From WNYC Studios, I'm Brian Lerer. This is my daily politics podcast. It's Friday, October 10th.

This year's Nobel Peace Prize was announced this morning, and it goes to Maria Karina Machado, the Venezuelan

opposition leader who has spent years challenging Nicholas Maduro's authoritarian rule, often at

personal cost. She's been banned from running for office, accused of treason, and forced to campaign

underground. The Nobel Committee is recognizing her for,

quote, her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her

struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. Here is part

of the official announcement. Ms. Machado has been a key unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply

divided, an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free election and representative government.

This is precisely what lies at the heart of democracy.

Our shared willingness to defend the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree.

At the time when democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to defend this common ground.

That was the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Horan Watney Friednes. I'm sure I'm mispronouncing

that name this morning. And here's the winner, Maria Karina Machado, in her own words. This is from a

short phone interview with the Nobel Institute just after the announcement. I accept this as a

recognition to our people, to millions of Venezuelans that are, you know, anonymous,

and that they're risking everything they have for freedom, justice and peace.

And I'm sure that absolutely convinced that we will achieve it.

So what does it mean for the committee to choose her at this moment?

And from that country, Venezuela, which, separate from what she's being recognized,

has this complicated relationship with the United States right now, right?

Such a flood of asylum seekers from Venezuela in recent years. The Trump

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