there were any more questions regarding the economic plan proposed. In a profile for The Spectator last July, the writer Paola Romero described Machado as mixing 'the crowd-pulling allure of Evita Peron with the politics of Margaret Thatcher.' Those are indeed the two Machados: one who tours her country to bring consoling messages of hope to Venezuela's poorest, and another who wears a pantsuit and jewels and praises the merits of free markets and privatization. Last year, Machado's presidential campaign was mostly Evita. The press conference was all Thatcher. In her closing remarks, Machado said that the interests of 'the people of Venezuela, democratic governments in the Western Hemisphere, and certainly investors' were all aligned. 'This is a win-win situation.'
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Manny Machado Player Props: June 19, Padres vs. Dodgers
Manny Machado Player Props: June 19, Padres vs. Dodgers Manny Machado went hitless in his last game (0 for 4), but will take another crack at it when the San Diego Padres square off versus Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday at 10:10 p.m. ET on SportsNet LA and SDPA. Find odds, stats, and more below to make your Manny Machado player prop bets. Machado paces the Padres with 45 runs batted in while putting up a team-best batting average of .312 (he's also hit 11 home runs). In MLB play, Machado ranks 49th in homers and 21st in RBI. Watch tonight's Padres game on Fubo! Manny Machado Prop Bets and Odds Hits Prop: 0.5 hits (Over odds: -208) 0.5 hits (Over odds: -208) Home Runs Prop: 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +375) 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +375) RBI Prop: 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +150) 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +150) Runs Prop: 0.5 runs (Over odds: +125) 0.5 runs (Over odds: +125) Total Bases Prop: 1.5 total bases (Over odds: +130) 1.5 total bases (Over odds: +130) Stolen Bases Prop: 0.5 stolen bases (Over odds: +1000) How to Watch San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Matchup: San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Time: 10:10 p.m. ET 10:10 p.m. ET Date: Thursday, June 19, 2025 Thursday, June 19, 2025 TV Channel: SportsNet LA and SDPA SportsNet LA and SDPA Live Stream: Fubo (Watch now! - Regional restrictions may apply) Manny Machado vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto Machado is 2 for 6 with two home runs in his career versus Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Against Yoshinobu Yamamoto last season, Machado went 1 for 4 with a home run. Manny Machado prop bet insights In 76.7% of his games this season (56 of 73), Machado has recorded a hit, and in 24 of those games (32.9%) he's recorded at least two base hits. He has homered in 11 of 73 games in 2025 (15.1%), which is 3.6% of his trips to the plate. Machado has scored at least one run 39 times this year in 73 games played (53.4%), including eight multi-run scoring contests (11.0%). In 42.5% of his games this year (31 of 73), he has driven in at least one run. In 11 of those games (15.1%) he recorded more than one RBI, while accounting for three or more of his team's runs in one contest. In 56.2% of his games this season (41 of 73), Machado has gone down on strikes one or more times, and in eight of those games (11.0%) he registered more than one punchout. MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 1:28 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Manny Machado stats against the Dodgers Dodgers starter: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Padres vs Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani pitches first time in two years as Dodgers beat Padres
Shohei Ohtani made a notable return to the mound and delivered at the plate as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the visiting San Diego Padres 6-3 on Monday to open a four-game series. Pitching for the first time in nearly two years following a second Tommy John surgery in 2023, Ohtani worked one inning, allowing one run on two hits while throwing 28 pitches and hitting 100.2 mph on the radar gun. He also starred offensively, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the third and a run-scoring single in the fourth. — MLB (@MLB) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Max Muncy drove in two with a clutch single, and Will Smith added two hits as the Dodgers earned their sixth win in eight games - including three against the Padres during that span. San Diego's Manny Machado homered and collected two RBIs, while Fernando Tatis Jr. recorded a pair of hits. Padres starter Dylan Cease opened the game with five straight strikeouts but was tagged for six runs on eight hits over five innings. He fanned nine and walked one in the loss. Live Events — MLB (@MLB) The Padres struck early, with singles from Tatis and Luis Arraez setting up a Machado sacrifice fly in the first. The Dodgers responded in the third, tying the game with an Andy Pages double followed by Ohtani's two-out RBI double. — MLB (@MLB) The Dodgers broke the game open in the fourth with five runs off Cease. Muncy's two-run single gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead, followed by RBI singles from Tommy Edman, Ohtani, and Mookie Betts. Machado trimmed the deficit with his 11th homer of the season off Dodgers reliever Ben Casparius, who allowed two runs across 3 2/3 innings to improve to 5-1. Kirby Yates sealed the win with a clean ninth inning for his second save.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Manny Machado Player Props: June 15, Padres vs. Diamondbacks
