3552 - Trump Kidnaps Maduro, What's Next? w/ Jose Luis Granados Ceja

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Majority Report with Sam Seder
Episode: 3552 – Trump Kidnaps Maduro, What's Next? (w/ Jose Luis Granados Ceja)
Date: January 5, 2026

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Overview

This episode centers on two major themes: the surprising and aggressive US military operation in Venezuela—culminating in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro by the Trump administration—and the inauguration of New York City’s new mayor, Zoran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, with a discussion of his early moves and bold agenda. Sam Seder, joined by Jose Luis Granados Ceja (DropSite News) and the Majority Report team, delivers in-depth analysis, critiques US foreign policy, and explores the implications of these historic events.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US Military Assault & Kidnapping of Maduro

[27:42-66:33]

• Summary of Events:

  • The US, under Trump, executed a military operation in Venezuela, resulting in Maduro’s capture and transport to New York for a “show trial”.
  • Over 100 casualties are reported; 32 Cuban security personnel protecting Maduro were killed.
  • Trump publicly threatens other Latin American countries, signaling broader aggression.

• Nature and Implications:

  • Jose Luis Granados Ceja describes the event as “the kidnapping of a sitting head of state of a sovereign nation,” a dramatic escalation of US interventionism.
  • The act is characterized as illegal under international law and more about humiliation and projecting US power than coherent regime change or resource policy.
  • The US’s stated objective—regime change and control of oil resources—is questioned for its practicality and legality.

• Administration Dynamics:

  • The Trump administration’s internal motivations include longstanding animosity toward Maduro, especially by Trump, Marco Rubio, and the South Florida/Cuban-American delegation, as well as Stephen Miller's increasing influence on policy.
  • “For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty.” —Zoran Mamdani, but invoked here in discussing the US approach to Venezuela (14:21).

• Resource Control and Oil Politics:

  • Venezuela's diminished oil capacity is noted (now under 1 million barrels/day from a peak of ~3 million).
  • The US seems uninterested in a stable, negotiated “soft transition”; instead, the public humiliation of Maduro and tangible US control over oil are the apparent goals.
  • But the practicality is questioned: “If they're talking about controlling Venezuela's oil fields, that requires an occupation.” —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (42:45).

• Risks and Resistance:

  • Any attempt for de facto US control would require significant, likely unattainable, military presence amid probable fierce resistance from Chavismo loyalists, collectivos, and former guerrilla elements.
  • Widespread popular opposition to foreign intervention persists inside Venezuela, regardless of Maduro’s own popularity.
  • Allied Latin American countries (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay) and China strongly condemn the intervention; Russia’s response is interpreted through a ‘backyard swap’ geopolitical lens.

• US Legal/Political Fallout:

  • The administration claims this was a “law enforcement operation” to circumvent Congressional war powers; this is lambasted as a constitutional end-run.
  • “There is no world where what the United States did isn’t an act of aggression, isn’t an act of war.” —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (65:18).

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2. Zoran Mamdani’s Historic Mayoral Inauguration & Policy Agenda

[7:18-20:44]

• Ambitious Vision:

  • Mamdani delivers a historic inaugural address embracing democratic socialism and collective governance, promising bold action and repudiating the era of small expectations.
  • Quote: “Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.” —Zoran Mamdani (13:33).

• Key Rhetoric & Policy Shifts:

  • Explicit rejection of “rugged individualism” in favor of “the warmth of collectivism” and a commitment to serve the public interest over oligarchic control.
  • Quote: “I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist.” —Zoran Mamdani (16:01).

• Early Moves:

  • Administration sues major landlords (e.g., Pinnacle) over housing abuses.
  • Structural city governance reforms—police commissioner now reports to a deputy mayor instead of directly to the mayor, signaling a potential reduction in police power.
  • The administration is poised to be a training ground and policy incubator for national progressive politics, similar in function (but not ideology) to the Center for American Progress post-2004.

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3. Broader Themes & Geopolitical Speculation

[52:05-58:27]

• US “Monroe Doctrine 2.0” and Retreat to Hemisphere:

  • The panel speculates that Trump’s moves signal a “strategic retreat” to consolidate US power in Latin America as a response to a multipolar global order dominated by China and Russia.
  • “We want dominance, and if that's what they're proposing, then they're going to be met with a lot of resistance here.” —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (57:12).

• Potential for Wider Conflict:

  • The Venezuela move could be a prelude to broader conflict or an effort to secure alternative oil sources if Middle East conflicts escalate.
  • Concern is raised that weak international and domestic responses to such aggression encourage escalation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US Motivation:
  “This was a kidnapping…implied a military operation with foreign boots on the ground inside of Venezuela, with dozens of casualties…”
  —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (27:42)

• On Democratic Socialism in NYC:
  “For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty.”
  —Zoran Mamdani (14:21)

• On Possible Outcomes in Venezuela:
  “If they're talking about controlling Venezuela's oil fields, that requires an occupation…there is no scenario that doesn't require U.S. troops protecting those installations which would obviously be subject to regular sabotage.”
  —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (42:45)

• On US Foreign Policy’s Core Driver:
  “They don't really care as long as they have access to the resources.”
  —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (32:01)

• On Opposition and Resistance:
  “What we've seen is the population, the hardcore base of Chavismo, taking out to the streets immediately.”
  —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (49:54)

• On Constitutional Overreach:
  “There is no world where what the United States did isn't an act of aggression, isn't an act of war.”
  —Jose Luis Granados Ceja (65:18)

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Important Timestamps

| Segment | Time | Description | |---------|----------------|-------------| | Main theme preview & news rundown | [03:24-07:18] | Sam sets up the day's topics including Venezuela and NYC mayoral news. | | Zoran Mamdani’s inaugural address & political analysis | [11:33-20:44] | Key clips, reactions, and discussion of policy direction. | | Interview: Jose Luis Granados Ceja on Venezuela | [27:42-66:33] | Detailed analysis of US actions, Maduro’s kidnapping, US motives, regional and international responses. | | Constitutional ramifications & legal analysis | [63:46-66:33] | Discussion of Trump’s maneuvering around Congress and war powers. |

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Tone and Language

• The hosts employ a mix of careful analysis, incredulity, and sharp humor, notably when discussing the Trump administration’s tactics (“Trump threatens to invade Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Greenland, and maybe just bomb Iran. Day one.” –[04:10]).
• Jose Luis Granados Ceja maintains a steady, measured tone, emphasizing both the legal and grassroots dimensions of the crisis in Venezuela.
• Mamdani’s address, played in clips and commented on, is lyrical and expansive, drawing from leftist and collectivist rhetorical traditions.

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Flow & Takeaways

• The episode fluidly jumps between local (NYC) politics and global crisis, drawing connections between domestic and foreign policy maneuvers on the left and right.
• The Venezuela situation is exposed as unpredictable, dangerous, and lacking a clear “end game” for US planners; the risk of ongoing resistance and regional destabilization is high.
• The inauguration of New York's first openly socialist mayor is framed as a profound shift in American politics and potentially influential well beyond the city itself.

