Interview, Podcast
Plainly reigns but on a plane to Spain: Venezuela’s leader
- Maduro is expected to begin a third six-year term on January 10th of the following year, with the outlook suggesting he will rule as a dictator, ignore international pressure, and continue openly hunting critics and security forces.
- The safety of six opposition leaders sheltering in the Argentine embassy is in serious question, though Edmundo González's departure may reduce immediate pressure, while regional diplomatic efforts face little hope of success and the prospect of spontaneous protests is slim.
- Big tech giants have more than tripled in worth since 2019, now exceeding the combined value of the next 25 largest S&P 500 companies by a factor of 1.5, having doubled capital expenditure since 2019 with the "big six" investing $169 billion last year compared to $135 billion for the next 25 firms.
- The "big six" plus NVIDIA doubled their capital expenditure since 2019 and added one million jobs over the last six years, with plans to spend another one trillion dollars on AI alone within the next five years.
- Future risks include eventual competition from smaller insurgents or government antitrust actions, the potential collapse of former giants like General Electric, Dow, and DuPont, and the emergence of new companies to replace those that fail.
- Council-run youth service funding in the UK fell in real terms from approximately £1 billion to £409 million by 2021, exemplified by Shropshire's reduction from 12 to two youth centers since 2010, prompting the Labour government to pledge £300 million for 90 youth hubs.
- The Labour government intends to direct new youth hub funding toward preventing mental health deterioration and criminal involvement, with expectations that youth work will remain operational despite potential patchiness in the coming years.