<p>When America seized Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro in January, it left the rest of his regime intact. Three months on, our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/04/16/donald-trump-has-made-venezuela-a-better-place?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finds optimism</a> and some loosening of repression. Venezuela’s opposition leader <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2026/04/16/venezuela-is-not-the-triumph-donald-trump-claims-but-its-improving?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">María Corina Machado</a> fled to America, now she explains her ambitions for the country. And celebrating the life of <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2026/04/16/nick-pope-investigated-ufos-for-the-ministry-of-defence?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nick Pope</a>, who spent decades investigating UFOs.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Kinley Salmon, Latin America correspondent</li><li>Ann Wroe, obituaries editor</li><li>Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Venezuela, oil, Maduro, Trump</li><li>María Corina Machado, elections</li><li>Nick Pope, UFOs, aliens, NASA</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>