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For Listeners:

This episode is essential for understanding the escalating US-Latin America tensions, Trump’s aggressive foreign policy turn in his second term, and the emergence of bold left-wing governance in US cities. The conversation is rich in both detail and big-picture theorizing, making it relevant for anyone following international law, US politics, and progressive policy innovation.

Transcript

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[Brian]

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[Brian]

It's so transactional with him.

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[Brian]

And it's really good to have that broth to hydrate them because sometimes cats don't drink water enough.

[Sam Cedar]

100%. But I'm still offended on some level that like his affection is completely, it seems like transactional. Totally tied in to just like, well, give me more of that food.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

You sound like a needy dog person.

[Sam Cedar]

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[Matt Leck]

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[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Show.

[Sam Cedar]

The Majority Report with Sam Cedar. It is Monday, January 5th, 2026. My name is Sam Cedar. This is the five time award winning Majority Report. We are broadcasting live stuff steps from the industrially ravaged Gowanus Canal in the heartland of America, downtown Brooklyn, usa. On the program today, Jose Luis Grandos Ceja covering Latin America for job site news, of course on our military assault on Venezuela. Meanwhile, Maduro and his wife transported to New York City this morning for Trump's show trial. Latest reporting, death tally from the US attack is at over 100 people. Meanwhile, Trump threatens Venezuela. Venezuela, give me your oil or else. And while he's at it, Trump threatens to invade Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Greenland, and maybe just bomb Iran. Day one. Mamdani enters the legal fray against a big corporate landlord. Tim Walsh is out the 2026 governor race. Amy Klobuchar appears to be in. In that Minnesota 2026 governor race, postal service changes postmark procedures will inevitably invalidate thousands upon thousands of mail in ballots. We got 25 days until the next potential government shutdown. Chuck Schumer in hiding. 10 convicted in France of cyberbullying against France's first lady, Brigitte Macron and Pete Hegseth to start proceedings against Senator Mark Kelly over his video promoting the military following only legal orders. All this and more on today's Majority Report. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. It is.

[Brian]

Oh, it's Monday. Jesus. What's the, what do we call it? Fun day Monday. We are really rusty. I just panicked so much.

[Sam Cedar]

I want to say we are so rusty. We did okay up until that very moment.

[Brian]

Okay, I'm rusty.

[Sam Cedar]

You had a great breakdown.

[Brian]

The year's off to a good start.

[Sam Cedar]

You nervous to be here?

[Brian]

No, I just, I was shocked at how I just.

[Sam Cedar]

You're just used to being on CNN when they, when they're like, you've got like ads all around you.

[Brian]

Yeah, I'm just, I'm checked out here. I'm just like, I'm so big time now that it's just like, you know, I don't even bother, bother to prepare for the show.

[Sam Cedar]

YouTube. Excuse me.

[Brian]

Yeah, please. Oh, my God, where's my glam team?

[Sam Cedar]

Yeah, Things have changed over the past week and a half. I'm not allowed to look at her in the eyes anymore.

[Brian]

And you just did.

[Sam Cedar]

So spends the whole day.

[Brian]

You're docking his pay, right?

[Sam Cedar]

Shoes. Yes, of course.

[Brian]

Unbelievable.

[Sam Cedar]

Oh yeah, and we introduced pay too incidentally over the break too, so that's been good. How was everybody's Happy New Year, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks so much for joining us. How was your New year?

[Brian]

My new year was good. I have pretty low key New Year's. I'm not a New Year's person. I did see Marty Supreme. Good movie.

[Sam Cedar]

Oh, I have not seen that yet, Brian. New Year's I was in bed with a cold, so it was fantastic.

[Matt Leck]

And Matt set up a new gaming PC.

[Sam Cedar]

Right. Okay, here we go.

[Brian]

We are not cool.

[Sam Cedar]

Not cool. New Year's. Thanks so much for joining us. As you know, there's been some news that has taken place over the past week and a half. We're going to obviously be talking quite a bit about Venezuela today. We have Jose Luis Granada Ceja, who now has recently joined Dropsite News, I think in the past like couple of weeks will be with us to discuss what he knows about Venezuela. On January 1, New York City swore in its new mayor, Zoran Mamdani. And we have a couple of excerpts of his speech. And then you know, they really hit the ground running, joining into a big lawsuit against one of the bigger landlords in the city, Pinnacle.

[Brian]

People will remember two years ago I was complaining all the time about like that. That was that pinnacle when I had that air conditioning leak and it warped my, my floorboards and they didn't come for months and I had no AC in the middle of the summer.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

That was the.

[Brian]

That's the landlord he's going after. So awesome.

[Matt Leck]

Pinnacle.

[Sam Cedar]

Yes. The pinnacle of what is the. Is the real question.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Exactly.

[Sam Cedar]

There. He's the. The administration has made some moves that I think, you know, some people would appreciate. Ken Klippenstein reported that Jessica Tisch, the police commissioner in a structural change will no longer report directly to the mayor, but will instead report directly to a deputy mayor, which is a, you know, it's very, I don't know the operations of the mayor's office, but it'll be interesting to see what kind of dynamic that creates.

[Brian]

It's a demotion. I mean the administrator like Zoron doesn't seem to be saying that publicly, but they're trying to help her save face. It seems like that's how it is It's a demotion.

[Sam Cedar]

Yeah, I mean, it's definitely one more layer. And that's the way you do it. How what it means on a practical level is unclear, but certainly from a negotiation standpoint, as you know, you have that ability to be like. You stay here. I'll go check with my manager in the back room and see if I can make a deal with you. That type of dynamic suddenly becomes a little bit different and it suggests that there is a wider public safety portfolio that is not just being fulfilled by police only and. But we will see how that plays out in the meanwhile. In the meantime, I should say.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

I've.

[Sam Cedar]

Been doing this professionally for 20 years. I have been, you know, following politics since, I mean, frankly, when I was in high school. I do not remember seeing a speech like this made. I've seen speeches like this, but usually like predating the early 70s where there was such ambition expressed and sort of some level of sophistication expressed. A really amazing speech that Mamdani delivered. Let's start with. Wait, is it 18? 18? Sorry, it's 18.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah.

[Sam Cedar]

1918.

[Matt Leck]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Okay. It's 18. It's 1818 A. Yes.

[Sam Cedar]

That is a weird way of doing that, Brian. 2026 is gonna be tough for Brian. Wait, what happened?

[Matt Leck]

I was asleep. The 19A is under the 18, but it's okay. I understand where we're at. So here's the first clip for Zoran. As we knew.

[Sam Cedar]

Zero for one so far.

[Zoran Mamdani]

In writing this address, I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations. That I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations. Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try. To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say no longer will City hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers lives. For too long we have turned to the private sector for greatness, while accepting mediocrity from those who serve the public. I cannot blame anyone who has come to question the role of government, whose faith in democracy has been eroded by decades of apathy. We will restore that trust by walking a different path. One where government is no longer solely the final recourse for those struggling. One where excellence is no longer the exception. We expect greatness from the cooks wielding a thousand spices, from those who stride out onto our Broadway stages and from our starting point guard at Madison Square Garden.

[Brian]

Hell yeah.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Let us demand the same from those who work in government in a city where the mere names of our.

[Brian]

You see that? He did the Bronson.

[Sam Cedar]

Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, I'm a Celtics fan. Okay, get out of the city.

