Sociologist and freelance journalist
American sociologist living in Caracas, freelance journalist and author of Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The Policies of the Chavez Presidency, he runs the website VenezuelAnalysis.com
PROFILE
Gregory Wilpert
Guest
FROM Gregory Wilpert
To the Point
Will Voters Give Hugo Chávez All the Power He Wants? The King of Spain has asked Hugo Chavez to "shut up," but the President of Venezuela is making his voice heard--at home and around the world. First elected in 1998, Hugo Chavez has survived an attempted coup, a two-month general strike and a recall election. Last year, he was returned to office with more than 60% of the vote. On Sunday, Venezuelans will go back to the polls for a referendum that could make Chavez more powerful than ever, the chance to be re-elected for the rest of his life. Some former supporters call it dictatorship in the making. We find out why "socialism for the 21st century" has made Chavez so popular, especially with the poor, and hear about billions for neighboring countries, friendships with Castro and Ahmadinejad and hostility to the United States.
Recommended
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.