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Argentina's Milei rallies Venezuelan opposition despite Maduro's 'ugly' attacks

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Argentina's Milei rallies Venezuelan opposition despite Maduro's 'ugly' attacks

Argentinian President Javier Milei has emerged as a powerful ally of the Venezuelan anti-government protests as international pressure mounts to award the recent presidential election to the opposition.

Leaders from around the world, including the U.S., have cast doubt on Nicolas Maduro’s claim that he won the election, and protesters have clashed with police in the streets of the embattled South American nation.

“He’s been very, very helpful, and he has been kind of like a rallying voice in South America to allow him, along with the left, the opposition of healing work and kind of pushing other democracies to recognize Edmundo as president,” Daniel Acosta Rivas, an OSINT Analyst, told Fox News Digital. 

Rivas said that Milei’s vocal support has “been coming into Venezuela and especially in the diaspora.”

Milei was among the first world leaders to speak out after the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council handed victory to the incumbent with an alleged margin of 51%, compared to 44% support for the opposition. Pre-election polling (which is illegal in the country) indicated that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received double the votes of Maduro. 

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BLINKEN SAYS VENEZUELA’S NICOLAS MADURO LOST ELECTION BEFORE CLAIMING VICTORY WITH ‘NO SUPPORTING EVIDENCE’

The U.S. eventually recognized Gonzalez as the winner after claiming to have reviewed tally sheets, but Milei had immediately blasted the election result as a “fraud carried out and perpetrated by the dictator Nicolás Maduro.” 

“He may believe he has won a battle,” Milei said. “However, the most important thing is that the Venezuelan lions have awakened, and sooner or later socialism will come to an end.”

Argentina’s President Javier Milei addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) annual meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 24, 2024. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

Milei stressed that Argentina “will not acknowledge a new fraud” and urged Venezuela’s armed forces to “defend democracy and popular will this time around.” He pointed to “data” that showed a “crushing victory for the opposition.” 

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Protesters took to the streets and met a violent crackdown from police as Maduro attempted to press his victory claim, drawing international condemnation. Milei continued to urge the protesters and support their fight against Maduro.

CHAVEZ STATUES TOPPLED ACROSS VENEZUELA AS ELECTION PROTESTS RAGE ON

Maduro lashed out at Milei earlier this week, taking several shots at the Argentinian. He referenced Milei’s “monster face” and called him “an ugly guy, too, and stupid.” 

He also labeled Milei a “Nazi, fascist guy” who demanded to know how anyone could take a “guy like that seriously,” according to the Buenos Aires Herald. He also called Milei a “cowardly bug” and a “traitor to the homeland.” 

Demonstrators clash with police close to an armored police car during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on July 29, 2024, a day after the Venezuelan presidential election. Protests erupted in parts of Caracas Monday against the re-election victory claimed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but disputed by the opposition and questioned internationally, AFP journalists observed. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)

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“These people have said no to wild capitalism and fascism,” Maduro insisted during a rally outside his party headquarters. “From Caracas, Venezuela has said no to the Nazi fascist Milei. We are a country of warriors.”

But Maduro’s response only seemed to have galvanized the protesters and strengthened Milei’s popularity among the opposition. Rivas noted that Maduro keeps commenting on the likes of Milei and Elon Musk – both prominent critics following the election result – in an effort to shift the focus away from the election, but the efforts have only highlighted him and his politics in a region that is increasingly unhappy with politics as normal in the region. 

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“He has pushed a right-wing movement or classical liberal movement throughout Latin America,” Rivas said. “You see people being inspired by his message and his rise to the leadership … he was virtually unknown outside of libertarian circles before he ran for office, and he was dismissed by the other members of the opposition in Argentina during the Fernandez-Kirchner government. And look at him now.”

Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan foreign policy expert and President of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital that “young people in Venezuela are tired of communism, even the mildest form of socialism.”

