Your News Talk America with Jake Smith – 1/5/2026
Your News Talk America with Jake Smith.
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9:06
Show Open:
- A fierce debate is raging in America since Maduro’s capture; the Administration is defending this action as a joint military/Federal law enforcement action to bring two drug kingpins, under indictment to trial in the United States. How do you see it?
- How do you respond to those Democrats who are outraged by this action? I do not remember some of these same members of the Washington cocktail crowd criticizing Obama when he was vaporizing American citizens in foreign countries?
- Is the interim president of VZ really in charge? If not, who is running the country this morning?
Panelist:
Jonathan T. Gilliam, author: “Sheep No More; The Art Of Awareness And Attack Survival”
Gilliam began his career in service as a Police Officer just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas before he received his commission in the United States Navy at Officer Candidate School (OCS).
After graduating Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) training, Gilliam was assigned to SEAL Team FOUR where he received his SEAL Trident. After attending US Army RANGER School, Gilliam forward deployed as Officer in Charge (OIC) in Central and South America as a Navy SEAL Officer on Counter Drug/Narcotics missions.
In 2002, Gilliam stepped out of military service and directly into federal law enforcement where he served in an undercover role as a Federal Air Marshal flying on US transcontinental flights, including flights that were being targeted on 9/11/2002 by Islamic jihadists. Later that year Gilliam also served as a Security Specialist Contractor for the US Department of Homeland Security, responsible for Instructing soft target sectors as a member of an assault team showing them how they could target themselves from an attacker's perspective in order to build awareness for action and better defenses for reaction to attacks.
From 2005-2013, Gilliam served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a Special Agent in the New York Office on criminal and counterterrorism squads.
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9:20
Segment Topic:
Hours prior to the operation, Maduro met with a Senior Chinese delegation in Caracas. Do you think the Chinese suspected that the U.S. might move again Maduro?
Crude oil futures are moving downward since the futures market opened this morning, how does a falling price of oil on the world market affect Putin and his ability to continue to fund the war with Ukraine?
Do you think the United States is hunting for Iranian agents, members of Hezbollah, Hamas and the cartels trying to escape Venezuela right now?
We learned the hard way from the Iraq invasion that the military operation is the easy part. What comes next could spell disaster. What happens if If Venezuela unravels? What happens if region descends into chaos? The political ramifications will be severe for the President and his Administration?
Panelist:
Jonathan T. Gilliam, author: “Sheep No More; The Art Of Awareness And Attack Survival”
Gilliam began his career in service as a Police Officer just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas before he received his commission in the United States Navy at Officer Candidate School (OCS).
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9:35
Monologue:
“Dem-Com Money Trail”
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9:50
Segment Topic:
- Ryan, can you walk us through the planning, preparation and execution of the Maduro compound raid. When did the planning for the operation begin? What about training – where did that take place?
- Which branches of the U.S. military were involved and which intel agencies?
- How many U.S. servicemembers were involved in the operation? How many participated in the air and on the ground?
- What is your sense of what kind of military and intel presence is in VZ right now?
- Do you believe that there are active operations going on right now to hunt down Iranian agents and other potential U.S. enemies to prevent them from causing trouble for the U.S. and further de-stabilizing VZ? Iran caused the U.S. many problems in Iraq, do you have a sense that the Administration is aware of this and will not permit Iran to interfere – like they did in Iraq?
Panelist:
Ryan Morgan, Reporter: The Epoch Times
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10:08
Segment Topic:
- Is it all about the oil?
- S. now in control of VZ oil reserves, estimated to be at 300 billion barrels of oil!
- VZ has the largest oil reserves in the world! How important is that to the United States and being in control of those reserves, provide leverage against our enemies, such as Russia and China?
- Larry can you tell us what Chavez and his successors did to VZ’s oil business?
- S. oil companies sued VZ multiple times over the years and won their cases. VZ owes billions, with interest to the oil companies. Are they likely to demand guarantees that VZ commits to paying them damages (with interest) before THEY commit to going back there?
- How much oil was VZ pumping before nationalizing the oil fields and how much (per day) are they pumping now?
Panelist:
Larry Behrens, Communications Director: Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. He comments regularly on trends related to energy and environmental policies and politics, and has been published at The Hill, Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Townhall.com, Washington Examiner, The Federalist, and Washington
Times. Larry has appeared on Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News -- you can watch clips of him here. Larry is also the author of Sabotage: How Joe Biden Surrendered American Energy Independence and the host of Power Punch on NewsTalkSTL (St. Louis).
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10:20
Segment Topic:
- Consumers are asking, will Operation Absolute Resolve affect gasoline and diesel prices here in the United States. What will we see long and short-term?
- If the PPB falls too far; too fast, won’t it have a negative effect on oil and gas exploration projects slated to be part of “DRILL BABY DRILL?”
- Larry, tell us about U.S. refineries in the region, weren’t they built to refine the heavy VZ oil and have they bee affected by how the communists in VZ were running their oil business?
- Prior to the communist takeover of VZ, were Venezuelans benefitting financially from the countries oil exports?
- Who has been benefitting since Chavez ruled the country?
Panelist:
Larry Behrens, Communications Director: Power The Future
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10:33
Segment Topic:
- Here we go again?
