The most important political scandal you haven't heard of

The most important political scandal you haven't heard of

Author: Ben Norton August 28, 2026 Duration: 47:51
An enormous scandal is unfolding in Latin America, which says everything about politics in the 21st century. Far-right Argentine election meddling specialist Fernando Cerimedo was arrested in Bolivia after hiring hitmen to try to assassinate his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Nadia Beller. They failed, and she is now revealing the truth. Cerimedo has deep links to the US government and Donald Trump's top allies, such as Marco Rubio. Cerimedo worked for many US-backed right-wing leaders in Latin America, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Bolivia's Rodrigo Paz, Brazil's Bolsonaro family, and Honduras' Nasry "Tito" Asfura. Cerimedo is now also being investigated for drug trafficking. Ben Norton explains this insane scandal, which exposes how powerful US-backed right-wing groups, with funding from rich oligarchs, are manipulating elections and destroying democracy. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIJDC5gsl8 Sources and links here: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/fernando-cerimedo-elections-latin-america-trump-us Topics 0:00 Huge election meddling scandal 1:05 Criminal Fernando Cerimedo 1:40 La Derecha Diario 3:06 Attack on Nadia Beller 4:18 Drug trafficking allegations 5:26 Bot farms spread disinfo 7:36 Bots dysfunction after arrest 8:49 US government propaganda 9:36 Shield of the Americas 11:03 Neocolonial Donroe Doctrine 11:33 Op against Latin American left 13:29 Argentina's Javier Milei 13:57 Elon Musk in Argentina 14:42 Corruption in Argentina 18:42 Bolivia's Rodrigo Paz 21:01 Honduras' Nasry "Tito" Asfura 21:42 Trump pardons drug lord JOH 22:17 Election meddling in Honduras 24:22 Election interference 25:18 Coup attempt in Brazil 26:41 Bolsonaro family 28:15 Mar-a-Lago & Latino Wall Street 30:48 Cerimedo's links to US gov't 31:35 Damián Merlo, lobbyist 32:50 Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump advisor 33:50 Lobbying in Washington 35:02 Marco Rubio & María Elvira Salazar 36:20 Brad Parscale, Trump campaign chief 39:58 La Derecha Diario erases evidence 40:58 Javier Negre, new owner 42:17 La Derecha Diario's fake news 44:18 Javier Negre takes credit for elections 45:31 US neocolonialism in Latin America 46:23 This is NOT "democracy" 47:33 Outro

Trying to make sense of international headlines often feels like seeing only the ripples on the water's surface, without understanding the powerful currents moving beneath. Geopolitical Economy Report, hosted by journalist Ben Norton, dives into those deeper forces. This isn't just a recap of the day's events; it's a dedicated exploration of how economic systems, historical context, and raw power politics fundamentally shape global conflicts and alliances. Each episode builds on the work of the independent news outlet of the same name, translating its original journalism and analysis into a compelling audio format. You'll hear detailed discussions that connect financial policies to social movements, or trace the historical roots of a modern trade war, always with an eye toward understanding the larger, changing structure of the world. For anyone tired of superficial news cycles and seeking a more substantive, connected perspective on why nations and institutions act the way they do, this podcast offers a crucial and clarifying lens. Tune in for a regular dose of context that the mainstream frequently overlooks.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Geopolitical Economy Report
Podcast Episodes
How the US uses oil as a geopolitical weapon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:16
Oil has been at the center of the war on Iran. Ben Norton explains how the United States became the biggest oil producer on Earth, and how the US empire uses petroleum as a geopolitical and economic weapon, pushing for m…
China just prevented a war over Taiwan. This is how [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:25
The US government has pushed for years for a war with China, selling billions of dollars of weapons to separatists in Taiwan. However, those plans are falling apart, after the leader of the KMT, the Nationalist Party bas…
Iran is winning the war with the US. This is how [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:47
Iran is winning the war that was started by the USA and Israel. This is now admitted even by major Western media outlets. Tehran has successfully destroyed the US military bases in West Asia (aka the Middle East), forcin…