[Brian]

Get out, get out. You know, here.

[Sam Cedar]

But this is, I mean, to basically set up, you know, every politician as they take office sets expectations. And in this instance, he is making. The expectation that he is creating here is that we're going to. To fail because we're going to be so ambitious that it's impossible for us to do all the things that we're going to strive to do, but we're going to do a lot of things. And he in no way sort of tried to moderate what his political leanings have been. If anything, he's been as explicit as at any time. And to be fair, he never tried to moderate it during the election. But here is 18B.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I welcome the change. For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty. Bar, many of these people have been betrayed by the established order. But in our administration, their needs will be met, their hopes and dreams and interests will be reflected transparently in government. They will shape our future. And if for too long these communities have existed as distinct from one another, we will draw this city closer together. We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. If our campaign demonstrated that the people of New York yearn for solidarity, then let us, this government, foster it.

[Sam Cedar]

I mean, this is the type of rhetoric you would hear Sean Hannity claim that, you know, Obama or Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer embraced, and here is Mamdani embracing it and, and, and giving it a full throated approval. The idea being that for the city to function well, for people to get the most, for people to maximize their potential and maximize their. Their essentially their quality of life in this city. At least it's going to involve everyone banding together. And he speaks pretty explicitly on this one, too. 18C.

[Zoran Mamdani]

We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy. We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe. I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist.

[Brian]

Hochul, did you see that? Uncle was clapping just like a little bit. Just check out the left corner of the screen. Sorry. It makes me Laugh.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Go govern. As a democratic socialist, Keeping her hands down, I abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical. As the great senator from Vermont once said, what's radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life. We will.

[Brian]

It was very cold.

[Sam Cedar]

It looks.

[Brian]

I was there, by the way, and it was. I did not expect how cold it was going to be. I had to stop and get a hat because I didn't realize and my feet were frozen the whole time. But it was amazing. And like, seeing Bernie Sanders swear him in was unexpectedly, like, really emotional. AOC kicked off the event, introducing it, and then Bernie Sanders spoke right before Zoran Mamdani and swore him in on the Quran. And you just see one, I think, like the. The fact that Bernie Sanders, despite his old age, got to see this level of victory and the movement that he created come to fruition like this was. That was really what was making me emotional too, but also just the rhetoric that followed. As you say, he did not back off. I will govern as a democratic socialist. And he hit the ground running. Perhaps we'll play it later, but he's already going after slumlords, as you mentioned, and he's doing it on day one.

[Sam Cedar]

And, you know, I think in the coming weeks we'll have someone on to talk about his administration, because what I think new, obviously, he has assembled an administration to serve New York City, but I think it's going to serve a second function which is not unlike the center for American Progress did. Starting in 2004, when it became almost like the Clinton administration in exile, many ideas came out of the center for American Progress. And I want to be clear, I'm not talking about the similar sort of ideological bent, but I'm talking about how it functioned for the Democratic Party. And there is a. There is a big absence of think tanks on the left that provide ideas, personnel, etc. For an incoming Democratic administration, presidential administration. The best stuff that happened under the Biden administration came out of the Bernie and Warren wings of the party in terms of antitrust and labor, etc. And I think what we are going to see out of this Mamdani administration is a training ground and an incubation of ideas, not just in the context, you know, Lina Khan obviously is working on affordability issues within the administration, but not just on the context of. Of antitrust or affordability, but also in terms of labor, but also in terms of housing. I think we're going to see people in this administration, potentially in the, knock on wood, a Democratic administration in 2028, if there is one. And ideas that are piloted in New York City become, you know, used as the basis of developing policy for the, for the country. So it's a very, the benefit of this administration is not, I think we can't even really sort of get a clear sense in the event that they're successful in the majority of things that they try. I don't think that we have a full sense of just how much meaningful this is going to be to Democratic politics going forward.

[Brian]

And a laboratory for governance, too. Exactly like in the urgency that will be required after this Trump administration.

[Sam Cedar]

All right, in a moment we're going to be talking to Jose Luis Grandos Ceja about what's going on in Venezuela and the United States, etc. Etc. First, a couple of words from our sponsors this episode also brought to you by Wild Grain. Wild Grain is the first baked from frozen subscription box for artisanal breads, seasonal pastries and fresh pastas. Plus all items conveniently bake in 25 minutes or less. This is fantastic. This is not like a store bought wild grain uses simple ingredients, ingredients that you can pronounce. They use slow fermentation process that can be easier on your belly and richer in nutrients and antioxidants. There's no preservatives, there's no shortcuts. Wild Grain boxes are fully customizable. You can get the variety box. They have a gluten free box. They have a vegan box. They have a new protein box. I had a shipment. I don't know, maybe it was in November of of I had like this amazing sourdough bread. I put it into the oven. I think it was like 20 minutes. And it's fresh baked bread. They give you. I don't know if they still do that, but they gave me some free croissants that were incredible. Apple cider donuts. This stuff is delicious. You pop it in, it's like you've actually cooked it from scratch. I don't really know how to explain it beyond that, but it's amazing and it's delicious. There's nothing like having artisan bakery in your freezer to chase away the winter chill. Now's the best time to stay in and enjoy comforting homemade meals with wild grain. I highly recommend giving Wild Grain a try. Right now, Wild Grain is offering our audience $30 off your first box plus free croissants for life. They're still doing that. When you go to wildgreen.com majority to start your subscription today. That's $30 off your first box and free croissants for life. When you visit wildgrain.com majority or you can use the promo code Majority at checkout. Go visit the site, look at the offerings. I'm telling you, it is all delicious and super, super easy to bake. You just pop them in the oven. Also sponsoring the program today, Shopify. I've told the story a million times by this point. When I started the podcast, I had so much to do. It was crazy. We had a very, very small staff and people were like, do a merch store, do a merch store. And I'm like, I can't do a merch store. It's going to be too much trouble. It's going to be a huge pain in the butt. But then we found a Shopify and it is the right tool that not only helps you out, but simplifies everything that can be such a game changer for millions of businesses. That tool is Shopify. Yes. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world. 10% of all E commerce in the US from household name names to brands just getting started. The beauty of our Shopify site, if we come up with an idea, it's there in just like as soon as we can we can design the idea. It's there. We've got it integrates with YouTube and Facebook and Instagram and it also integrates with in real world, in real life sales. So if we sell merch at a live show, we don't have to have two sets of books. Essentially it all integrates. Get the word out like you have a marketing team behind you. Easily create email and social media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling and strolling now with Shopify and best yet, Shopify is your is your commerce expert with world class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping to processing returns and beyond. This thing is turnkey. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn your big business idea into into Shopify. With Shopify on your side, sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com majority. Go to shopify.com majority shopify.com majority all those links will be in the podcast and YouTube description. Quick break we come back. Jose Luis Granados say hi will be with us. It. We are back. Sam Cedar Emma Vigland on the Majority report. Really the first for 2026. Want to welcome back to the program Jose Luis Granada Ceja recently joining Drop site. And congratulations to you, but also to them. It's a great addition. I imagine you've been busy for the past couple of days. Let's. It is sort of hard to start because there seems to be this sort of pretense that. Well, there is this pretense in the mainstream media. It seems that, like we're supposed to take it seriously, that Maduro's cooing, I guess, and maybe you can expand on exactly how we should view this is a function of his drug running. And it seems almost silly to me to take that at face value, but some people still do. But from your perspective, how would you describe what we have seen? How much of it is an internal coup? How much of it is an overthrow or regime change? Walk us through that. Yeah.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

