Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
@maripuerta.com
Venezuelan-American • PoliSci Adj Prof • Media Analyst • PhD in Cultural Studies • @UCarabobo • Democracy & Autocratization • She/Her/Ella • Reposts ≠ endorsement • Spread: joinspread.com/u/maria-isabel-puerta-riera •
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Congratulations to Dr. Maria Puerta-Riera for winning the 2025 APSA Committee on the Status of Contingent Faculty in the Profession’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Teaching, or Leadership.
Read about Maria’s accomplishments here:
Read about Maria’s accomplishments here:
Committee on the Status of Contingent Faculty in the Profession’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Teaching, or Leadership by Contingent Faculty -
The Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Teaching, or Leadership by Contingent Faculty recognizes scholars who have made significant contributions to the field of political science without the…
buff.ly
Thank you so much to the committee!
A US citizen. That’s why we have to carry birth or naturalization certificates with us at all times.
"Her family has now been told she has been deported, despite US District Judge Brendan Hurson ruling Thursday that she could not be deported pending a hearing...attorneys said Monday that they have...confirm[ed] with the hospital she was born in Maryland." https://bit.ly/3MMdJvz
ICE detains woman whose lawyer insists is US citizen. DHS says she isn't
Federal agents arrested Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales on her way home in Baltimore, Maryland.
bit.ly
December 24, 2025 at 4:08 AM
A US citizen. That’s why we have to carry birth or naturalization certificates with us at all times.
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
Some good news to end the year on. The Supreme Court today blocked Trump from sending the National Guard into the Chicago area — finally setting a limit to Trump’s executive power. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/finally-the-supreme-court-stops-trump
December 24, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Some good news to end the year on. The Supreme Court today blocked Trump from sending the National Guard into the Chicago area — finally setting a limit to Trump’s executive power. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/finally-the-supreme-court-stops-trump
“Bashar lives his life fully, like nothing happened,” the former colleague said. “He humiliated us when he was here, and he screwed us when he left.”
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:27 AM
“Bashar lives his life fully, like nothing happened,” the former colleague said. “He humiliated us when he was here, and he screwed us when he left.”
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:09 AM
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
Venezuela and the Cost of Pretending Pressure Is Strategy
open.substack.com/pub/welivedi...
open.substack.com/pub/welivedi...
Venezuela and the Cost of Pretending Pressure Is Strategy
I believed in “Libertad” once, too. Here’s what comes after the slogans.
open.substack.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Venezuela and the Cost of Pretending Pressure Is Strategy
open.substack.com/pub/welivedi...
open.substack.com/pub/welivedi...
A U.S. pressure campaign to topple President Nicolás Maduro is stranding Venezuelans around the world, cutting off air links to one of the planet’s least-connected countries
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
Venezuela Is Relying on 20 Aging Planes After U.S. Restricted Its Airspace
The campaign to topple President Nicolás Maduro is stranding Venezuelans around the world, compounding the misery of a beleaguered population.
www.wsj.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:05 PM
A U.S. pressure campaign to topple President Nicolás Maduro is stranding Venezuelans around the world, cutting off air links to one of the planet’s least-connected countries
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
This could wind up being the most-watched newsmagazine segment in television history!!
Congratulations to the Ellisons and Bari Weiss!!!
Congratulations to the Ellisons and Bari Weiss!!!
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment
I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.
www.muellershewrote.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:16 AM
This could wind up being the most-watched newsmagazine segment in television history!!
Congratulations to the Ellisons and Bari Weiss!!!
Congratulations to the Ellisons and Bari Weiss!!!
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
The Trump administration recalled more than two dozen career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior posts worldwide as it seeks to enforce President Trump’s “America First” agenda, according to current and former U.S. officials.
Trump administration abruptly recalls scores of career ambassadors
A senior State Department official called it a bid to ensure adherence to the “America First” agenda while others called it a devastating blow to America’s diplomatic corps.
wapo.st
December 22, 2025 at 9:27 PM
The Trump administration recalled more than two dozen career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior posts worldwide as it seeks to enforce President Trump’s “America First” agenda, according to current and former U.S. officials.
My Parents Expected to Be Retired. Instead, They Are Raising My Sister’s Kids. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/m...
My Parents Expected to Be Retired. Instead, They Are Raising My Sister’s Kids.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:06 PM
My Parents Expected to Be Retired. Instead, They Are Raising My Sister’s Kids. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/m...
GIFT LINK: What the Deported Venezuelans Went Through in El Salvador
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
What the Deported Venezuelans Went Through in El Salvador
Forty men sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration have shared disturbing accounts of abuse by a regime that America paid to imprison them.
www.theatlantic.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
GIFT LINK: What the Deported Venezuelans Went Through in El Salvador
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’ www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:57 AM
‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’ www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
Investigators struggled to identify a suspect while the Brown gunman went on to kill again, a timeline shows.
Investigators struggled to identify suspect while Brown University gunman went on to kill again, timeline shows
The manhunt for the Brown University shooter was complicated by the early misidentification of a person of interest and limited, low-quality video footage.
cbsn.ws
December 20, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Investigators struggled to identify a suspect while the Brown gunman went on to kill again, a timeline shows.
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
The Justice Department released thousands of new photos and records on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents are fully redacted.
Over 500 pages in Epstein files were entirely blacked out, CBS News finds
The Justice Department released thousands of new photos and records on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents are fully redacted.
cbsn.ws
December 20, 2025 at 5:01 AM
The Justice Department released thousands of new photos and records on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents are fully redacted.