Manny Machado Player Props: June 15, Padres vs. Diamondbacks Manny Machado's San Diego Padres square off versus the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 15 at 4:10 p.m. ET, and will see starter Merrill Kelly on the hill. Machado had one hit in his last game, finishing 1-for-4. Find odds, stats, and more below to make your Manny Machado player prop bets. Machado paces the Padres with 41 runs batted in while racking up a team-best batting average of .318 (he's also hit 10 home runs). Machado ranks 58th in home runs and 30th in RBI among all batters in MLB action. Watch tonight's Padres game on Fubo! Manny Machado Prop Bets and Odds Hits Prop: 1.5 hits (Over odds: +195) 1.5 hits (Over odds: +195) Home Runs Prop: 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +475) 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +475) RBI Prop: 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +145) 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +145) Runs Prop: 0.5 runs (Over odds: +120) 0.5 runs (Over odds: +120) Total Bases Prop: 1.5 total bases (Over odds: +105) 1.5 total bases (Over odds: +105) Stolen Bases Prop: 0.5 stolen bases (Over odds: +600) How to Watch San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Matchup: San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Time: 4:10 p.m. ET 4:10 p.m. ET Date: Sunday, June 15, 2025 Sunday, June 15, 2025 TV Channel: ARID and SDPA ARID and SDPA Live Stream: Fubo (Watch now! - Regional restrictions may apply) Manny Machado vs. Merrill Kelly Machado is 4 for 21 with a home run in his career against Merrill Kelly. Last season against Merrill Kelly, Machado was 1 for 3 at the plate. Manny Machado prop bet insights In 76.8% of his games this year (53 of 69), Machado has recorded a hit, and in 24 of those games (34.8%) he's recorded at least two hits. He has hit a home run in 14.5% of his games in 2025 (10 of 69), 3.4% of his trips to the plate. Machado has scored a run in 37 of 69 games this season, with multiple runs scored in eight of them. He has plated at least one run 29 times this year in 69 tries (42.0%), including driving in multiple runs in 13.0% of games (nine times) and producing three or more of his team's runs on one occasion. In 56.5% of his games this year (39 of 69), Machado has struck out one or more times, and in seven of those games (10.1%) he registered more than one strikeout. MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 1:29 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Manny Machado stats against the Diamondbacks Date Opp. SP H/AB XBH HR RBI R K/BB SB 6/14/2025 Zac Gallen 1-for-4 1 0 2 0 0/1 0 6/13/2025 Ryne Nelson 1-for-4 0 0 0 0 2/0 0 9/28/2024 Eduardo Rodríguez 0-for-5 0 0 0 0 1/0 0 9/27/2024 Merrill Kelly 1-for-5 0 0 1 1 1/0 0 7/7/2024 Ryne Nelson 0-for-4 0 0 0 0 0/0 0 7/6/2024 Brandon Pfaadt 1-for-4 0 0 1 0 3/1 0 7/5/2024 Slade Cecconi 4-for-5 2 1 2 3 0/0 0 6/6/2024 Slade Cecconi 0-for-1 0 0 0 0 0/0 0 5/5/2024 Ryne Nelson 1-for-4 0 0 0 0 0/0 0 5/4/2024 Brandon Pfaadt 2-for-4 1 0 3 1 0/0 0 Diamondbacks starter: Merrill Kelly Kelly (6-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings pitched) gets the nod for the Diamondbacks in his 15th start of the season. His most recent outing was on Tuesday versus the Seattle Mariners, when the right-hander threw six scoreless innings while surrendering four hits. Among qualifying pitchers, the 36-year-old's 3.18 ERA ranks 28th, .988 WHIP ranks 11th, and 8.7 K/9 ranks 26th this season. Kelly is aiming to continue a second-game quality start streak in this outing.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Manny Machado Player Props: June 14, Padres vs. Diamondbacks
Manny Machado Player Props: June 14, Padres vs. Diamondbacks Manny Machado's San Diego Padres take on the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 14 at 7:15 p.m. ET, and will see starter Zac Gallen on the hill. Machado picked up one hit in his most recent game, finishing 1-for-4. Find odds, stats, and more below to make your Manny Machado player prop bets. Machado paces the Padres with 39 runs batted in while racking up a team-best batting average of .319 (he's also hit 10 home runs). In MLB, Machado ranks 56th in home runs and 36th in RBI. Watch tonight's Padres game on Fubo! Manny Machado Prop Bets and Odds Hits Prop: 1.5 hits (Over odds: +180) 1.5 hits (Over odds: +180) Home Runs Prop: 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +425) 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +425) RBI Prop: 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +130) 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +130) Runs Prop: 0.5 runs (Over odds: -105) 0.5 runs (Over odds: -105) Total Bases Prop: 1.5 total bases (Over odds: -105) 1.5 total bases (Over odds: -105) Stolen Bases Prop: 0.5 stolen bases (Over odds: +675) How to Watch San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Matchup: San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Time: 7:15 p.m. ET 7:15 p.m. ET Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025 Saturday, June 14, 2025 TV Channel: FOX FOX Live Stream: Fubo (Watch now! - Regional restrictions may apply) Manny Machado vs. Zac Gallen Machado is 5 for 18 with two doubles and a home run in his career versus Zac Gallen. Manny Machado prop bet insights Machado has reached base with a hit 52 times this season in 68 games played (76.5%), including multiple hits on 24 occasions (35.3%). He has homered in 10 games this season (68 opportunities, 14.7%), going deep in 3.5% of his trips to the dish. In 54.4% of his games this year (37 of 68), Machado has scored at least a run, and in eight of those games (11.8%) he recorded more than one run scored. In 41.2% of his 68 games this season, he has driven in a run (28 times). He's also put up eight games with multiple RBI in 2025 (11.8%) and plated three or more of his team's runs in one contest. Machado has struck out at least once 39 times this season in 68 tries (57.4%), including striking out on multiple occasions in 10.3% of games (seven times). MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 6:33 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Manny Machado stats against the Diamondbacks Diamondbacks starter: Zac Gallen
