Donald Trump claims he will "run" Venezuela, after he bombed it and abducted President Nicolás Maduro. However, his plan makes no sense -- and will likely blow back on the USA. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is still independent, and not cutting off China. US sanctions devastated Venezuela's oil infrastructure, and its heavy crude is expensive to produce -- and US companies do not see it as profitable enough, amid a global supply glut. Ben Norton explains.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbpdfPK8jVE

Topics

0:00 US attack on Venezuela

0:49 (CLIP) Trump: USA will "run the country"

1:31 Two main US demands for Venezuela

2:20 Chavista government is intact

3:21 Oil corporations are skeptical

4:57 Trump's oil deal with Venezuela

7:44 US oil industry benefits rich elites

8:27 China, Russia, Iran, Cuba ties

10:08 USA wants heavy crude

10:46 Economic war

11:53 Marco Rubio targets Cuba

12:24 China and Venezuelan oil

13:02 Pete Hegseth threatens China & Russia

13:44 US seizes Russian-flagged tanker

14:16 Trump wants $1.5 trillion military budget

14:58 Trump bombed 7 countries in 2025

15:20 China's oil imports by country

17:43 Imperialist Monroe/Donroe Doctrine

18:21 Desperation of declining US empire

19:12 International law & UN Charter

20:19 China: South America's top trading partner

21:17 Forcing Venezuela to buy US products

22:07 Latin America exports

23:56 US is trade competitor with Latin America

25:24 US National Security Strategy

26:03 Pressure to cut ties with China

27:30 Geopolitics vs trade

28:45 USA threatens Venezuelan officials

30:30 Opposition leader María Corina Machado

32:56 Acting President Delcy Rodríguez

35:03 Delcy Rodríguez reaffirms China support

36:02 Trump will not have a US colony

37:40 Chevron deal in Venezuela

40:38 Sanctions exemptions in oil sector

41:53 US sanctions devastated oil industry

44:02 US purchases of Venezuelan oil

45:14 US imports heavy crude

46:25 US oil refineries want heavy crude

47:50 Oil companies say it's "uninvestable"

48:37 Oil deal possible, but not colonialism

49:42 High cost of Venezuelan crude

52:34 Global oil supply glut

53:34 US oil companies want gov't benefits

54:13 Destructive US interventions

56:47 Outro

To justify bombing Venezuela and abducting President Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump falsely accused him of leading the so-called "Cartel de los Soles". But the US Department of Justice was forced to admit that this "Suns Cartel" doesn't exist. The USA lied -- while the CIA actually has trafficked drugs in Latin America. Ben Norton reports.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44c0jf5ygyE

Topics

0:00 US attacks Venezuela

0:21 (CLIP) Trump wants Venezuela's oil

1:12 Trump's colonial war on Venezuela

2:08 US DOJ admits it lied about Maduro

3:25 92-year-old judge oversees show trial

3:53 "Cartel de los Soles" doesn't exist

5:05 WMD lie

5:46 Venezuela does NOT produce fentanyl

6:28 Cocaine-producing countries

7:12 (CLIP) Biden official admits truth

8:21 CIA trafficked drugs in Venezuela

11:01 (CLIP) 60 Minutes on CIA drug trafficking

11:42 DEA agent accuses CIA of trafficking

12:58 CIA, cocaine, Nicaraguan Contras

14:47 Trump pardoned Hondura drug trafficker

16:13 (CLIP) Juan Orlando Hernández

16:39 Ecuador's drug-linked President Noboa

17:42 Colombia's drug lord Álvaro Uribe

18:50 USA armed Mexican cartels

19:34 US allies in Mexico are narcos

20:23 Drug links to Argentina's Javier Milei

20:43 Marco Rubio's links to cocaine trafficking

22:52 US Special Forces links to drugs

23:55 Trump attacks Colombia President Petro

24:37 Afghanistan opium production

25:59 Opioid epidemic in USA

26:34 Purdue Pharma and Sackler family

28:55 US imperialism based on lies

29:42 Outro

After the US military bombed Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump said "we're going to run the country", potentially for years. "We're in the oil business", he added, boasting that US corporations will exploit Latin America's natural resources. Ben Norton reports.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZHOuHUboeY

Topics

0:00 (CLIP) Trump: USA will "run" Venezuela

0:48 US coup attempts in Venezuela

1:55 Trump bombs Venezuela

2:44 Trump boasts of taking Venezuelan oil

3:17 Colonial Monroe Doctrine

3:46 Trump: "we're going to run the country"

4:23 Oil in Venezuela

5:08 Trump press conference

6:00 (CLIP) Trump's colonial plan

6:32 Years of US occupation?

