INTERNACIONAL
Former Miss Venezuela blames ‘socialism and open borders’ for her country’s devastating collapse
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Americans unfamiliar with Venezuela may not know that in the not-so-distant past the nation was rich with oil and opportunity.
Congressional candidate Carmen Maria Montiel remembers a Venezuela that brimmed with optimism — before decades of political and economic turmoil turned it into one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.
«Socialism and open borders,» Montiel told Fox News Digital in an interview, are what sent her country into decline.
The Houston-area Republican won the Miss Venezuela title at age 19 in 1984 and later finished as a runner-up for Miss Universe. But long before her pageant fame, she says, Venezuela’s political foundations were already beginning to crack.
CHINA CONDEMNS US MILITARY BUILDUP OFF VENEZUELA COAST AS FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Venezuela-born Carmen Maria Montiel is running for Congress as a Republican in Texas. (Fox News digital)
While the nation remained a democracy for decades, two socialist parties dominated power.
«We got the influx of illegal immigrants, crime went up, drugs started to be a problem,» she said. «The first thing they destroyed was the healthcare system. Venezuela used to have one of the most wonderful healthcare systems — it was paid for, it was our social security. Because the country was so rich, it provided so many services to the Venezuelan people. And of course, no country has the infrastructure for a vertical growth of the population.»
Montiel came to the U.S. for college in 1988, hoping the unrest at home would ease. Instead, she watched from abroad as Hugo Chávez led two coup attempts in 1992 and the country erupted in riots and looting.
IS TRUMP’S ‘HEAT’ ON VENEZUELA THE START OF A WIDER CAMPAIGN FOR REGIME CHANGE?
Carmen Maria Montiel won the Miss Venezuela pageant in 1984. (Carmen Montiel )
«I decided I’m gonna stay a little longer, see if things get better,» she said. «But they never did.»
From Chávez’s failed coup to Nicolás Maduro’s current hold on power, Montiel sees a straight line — one she says runs through corruption, cartel influence, and foreign alliances with Russia and Iran.
«Communism always runs out of money,» Montiel said. «Even in a rich country like Venezuela, oil production collapsed, and what was left for them was crime. That’s why they joined the cartels — it’s a criminal communist regime.»
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«Socialism and open borders,» Montiel says, are what sent her country into decline. (Carmen Montiel )
U.S. officials have long accused members of Maduro’s inner circle of involvement in narcotics trafficking, particularly through the Cartel de los Soles — a network of Venezuelan military officers implicated in smuggling cocaine to North America and Europe. Washington has also sanctioned dozens of Venezuelan officials for corruption and ties to terrorist groups, though Caracas denies the charges.
Montiel supports the recent U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking networks off Venezuela’s coast and believes they are justified given the threat she says the regime poses to the United States.
«Venezuela presents a very high risk to the United States,» she said. «It’s the drug trafficking, the Tren de Aragua trafficking … the problems that many Venezuelan people escaped, now we’re facing in the United States.»
WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during celebrations for the Independence Day, in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
The Department of War has conducted 14 lethal strikes on vessels allegedly smuggling narcotics toward U.S. shores over the past two months.
In Montiel’s view, dismantling cartel networks and exposing the Venezuelan military’s complicity are essential steps toward toppling the regime. «This is a criminal communist regime and we should never remove the word ‘communist,’» she said.
At the same time, the U.S. has intensified pressure on Maduro, whom it does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. The Justice Department is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
Analysts have questioned whether the widening military campaign may have a deeper objective: pushing Venezuela’s socialist leader from power.
The U.S. has conducted 14 strikes on drug vessels since September. (X.com/SecWar)
A U.S. intervention aimed at removing Maduro would likely divide Americans still wary of foreign entanglements. But Montiel insists Venezuelans themselves would welcome it.
«The people that are still in Venezuela are supporters of President Donald Trump because they’re screaming for freedom,» she said. «They’re screaming to get out of the situation.»
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Still, she acknowledges that removing the regime alone won’t rebuild the country.
«The country is pretty much destroyed,» she said. «It’s worse than any third world country. It’s going to take probably 30 years to get Venezuela back to what it used to be.»
Montiel is running in the Nov. 4, 2025 special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional district, a heavily Democratic Houston seat left vacant after the death of Sylvester Turner.
elections,venezuelan political crisis,congress,south america,politics,texas,houston and galveston
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Medidas
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As Hezbollah rebuilds its forces and Lebanon is accused of failing to enforce the ceasefire terms brokered last year, Israel’s defense minister has fired off a warning to Beirut.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, «Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet,» he said. «The Lebanese government’s commitment to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and remove it from southern Lebanon must be realized. Enforcement will continue and deepen — we will not allow a threat to the residents of the north.»
His warning comes as Fox News Digital has learned that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is weighing broader operations against the Iran-backed terrorist group after repeated violations of the truce.
A senior IDF officer stationed on the northern border told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that Hezbollah remains fully armed and funded by Iran.
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Israeli soldiers take part in an IDF exercise to enhance operational readiness along the Lebanon border in Oct. 2025. (IDF)
«Hezbollah didn’t give up their heavy weapons,» the officer said. «They’re still trained, still financed by Iran, and still trying to re-establish their positions. Our job is to make sure they don’t succeed.»
On Monday, the IDF confirmed it had killed two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon. Muhammad Ali Hadid, a senior member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was eliminated in Nabatieh, while another operative was struck in Ayta ash Shab after being seen collecting intelligence on Israeli positions.
