Love him or hate him, the late Hugo Chavez was unarguably the most powerful Latin American politician to emerge over the past few decades. David Luhnow, Mexico City bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, takes a look back at the Venezuelan president’s rule and his legacy. Although expected for some time, Chavez’s death came with a hint of irony, falling upon the anniversary of Stalin’s death.
This just in. The founder of Wikipedia is demanding that a Wikipedia page about himself be edited because of false information. “According to Wikipedia, its founder is a 10-time Wimbledon champion who is an astronaut in his spare time,” says Jodi Miller. She also touches on Sean Penn’s man-crush on Hugo Chavez, the inflated cost of a penny and school condom machines in this edition of NewsBusted.
In this Wall Street Journal documentary, reporter David Luhnow looks at Venezuela President Hugo Chavez. Now undergoing treatment for cancer, Chavez has named a possible successor, raising the question of whether his “21st century socialism” can outlive its founder. Luhnow finds many strong critics of Chavez, as well as fervent supporters, but no one’s neutral about the deeply polarizing and radical leader.
This just in…During protests in Michigan last week, a pro-union protester punched Fox News contributor Steven Crowder in the mouth. “But as the liberal media reported it, conservative Steven Crowder hit a union worker in the fist with his face,” says Jodi Miller. She also opines about Hugo Chavez, the Mayan calendar and Quentin Tarantino’s new film Django Unchained in this edition of NewsBusted.
Sunday’s Presidential election in Venezuela pits Socialist strongman Hugo Chavez against the most formidable opponent he has faced in his 14 years in office. Coalition opposition leader Henrique Capriles has gained ground by waging an aggressive door-to-door campaign. But even Capriles describes himself as a David facing a Goliath, and recent polls show him trailing by about 10 percent. Chavez enjoys clearcut advantages, including billions of dollars in oil-funded handouts to court key voter blocs. Al Jazeera reports from Venezuela on the run-up to the election.
Richard Beales and Raul Gallegos with Reuters discuss how Chavez raids the treasury of PDVSA, the Venezuelan state oil company, to bankroll his political and social programs. As a result, PDVSA is now a debt-ridden enterprise, forced to pay its suppliers with IOUs.
