Director, Venezuela Information Office
Director of the Venezuela Information Office in Washington, DCPROFILE
Olivia Goumberi
Guest
FROM Olivia Goumberi
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.
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To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
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
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?