The Cartel That Never Existed: Leonardo Flores Dismantles Washington’s Venezuela Narrative

In this episode of Informed Rant, host Joshua Scheer speaks with Venezuelan‑American analyst and CodePink organizer Leonardo Flores about one of the most explosive geopolitical stories of the year: the U.S. bombing raid and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro. Flores walks through the media distortions, the collapse of international law, the revival of the Monroe Doctrine under Trump, and the economic and political realities inside Venezuela that the U.S. press refuses to acknowledge.From the myth of the “Cartel de los Soles” to the role of U.S. envoy Laura Dogu, Flores offers a detailed, historically grounded account of how Washington manufactures narratives to justify intervention — and why Venezuela’s constitutional order has held despite the assault. This is a deep dive into sanctions, oil politics, propaganda, and the future of Latin America under renewed U.S. pressure.