1.6.25 The capture of Maduro, Venezuela leadership, and functional neurology

Summary

The World and Everything In It – Episode Summary
Episode Date: January 6, 2026
Main Topics: The capture of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela leadership transition, and functional neurology

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Overview

This episode of "The World and Everything In It" covers a major breaking international story: the U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the ensuing political fallout for Venezuela and its global allies, and innovative therapies in the field of functional neurology. The episode offers field reporting, analysis, and interviews with expert guests, while maintaining a clear-eyed, journalistic tone grounded in the podcast’s commitment to biblical, cultural analysis.

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1. The Capture of Maduro: Operation Absolute Resolve

[00:05–15:36]

The Operation Unfolds

• U.S. and allied forces executed a pre-dawn raid, “Operation Absolute Resolve,” to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife at a military base near Caracas.
• The mission was described by military leaders as a complex, coordinated assault involving over 150 aircraft and extensive use of cyber and electronic warfare to disable Caracas’ defenses.
• No American casualties were reported. The mission was completed within 2.5 hours.

Notable Quotes:

• "The word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission. An extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere..." — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane (09:04)
• “This was...an incredibly well-timed, synchronized, planned, executed operation with no American fatalities that quite frankly only one country in the world could pull off. And that's us.” — Ret. Lt. Col. Mike Nelson (10:55)

International Response and Legal Questions

• The operation drew international criticism, with countries like Denmark, China, and Russia condemning it as a violation of sovereignty.
• At the UN, U.S. officials defended the action as justified, citing Maduro’s illegitimate government and drug trafficking indictment.
• Venezuela’s anti-corruption activist Mercedes de Freitas spoke out about Maduro’s oppressive rule:
  “To date, there are more than 1,000 political prisoners. At the end of the year, 26 people died during torture or because of a lack of medical care.” (02:46)
• U.S. Ambassador Michael Waltz challenged the UN’s legitimacy if it supports “an illegitimate narco-terrorist” as head of state.

Investigative Details and Comparisons

• Ret. Lt. Col. Mike Nelson explained the operation’s tactical parallels to historical missions, such as the capture of Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and the Bin Laden raid.
• This mission was “regime modification” rather than “regime change”: Venezuela’s military and much of the government remain intact, with acting President Rodriguez temporarily in charge (11:16).
• The future U.S. role remains unclear; President Trump signaled a possible prolonged involvement to secure U.S. interests, including oil infrastructure.

Notable Quote:

• “There are a lot of justifications for this operation. But what we’re trying to accomplish and what we expect Venezuela to transition into is not quite clear yet.” — Mike Nelson (15:24)

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2. What’s Next for Venezuela?

[15:44–22:41]

Power Vacuum and Political Questions

• Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery examined the murky question of Venezuela’s next leader, contrasting Trump’s claims of wanting to “work with the remaining government” with other officials’ focus on ensuring a lawful transition.
• Top regime figures (Defense Minister Pedrino Lopez, Justice Minister Cabello Rendon, acting President Rodriguez) remain in power, raising doubts about meaningful change unless they step aside, face prosecution, or flee (18:02).
• The opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was dismissed by Trump despite her popularity; Montgomery argued the U.S. should insist that she or Edmundo Gonzalez have a fair shot in new elections.

Notable Quotes:

• “The actual leaders...are still in power. Nothing’s happened to them.” — Mark Montgomery (18:32)
• "One of the two [Machado or Gonzalez] needs to be the elected leader of Venezuela, either because there’s a recognition that Gonzalez’s 2024 victory, or there’s a very rapid re-racking of the electoral process..." (19:43)

Geopolitical Implications

• Seizing Maduro could cut off nearly-free oil exports to Cuba (the “biggest loser”), disrupt shadow oil fleets benefiting Russia and Iran, and increase U.S. leverage over China, which depends on Venezuelan oil (20:07).
• Montgomery warned that U.S. credibility as a champion of democracy is at stake:
  “If he [Trump] were to fixate on the democracy issue, the United States would get a real win in the Western Hemisphere.” (22:16)

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3. News Highlights

[06:25–08:10, 25:03–32:29, 32:47–38:03]

Vaccine Guidance Changes ([06:25])

• U.S. health officials have reduced the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 diseases, now focusing on core vaccines and leaving some up to family and doctor discretion.
• “There are indeed a lot of new parents who really don't understand this issue.” — Dr. William Schaffner (07:01)

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Shutters ([05:43])

• Loss of federal funding led to the closure of the CPB; public broadcasters will now operate independently.

