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Radio War Nerd EP #609 — Max Blumenthal on Venezuela, US Empire & Oligarchy (Patreon)

Published:
2026-05-28 19:32:06
Imported:
2026-05
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Guest: Max Blumenthal, The GrayzoneRecorded: May 27, 2026

Max Blumenthal returns to RWN to discuss his latest exposé on Trump's corrupt viceroy for Venezuela and the fine line between Delcy Rodriguez as hostage or collaborator. We also discuss Cuba, US politics and the Zionist-Techlord oligarchy in the age of Trump.

Read Max's latest article in The Grayzone: Delcy’s ‘gatekeeper’: sources say ex-Trump official Claver-Carone holds keys to Caracas

Follow Max on Twitter. Read/subscribe to The Grayzone.More episodes with Max:-EP #556-EP #281-EP #179-EP #54

Total time: 1:47:57Direct link to this episode's mp3 here

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Buy & review John Dolan's new book, They Should Have Been Hanged: War Nerd Essays on the U.S. Civil War

Subscribe to Radio War Nerd at patreon.com/radiowarnerd

Sound production by Telescope Audio

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Comments

Randy Long

All my GOATS in one place ?!

Hugh Jazz

Love hearing from Max but god DAMN this shit is a bummer

Doug Cartel

I needed a laugh and max claiming the democrats would punish the Republicans was pretty good, thanks

Doug Cartel

If we are stupid and evil enough to invade Cuba I'll be learning how to edit videos so I can string together montages of American soldiers screaming at the camera of an FPV drone

Stewie

has anyone ever explained what Max’s deal is? are the listeners of RWN seriously supposed to take at face value the idea that Sidney Blumenthal’s son is one of the US’s preeminent anti-imperialist journalists? not only that but one apparently with sources that would get him on all kinds of lists, and which kind of genuinely irksome coverage people like Michael Hastings and Gary Webb paid dearly for? He’s clearly singing many of our tunes on a lot of issues, seems like a fun hang and is clearly dagger sharp and whip smart, but … so is the RWN audience, aren’t we? So what’s the real deal?

Trevor Jones

I first learned about Max through this podcast 10 years ago or so. Thank you all for being great and please do keep up the great work.

J P 3

Great episode. With so many of these events it is possible to kind of make out what is happening in broad details, but Max does a great job filling in the details. BTW, in keeping with the theme of decline and decay, one potential guest idea is Katya Hoyer, who just published a book on Weimar Germany. I haven't had a chance to read her newest book yet, but her previous two books regarding the Rise and Fall of the German Empire in 1871-1918 and East Germany, were both exceptional. I've heard some interviews for the new book too and it sounds like a really compelling story.

MuffinsAndPie

maybe they're on bad terms, who knows

Stewie

Apparently they’re not, just have political disagreements—but that’s actually irrelevant. What’s relevant is that Max is apparently anti-imperialist, an apparently active foil to intelligence and military figures and yet lives happily and comfortably. Compare that to other journalists, ask Barrett Brown. It’s giving Glenn Greenwald…

Sam

Evaluate him based on his work. Then tell explain what angle he’s working that’s somehow antithetical to anti imperialism or harmful to “the left.” I’ve looked for it. Or just thought he was kind of nuts sometimes. But he’s almost always either completely validated or proven to be mostly right at some point. He’s a journalist, and Idk if anything really matters beyond that.

Ernesto

For me, the hit on Maduro was out of the godfather movie: remove the Don, force the family to deal drugs. Unlike Sollozzo and Tattaglia, it seems that Trump did managed to get his way.

Schaeffer Mallory

The only way forward is a 3rd party with a decades long strategy of losing until you can win, or a Platner style takeover of the Democratic Party. I'm coming around to the idea that if you can knock out the leadership of the Democratic Party, then the donor class will go with it

BolshieBostonian

Thomas “mountaintop mining lover” Massie deserved to get burned. Maybe if he helped his district meaningfully, they’d have rallied to him in the face of AIPAC influence. Someone can be great on Israel and Epstein stuff and still be a complete dullard.

JoR

You can, and should, be skeptical of any guest on the show. And anyone who’s work you read . Even the co hosts have their own biases and are not infallible. Like others have said on max, his overall work is insightful. So if he is a plant, what exactly is the angle? Not dismissing your claim either , but his father’s background doesn’t automatically disqualify him

EJK

I think Blumenthal is his generation's version of Seymour Hersh (absolutely not a compliment): a blackpilling safety value for the gangster state. Why else would he be a regular on places such as Judge Nap or Dialogue Works, embedded within the white male geezer rotations, all members having long-standing connections to US intelligence? No Alon Mizrahi, Vanessa Beeley, Ehsan Safarnejad, or Fiorella Isabel on those shows.

showlistener

I really appreciate Max's journalistic work and his analysis of the American empire, but some of his takes on domestic politics are bizarre. Thomas Massie is mostly correct on foreign policy, but you can say that without glazing him to the point where you're calling him some sort of architectural genius or whatever, when in fact the guy believes in chemtrails, and would eliminate every federal program that alleviates poverty in a second if given the choice. He sucks!

John

My favourite guest by far !

a clash of purple

Just assume everyone and everything, including yourself, is an op or an asset or whatever. Then go ahead and do what you were going to do anyway. You'll feel a lot less stressed out. Seriously, don't be like Seth Harp (I think this was Seth - correct me if I'm wrong) and get so paranoid that you jump out of a moving car because you're afraid your own family are CIA assassins or something. You've got to have a little chill.

a clash of purple

From inside the belly of the beast, all you can hope to do is give it indigestion. But that's not nothing. The future belongs to those who have been exiled from the system and so are forced to build viable alternatives, which will (hopefully) outlast the inevitable collapse of the imperial apparatus. But those of us trapped within the system can still do good by taking action to alleviate poverty and protest against war and injustice. That's my outlook, anyway.

Tilli

Max Blumenthal, lol... Sounds like a real ALLSTAR TANKIE SPECIAL 😂

bones

Where did you hear that about Seth harp? I can't find anything like this

Tariq

it really does suck to see Al Green get voted out in the primary. One of the few Democrats that I actually really liked and respected, growing up in the Houston area as a young Muslim budding Marxist after 9/11, he was one of the very first politicians who made it a point to be seen embracing the Muslim community. Maybe that’s Lib coded but it meant a lot back then.

RT

Can someone explain the driving force for the hesitance at 7:45? Just for sake of time or is there some other reason? Thanks