Caracas under pressure: democracy in Venezuela

<p>After American troops snatched Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a dawn raid in January, democracy did not seem like a priority. Yet this week, <a href="economist.com/leaders/2026/08/12/america-reall…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">talks</a> between the regime and opposition ended with small, positive steps. Why US consumers’ love of <a href="economist.com/business/2026/08/06/americans-ar…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fast food</a> may be slowing. And how many hours of <a href="economist.com/culture/2026/08/05/why-you-shoul…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wagner opera</a> would you sit through? </p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Kinley Salmon, Latin America correspondent</li><li>Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent</li><li>Brook Unger, senior digital editor</li><li>Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><p><br></p><ul><li>Venezuela, Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, Machado</li><li>Fast food, McDonalds, burgers</li><li>Wagner, “Ring” cycle, classical music</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><br></p>

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