Human Interest: Wandering Wallaby ([23:46])

• Rex, a wallaby from New Jersey, escaped an animal sanctuary, was found by a Walmart, captured, and celebrated.

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4. Functional Neurology: Alternative Hope

[25:03–32:29]

The Story of Noble and Kent

Kim Henderson reports on functional neurology, a branch of chiropractic care targeting brain function through physical exercises and sensory stimulation.

Noble’s Journey

• Noble, once unable to walk or talk as a toddler, improved dramatically after his family tried functional neurology when traditional medicine failed to diagnose his condition.
• Within three days of starting touch therapy and brain exercises, Noble was “talking, moving...running, climbing, jumping… The progress was rapid and immediate.” — Emily Longbrook (27:47)

Kent’s Recovery

• Kent Freeman, Noble's grandfather, suffered unexplained cognitive decline after surgery.
• After limited results from mainstream treatments, he tried functional neurology and regained full mental function within a year.
• “We think we can actually help you get better and get your function back and eliminate the medications. So it’s truly your brain doing the work.” — Darris Freeman recalling the doctor's words (29:32)

How It Works

• Therapy involves coordinated mind-body exercises: walking while doing cognitive tasks, breathing techniques, and random touch therapy to stimulate neural growth.
• Darris Freeman tests Kent’s perception by random touches:
  “Again, five finger touches, just slight pressure enough that he feels it...” (30:37)

Notable Insight:

• “The brain is the most complex and amazing organ that God made. And to me, functional neurology says we can find a way physically using the body God gave us and created to make the most of that.” — Darris Freeman (31:54)

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5. Commentary: Ethics in Public Spending

[32:47–38:03]

Governor Tim Walz’s Exit Amid Scandal

• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz withdrew from the upcoming gubernatorial election following revelations of a vast public spending fraud involving nonprofits.
• Hunter Baker analyzes systemic risks: concentrated benefits to small groups lead to diffuse harms for the public — “No single citizen feels enough loss to monitor every grant, every program, every line item. That gap is where abuse flourishes.” (34:25)
• Baker urges sustained scrutiny and reform:
  “When that promise is broken fraudulently, it is not a victimless crime. It is a crime against everybody.” (36:31)
• Walz, acknowledging the buck stops with him, signals the beginning (not end) of accountability.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Maduro Operation breaking news & international fallout: 00:05–08:10
• Military operation deep dive (Mike Nelson): 08:18–15:36
• Venezuela political future (Mark Montgomery): 15:44–22:41
• Vaccine policy update, CPB closure: 06:25–08:10
• Functional neurology feature: 25:03–32:29
• Tim Walz scandal and commentary (Hunter Baker): 32:47–38:03

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Memorable Moments

• “No American lives lost and Venezuela’s president and first lady in handcuffs. Within two and a half hours.” — Myrna Brown (08:37)
• "If he restores democracy to Venezuela, he's sending the strongest possible signal about the U.S. model of governance versus the Chinese or Russian authoritarian model." — Mark Montgomery (21:43)
• “[Functional neurology] was better than, you know, $5,000 of genetic testing.” — Emily Longbrook (27:22)

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Tone & Style

The episode features serious, evidence-based reporting, direct expert analysis, and personal stories that resonate emotionally but always circle back to broader implications—ethical, political, and spiritual—for the audience.

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This summary encapsulates the core content and insights, supplying key voices, facts, and timestamps to guide those who missed the episode or wish to revisit specific discussions.

Transcript

[Mary Reichert]

Good morning. We have details on how the military operation to capture Venezuela's Maduro went down.

[Kent Covington]

The word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission. To get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas.