7:23 (CLIP) US plan to pillage Venezuela

8:43 (CLIP) Boots on the ground

9:22 (CLIP) US oil corporations

10:00 Critical minerals & rare earth elements

10:37 Wall Street vultures

11:41 Venezuela's oil belong to Venezuelans

13:18 (CLIP) Trump: "They stole our oil"

13:55 Trump threatens more attacks

14:41 Casualties of US strikes

15:18 (CLIP) Trump threatens officials

15:47 Trump supports drug trafficker

16:42 (CLIP) Pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández

17:32 US Special Operations forces & drugs

18:32 US imperial plans for Latin America

18:57 (CLIP) Asserting US "dominance"

19:27 Monroe Doctrine to Donroe Doctrine

20:16 (CLIP) Trump invokes Monroe Doctrine

21:11 China & Cold War Two

23:39 Threats against Cuba

25:11 (CLIP) Marco Rubio threatens Cuba

25:49 Colombia's President Gustavo Petro

26:22 (CLIP) Threats against Gustavo Petro

26:34 US sanctions Colombian president

27:15 War Secretary Pete Hegseth

28:04 (CLIP) Hegseth threatens the world

28:48 (CLIP) Hegseth: Oil and dominance

29:15 (CLIP) "Peace through strength"

29:33 General Dan "Razin" Caine

30:16 (CLIP) US military threatens the world

30:31 Invader invokes "self-defense"

31:18 (CLIP) US military claims "self-defense"

31:37 Trump's Freudian slip

32:03 (CLIP) "Precise attack on sovereignty"

32:16 Marco Rubio, warmonger

33:11 (CLIP) Do what USA says, or else

33:40 Rubio wants to pick foreign leaders

34:33 (CLIP) "President of peace"

35:02 Trump has bombed 10 countries

35:40 US empire intervenes across planet

36:32 Outro

The US government bombed Venezuela, and Donald Trump abducted President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country to be tried in a show trial on politically motivated charges. Ben Norton explains the real reasons behind the USA's imperialist war on Venezuela.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnD0p5F7MNs

Topics

0:00 USA kidnaps Venezuela's President Maduro

1:07 Trump bombs Venezuela

2:01 Reasons for US war on Venezuela

5:00 Marco Rubio's crusade in Latin America

7:02 Political balance in Latin America

8:04 Venezuela's oil

9:43 (CLIP) Trump vows to take oil & ships

10:14 (CLIP) Trump wants oil & land

10:58 Coup leader María Corina Machado

11:24 (CLIP) Machado offers $1.7 trillion in assets

13:02 (CLIP) Corporations will "make a lot of money"

13:56 Critical minerals & rare earths

15:37 Colonial Monroe Doctrine

16:20 US National Security Strategy

17:26 'Trump Corollary' is imperialism

18:26 US colonialism in Latin America

19:57 USA seeks control over Latin America

20:31 Trump targets Brazil

21:07 Sanctions on Colombia's Gustavo Petro

22:10 Trump threatens to attack Mexico

22:46 US meddling in Latin America

23:25 Argentina's Javier Milei

24:14 Electoral coup in Honduras

25:00 Trump frees drug trafficker

25:36 USA supports drug traffickers

27:10 "Cartel of the Suns" doesn't exist

27:40 Lies about drugs & Venezuela

28:13 (CLIP) Biden official debunks drug lies

29:23 WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction

30:38 USA plans show trial against Maduro

31:31 China & Latin America

33:09 Trump targets China in Venezuela

34:29 China partnership with Venezuela

36:36 Why Latin America prefers China

37:05 Venezuela-China relations

37:47 Russia partnership with Venezuela

38:20 Iran partnership with Venezuela

38:42 Global South unity

39:04 Palestine

39:16 Africa (Burkina Faso)

39:47 Latin American regional unity

41:19 US imperialism vs humanity

42:04 Outro

De-dollarization is growing around the world. Central banks are buying tons of gold, which overtook US Treasury securities in reserves in 2025. Even private investors are diversifying out of dollar assets, as risk rises. Ben Norton explains how Washington's sanctions, Trump's tariffs, and the weaponization of US-dominated international financial institutions have backfired.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVjy1Hlh5zc