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Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government protest in Caracas on July 29, 2024, a day after the Venezuelan presidential election. Protests erupted in parts of Caracas Monday against the re-election victory claimed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but disputed by the opposition and questioned internationally, AFP journalists observed.  (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)

“What all of us want is a true change towards the idea of freedom,” Jraissati said. “This is why Javier Milei is … openly defending the ideas of freedom. He is tackling inflation. He is cutting wasteful government spending. And overall, he is pushing the notion that if people are allowed to be free, our countries will finally flourish.”

“The communists have been in power for 25 years in Venezuela,” he continued. “Their legacy has been one of extreme poverty and hunger: From being the wealthiest country in Latin America, we are now the poorest, and on the political front, they turn a functioning democracy into a Stalinist system in which all political freedoms have been taken away from us.”

HARRIS FAILED TO COMBAT ‘ROOT CAUSES’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, FORMER BORDER PATROL CHIEF SAYS

Venezuelan activists living in exile spoke glowingly of Milei and his potential impact on the country as protesters continue seeking an end to the Maduro-Chavez system and a new way of life, possibly one that aligns more with the politics of Milei. Since taking office earlier this year, Milei, an economist, has tamed Argentina’s runaway inflation, balanced the budget and pared the size of government.

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“Young people tend to embrace socialist ideas; however, those who have lived under these political systems become their biggest adversaries,” Esteban Hernández, a Venezuelan journalist in exile in Miami, told Fox News Digital. 

“The Venezuelan youth, unlike in other countries, doesn’t support these ideas,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we have seen that in nations like the U.S. or even Argentina, they make efforts to get elected those who oppose socialism.” 

“During the last election cycle in Argentina, for example, we saw many Venezuelans warning locals about voting for Sergio Massa, and many even volunteered to get Javier Milei elected,” Hernández added. 

Franklin Camargo, a Venezuelan activist in exile, told Fox News Digital that “Javier Milei is the best right-wing leader of our generation, since he refutes the socialists and the left with philosophical and moral arguments while continually offering the best defense of Individualism, Capitalism and Freedom.” 

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Several injured after car plows into Italy crowd, driver stabs passerby: report

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Several injured after car plows into Italy crowd, driver stabs passerby: report

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A car reportedly drove into a crowd in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring several people. 

The vehicle slammed into a store window, and its driver allegedly stabbed a passerby who attempted to intervene, Reuters reported, citing local Italian media.

Mayor Massimo Mezzetti told Italian TV no one was killed but eight people were injured, including four who were in critical condition, according to The Associated Press.

Blood is seen next to a destroyed car on a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)

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He said a woman pinned against a shop window may require the amputation of both legs.

Financial Police patrol a scene after a car incident in a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)

The driver is a 31-year-old man born in Bergamo and raised in Modena with Maghreb origins, Mezzetti said. 

The man was detained and was being questioned at police headquarters as authorities worked to determine whether he was under the influence of substances or acted deliberately, the mayor said.

Mezzetti said the vehicle entered one of the city’s main streets and “drove onto the sidewalk, sending several people flying,” before crashing into the shop window.

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Lampedusa migrant landing: newborn dies, probe opened

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Lampedusa migrant landing: newborn dies, probe opened

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A tragedy unfolded in the night between Friday and Saturday on the island of Lampedusa, where a newborn migrant baby girl just a few weeks old died of hypothermia immediately after disembarking and while being rushed to the island’s outpatient clinic.

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At 4.30 a.m., after being rescued by the V1307 patrol boat of the Guardia di Finanza, 55 people from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra Leone landed at Favarolo pier. Among them were seven women and six minors. The baby girl, whose condition immediately appeared critical, was taken together with her mother to the medical facility, where doctors could do nothing but declare her dead.

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Investigation opened into the baby girl’s death

The Agrigento prosecutor’s office has opened an inquiry into the tragic case and ordered a post-mortem examination of the child’s body, a necessary step to confirm hypothermia as the actual cause of death.

The body is being transferred to the mortuary at the Cala Pisana cemetery, while in the coming hours the mother will be questioned by investigators to reconstruct the details of the crossing and establish exactly how and when the baby fell ill.

According to accounts from other migrants on board, the group had set off from Sfax-El Amra in Tunisia at around two o’clock yesterday morning, making the journey in a seven-metre metal boat that cost between 400 and 600 euros per person.