[Myrna Brown]

Also, what's next for the people of Venezuela? And later, new therapies offer hope to patients with neurological problems.

[Mary Reichert]

Three days later, he was talking, he was moving. The progress was rapid and immediate.

[Myrna Brown]

And world opinions commentator Hunter Baker on Tim Waltz's final act in Minnesota.

[Mary Reichert]

It's Tuesday, January 6th. This is the world and everything in it from listeners supported world radio. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Good morning.

[Mary Reichert]

News is next. Here's Kent Covington.

[Kent Covington]

At United nations headquarters Monday, U.S. officials answered critics of the weekend U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured dictator Nicolas Maruo and his wife. Those critics included Denmark. The country's ambassador to the un, Christina Marcus Lawson, told the council the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity must be respected. The inviolability of borders is not up for negotiation. Governments allied with Maduro's regime were among the loudest critics. China and even Russia piled on. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nabenzia heard here through an interpreter, we firmly.

[Mike Nelson]

Condemn the US act of armed aggression against Venezuela in breach of all international legal norms.

[Kent Covington]

His remarks came even as Moscow continues its invasion of Ukraine in which the UN estimates some 15,000 civilians have been killed. US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz fired back, saying Maduro is a criminal whose crimes against the United States will soon be laid bare in a court of law. He added that a UN panel of experts found that Maduro's supposed victory in 2024 was not legitimate and that more than 50 nations did not recognize him as a legitimate head of state. If the UN and the United nations in this body confers legitimacy on an illegitimate narco terrorist and and the same treatment in this charter of a democratically.

[Hunter Baker]

Elected president or head of state.

[Kent Covington]

What kind of organization is this? And Venezuelan anti corruption activist Mercedes de Freitas, heard here through an interpreter, said Maduro had installed an illegitimate government that oppresses and starves its people.

[Hunter Baker]

To date, there are more than 1,000 political prisoners.

[Kent Covington]

At the end of the year, 26.

[Mark Montgomery]

People died during torture or because a.

[Hunter Baker]

Lack of medical care.

[Kent Covington]

Fritas now operates in exile under threat from the Venezuelan regime. Meantime, Maduro appeared in a New York courtroom Monday pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges. He told the court, quote, I was captured insisting he is Venezuela's rightfully elected president. Maduro and his wife entered the courthouse under heavy guard two days after US Forces seized them at a Venezuelan military base near Caracas. The FBI took part in that operation, and FBI Director Kash Patel said Maduro was running a criminal regime. Venezuela acted not only as a large and massive transshipment point by air and.

[Hunter Baker]

By sea, but also allowed drug traffickers to operate with reckless abandon inside their borders, and their direct target of deployment was the United States of America.

[Kent Covington]

In large part, prosecutors accused the former dictator of working with drug cartels to move large amounts of cocaine into the United States. Maduro's lawyers argue that the arrest was illegal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth last night briefed congressional leaders about that operation in Venezuela and where things now stand. Democrats say that briefing raised more questions than answers, and they still insist the Trump administration acted illegally by not consulting Congress before greenlighting the operation. But House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters under Article 2 of the Constitution, the president has the authority, as all presidents do, to deploy military forces, to address threats to the US and to enforce US Law. That is what happened here. During last night's briefing, lawmakers pressed officials on whether American troops could be sent. Johnson said they were told there are no plans for ground troops. They also pressed for answers on who is now running the country and how long US Naval forces will remain offshore. In Washington.

[Mark Montgomery]

I don't believe that strike happened.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump told reporters yesterday he does not believe the Kremlin's claim that Ukrainian drones struck a residence belonging to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump admitted that he was concerned about the allegation when Putin first brought it up last week.

[Mark Montgomery]

I mean that was the first I heard about it.

[Kent Covington]

So why don't we said that his house was attacked?

[Hunter Baker]

We don't believe that happened now that we've been able to check, but that.

[Kent Covington]

Was Meanwhile, in Ukraine, first responders worked to evacuate the injured at a medical facility in Kyiv. Officials say one person was killed and three others hurt after a Russian strike on the center. The board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has voted to shut down the organization. World's Kristin Flavin reports the announcement will end the group's nearly 60 year role.