You know, I think the best way to understand this is that this was a kidnapping. It was the kidnapping of a sitting head of state of a sovereign nation that implied a military operation with foreign boots on the ground inside of Venezuela, with dozens of casualties of Venezuelans, but also the Cuban security forces that had been providing assistance. This is a regime change effort. This is extraordinary. Of course, this is something that, while it was, in a way, always a possibility, did come as a surprise. And the aim was precisely this. And the way that things have played out over the last few days, I think kind of affirmed that, which is that there were very strong interests inside of the Trump White House to do something with Maduro in particular. There was almost an animosity, a personalized animosity. And of course, I think here we should underline Marco Rubio's kind of fervent drive to kind of oust anybody who's ever aggrieved him in any way. And I think that helps explain this. It seems like the United States thinks that it can use its military might, its course of power, this illegal navy blockade that it has imposed on Venezuela to try to force the acting president, Dulcie Rodriguez, the executive vice president, to do their bidding. But it's going to be a very, very difficult situation if they think that that's the way it's going to go.

[Sam Cedar]

But do we have a sense of what their bidding is? I mean, that's the part that seems so sort of, like, odd because you have kidnapped Maduro ostensibly because you want regime change, but it doesn't really feel like it's regime change. I mean, I'm looking at a Miami Herald piece from October, and the Maduro regime, or at least with Maduro's blessing, offered almost this. What seems to be the outcome we have right now. You know, the only difference is Maduro would live in Qatar or live in like, I think it was Turkey.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah.

[Sam Cedar]

I mean, so, like, what are we to make of this and how. What's your sense, I guess, within the administration, how unified are the administration members about this outcome?

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

So if we look at and we assume that this report is accurate, it's not exactly clear what they were promising. But let's take it at face value and say that the Venezuelan government at one point led by Nicolas Maduro, in the moment was promising basically this situation, a soft transition, Chavismo stays in power. There actually isn't regime change, and there actually is an investment in Venezuela's oil industry. Venezuela's oil industry continues to play a very, very important part of that, but it's suffered a lot. In that sense, Trump is actually correct. You know, the unilateral course of measures campaign, the sanctions, as they're commonly called, has really punished that industry. It used to produce between 2.53 million barrels a day. Today it's less than a million. So it requires a massive investment. And Venezuela had been seeking investment in that sense to kind of rebuild the capacity for this, but under their terms, as any other state would. Right. Which is, if you want to invest in this country, you're more than willing to but follow the rules here. And there were even enterprises, US Enterprises, that did it. You know, we know Chevron has always had a presence there. Others, ExxonMobil is the first one that comes to mind, but definitely had a much bigger issue with the Chavismo, you know, power in Venezuela, and decided to exit and has been working more closely with Guyana, for example. But I think a lot of it is sort of the neocolonial drive of the United States right now with Donald Trump, which is that they don't really care as long as they have access to the resources. This is really the kind of the key question that's driving everything, that this is why we're renewed interest of the United States and Latin America more broadly, because this is a region that they view as their backyard. It's a term I find odious, but that's their attitude. And they want to make sure that they can have access to the resources and cheap labor and plain governments by any means necessary. And in this case, trying to get Delsey to do what they want them to do by threatening to kidnap or assassinate her. I mean, that's not really how foreign is understood to be exercised. But this is the reality. It's about Control of resources.

[Brian]

But. But to answer maybe Sam's kind of question about it, like, why not just do this in the way that gives Maduro this exit? I think the answer is the perp walk that we've been seeing where this is an explicit desire to humiliate him. There was news this morning that Stephen Miller is going to play an increased role in Venezuela policy. So this sounds exactly like him, but it's the South Florida delegation, these lawmakers here, of which, obviously Marco Rubio comes out of Florida as a senator. The animosity you described, the desire to humiliate him, seem to be at the top of their minds. But Trump as well, probably wanted this because he was unable to provoke Maduro into responding with these boat strikes. And this makes him look like the big tough guy. That kind of seems to be the answer. Right?

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

I think you're onto something there. Absolutely. We know Trump. We know he, for example, took down the picture of Joe Biden in the White House hallway there. It's that kind of really deep animosity that he seems to want to precisely produce these kinds of scenes. I also think the United States under his leadership, also painted itself into a corner. There was these really aggressive postures. We saw that Maduro and the Venezuelan government was not willing to cede much other than what we've already heard from these leaked reports. And so what was the exit, exit here? There was something was going to give, and it seems like they settled on this one. Let's, you know, send us signals, show them that we still are the most powerful military on the planet, that we have the capacity, the technological capacity, I think, in particular was interesting in this case to do what they just did, which is kidnap a president and also to humiliate him, to try to. To parade him as they have, as a sign of their power in the region. And so I think there's also a message being sent to the rest of Latin America through these actions, not just to Delci Rodriguez, but he's already threatened Cuba, Colombia. He seems to be suggesting that he wants something in Mexico as well. So I think a lot of this is also about the projection of power in the Trump era. We know that Trump got rid of usaid. Soft power is not really a thing anymore. This is how the United States wants to conduct business in this hemisphere.

[Brian]

And I asked you a long question. So the first part of it, to the role of the South Florida delegation, if you don't mind expanding on that.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah, absolutely. So, in fact, there was actually a report that the United States was interested in some kind of military action relating to what they call narco terrorism. And they actually wanted to start in Mexico. And the reason they decided to start doing these extrajudicial executions in the Caribbean was to appease that same Florida lobby, that Guzano lobby there, who were frustrated that Trump was refusing to cancel Chevron's license. And so this was kind of the offering for that group of representatives, because it all happened in the context of the debates around the big, beautiful bill to be able to get their support. So they leveraged their influence in order to be able to see something happen on Venezuela, and they're very much a big part of what's driving this. The interesting thing, although, is that they're very much aligned with this hard line radical opposition, which is led by Maria Corina Machado. And we've seen that Trump has basically kind of written her off in a way. I'm almost appreciative of what he said about her, because that's actually something I've been saying for a while now. She was obviously a popular figure today, but historically was always a marginal figure. And there is an acknowledgement even inside of Venezuela, but also now inside of the White House, that she just doesn't have the capacity to try to actually take over the country.

[Brian]

Yeah, she's the Venezuelan Ahmed Chalabi. Right? A little bit. I saw people were joking about that on Twitter. But go on, Sam.