- Do Americans have the stomach for more foreign involvement?
- We were promised no more foreign wars, no more regime change. Could we be facing another Iraq?
- The last time you were a panelist in YNTA, you discussed your years; living in Vietnam and how the Vietnamese people really did and do love Americans. In Iraq, we were for the most part, viewed as liberators; but that did not last long. How do you think Venezuelans inside and outside Venezuela view this operation?
Panelist:
James Bradley, author of Precious Freedom: A Novel, is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage. James lived in Vietnam for ten years to research and write his fifth book, Precious Freedom: A Novel of the Vietnam War.
James is the son of famed Iwo Jima Corpsman “Doc” Bradley
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10:50
Segment Topic:
- Schumer calls Maduro capture lawless!
- Mark, the Dem-Coms are beside themselves at the capture and arrest of Maduro and his wife. Venezuelans (in exile) in America were dancing in the streets. Dem-Coms were lining up to demand another impeachment. What do you say to them this morning?
- Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino in a post on X that his "day of reckoning is fast approaching."
Panelist:
Mark Vargas, Editor in Chief: Illinois Review
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11:05
Segment Topic:
- It appears that the operation itself was the easy part. How do you keep VZ stable? How do you prevent Iran and other U.S. enemies from destabilizing VZ – the way they destabilized Iraq? The global chessboard?
- It appears that the U.S. infiltrated Maduro’s inner circle to gather as much intel needed to pull this off. Did one of his own turn on him or did one of the Cubans providing his personal security turn on him?
- General, can you outline for us the domino effect triggered by the raid on Maduro’s compound (Russia, China, Iran, Iranian proxies, Cuba)?
- What do you make of the outrage on the part of the Democrats on Operation Absolute Resolve? What are they afraid of? Who are they afraid of? Were they taking money from Maduro to support his regime?
- Why do you think a Senior, Chinese delegation was in Caracas – meeting with Maduro on Friday?
- You and I were speaking by phone last night – specifically about Putin and Russia. At the outset: U.S. control over the worlds largest oil reserves and the plummeting price of oil on the world market – does not bode well for Russia and their war with Ukraine. Can you explain to us why?
- If U.S. oil companies can rebuild VZ’s oil producing infrastructure, China and Cuba will surely benefit?
- Is the new President, Rodriguez a puppet on a string?
- Could Operation Absolute Resolve destabilize VZ and the region? If so, how?
- How will the Maduro capture play out at Davos two weeks from today? Trump is scheduled to speak at Davos – is that a good idea from a security standpoint?
- Do you believe that the U.S. has active operations to track-down and capture Iranian agents and Iranian proxies in VZ – before they can pose a threat (direct or indirect) to U.S. personnel in VZ?
- In the latest “Dangerous Intellectuals” podcast, just downloaded this morning, you indicate that U.S. forces have ignited a geopolitical inferno, shattering alliances and unleashing potential backlash from cartels, Russia and China – right into America’s backyard. Can you explain the risk factors to us?
- General, can you explain the “GLOBAL CHESSBOARD” and how it has been flipped upside down?
- In the days ahead, what signs of stability and instability should we look for coming from VZ?
- What signs of weakness and instability should we look for from America’s enemies, such as Russia, China, Iran, Cuba and the EU?
Panelist:
Brigadier General Blaine Holt, (USAF Retired)
Brig. Gen. General Holt is a former Deputy United States Military Representative to (NATO). General Holt supported the Military Representative and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in executing the U.S. political-military mission at the North Atlantic Council. General Holt was a command pilot with more than 3,900 flying hours in a variety of aircraft. He is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. The host of the new podcast series: “Dangerous Intellectuals”
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11:33
Segment Topic:
- Earle, how did VZ go from one of the most riches and vibrant economies in the world to an economic disaster?
- Prior to Chavez, did the average VZ citizen benefit from VZ’s oil business?
- S. oil companies are owed billions of dollars (with interest) from VZ from their illegal seizure of oil properties and equipment. How would this be paid back from a bankrupt nation?
- PPB on oil has fallen this morning on world markets. Will this benefit American consumers and how?
Panelist:
Dr. Peter C. Earle, Economist: American Institute for Economic Research
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11:45
Segment Topic:
- China reacted swiftly to the military strike on Saturday night, expressing shock and condemnation. Beijing subsequently called on the U.S. to releasethe ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and urged Washington to resolve the crisis through dialogue. (CNBC)
- Why was a Senior Chinese delegation meeting with Maduro in Caracas on Friday?
- Did the capture of Maduro take the Chinese by surprise? What is Beijing worried about this morning?
- How do you see the latest China military exercises near Taiwan last week?
- Gordon, last week China placed a tax on purchasing birth control methods. Are they preparing for war? Will they need more soldiers? Is that what is behind this move? What about the one-child policy.
Panelist:
Gordon G. Chang
Gatestone Institute Senior Fellow: Author of Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America. You can follow Gordon on “X” @GordonGChang.
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11:50 Salute the Troops
“Operation Absolute Resolve”
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Credits
Host
Jake Smith
Director
Walt Palmer
Technical Director
Julia Hardy
Panel Liaison
Mark O'Giuliani
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