[Mary Reichert]

In directing federal funds to PBS, NPR and local public media stations. The board acted after Congress cut off.

[Mike Nelson]

Funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting last year.

[Mary Reichert]

While CBP is a nonprofit, it was never designed to operate as a public facing charity. Its core mission was to receive federal.

[Kent Covington]

Taxpayer dollars and pass them along to public broadcasters.

[Mary Reichert]

Once that funding ended, CBP effectively lost.

[Mike Nelson]

Its reason for existing rather than try to reinvent itself or compete with stations for donations.

[Mary Reichert]

The board chose to dissolve the organization. CBP says public media outlets will continue operating independently.

[Mike Nelson]

For WORLD I'm Kristen Flavin.

[Kent Covington]

The United States has updated its childhood vaccine guidance, reducing the number of shots recommended for all children. Federal health officials now advise vaccines for 11 diseases, down from about 17 before. Vaccines for, among other things, flu, hepatitis, RSV and some types of meningitis are no longer recommended for every child. Instead, doctors may suggest them for higher risk children or decide case by case with families. Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical center says doctors have to do a better job helping patients understand vaccines, not just asking for consent.

[Mike Nelson]

There are indeed a lot of new parents who really don't understand this issue.

[Kent Covington]

And are rather taken aback that their.

[Hunter Baker]

Newborn baby is getting an injection with a vaccine.

[Kent Covington]

Some medical groups have raised concerns that the policy shift could confuse parents and weaken protection against preventable illness. But administration officials say the change follows a review of vaccine schedules in other developed countries and is meant to focus more on core protections. They add that the vaccines will remain available and covered by insurance. I'm Kent Covington. And still ahead, what's next for the people of Venezuela? And later, Hunter Baker on Tim Wall's final act in Minnesota. This is THE WORLD and Everything In.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Tuesday 6th January. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and EVERYTHING IN it. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Up first, the nuts and bolts of capturing a dictator. There are many facets to the US Intervention in Venezuela to consider today. We have two guests to help us. In a moment, we will talk about what may lay ahead for the leadership of Venezuela.

[Myrna Brown]

But but we'll start today with the military operation itself, the middle of the night raid to capture Nicolas Maduro. One thing has been clear from early Saturday morning. Operation Absolute Resolve unfolded with near perfect precision. No American lives lost and Venezuela's president and first lady in handcuffs. Within two and a half hours. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane.

[Kent Covington]

And the word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission. An extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere in close coordination to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise.

[Myrna Brown]

Joining us now to talk about the operation is retired Army Lt. Col. Mike Nelson. He's a, he's a member of the Atlantic Council's Counterterrorism project and he previously served with U.S. special Forces in the Middle East.

[Mary Reichert]

Mike, good morning.

[Mike Nelson]

Morning. Nice to be here.

[Mary Reichert]

Well, the President and his team gave an in depth press conference on Saturday after the operation. Can you tell us what we know about the special forces involved?

[Mike Nelson]

Well, the first thing to take away a lot of the focus on the special Operations forces that actually entered into the compound and took control of President Maduro and his wife and removed them from the objective, inflicted 32 casualties on the Cuban bodyguards who were providing security for Maduro. This was a task force of special operators on the ground, an assault force as well as aviation, special operations aviation from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. And that was the kind of the tip of the spear. But this was, as General Kane mentioned, an incredibly complex combined arms operation of special operations as well as a great deal of enablement. We've seen a lot about the preparatory work that the Central Intelligence Agency did, both in terms of collection of the intelligence, analysis of the intelligence, development of the mock up of Maduro's compound. There was a great deal of military enablement in terms of fires, integration, the use of cyber and electronic warfare to knock out some of the defenses that were around Caracas prior to the infiltration of the assault force. So this was an incredibly well timed, synchronized, planned, executed operation with no American fatalities that quite frankly, only one country in the world could pull off. And this is, that's us.

[Mary Reichert]

Mike, what do we know about the damage to Venezuela's military capability after this?

