Moderate Rebels episode 33 (part 1/2): Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton speak with Professor Steve Ellner about Venezuela's right-wing opposition, and how the corporate media whitewashes its use of violence and economic sabotage. Ellner explains some of the economic problems faced by President Nicolás Maduro, including manipulation of exchange rates and low oil prices.

TOPICS

0:00 Intro

1:27 Steve Ellner and Latin America solidarity movements

6:46 Venezuela's opposition

11:45 Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez

13:03 Violent tactics of Venezuela's opposition

15:45 Economic problems in Venezuela

18:21 The biased OAS and Luis Almagro

20:00 Comparing Venezuela with Mexico 

22:40 Venezuela's Bolivar exchange rates

28:28 The centrality of Oil to Venezuela's economic ills

32:25 Oil prices and OPEC

35:40 US sanctions (to be continued in part 2)

36:35 Outro