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
The chocolate milk lobby lost a true warrior.
December 20, 2025 at 12:25 PM
The chocolate milk lobby lost a true warrior.
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
December 20, 2025 at 6:09 AM
U.S. and Venezuela Jam Caribbean GPS Signals to Thwart Attacks, Raising Flight Hazard www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/w...
U.S. and Venezuela Jam Caribbean GPS Signals to Thwart Attacks, Raising Flight Hazard
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
U.S. and Venezuela Jam Caribbean GPS Signals to Thwart Attacks, Raising Flight Hazard www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/w...
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
The MAGA movement wants fewer undocumented workers in America and more babies born to American mothers—but research suggests that those two goals are at odds, Olga Khazan argues:
The Truth About Immigration That MAGA Doesn’t Acknowledge
American families rely on immigrants to take care of their children.
bit.ly
December 19, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The MAGA movement wants fewer undocumented workers in America and more babies born to American mothers—but research suggests that those two goals are at odds, Olga Khazan argues:
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
J. D. Vance believes that immigrants are the prime driver of American anti-Semitism—but making anti-Semitism about your ideological enemies misses whole dimensions of the problem, @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social argues:
What J. D. Vance—And Many Others—Miss About American Anti-Semitism
Making anti-Semitism about your ideological enemies doesn’t help anyone understand, let alone solve, the problem.
bit.ly
December 19, 2025 at 9:01 PM
J. D. Vance believes that immigrants are the prime driver of American anti-Semitism—but making anti-Semitism about your ideological enemies misses whole dimensions of the problem, @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social argues:
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
"The conflict with Venezuela will probably play out differently than the Iraq War did—perhaps better, perhaps worse. But the moral basis upon which it is being waged is most certainly worse," @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues:
A Nakedly Imperialistic President
After pretending the attacks on Venezuela were about drugs, Trump confirms it's about the oil.
bit.ly
December 19, 2025 at 10:05 PM
"The conflict with Venezuela will probably play out differently than the Iraq War did—perhaps better, perhaps worse. But the moral basis upon which it is being waged is most certainly worse," @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues:
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
Those who speculated wildly about the Brown shooter without knowing any facts got things wrong—and it is important that they lose their credibility because of it, Graeme Wood argues.
How to Treat Purveyors of Baseless Speculation
Don’t log off. Keep score.
bit.ly
December 19, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Those who speculated wildly about the Brown shooter without knowing any facts got things wrong—and it is important that they lose their credibility because of it, Graeme Wood argues.
Trump’s DOJ offers states confidential deal to remove voters flagged by feds stateline.org/2025/12/18/t...
Trump’s DOJ offers states confidential deal to remove voters flagged by feds • Stateline
The U.S. Department of Justice has sent confidential draft agreements on voter data sharing to more than a dozen states, part of the Trump administration’s effort to obtain unredacted voter rolls, wit...
stateline.org
December 19, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Trump’s DOJ offers states confidential deal to remove voters flagged by feds stateline.org/2025/12/18/t...
How Could Venezuela’s Military Respond to U.S. Threats? Here’s What to Know. www.nytimes.com/article/vene...
How Could Venezuela’s Military Respond to U.S. Threats? Here’s What to Know.
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:09 PM
How Could Venezuela’s Military Respond to U.S. Threats? Here’s What to Know. www.nytimes.com/article/vene...
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
It almost goes without saying, but this is illegal. The name "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" is established by law and the board doesn't have the power to change it. 20 USC 3 §§ 76h - 76s.
Kennedy Center to be renamed Trump-Kennedy Center —Karoline Leavitt x.com/PressSec/sta...
December 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
It almost goes without saying, but this is illegal. The name "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" is established by law and the board doesn't have the power to change it. 20 USC 3 §§ 76h - 76s.
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
Inflation report for November just came out.
Headline rate: 2.7% over the year, down from 3%.
Core inflation: 2.6%.
Inflation is both slowing (this was an unexpectedly good report), yet still above the Fed's 2% target.
Headline rate: 2.7% over the year, down from 3%.
Core inflation: 2.6%.
Inflation is both slowing (this was an unexpectedly good report), yet still above the Fed's 2% target.
December 18, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Inflation report for November just came out.
Headline rate: 2.7% over the year, down from 3%.
Core inflation: 2.6%.
Inflation is both slowing (this was an unexpectedly good report), yet still above the Fed's 2% target.
Headline rate: 2.7% over the year, down from 3%.
Core inflation: 2.6%.
Inflation is both slowing (this was an unexpectedly good report), yet still above the Fed's 2% target.
Reposted by Maria I. Puerta Riera 🌻
I keep saying this but no one is connecting the dots. The war is to satisfy legal preconditions for mass removal *domestically* of Latinos (i.e., suddenly a lot of people are going to be “Venezuelan” for purposes of removal). This is 100% Stephen Miller…oil claim is to make grandpa go along
There is no national security logic that would impel the US to want to do regime change in Venezuela. It's simply not that important. I'm not even sure wag the dog is the right metaphor for what's happening here. Seems like an insane misallocation of US national security assets and attention.
Trump: "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled ... It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the USA all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."
December 17, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I keep saying this but no one is connecting the dots. The war is to satisfy legal preconditions for mass removal *domestically* of Latinos (i.e., suddenly a lot of people are going to be “Venezuelan” for purposes of removal). This is 100% Stephen Miller…oil claim is to make grandpa go along