[Mike Nelson]

This was not, as I understand it, a large scale attack on Venezuela's military infrastructure. It was not meant to cripple or incapacitate the Venezuelan military because this is not traditional regime change as we saw, for example, in Iraq or with the toppling of the Taliban in the immediate aftermath of September 11th. This was more regime modification in that Maduro's regime has been left behind in charge, at least in a temporary basis under previously Vice President Rodriguez, now Acting President Rodriguez. So the Venezuelan military is still relatively intact as part of this transition or at least temporary governance structure that exists to maintain control in the country. What comes in the future in terms of transition to either a democratically elected government or whether the President has suggested that he'll continue to work with Rodriguez herself. I think that will play a lot into what happens in the future with Venezuela's military.

[Mary Reichert]

Are you aware of any operation like this that the US has carried out before? We have reported here about Noriega and Panama. They come to mind anyplace else?

[Mike Nelson]

Well, yeah, so that's the most analogous operation in that, number one, it was a dictator of a Latin American country who was specifically indicted for narco trafficking. But there are a lot of operations from the tactical standpoint that are kind of like this. The special operations forces that conducted this are specially trained, selected and rehearse this capability to both capture high profile targets, but also to conduct hostage rescues when required. These are some of the same capabilities that were exercised during the capture of Saddam Hussein, during the killing of Osama bin Laden, during the capture of Al Libi, who was the mastermind behind the Benghazi consulate attack and the eventual targeting of Baghdadi, the leader of isis, during Operation Inherent Result. So this organization has done things like this since its inception when it was stood up in the, in the 80s.

[Mary Reichert]

One more question here, Mike. President Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. would temporarily run Venezuela, but of course those details are unclear. How involved might our military be in all that?

[Mike Nelson]

What comes next is not so clear. And we know that there's not going to be an immediate transition from the existing socialist government which is caused potentially for concern. The Secretary of State on Sunday, during some of the Sunday shows, suggested that this would be a temporary caretaker government until such a time when free and fair elections can take place. We know that the President has suggested that Machado, the leader of the opposition, is not one that he's looking to immediately hand over power to. Potentially she could come to power or one of her allies through the course of those fair elections if they take place. But then on Sunday night, coming back on Air Force One, the President seems to suggest that that transition is not necessarily a concern of his and his concern is primarily access to some of the oil infrastructure. The President has also said, both on Saturday after the operation, during the press conference at Mar a Lago and on his return on Air Force One, as well as an interview to the Atlantic, that there's the potential for future boots on the ground. Now, right now it seems to be coalescing around this concept of leaving Rodriguez in power once again, not sure for how long, and then using coercive mechanisms to make sure she stays. She colors inside the lines, so to speak, of what the United States wishes to accomplish if she goes outside the lines. The President has suggested that there is the potential for punitive strikes targeting her, similar to what happened in Maduro, or as he has suggested, even worse, not quite clear what that means or that this non specific requirement to bring back boots on the ground, either to secure infrastructure or to protect U.S. interests. So there are a lot of as, as Secretary Rumsfeld said leading up to the Iraq war, known unknowns and unknown unknowns about what the future holds for both the United States for Venezuela and the United States specific operations in Venezuela. So I think there's, I think the American people deserve a lot more answers about what's coming or what the vision is, what our primary goals are, because there are a lot of justifications for this operation. But what we're trying to accomplish and what we expect Venezuela to transition into is not quite clear yet.

[Mary Reichert]

Mike Nelson is a retired army lieutenant colonel and chief of staff for Penn Washington. Mike, thank you so much for taking time with us today.

[Mike Nelson]

Thank you.

[Mary Reichert]

Now that we've tackled the how, let's go to work on what it means.

[Myrna Brown]

Joining us for that is retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery. He previously advised Congress and the White House on transnational threats and now is senior director of the center for Cyber and Information Technology at the foundation for Defense of Democracies.

[Mary Reichert]

Admiral, good morning.

[Mark Montgomery]

Hi. Thanks for having me again.

[Mary Reichert]

Talk to us about US Policy as far as transfer of power in other countries. President Trump cited the Monroe Doctrine, for example.