[Sam Cedar]

What is your thoughts in terms of whether Rodriguez was involved in helping or providing information or, you know, subsidiary to her? Like, I mean, it was. It was a clean kidnapping and theoretically it could have been there was a CIA spy amongst Maduro's, you know, entourage. But it also sort of feels like maybe Rodriguez had more awareness of what was happening and that, I mean, this is just my, you know, projection that when she says, you know, Maduro's the real president here, it's sort of like providing some lip service.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

So I think it's difficult to come to that conclusion now that more information has come out. It was clean in the sense that there were no deaths on the US Side, although there were injuries, there were some casualties. But it was. Sounds like a bloodbath in order to actually capture Mother. It wasn't as clean. They certainly knew where he was, and it seems like that was provided by intelligence, CIA intelligence that had obviously been active in Venezuela. They never really left, but they had become more active more recently with Trump's order a few months ago. And I think the fact that there was a lot of people killed, including as we just saw confirmed by the Cuban president, 32 Cubans. Because of the difficult situation in Venezuela, Maduro's inner circle was the security for it was provided by Cubans who they trusted to a higher degree. And 32 of them were killed. So there was clearly a very intense gun battle at some point later on. We also saw some images of them using anti aircraft weaponry. There was also images immediately afterwards of the bombing of the missile batteries, the air defense that Venezuela had. So this was a fight. It wasn't as clean as I think they tried to tell us it was. And in terms of Delsey being in on this, she's always been a key player in Chavismo. She's a part of the inner circle. It's her, her brother Jorge, who's the head of the National Assembly, Yozdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino. They are the big wigs in Venezuela. And, you know, Maduro managed to kind of keep all of these different coalition representatives together. That's the challenge that I think Delsey is facing now of kind of keeping stability in the country. But she was always part of the inner circle. I would find it very surprising that she would rise to level of betrayal because it also, the population itself would see that as a betrayal. And that would mean that she's undermining her own base of support inside of the country, which is a risk that I don't think she's able or willing to take.

[Sam Cedar]

So. So let's say that this is the Trump administration. I mean, obviously it sounds like part of it is just like there were sort of resentments that Maduro was not coming to heel and was, you know, dancing in a way that may have been mocking Trump. But to what extent, if what they want is essentially to throw open Venezuelan oil assets to American corporations and to just function under the auspices of the United States, and we can get into the sort of the whole Don Row doctrine, as Trump seems to be calling it. But to what extent does Rodriguez have to actually deliver what the Trump administration wants? Because my understanding is that there's enough weapons and armed members of the collectivos, maybe, you know, former FARC members, other guerrilla units, like, throughout the country, that even if the, you know, Rodriguez said, yes, okay, you guys go to town, that's not going to be frictionless.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Exactly. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. And so that's why they're kind of the present situation before us is, will there be stability? Will there be continuity? Will the territory be a single United States piece of a country? I Mean, there are lots of elements here that can start to kind of undermine the integrity of Venezuela as a nation. And that's really quite the dangerous thing. I think Delsey has to be understood that she's doing everything with quite literally a gun pointed at her head right now. I mean, and I think the fact that we saw the United States willing to kidnap Maduro tells us that they're probably willing to do at least that to her. It feels to me like they've actually threatened her life repeatedly. They're talking about how they have a second wave ready to go. And I do think there has to be a consideration made for as well, which is about the safety of the Venezuelan population. I mean, it was really frightening, I think is the word, to see the way that they. How effective that campaign was on the morning, the early morning of Saturday. You know, Venezuela's defense strategy is one. It's called the war of all the people. So there's a deep integration with the civilian population as well. But it all happened so fast that there wasn't even a possibility of activating all of that. But those do exist, and you're right, a lot of them are autonomous. And the grassroots revolutionary collectives, which are armed, also wouldn't tolerate something that they view as a betrayal, which would lead to a very tricky situation for the government, which is right now basically trying to ensure continuity and that the territory is respected, at least to the degree given the conditions that are existing right now.

[Sam Cedar]

I mean, the United States, my understanding, has anywhere from like 10 to 15,000 troops on, I don't know, close to a dozen warships in the area. I think somewhere around 10,000 marines, I've heard, which does not seem nearly enough to do anything on the ground. If the idea is that we have to secure these different oil fields and these different sort of transportation lines, and particularly if there's this sense of, like, this is no longer an interesting internecine battle within Venezuela, but rather we're protecting our national sovereignty. Like, I'm not clear on what the next step is here. Like. Like, even, like, you know, Trump says he wants the oil. Okay, well, now what? Like Rodriguez just says, okay, we're, you know, all this oil is going to go. Exxon is going to be in charge again, and they're going to decide where the oil goes and then what's supposed to happen, because I would imagine it would be within days, you start to see, like, I don't know, pipelines, trains, oil rigs blown up.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah, I sympathize with your confusion because It's. It's not clear. It's not obvious, because if they're talking about controlling Venezuela's oil fields, that requires an occupation. We should be clear about that, that when they talk about having access to oil freely, in that sense, there is no scenario that doesn't require U.S. troops protecting those installations or the piece of territory that they've carved out, which obviously would be subject to regular sabotage and actions and military clashes, most likely. So the. It's not clear either to me in terms of how they actually think they can exercise this control. Not to mention that there was a lot of international voices. There was a really important communique from Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Spain. Uruguay was also signed on saying that this is in contrary to international law. You cannot exert control in the way that you're proposing. I saw Marco Rubio on the Sunday talk shows again, struggling to really be able to explain what they actually mean by being in charge. It sounds like they think they can just coerce or force or threaten Jesse Rodriguez to do everything. But as we just finished explaining, that also is not super clear in terms of how effective it can actually be. Given the reality of Venezuela.

[Sam Cedar]

Is it. Is it possible there's like a third thing that we don't know about? Like, I don't know, there's some, you know, I mean, I'm. I'm just. I'm trying to expand my imagination here because it just does not seem, even to someone like myself who does not know anything about Venezuela, you know, materially speaking, that there's no plan here. Like, you can't. She's not capable of delivering what they say that they are after. And it's as if, like, in fact, what it really is, it's like, you know, some, I don't know, Ocean 11's thing, where it's like there's a billion dollars worth of gold sitting in a locker somewhere, and all you got to do is really deliver that to Donald Jr. And then we're all good. I mean, like, is there. Could there be any other. I mean, we've got, like, set an example for the rest of the hemisphere, I mean, including Greenland, I guess, as to what the United States is willing to do. But that's not going to work in, you know, in the vast majority of these countries. I think in terms of. Even as an intimidation tactic, it doesn't seem like there's any actual way to deliver. Even if Rodriguez wanted to say again, our oil is yours. It's not really hers to. She doesn't get to choose That I just, I can't. It just doesn't make any sense because at one point people are gonna say, justify why you've got, you know, spending millions of dollars on sending troops and ships down there.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah. And he also, also talks openly about boots on the ground when he had talked about avoiding another kind of military conflict abroad. So I think really they are struggling to figure out a way to make sense of this. There is one possibility, which is that Venezuelan leadership finds a way of explaining this in a way that is palatable. Because of course, the number one issue for Venezuela has been the unilateral coercion measures, the sanctions, the blockade, the fact that they can't actually sell their oil in a normal way in the international market because of the dominance of the US Dollar and the power of the US Navy and able to kind of enforce that blockade worldwide. We saw them just chase the ship throughout the world trying to seize. So if there's a way for Venezuela to feel like they can finally get this noose off their neck, to actually see their economy recover in a serious way by no longer being subjected to this, it's possible that that may be enough for the Venezuelan population to say, okay, we will tolerate this over the short term because at least we still have our government in place and our project is still there. The Venezuelan project, I think certainly in a lot of ways is very much emphasized on using the country's oil wealth to spread the wealth around. But there isn't a lot of that right now to spread around because of the, you know, the years long campaign. But there are other elements to it. Right. Like there was also the commune project inside of Venezuela. These are the kind of autonomous, self governed territories that also have their own interests in terms of how they envision a future for the, for the country in some ways in cooperation with the state, but in sometimes also in opposition to it. So, you know, there's still a lot more that can happen here. And I think most people are thinking mostly about how to continue to have some kind of stability in terms of their day to day lives, to make sure that food can still show up on the table at the end of the day, that the bombs aren't going to start falling whenever the United States feels like it.

