Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, fresh from meetings in Washington, D.C., expressed optimism about her country's future, asserting that a transition away from the remnants of the Maduro regime is "unstoppable," despite the lack of a clear timeline for new elections. Machado, the 2024 election winner, made these remarks during an interview with "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan on Friday, January 30, 2026, a portion of which aired on CBS's "Face the Nation" on February 1, 2026.
Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during her visit to Washington. According to Machado, the U.S. military operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro "sent a clear message" to members of his regime still operating in the South American country. "They're starting to realize that things have changed for good," she said, suggesting they may eventually understand the shift.
Brennan noted the U.S. now does not intend to have any military action or presence inside Venezuela, except for a reopened embassy. When asked if taking military pressure off was a good idea with the Maduro regime effectively still in place, Machado responded, "Well, first..." (referring to the need for continued pressure).
In other news, Gary Cohn, IBM Vice Chairman and former Trump economic advisor, stated on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that President Trump's nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Kevin Warsh, is "very highly qualified" and will "take the Fed back to its traditional" norms. Trump nominated Warsh on Friday, writing on Truth Social that he has "no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best." Warsh served on the Fed board of governors from 2006 to 2011.
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any attack by the United States would spark a "regional war." Khamenei's comments, reported by the Tasnim news agency, followed President Trump's threats of military intervention in response to Iran's crackdown on recent protests.
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