[Mark Montgomery]

Well, Mary, thanks. You know, it's interesting because he cited that and then Secretary Rubio mostly cited law enforcement as a justification. I generally think this was a legal operation and with the law enforcement justification with clearly the military being required to enforce the law enforcement requirements. And so the arrest of Maduro on a six year old or five and a half, six year old indictment was justifiable. And, you know, he definitely did pose threats to the United States. Again, I believe that the drug threat to the United States principally comes through Mexico and fentanyl. But I recognize that Maduro was appropriately accused of running a narco terrorist organization, was eventually designated a foreign terrorist organization and therefore the arrest was justifiable.

[Mary Reichert]

President Trump previously said that he wanted to work with Maduro on drugs and immigration and oil production. What do you think changed Trump's approach from negotiation with Maduro to approving his capture?

[Mark Montgomery]

Without doing this, we really didn't have the leverage to change how he was going. I will say that the president did try a three month pressure campaign here. I mean, he did sanctions, he did drug interdiction through, you know, kinetic operations of drug shipping. But then he followed it up with a title 50 Covert Action Attack on a port and the seizure of three to four Venezuelan tankers. So he was trying this escalating maximum pressure campaign. I think he came to the conclusion that the only thing that was going to work was the removal of Maduro.

[Mary Reichert]

With Maduro now In custody, attention has turned to who is going to lead Venezuela next, what does the US Want and how can it get that done without using ground troops?

[Mark Montgomery]

So, again, very different conversations by the president and by Secretary Rubio. I think the president is off base here. He constantly talks about being able to work with the remaining government. Let's be clear. Maduro was a bus driver. He was not like, yo, I could be a rocket scientist or I could be president of Venezuela. He was not the brains behind the conspiracy that's alleged. The brains was the Defense Minister, Pedrino Lopez, and the Justice Interior Minister, Cabello Rendon. And those two are still in power. Nothing's happened to them. And the vice president, Rodriguez, she's there too. Again, I think she's a little feckless. I think the actual leaders, by the Defense Minister and the Interior minister, clearly, when we're alleging a criminal conspiracy, they're part of it. So we can't be working with them. So we are going to have to convince those two they're going to do one of three things. One, they're going to flee to Cuba. Two, they're going to get a jail cell next to Maduro in New York City, or three, they're going to be killed. And a fourth option should not be we'll make a deal with you and you run the government.

[Mary Reichert]

Well, let's talk about Maria Corina Machado then, the opposition leader who was banned from running for just as she was rising in popularity with the voters. That of course, seen as a political move by those in power. Where does she fit into future plans for Venezuela? As far as the US Goes?

[Mark Montgomery]

Again, a disturbing comment from the president where he was dismissive of her, saying she didn't have the respect to support of the country. Absolutely a bad read of the Venezuelan people. But on top of it, she and the person who stood in for her, Edmundo Gonzalez, one of the two of them, needs to be the elected leader of Venezuela, either because there's a recognition that Gonzalez's 20, 24 victory, or there's a re rack, a very rapid re racking of the, of the electoral process, you know, in January, February, March of this year and Machado wins an election.

[Mary Reichert]

I want to connect some dots here. Before this operation, the US Seized an oil tanker that was linked to Russia, Iran and Cuba. So what does Maduro's detention, how does that affect Russia and its allies from moving forward?

[Mark Montgomery]

Well, different for each country. First of all, one thing I do want to note. So President Trump couldn't solve the shadow fleet problem with Russia for two and a half years now. But he suddenly latched onto the right answer for Venezuela very quickly. I mean, he needs to do the same thing. Unrelated to this, he needs to do the same thing in the case to support Ukraine of bringing the Russian shadow fleet to heel. On this very specific one. The biggest loser here is Cuba. Cuba is heavily reliant on the delivery of near free or very low cost fossil fuels to drive its anemic economy. You pull away the free or low cost fossil fuels and the Cuban economy goes further in the dumpster. So I think they're the biggest loser. I think Iran, like Russia, has a slight benefit of there's less competitive fossil fuels out there, you know, in the shadow fleets, illegally delivered, which means that they can probably slightly increase what they bill a customer. On the other hand, they should be a little nervous at the United that President Trump suddenly had an epiphany about closing down on a nation's shadow fleet or the shadow fleet ships servicing an adversary nation's fossil fuel. China. There's a challenge here. China took 80% of Venezuelan fossil fuels. I imagine that they'll be taking 80% again in the near future. It'll just be passing through. Pd The Venezuelan national oil company will be running things in a different way. And it does make China a little more vulnerable to the United States.

