Ep. 68: José Luis Granados Ceja on Venezuela, Mexico, and the Struggle for Democracy

In this episode, Luke talks with José Luis Granado Ceja, a journalist based in Mexico City. José Luis covers Latin America for Dropsite News and is a co-host of Soberanía and Sin Muros. José Luis talks about the history of Venezuela, including changes to the oil industry in the 1970s, the Caracazo uprising, and the rise of Chavismo; how Chavismo changed and what remained the same after Maduro came to power; the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife, and why it’s not useful to think of the attack as a palace coup; continued threats against Cuba made by the United States; and reforms to Mexico’s judiciary.Correction: During the episode, Luke says that José Luis and Kurt Hackbarth were last on the show in mid-2025. In fact, they last appeared in mid-2024 to discuss the election of Claudia Sheinbaum.