The baby girl’s mother, originally from Côte d’Ivoire, was later taken to the hotspot in the Imbriacola district together with her other daughter, aged around two. According to reports, the woman is currently in a severe state of shock over the loss of her child and is receiving continuous support from staff of the Italian Red Cross, which manages the island’s reception centre.

The centre’s director, Imad Dalil, confirmed to Italian media that psychosocial support measures had been activated. “The mother and the sister are here in the hotspot and are in good physical condition; for them and for the other people psychological support was activated immediately and in the coming hours the medical and psychosocial teams will continue their work,” he said.

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NGOs’ reaction

The German NGO Sea-Watch voiced its outrage in a strongly worded post on X. “While the state attacks those who save lives at sea, investigating the captain of Sea-Watch, a one-month-old baby has arrived in LAMPEDUSA, dead in her mother’s arms, after a three-day crossing. Who will be held responsible for this injustice?” The outburst refers to the news, received by the NGO after arriving in Brindisi with 166 rescued people, that a criminal investigation has been opened against the captain of the Sea-Watch 5 on suspicion of aiding illegal entry.

The UN agency specialising in the protection and assistance of people forced to flee war, violence and persecution (UNHCR) also intervened to express deep condolences and grave concern over yet another victim claimed along the Mediterranean routes.

“A mother has lost her newborn daughter, who arrived dead this morning together with 54 other people in Lampedusa. Deep sorrow and concern for the many children and adults who should not be dying in the Mediterranean,” reads a post published on social media by UNHCR, which explains that the agency is on the ground providing assistance to the mother and all the other survivors of the landing.

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Supreme Court rejects Virginia’s bid to restore congressional map favoring Democrats

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Supreme Court rejects Virginia’s bid to restore congressional map favoring Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives.

The court’s order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nation’s mid-decade redistricting competition. It was kicked off last year by President Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines and was supercharged by a recent Supreme Court ruling severely weakening the Voting Rights Act that opened up even more winnable seats for the GOP.

In recent days, the justices have sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana who hope to redo their congressional maps to produce more GOP-leaning seats following the court’s voting rights decision.

But the Virginia situation was different, stemming from a 4-3 ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court that struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month.

The state court found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in Virginia’s general election last fall.

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The Supreme Court typically doesn’t intervene in state court proceedings unless they present an issue of federal law. Virginia Democrats had hoped to persuade the justices that the Virginia court misread federal law and Supreme Court precedent that hold that, even if early voting is underway, an election does not happen until Election Day itself.

Virginia’s amendment had been intended as a response to Republican gains in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, and to blunt a new map in Florida that just became law. Once the Virginia amendment passed, it briefly turned the nationwide redistricting scramble into a draw between the two parties.

That was unraveled by the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision.

The state’s attorney general, Democrat Jay Jones, slammed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, saying it was another example of what he described as a national attack on voting rights and the rule of law.

“Let’s be clear about what is happening. Donald Trump, Republican state legislatures, and conservative courts are systematically and unabashedly tilting power away from the people for Trump’s political gain,” Jones said in a statement issued late Friday night.

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The state’s top Democrats had disagreed about whether it was even too late for help from the Supreme Court. “Time grows short, but it is not yet too late,” lawyers for the Democratic leaders of the legislature as well as the state told the justices in a brief filed Friday.

A day earlier, the office of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger already had confirmed that the state will hold this year’s elections under the current districts established in 2021. Last month, Virginia Commissioner of Elections Steve Koski said a court order was needed by this past Tuesday to set the district lines for primary elections on Aug. 4.

Spanberger reacted to Friday’s decision by saying both courts had nullified the votes of the more than 3 million Virginians who cast ballots in the April 21 special election.

“These Virginians made their voices heard — casting their ballots in good faith to push back against a President who said he’s ‘entitled’ to more seats in Congress before voters go to the polls,” she posted on her X account.

The leader of the state Republican Party said the justices made the right call.

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“Wisely, the Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Virginia,” state party chairman Jeff Ryer said. “This should once and for all put to rest the Democrats’ effort to disenfranchise half of Virginia.

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Associated Press writer Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.

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