Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Francisco Rodriguez, a leading economist, joins Connor Echols to discuss how Trump's sanctions on Venezuela could backfire and drive more immigration to the US.

Full conversation: nonzero.org/p/is-trump-undermining-his-own-immigration

0:00 Headlines
4:31 Trump's sanctions dilemma: Migration crackdown vs. regime change
5:57 How sanctions helped trigger Venezuela’s economic collapse
9:32 The power of 'secondary sanctions'
12:51 How sanctions drove inflation, hunger, and state failure
18:45 From Venezuela to the US: Understanding the migrant wave
20:37 Inside the Trump split: Rubio’s hardline vs. Grenell’s dealmaking
32:50 Francisco: The US needs to be more realistic about Maduro
40:20 The path to restoring democracy in Venezuela

Discussed in Overtime:
Why sanctions worked in South Africa.
How the US empowers Venezuela's hardline opposition.
Breaking down Maduro's bid to take the Essequibo region from Guyana.
The problems with an opposition in exile.

Recorded May 30, 2025.

Read this week's edition of the Earthling: nonzero.org/p/trumps-national-security-carousel

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