Following Brazil’s veto of Venezuela’s accession to BRICS, Caracas has recalled its ambassador to Brasília, stating that Celso Amorim, the Brazilian president’s special adviser, “behaved more like an emissary of U.S. imperialism.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the Venezuelan foreign ministry criticized Brazilian authorities for “obstructing” BRICS membership and making “intrusive, rude statements.”

“The Venezuelan people are outraged and ashamed by this inexplicable and immoral aggression,” the ministry said, following the BRICS summit.

In its latest statement, the ministry specifically targeted Brazil’s top foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, who stated that Brazil had vetoed Venezuela’s BRICS bid because Caracas had “violated the trust” of its partners.

The Venezuelan foreign ministry said Amorim was “behaving more like an ambassador of North American imperialism” and was “dedicated to making arrogant value judgments about processes that only concern Venezuelans and their democratic institutions.”

The ministry also summoned Brazil’s economic envoy to the talks, Reuters reported.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, speaking two days earlier, referred to his country’s rejection at the BRICS summit, claiming Brazil’s open veto contradicted personal assurances from the Brazilian foreign minister that Venezuela would not be blocked from joining the bloc.

“They said it once, twice, three, four times, many times. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told me to my face that Brazil would not veto Venezuela. There were meetings with the Brazilian foreign minister, the Russian foreign minister, our foreign minister, and our vice-president, and Brazil was the only country in the region to state clearly and directly that it would not veto Venezuela,” he said.

“But when the time came to announce new BRICS members, Brazilian diplomat Eduardo Paes Saboia reportedly vetoed Venezuela’s entry,” Maduro said.

“This happened at the last minute, almost at the end of the summit,” the president remarked.

Maduro called the veto a “stab in the back” and accused Paes, whom he described as a “fascist” and a supporter of Brazil’s former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, of orchestrating the move.

Maduro also criticized Brazil’s foreign ministry, popularly known as Itamaraty, after the building that houses it.

“When I say that Itamaraty is a power within a power in Brazil, this is not news to anyone,” Maduro said, adding that the Brazilian Foreign Ministry has “historically” maintained close ties to the U.S. State Department.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, along with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, has been attempting to mediate in Venezuela’s post-election dispute, which the Venezuelan opposition claims was rigged.

Lula has pushed for the publication of detailed election results, which were not released. While he has stopped short of refusing a deal with the Venezuelan government, he has repeatedly warned of consequences for bilateral relations between the two countries.

On Monday, Maduro said he would give Lula time to respond. The Brazilian president, who is not attending the BRICS summit, has not yet commented on the reported veto.

Argentine President Javier Milei has dismissed Foreign Minister Diana Mondino following Argentina’s vote in favor of a UN resolution condemning the U.S. blockade of Cuba.

Mondino will be replaced by Gerardo Werthein, Argentina’s ambassador to the United States, according to the president’s office on Wednesday. Werthein, a businessman and influential figure within the Milei administration, is set to assume the role.

On Tuesday, Argentina joined 186 other countries in supporting a UN resolution condemning the U.S. economic embargo—referred to as a “blockade” by Cuba—against the island nation. Only the United States and Israel voted against the measure.

In a statement, Milei’s office explained that “Argentina is undergoing a process of fundamental change that requires our diplomatic institutions to reflect, in every decision, the values of freedom, sovereignty, and individual rights that characterize Western democracies.” The statement further emphasized that Argentina is “categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship.”

Milei, who vowed during his presidential campaign not to “do business with communists,” has delivered impassioned speeches at right-wing conferences in the U.S. and Europe, where he defended free-market capitalism and criticized international organizations like the UN for promoting a “socialist agenda.”

Mondino, an economics professor, had previously played a key role in managing diplomatic tensions between Argentina and its traditional allies, including Brazil and Spain, as well as with China, the nation’s second-largest trading partner, which she visited in April.

However, analysts suggest that Mondino’s influence within the administration has diminished in recent months, particularly as Milei’s sister and chief of staff, Karina Milei, has become more involved in foreign ministry appointments, as reported by the Financial Times.

Milei, known for his firm stance against Latin America’s leftist governments, has emerged as one of the region’s most outspoken critics of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

With just over a week remaining before the U.S. presidential election, Republican candidate Donald Trump visited Blue Origin, the aerospace company owned by Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Trump had a brief meeting with Blue Origin’s CEO David Limp and Vice President of Government Relations Megan Mitchell. CNN also reported that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently reached out to the former president for a phone call.

Bezos, the founder of Amazon and known supporter of Democratic politics, reportedly intervened to prevent The Washington Post’s editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris shortly before Trump’s visit. This decision led to a backlash, with thousands, including author Stephen King, announcing they were canceling their Washington Post subscriptions. Additionally, eighteen Washington Post columnists published an op-ed criticizing the move as a “terrible mistake.”

According to a Daily Beast report, Trump waited to confirm that Bezos had taken the promised action before meeting with Blue Origin employees. Robert Kagan, a former Washington Post editor who resigned on Friday, stated, “This tells us that a real deal is being made.”

“We recognize that this may be seen as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, a condemnation of another, or an abdication of responsibility,” Washington Post editor Will Lewis wrote in a note to readers, drawing criticism from some staff members. “We don’t see it that way. We believe it is consistent with the values The Post has always stood for,” he argued.

The Post’s editorial board endorsed Trump’s rivals in 2016 and 2020 and has a long-standing tradition of supporting presidential candidates for the past 30 years. However, this time, the paper refrained from endorsing Harris.

Interestingly, despite the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, led by Chair Lina Khan, many in the Biden-Harris administration reportedly still view Amazon favorably. The Biden Small Business Administration directs jobs to Amazon, the NSA has awarded billions in contracts to Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo advocates for Amazon’s interests in Europe. Additionally, one of the government’s AI security advisors is also affiliated with Amazon.

Amazon has deep connections within the Democratic Party. Senator Chuck Schumer’s daughter, Barack Obama’s former spokesperson Jay Carney, and Kamala Harris adviser Karen Dunn all work for Amazon. Bezos himself has donated $100 million to Democratic figures like Van Jones and chef José Andrés and contributed $100 million to Barack Obama’s presidential library. Prominent Democratic figures, including former Clinton administration official Jamie Gorelick, serve on Amazon’s board.

However, recent developments indicate a shift within the party. Lina Khan’s antitrust actions against Big Tech have reportedly unsettled these corporate alliances. The New York Times recently ran a piece titled “Lina Khan vs. Jeff Bezos,” highlighting Khan’s ambition to break up Amazon, following her recent actions against Google.

In 2016, The Washington Post endorsed Hillary Clinton, describing Trump as “bigoted, ignorant, deceitful, narcissistic, vindictive, narrow-minded, misogynistic, fiscally reckless, intellectually lazy, contemptuous of democracy, and in love with America’s enemies.” The Post warned that he would be a “grave danger to our nation and the world.” Following Trump’s victory, Bezos felt the consequences of this stance; the Trump administration awarded a $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft instead of Amazon, a decision widely seen as politically motivated and later canceled by the Biden administration.

According to the Daily Beast, Bezos is keen to avoid a repeat of this situation.

The Washington Post’s decision not to endorse Harris coincides with a similar stance by Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, who reportedly blocked his paper’s editorial board from endorsing Harris as well.