[Mary Reichert]

Final question here, Admiral. Are there any other American interests you think we should be paying attention to?

[Mark Montgomery]

What I would say is if he does this right and he ensures that Machado or Edmondo Gonzalez have an opportunity to compete in a free and fair election and he restores democracy to Venezuela, he's sending the strongest possible signal about the US Model of governance versus the Chinese or Russian authoritarian model to the other nations of Latin and South America. So I think there's an opportunity here for the president to be a winner. It might be overcome by his penchant for dealing, you know, for wanting a economic or tariff win for the United States and for him to fixate on the oil issue. But if he were to fixate on the democracy issue, the United States would get a real win in the Western Hemisphere.

[Mary Reichert]

Mark Montgomery is a retired rear admiral in the US Navy, now with the foundation for Defense of Democracies. Admiral, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

[Mark Montgomery]

Thank you for having me, Mary.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Dort University. Dort's online Master of Social Work program equips students for faithful service in their local communities until all is made new from Free Lutheran Bible College, grounding students in the word of God for life in Jesus Christ on campus and in person in Plymouth, Minnesota, flbc, edu World. And from Commuter Bible, the Bible podcast series that matches weekly schedules on podcast apps and commuterbible.org annual plans begin this week.

[Myrna Brown]

If Williamstown, New Jersey ever needs a mascot, it need look no further than Rex, the wandering wallaby. Rex slipped out of the animal sanctuary there last week and hopped away. The sanctuary put out an APB on the meandering marsupial and concerned animal lovers turned up to help. Even a drone company got involved. Someone spotted Rex behind a Walmart about a half mile away. Audio from WPVI TV we were about.

[Kent Covington]

To leave the Walmart parking lot and I saw something moving right behind the fence. And I, like, screamed like, stop.

[Kim Henderson]

Like, I think I see it.

[Myrna Brown]

Yeah. And another group pulled up around the same time and helped wrangle Rex back to safety.

[Mike Nelson]

I got him.

[Myrna Brown]

Good job. The sanctuary threw Rex a, well, welcome home party and got him some new toys, even an official Walmart vest, you know, just in case he's interested in a career as a Walmart greeter.

[Mary Reichert]

You never know.

[Myrna Brown]

It's the world and everything in it. Today is Tuesday, January 6th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Coming next on the World and everything in it, functional neurology. It's an emerging field within the chiropractic realm of healthcare that focuses on rehabilitating the nervous system. Functional neurology is offering some patients hope.

[Myrna Brown]

World senior writer Kim Henderson brings us this report. This one looks kind of like an underwater thing.

[Kim Henderson]

The sound of the Longbrook brothers playing with Legos is sweet, especially since the youngest Noble couldn't walk or talk when he was 2. He was delayed in almost every way. Noble's brother remembers it well.

[Kent Covington]

All day long he would just.

[Kim Henderson]

I didn't like it much because all day long he would just scooch, scooch, scooch.

[Kent Covington]

He wouldn't even crawl.

[Kim Henderson]

Emily Longbrook first suspected something was wrong when Noble was about six months old. Her other children were ready to sit up and try solid foods at that age.

[Mary Reichert]

Six months. I got him in the high chair. I'm ready to feed him his sweet potatoes and his avocados. And he did not have the strength to sit in a chair. He slumped.

[Kim Henderson]

Noble didn't babble then either. He couldn't even be held in the tip the of.

[Mary Reichert]

You know, usually a baby will clutch with their little legs around your side. Or hold on with their arms. And he made no attempt. He was like holding an empty sack.