Topics

0:00 Dedollarization increases

1:36 US sanctions backfire

2:20 Donald Trump threatens BRICS

2:49 Central bank holdings of US Treasuries

3:59 China de-dollarizes

5:29 US trade war on China failed

7:10 Foreign holdings of US bonds

8:09 Government vs private investment

9:53 Central banks buy lots of gold

10:51 No return to gold standard

13:30 Gold as neutral reserve asset

14:28 Gold overtakes US Treasury holdings

15:07 Gold price skyrockets

16:18 Nixon Shock to Trump Shock

17:08 This is not just about Trump

19:04 2008 financial crisis: turning point

20:48 Western seizure of Russia's assets

22:26 Ukraine war fuels gold purchases

23:21 Central bank undeclared gold buying

26:04 Uruguay dedollarizes

27:48 Argentina's Javier Milei

28:40 Sovereignty vs imperialism

29:09 Investors de-risk out of US assets

33:37 Decline of US dollar dominance

34:14 Global South de-dollarizes trade

35:35 New BRICS payment systems

36:25 Internationalization of renminbi

37:15 Financial multipolarity

38:48 Outro

In Cold War Two, the USA is pressuring countries to cut ties with China and recognize Taiwan separatists. Donald Trump blatantly meddled in Honduras' 2025 election and backed a political coup to put in power right-wing oligarch Nasry "Tito" Asfura, who strongly supports Taiwan and Israel. Ben Norton discusses US imperialism in Latin America.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhV7wRi8yYM

Topics

0:00 Cold War Two

0:48 Monroe Doctrine

1:27 One China policy

2:23 US arms sales to Taiwan

3:09 Countries that recognize Taiwan

5:04 Map of Taiwan recognition

5:29 Electoral coup in Honduras

7:14 US-backed 2009 military coup

7:53 Trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández

9:05 Trump meddles in Honduras election

10:27 Electoral coup

11:27 US puppet Nasry "Tito" Asfura

12:19 USA, Israel, and Taiwan

13:06 Diplomatic relations with China

14:17 Cutting ties with China

15:14 US National Security Strategy

16:51 Israel - Palestine

19:05 Central American Arab pro-Israel leaders

22:21 US-backed electoral coup

27:54 US imperialism in Latin America

28:44 Honduras resists US coups

30:23 Anti-imperialist resistance

31:27 Outro

The US government is seizing oil tankers and stealing Venezuela's crude. Donald Trump boasted that the USA will "keep" the oil and the ships. This is piracy. Ben Norton explains how Washington is blatantly violating international law in its imperialist war on Venezuela.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_pxZ-Rl6DM

Topics

0:00 USA is stealing Venezuela's oil

0:58 (CLIP) Trump: "We're keeping" the oil

1:22 Worst piracy on Earth

2:33 Trump's war plans

3:51 US blockade & sanctions are illegal

5:19 UN experts: US bombing is illegal

6:57 (CLIP) Trump: Venezuela's oil is ours

7:41 US laws don't apply worldwide

9:06 Maduro asks UN for action

9:59 China supports Venezuela

11:46 Trump threatens Maduro

12:08 María Corina Machado

12:19 (CLIP) Machado vows to privatize oil

14:25 Gunboat diplomacy

14:58 Colonial Monroe Doctrine

15:28 Trump & Roosevelt Corollary

17:29 US colonialism in Latin America

20:43 Big Stick policy

21:12 US National Security Strategy

22:26 Anti-imperialist General Smedley Butler

24:46 US imperialism in China

27:23 War for Wall Street

28:53 Criminality of US empire

29:39 Outro

Donald Trump imposed a naval blockade on Venezuela and admitted that he wants to take the country's oil and give it to US corporations: "They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw our companies out, and we want it back". Ben Norton explains how Washington's colonial war seeks regime change.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXjnaqfzO-Y

Topics

0:00 Intro

0:36 Venezuela nationalized huge oil reserves

1:36 Trump claims US owns Venezuela's oil

2:32 (CLIP) Trump on Venezuela's oil

3:19 Trump's 1st coup attempt in Venezuela

4:32 (CLIP) Trump wanted to "take it over"