[Brian]

You mentioned some of those factions and then earlier in our conversation we spoke a little bit about some, the, of some guerrilla groups and other more militant groups within Venezuela. What's your sense of where they stand here? Is it possible that they could be empowered by the United States and obviously well worn Tactic of the US in this region and in others.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah, there was a lot of support from the United States for some of these insurrectionary groups that we saw, the warimbas, that may be a term you've heard before, these violent protests where they would take over the streets and that there's definitely a lot of support from U.S. intelligence agencies. And there's obviously been a lot of diplomatic support before the embassy was, you know, before the United States left its embassy there, you know, providing support to the political opposition there, which embraced many of these kinds of tactics. But I think in terms of sort of the autonomous grassroots self defense organization, some of these former elements from armed resistance groups in Latin America, like the farc, the ELN is also active in the border region with Colombia. I think all of them understand right now that the moment is demanding unity. And we're seeing that also from, you know, important organizations. For example, one in Caracas, the Fuersa Patrotica Alexis Vive, which is a radical organization. It is a hardline communist organization that does have self defense capacities. And they've been clear right the moment, right now is national unity. We have to defend our national sovereignty. The demand is the return of Nicolas Maduro. I don't anticipate that changing in the short term. I think they understand that the MOMENT and the call from the leadership of Chavismo also has been, for example, from Dio D. Cabello. Don't fall into these traps. Don't fall for the psychological warfare. Their aim is to divide us. We have to stay united. And I do think that certainly over the short and medium term that's we're going to see. It all really depends on what the acting president does. And if they feel like she crosses a line, well, that will definitely change the scenario.

[Brian]

And we hear a lot in the western press about how unpopular Maduro is. What's the actual reality?

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Certainly in the diaspora he's not popular. And I've seen some reports of people celebrating, you know, in Miami and places like that. But inside Venezuela, it's curious. There hasn't actually been a lot of noise from the opposition. Certainly no voices really kind of crying out. There may have been spontaneous elements, if anything. What we've seen is the population, the hardcore base of Chavismo, taking out to the streets immediately. You know, I was in touch with my colleagues there in Venezuela the morning of, and they headed to Miraflores, the presidential palace. And there was already, you know, hundreds, if not thousands of people there who were assembling. And so, you know, I saw Recently, Chris Gilbert, who also lives in Venezuela, talking on a podcast about how, you know, there was a call to do a casero lasso. That's when they bang pots and pans at a certain hour as a protest, right? It emerged actually during Chile's dictatorship as a protest against the dictatorship there. And it didn't manifest. There actually wasn't the so called caserolazo that night. So you would think that if Maduro was as reviled as we had been told, that they would have taken this moment to manifest their disagreement or their support for his ouster. And yet there actually hasn't been that much noise from the form of political opposition or even spontaneously, like I said, if anything, it's been to the contrary. What we've seen is the population mobilizing. And I think that's clear because here in Latin America there has been many, many instances of U.S. intervention directly through its armed forces. And always that has not been viewed, even in cases where you would seem like they were acting in favor of popular interests. I think about, for example, the occupation of the port of Veracruz here in Mexico in protest against the coup against Madero during the Mexican Revolution. The revolutionaries in Mexico rejected that because it wasn't seen as an act against the coup plotter who had just taken power, but an act against the nation. And I think in Venezuela that's also the case right now, that this isn't an attack on Maduro, this isn't an attack on the government of Venezuela. This is an attack on the nation itself. And that's why you will see that people are reluctant to be seen as celebrating that, especially those who are inside the country, less so outside.

[Sam Cedar]

So what? I mean, as you're looking at this, like, what do you have a. I mean, I'm so baffled by this. It's just, I just can't for the life of me figure out like, what they think that they're doing because either, you know, people just stop paying attention, which seems, you know, I mean, that's not inconceivable. We move on to the next thing by Thursday of this week and, you know, whatever it is, there's 12 ships out, you know, outside of Greenland or something. But what, what are you looking for next in terms of like, getting a sense of where this is going? Because again, it seems like Rodriguez can say, like, okay, you can have the oil and then just stand back and let all of these different autonomous guerrilla fighters make it very, very difficult for any of this to happen. It's going to take a lot more than 10,000 troops. And I have a feeling, you know, no Exxon officials are going to go deep into the country and, you know, subject themselves to some type of threat. So what. What is it that we should be looking for that might give us an indication as to where this is headed?

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

So if they take any action against Rodriguez, I think that's the key thing. You know, if it's not just a threat, if it's not an empty threat, if they actually do try to intimidate her with violence or with a kidnapping. We can't also underestimate the role of the hapless opposition here. You know, Trump talking about Maria Corina Machado, the way that he did, I think is also important. You know, the US has relied a lot on its contacts in the Venezuelan opposition, and they've been burned by them many times before. That's why they don't really trust them. They probably don't trust them to be able to actually take over the country. And the interest is the resources. And here I'm going to go on a bit of a limb here. I think, really we should watch to see what happens in West Asia and what happens in the rest of the world. This could actually, in fact, be a prelude to a broader conflict that is going to put energy supplies in question because of the role of the oil producers in West Asia. And I think that the sense is that we have to have some kind of a reserve somewhere we can turn to, to really rapidly increase oil production in the event of a broader, more serious global conflict. And I think that part is also important to pay attention to and maybe also in terms of an indication of what they want to do here in the region as well. Venezuela is not the only country that has a lot of energy resources.

[Brian]

Well, Netanyahu spent New Year's Eve at Mar a Lago with Donald Trump. I mean, there's a lot of theories that are floating around about that. And we've been hearing a lot about, you know, obviously, Iran hawkery in recent weeks as well. You know, I think, like to me and Sam and I were talking about this before the show, a lot of this foreign policy, this bloodthirsty foreign policy, obviously, by the Trump administration, is still this recognition of a transition to a multipolar world. And it's almost as if Trump's like, this is the Western Hemisphere, that's ours. So we got the Don Row Doctrine. I mean, he misreads the Monroe Monroe Doctrine, which was about keeping the Europe out of the Western Hemisphere. And Monroe basically saying, like, this is ours to colonize. But, I mean, I guess that's somewhat true in this instance too, where it's like, Putin, do what you want in Ukraine, we're not really that interested. I mean, the weapons manufacturers are happy if we're selling Ukraine arms, But, like, he's clearly bored of doing those peace negotiations. Xi, do your thing over there. This is gonna be ours. And that is that. History of action and colonization in the Western Hemisphere, in Latin America, my whole lifetime, it's been focused on the Middle east, but it's actually quite much longer, richer, and incredibly bloody. When you look at the full history of the United States, there is hundreds of years of this.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

That's absolutely right. I have been putting forward the hypothesis that this is indeed a strategic retreat into their traditional sphere of influence. I think the national security strategy is basically a confession saying that we understand that we do live in a multipolar world, that there is a pure rival in China, and that we actually, as the US Here, I'm talking about the US can actually compete in this moment. And so that they have to kind of take this strategic retreat to try to shore up its access to resources, to have supportive governments as its neighbors, in order to then, in a future moment, be able to dispute global hegemony with China. That was their goal. They said it previously after the fall, at the end of the Cold War, saying, we want total spectrum dominance. They couldn't achieve it. You know, instead, China rose and filled and is effectively a superpower to compete with the United States.

