1/13/26: Yanis Varoufakis On Trump, Venezuela, The Fed & MORE!

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Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar 39 min 5 speakers 3 chapters transcribed
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Unknown 0:00
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Krystal Ball 0:34
Hi, I'm Dr. Priyanka Wally.
Unknown 0:36
And I'm Hari Kundabolu.
Krystal Ball 0:37
It's a new year, and on the podcast Health Stuff, we're resetting the way we talk about our health.
Saagar Enjeti 0:42
Which means being honest about what we know, what we don't know, and how messy it can all be. I like to sleep in late and sleep early. Is there a chronotype for that, or am I just depressed? Health Stuff is about learning, laughing, and feeling a little less alone.
Krystal Ball 0:58
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Mike Della Rocha 1:04
A new year doesn't ask us to become someone new. It invites us back home to ourselves. I'm Mike Della Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect, and heal. This year, we're talking honestly about mental health, relationships, and the patterns we're ready to release. If you're looking for clarity, connection, and healthier ways to show up in your life, Sacred Lessons is here for you. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Della Rocha on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Saagar Enjeti 1:34
Hey guys, Sagar and Crystal here.
Krystal Ball 1:36
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Saagar Enjeti 2:00
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Krystal Ball 2:08
All right, guys, we are very lucky to be joined this morning by Yanis Varoufakis. He is an economist. He is a bestselling author. He is a podcast host of The Econoclast, and he is the former finance minister of Greece. Great to see you, sir.
Yanis Varoufakis 2:19
Good to see you. Thank you for having me.
Krystal Ball 2:21
Yeah, of course. So let's start with this first element. Put this up on the screen. This is the president of the United States claiming to be the president, the acting president of Venezuela. I'm curious, just off the top here, how significant you think the kidnapping of Maduro and now Trump's claims that we run Venezuela and we're going to take their oil. How significant do you think this mode of U.S. operation and foreign policy is to the world and to our own politics?
Yanis Varoufakis 2:51
Well, it is significant, there is no doubt. The question is what kind of significance are we detecting in this very confusing stage that we found ourselves in. Just seeing the picture that you put on your screen reminded me that this is not the first time he does it. Remember, only a few months ago, he declared himself to be the owner, the person who has actually annexed, personally, that has never happened in history before, Gaza. He declared himself to be the head of a company that is taking over Gaza. And then, of course, before we had the chance to scratch our heads and see what that means for the people of Gaza, whose lives are devastated and whose genocide is continuing, he abducts Maduro.
Yanis Varoufakis 3:38
And he declares himself to be the acting ruler or owner of Venezuela. and then on the same day he talks about Greenland. I wouldn't be surprised if this confusion is strategic and the whole point is to continue to build up a reputation for accumulating territories, accumulating companies, accumulating stablecoins, accumulating different kinds of resources for himself and his clique, in order to make it far more alluring for powerful people around the world, in the United States as well, to do deals with him, hoping to get some crumbs off his overladen table.

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