4:44 ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson

6:04 Stephen Miller: USA owns Venezuela's oil

7:23 Marco Rubio, warmonger

7:52 Naval blockade of Venezuela

8:33 Piracy: USA seizes oil tankers

9:14 Chevron allowed to pass siege

9:46 USA chokes off exports & imports

11:26 "Make the economy scream"

12:33 US coup attempts

13:00 US sanctions on Venezuela

14:24 Corporate media propaganda

16:49 UN experts: US sanctions are illegal

19:05 Imperial war of aggression

20:29 Outro

The winner of Chile's presidential election, José Antonio Kast, is the son of a German Nazi official. He is a US-backed far-right extremist who loves Donald Trump, Israel, and fascist former dictator August Pinochet. He is also very anti-China, and will assist in Washington's attempt to impose its imperialist Monroe Doctrine. Ben Norton explains.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYtCi-Wh3FU

Related videos:

Javier Milei is making Argentina a resource colony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3qgYZMYkj0

Why Trump is meddling in Honduras: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtKShReciYQ

Topics

0:00 US interventions in Latin America

2:18 Javier Milei's Argentina

2:51 Chile's President-elect José Antonio Kast

3:27 Map of political balance in Latin America

4:28 Marco Rubio

4:55 US war on Venezuela

5:27 Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet

6:53 Operation Condor (Plan Cóndor)

7:14 Cold War Two

7:44 CIA support for Nazis

8:23 Nazis who fled to South America

8:55 José Antonio Kast's Nazi father

10:36 Neoliberal Chicago Boys

12:14 Myth of Pinochet's "economic miracle"

15:18 Economic growth rates in Chile

16:20 Corrupt privatizations under Pinochet

17:50 Javier Milei deindustrializes Argentina

18:40 José Antonio Kast supports Pinochet

20:24 Kast loves Israel

20:42 Kast hates China

22:18 Brazil's far-right coup leader Bolsonaro

23:04 Kast loves Donald Trump

23:33 Kast wants mass privatizations

24:43 Chile: world's top copper producer

25:30 Lithium reserves in South America

27:42 Failure of President Gabriel Boric

28:35 Boric supports Ukraine

29:18 US corporate media praised Boric

30:58 Boric: pro-US, NGO-funded fake "left"

34:02 "Nothing will fundamentally change"

34:46 Political balance in Latin America

36:17 Trump meddles in Honduras

36:35 US empire targets Latin America

37:34 Outro

How does China's economic model work? Political economist Ben Norton explains the ideas behind Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, discussing China's socialist market economy, historical development, reform process, poverty reduction, industrial policy, and more.

VIDEO with charts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E89qUXTX-k

Topics

0:00 Introduction

1:07 China has world's largest economy

3:01 China's economic development

3:54 Poverty reduction

6:56 Rising incomes

7:42 Life expectancy

8:57 Mortality rates

9:34 Reform and Opening Up

10:16 To get rich is glorious?

11:35 Deng Xiaoping's ideology

13:54 Primary stage of socialism

14:28 Chinese capitalists

15:54 Industrialization & urbanization

16:55 Birdcage economy (Chen Yun)

18:17 State ownership

19:40 State-owned enterprises (SOEs)

20:49 Grasp the large, let go of the small

22:22 Public property

23:16 SOE assets

24:14 Provincial & local governments

25:51 Golden shares in tech companies

26:54 Huawei, biggest worker-owned company

27:17 Rural cooperatives

29:09 Democracy in China?

31:40 Foreign investment in China

33:49 Global value chain

34:34 Foreign direct investment (FDI)

35:48 Industrial policy evolution

38:22 New quality productive forces

39:23 China's green energy revolution

40:24 World's manufacturing superpower

41:04 US deindustrialization & financialization

43:22 US bubble economy

44:37 China popped real estate bubble

46:50 Inequality & uneven development

48:31 Eras of the PRC

49:01 Common prosperity in New Era

49:34 Gini coefficient

50:26 Labor income vs capital income

51:48 Poverty alleviation

52:17 Wages of Chinese workers

52:44 Labor unions in China

55:19 USA funds anti-China labor groups

57:02 Marco Rubio takes over NED

57:32 Delivery workers

58:30 996 system is banned

59:23 Working hours in China

1:00:25 Imperialism & division of labor

1:03:51 AI & new cold war

1:04:45 Silicon Valley model: monopoly

1:05:43 Market competition in China

1:07:44 China opposes private monopolies

1:08:10 State planning

1:09:05 Cold War Two