[Brian]

Right.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Marco Rubio, who, again, he's not just Secretary of State, he's also national security adviser, has said as much. You know, we live in a multipolar world. We have to operate under that sense. And so I do think a lot of this is also about figuring out how far their reach can actually be. And does it make more sense to have a stronger presence, to exert the US Military power, to intervene directly in places that are closer to home. And so that's why Latin America is in the crosshairs. Another important element there, of course, is that Latin America is in dispute. This is a continent that has gone through a lot of waves of progressive, leftist, even revolutionary leadership that obviously is going to resist these efforts by the United States to try to impose that dominance over Latin America. There can be cooperation, there can be trade, there can be commerce. But what the United States wants, dominance, and if that's what they're proposing, then they're going to be met with a lot of resistance here. And it is a really troublesome sign in terms of what's going to come. You know, there's, like I said, he's already threatened several other countries. What's going to happen? We've already seen direct, blatant flagrant interference in elections in Honduras, in elections in Argentina. So this Latin America and the Caribbean in particular need to be prepared for what's about to come.

[Sam Cedar]

What do you make of the response of the Russians and the rest of the world to what we've done? I'm looking at, I've got two, I've got Alexander Jojik, who is a former assistant professor at Rudn Moscow, writes on X Pro Kremlin telegram channels and media widely shared an Archive 2020 video of Vladimir Zironofsky who was a former leader of. He's since passed. But a right wing party in Russia suggesting that Trump could take Venezuela while Russia takes Ukraine. And testimony from Fiona Hill back in 2019, she said the Russians at this particular juncture were signaling very strongly they wanted to somehow make some very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine. Essentially you want us out of your backyard, we want you out of our backyard again, to use that term. But what do you make of the response, the international response to this? And if that's sort of like, you know, the idea being, I mean for Russia it made, makes total sense. We want to solidify what we have in this region and reestablish ourselves in a multipolar world. I can also understand like Trump's just anti Obama, you know, tick essentially because Obama was had the whole pivot to the Pacific where he was going to challenge China and doing it through trade and whatnot and perhaps, you know, all of our naval assets moving to the Pacific. Like what's your, your read in terms of the response that of things that generally happen in Venezuela from these other countries?

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Yeah, there's probably some of these kind of big player chess moves happening without a doubt and people trying to take advantage of the situation or at least present something like this. But we have to remember also Venezuela had a very deep, long diplomatic relationship, economic relationship with both Russia and China, who are major world players. China in particular, I think is important. They had an all weather diplomatic relationship which is the highest level there is when it comes to China. The only Latin American country to have that was Venezuela is Venezuela. And China's statement I think was actually really telling. They're always very cautious, they're very careful even in the tariff disputes to kind of, you know, say something that goes a step too far. That Might, you know, be read as offensive. They were unequivocal in their condemnation, calling for Maduro to be released. And so that's a reflection of the very deep relationship that China does have. I mean, the special envoy was in Caracas when this raid happened. So it tells you that this is also an important element here in terms of, you know, what's going to happen next. On the international reaction. One thing I did want to say is that unfortunately, I think the lack of a pushback to the extra judicial executions in and around South America led us to this moment. I think there needed to be a much stronger condemnation from multilateral organizations, from individual member states, from countries, from blocks. We couldn't even get the community of Latin American and Caribbean states to say anything about this really concretely to say that, no, you can't kill people on alleged drug smuggling boats the way that they did. And so they felt emboldened. And if there is, we couldn't get democratic.

[Sam Cedar]

We couldn't get democratic, theoretically, opposition leaders in this country to say anything about it.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Exactly. Yeah. And they barely can muster anything about this now. Oh, Maduro was a monster, you know, but what we did wasn't allowed. Why didn't they ask Congress? That kind of. That can't be the response. The response has to be overwhelming rejection of a very evident violation of international law. I know it's not worth much. We all watched a genocide happen in real time against the Palestinian people. But that doesn't mean that it's not correct to continue to insist that the demand be respect for international law. You know, the first statement coming from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Gutierrez, was really weak. He issued another one today, slightly stronger, but still, it has to be unequivocal, emphatically a denunciation of US Actions. I'd also be curious to see how even the US justice system is going to respond to this. I mean, can you really prosecute somebody who was detained illegally? I mean, the United States does not have law enforcement jurisdiction in Venezuela. And so, you know, I know it's happening right now. I think it's just kind of a formality at this point. But these are also important questions. You know, your republic is in danger as well. The division of powers inside the United States are also under question now if they allow this to happen. So they're basically giving a green light to these extratortorial actions. And I would hope that the judicial branch of government inside of the United States is also willing to exercise its authority here and clearly say what happened. This was an illegal detention.

[Brian]

I mean, you're absolutely right that, like, the statements about how he needs to have asked Congress first are. Are so, you know, lukewarm and not necessary. I mean, you can compare Chris Van Hollen and AOC speaking about this as imperialism, talking about oil versus how Schumer and Jeffries are reacting to it. But I do want to even. I do want to address that, because it is like a major concern to have the Trump administration completely neutering the legislature. And we've seen that the Republicans have aided in this with, across a variety of different issues, like the rescission issue that Trump, you know, is trying to basically say, Congress, you can pass a budget, but I may decide whether or not I'm going to even spend it. And the Republicans participated in neutering their own body for. To appease Donald Trump on issues of war. I mean, this is just like, so far past any kind of, like, you know, reasonable read of the Constitution at this point. Rubio is saying that this was a law enforcement operation to. Because to bring him in on drug charges. And that is how they're trying to get around the fact that this was an act of war. Although the bombings that they did, I don't know how they're justifying that to Congress, by the way. But regardless, the kidnapping, at least they're saying was a law enforcement operation. Can you just expand on that notion? Because that's a major constitutional challenge, obviously.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Absolutely. And, you know, we saw these bipartisan resolutions, war powers resolutions, presented to both houses of Congress. They didn't pass, but by the slimmest of, you know, of differences. And that's because Rubio and Hegseth and other people from the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense went and basically lied to the lawmaker, saying, no, no, no, we're not going to war. And they maintain that lie now, saying that this is a law enforcement operation, but precisely that, because in order, that's the only way they can sustain this lie that they did to the lawmakers. And I think if I was a representative, I would take great offense to that. They're basically laughing at you in your face saying we're gonna bald face lie and say we're not gonna engage in this action. And you're correct. I mean, there is no world where what the United States did isn't an act of aggression, isn't an act of war. I mean, like I said, dozens of casualties, civilians as well, were killed. There was reports of a storage facility for medical supplies that was hit that had nothing to do with military infrastructure. And so those, those are acts of war and conceivably should be part of an accountability process to Congress, which is constitutionally the only body that's authorized to do war.