«The terrorists’ activities violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,» the IDF said in a statement. «The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.»
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir watch as the IDF carries out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. (Ministry of Defense)
The senior officer said the operations reflect Israel’s new, proactive security doctrine. «If somebody threatens us, we take control of the situation and make the threat go away,» he said. «We pushed Hezbollah back, so civilians could return. Now we’re fortifying those gains and acting to prevent their recovery.»
That, he added, is the lesson Israel learned from Oct. 7. «Until then, we sometimes looked the other way. That’s over. We’re not sitting and waiting for the next rocket.»
A flag bearing the picture of assassinated pro-Iranian Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah flutters in front of a picture of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of Nasrallah’s assassination in an Israeli airstrike at his grave in Beirut. Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 27, 2025. (Marwan Naamani/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
The officer said the IDF’s 91st Division recently completed its largest exercise since the start of the war, designed to strengthen operational readiness for both defense and offensive operations along the Lebanese border — at sea, in the air, and on land.
«We tested our defensive systems, coordination, and rapid-response capabilities,» he said. «We’re applying every lesson from Oct. 7 so our response next time will be immediate.»
Israeli soldiers take part in an IDF exercise to enhance operational readiness along the Lebanon border in Oct. 2025 (IDF)
According to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, intelligence officials believe Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding its arsenal with Iranian assistance. The group has partially restored its weapons supply chain through Syria and Iraq, despite disruptions following the collapse of the Assad regime last year.
The Trump administration has also expressed frustration over Beirut’s failure to curb Hezbollah. U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack recently described Lebanon as «a failed state» because of its «paralyzed government,» and that Hezbollah pays its fighters more than the national army soldiers earns.
EXCLUSIVE: A LOOK AT HEZBOLLAH’S PLAN TO TERRORIZE AND INVADE NORTHERN ISRAEL
Commuters drive past a newly-installed billboard bearing the image of a Lebanese flag and a statement that reads in Arabic «Lebanon a new era», replacing a Hezbollah billboard, on the road leading to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International airport on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)
Responding to Israel’s preemptive strikes last week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi urged his visiting German counterpart on Friday to «help pressure Israel to halt its attacks.»
«Only a diplomatic solution, not a military one, can ensure stability and maintain calm in the south,» Raggi said, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
He added that the Lebanese government «is gradually moving forward with its decision to bring all weapons under state control.»
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday voiced «deep concerns», urging all parties «to fully commit to the cessation of hostilities.»
UNIFIL added that it remains in contact with the Lebanese Armed Forces and emphasized that extending state authority «is at the very core of Resolution 1701.»
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IDF troops fighting Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit.)
Despite diplomatic criticism, Israeli commanders insist they will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild.
«We won’t wait for another Oct. 7,» the Israeli officer said. «We’re vigilant, we’re rebuilding, and we’re ready. The quiet we have now depends on Hezbollah’s choices — not on our willingness to defend ourselves.»
israel,lebanon,conflicts,terrorism
INTERNACIONAL
White House slams Mamdani’s ‘completely irresponsible’ comments linking Trump to threats against voters
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The White House slammed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani after he linked the Trump administration to threats against voters in New Jersey.
On Tuesday, as New Jerseyans went to cast their ballots, bomb threats forced voters out of multiple polling places. While the threats were found to be non-credible, they still caused a disruption to those looking to exercise their right to vote for the Garden State’s next governor. When asked about the threats in his neighboring state, Mamdani made comments that raised eyebrows and rocked the West Wing.
Mamdani called the threats «incredibly concerning» and said that he believed they were «an illustration of the attacks we’re seeing on our democracy.»
«We have to understand this as part of the general approach the Trump administration has taken to trying to intimidate voters with baseless allegations of voter fraud as a means of trying to repress the voice of Americans across this country,» Mamdani said.
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The White House said Zohran Mamdani’s comments on the bomb threats in New Jersey were «completely irresponsible.» (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images; Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mamdani’s remarks were «completely irresponsible» and not based in fact.
«I think they are completely irresponsible, and they are based on zero evidence. And I think this is just another example of how the Democrat Party unfortunately stands for nothing. All they stand against is President Donald Trump. And I think it’s quite sad to see that we have someone at the top of the ticket on an Election Day today saying such things about the president, when he obviously had absolutely nothing to do with those threats,» Leavitt said in response to a question from Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich.
On Monday, Trump, who has been an outspoken critic of Mamdani, backed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral race.
«I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a record of success, WIN, than a communist with no experience and a record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE. He was nothing as an assemblyman, ranked at the bottom of the class and, as mayor of potentially, again, the greatest city in the World, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former glory!,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani votes at a voting site on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)
TRUMP BACKS CUOMO AND THREATENS TO CUT FEDERAL FUNDING IF ‘COMMUNIST MAMDANI’ WINS NYC MAYOR RACE
«We must also remember this — A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani. Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job,» Trump added. «He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!»
Trump, a native New Yorker, also said that if Mamdani were to win, it would be «highly unlikely that I will be contributing federal funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home.»
Cuomo responded, saying that Trump «doesn’t support me,» but rather «he opposes Mamdani.»
«He believes that Mamdani is an existential threat to New York,» Cuomo added.
Andrew Cuomo leaves a campaign stop in New York City on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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«The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him,» Mamdani said at a press event in New York on the eve of the election. «Not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment on Leavitt’s response.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
zohran mamdani,donald trump,new york city,white house,politics
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