[Sam Cedar]

Well, Jose Luis Granada Zea reporting for Drop Site News. Thanks so much for your time today. We'll be in touch. I guess it's really sort of anybody's guess what happens from here, but we'll obviously be watching it. Thanks so much for your time today. Really appreciate it.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Thank you very much. And thank you for reporting on this because there's a lot to unpack still.

[Brian]

Thank you so much.

[Sam Cedar]

All right, thank you. All right, folks, that's it for the first free show of 2026. Want to special thanks to Henry, who gave us all a New Year's goodie bag.

[Brian]

Yes. Yes. We want show it on air, but it's smokable.

[Sam Cedar]

Some of it. Some of it's edible, some of it's cookable.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Sam Cedar]

I don't want to make that. That sounds bad.

[Brian]

I'm going to enjoy this tonight.

[Sam Cedar]

Well, I mean, good for you for waiting. I think Matt is actually. He's digging in right now. He's selling his bag on the street.

[Brian]

No, the fire alarm just starts going off.

[Sam Cedar]

Folks, just a reminder, it is your support, and I want to take this time to thank all of our members so much. We can't do this without you. And it, it's both just, I mean, we all, you know, when you travel, you end up running into people who are fans of the show. It's incredibly gratifying. People are so nice and so appreciative that it's. That it's almost, like, embarrassing.

[Brian]

I get embarrassed. Yeah.

[Sam Cedar]

But I, you know, I'm not very good at being, you know, thankful or grateful. Yeah. Whatever it is. But I want to thank our members, really appreciate both the support for the show and just you giving us the ability to do this day in, day out. So thank you very much to our members. And if you want to become one, you can by going to join themjorityreport.com when you do, you not only get the free show free of commercials, but like I say, you help us survive and thrive. And it's a new year. 2026 started off with a new potential war, I guess. And Quagmire, I was, like, talking to.

[Brian]

A friend and they were like, I have a really good feeling about this year. And I check my phone after checking that text. It's like US bombs Venezuela from the.

[Sam Cedar]

Person who put the polymarket back down on Maduro being out.

[Brian]

Oh yeah, we are going to talk about that. Oh my God. But anyway, yeah, no, it is. At least 20, 25 is over. We'll say that.

[Matt Leck]

Saying that since like 2016.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Sam Cedar]

Somebody wants to know how my gift of a segment of the show went over. I will talk about that in the fun half again. Join the majorityreport.com Also, don't forget just coffee.co OP, fair trade coffee. It's a co op. They're movement partners and they have great coffee. You can get single origin or blends. You can get the majority report blend. Just coffee co op. Use the coupon code majority, you get 10% off. Matt, what's happening with in the Mat Leck podcast universe?

[Matt Leck]

Yeah, we've been on a break for nice little break for the last couple weeks, but returning tomorrow, left reckoning. Nick Estes talking about America's ability to point guns at people. Check that out. Patreon.com left reckoning.

[Sam Cedar]

And did you want to talk about that?

[Brian]

Yes. I also wanted to plug this because speaking of left reckoning, I am going to be moderating the launch of one David Griscom's book in New York City. Very honored that he asked me. And I'm reading it right now. It's really phenomenal. It's going to be on Wednesday, February 25th and it's at the, it's in, I think Lower east side.

[Matt Leck]

I don't have that info off the top of my head, but the book is the Myth of Red Texas Cowboys Popular and Class War in the Radical South. So, yeah, he's been working on that for, I mean, just for a couple years now.

[Brian]

So, yes, it's great. I'm reading it right now. We have the link to the Eventbrite thing, right? Yeah. So this is where you can get tickets to see it. February 25th. I'll send it right now. February 25th, if you can come. It's here in New York City. The Myth of Red Texas is the book and yes, it's on Avenue C. So.

[Sam Cedar]

Well, we got seven weeks. We got seven. Okay. All right.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Well, in the show notes.

[Brian]

It's in the show notes, people.

[Sam Cedar]

Heads up for it.

[Brian]

Okay. All right.

[Sam Cedar]

All right. See you in the fun half.

[Matt Leck]

We're good.

[Sam Cedar]

Left is best. Jamie and I may have a disagreement.

[Brian]

Yeah, you can't just say whatever you want about people just because you're rich.

[Sam Cedar]

I have an absolute right to mock them on YouTube. He's up there buggy whipping like he's the boss. I am not your Employer. You know, I'm tired of the negativity.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

I'm sorry.

[Sam Cedar]

I didn't mean to upset you. You're nervous. You're a little bit upset. You're riled up. Yeah, maybe you should rethink your defense of that, you idiot. We're just going to get rid of. Rid of you. All right? But dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude. You want to smoke this joint? Yes. Do you feel like you are a dinosaur?

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Good.

[Sam Cedar]

Exactly. I'm happy now. The win, win. It's a win, win, win.

[Brian]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Sam Cedar]

Now listen to me. 2, 3, 4, 5 times 8. 4, 7, 9.

[Brian]

Oh.

[Sam Cedar]

5, 0, 1, 4, 5, 7, 2. 38, 56, 27, 1 half. 5, 8. 3.9 billion.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Wow.

[Sam Cedar]

He's the ultimate math nerd. Don't you see? Why don't you get a real job instead of stealing vitriol and hatred? You left wing Limbaugh. Everybody's taking their dumb juice today.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Come on, Sammy.

[Sam Cedar]

Dance, dance, dance. Grandpa, I had my first post coital scene with a woman. I'm hoping to add more moves to my repertoire. All I have is the dip and the swirl. Fine, we can double dip. Yes. This is a perfect moment. No, wait.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

What?

[Sam Cedar]

You make under a million dollars a year.

[Matt Leck]

You're scum.

[Sam Cedar]

You're nothing. Excuse me? Fuck you, you fucking liberal elite. I think you belong in jail.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Thank you for saying that, Sam. You're a horrible, despicable person.

[Sam Cedar]

All right, gonna take a quick break. I want to take a moment to talk to some of the libertarians out there. Take whatever vehicle you want to drive to the library. What you're talking about is jibber jabber.

[Brian]

Classic. I'm feeling more chill already.

[Jose Luis Granados Ceja]

Good.

[Sam Cedar]

Donald Trump can kiss all of our asses. Hey, Sam. Hey, Andy. You guys ready to do some evil? Hitler was such an idiot.

[Matt Leck]

That guy might be a Nazi.

[Sam Cedar]

Agree. No. Death to America. Yes.

[Brian]

Wow.

[Sam Cedar]

Wow. That's weird. No way. Unbelievable. This guy's got a really good hook. Roar Hunter. Wow. No worries. I want to just flesh this out a little bit. I mean, look, it's a free speech issue. If you don't like me.

[Brian]

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

[Sam Cedar]

Shut up. Thank you for calling into the majority report. Sam will be with you shortly.