[Kim Henderson]

Emily took Noble to see a developmental pediatrician, a speech therapist, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist. No diagnosis. Then Emily's mom saw a placard belonging to a functional neurologist. Functional neurology is a growing health care specialty that its practitioners say can fix many kinds of neurological problems, from concussions to post Covid brain fog. It uses all kinds of exercises to address imbalances of the nervous system.

[Kent Covington]

Look at something close and then look at something far. Look at something close, look at something far. So this is called accommodation and convergence and divergence. So look here, here, here.

[Kim Henderson]

Many people view functional neurology as alternative medicine. Major organization organizations like the American Academy of Neurology don't formally endorse the functional neurology model. But Emily Longbrook and her husband decided to give it a try.

[Mary Reichert]

I was game to try it. I was game to try it. It was better than, you know, $5,000 of testing, genetic testing.

[Kim Henderson]

The functional neurologist they visited said the two sides of Noble's brain weren't pulling together. He gave them touch therapy assignments to do at home. Touching different parts of the body fires different parts of the brain. Functional neurology has its skeptics, but the outcome for Noble was remarkable.

[Mary Reichert]

And three days later, he was talking. He was moving in months. He was running, he was climbing, he was jumping on the trampoline, he was kicking a ball, riding a little bike. The progress was rapid and immediate.

[Kim Henderson]

Noble's improvement got the attention of his grandfather, Kent Freeman. Kent was having neurological issues of his own. In 2017, he began to experience noticeable mental decline, a big problem for someone who travels four nights a week for work.

[Kent Covington]

There were times when I would get out there, my GPS wouldn't work and.

[Mark Montgomery]

I couldn't remember how to get somewhere.

[Kim Henderson]

He began to struggle with numbers and spreadsheets, too, and the contractual agreements he'd been so good at what he used to do in one hour, now took four. Kent's wife, Dara says she didn't know what was happening, but she knew something was wrong.

[Kent Covington]

I just thought we weren't communicating well. And unfortunately, what I also thought, bless him, is that he just wasn't listening to me because he wouldn't remember a conversation or he would do something that was contrary to what we spoke about.

[Kim Henderson]

In 2020, Kent finally decided to see a doctor.

[Kent Covington]

I did the five hour cognitive test. I also did a spinal. What's that? What's that called?

[Myrna Brown]

Lumbar.

[Kent Covington]

Lumbar that's it. Lumbar puncture. And then also did the mri.

[Kim Henderson]

Eventually, a specialist said Kent had medically induced brain damage. Maybe it was a side effect of anesthesia administered during his knee replacement surgery. The doctor wasn't sure. He prescribed medicine for Kent, and it helped some. Then two years ago, Kent made an appointment with his grandson's functional neurologist. Darris says the doctor's words gave them hope.

[Kent Covington]

We think we can actually help you get better and get your function back and eliminate the medications. So it's truly your brain doing the work.

[Kim Henderson]

Kent's therapy included a lot of walking, some of it right in his house. He'd go down a hall and through the kitchen.

[Kent Covington]

This is the path that I would actually take. And it would be anywhere from three.

[Mark Montgomery]

To five times a day.

[Kim Henderson]

But he wasn't just walking. He was simultaneously doing mind exercises, like saying the Alphabet or naming every other month of the year. Functional neurology believes the physical affects the mental. The brain is forming new pathways, but.

[Kent Covington]

I would continue to walk and make sure that my arms are swinging up almost as high as my elbows and make sure it's intentional.

[Kim Henderson]

He did breathing exercises and then breathing.

[Kent Covington]

Breathe in.

[Mark Montgomery]

Exhale for.

[Kent Covington]

If I do it, three seconds or three seconds, I need to exhale for six.

[Mark Montgomery]

If I do it four.

[Kent Covington]

I need to exhale for eight.

[Kim Henderson]

There were balance exercises, visual exercises. Darus was part of the touch therapy.

[Kent Covington]

Again, five finger touches, just slight pressure enough that he feels it, and it.

[Mike Nelson]

Would be upper body, lower body, left side, right side.

[Kim Henderson]

Darris says the point is no pattern. Ken's brain had to think about where the touch occurred. In time, he began to sense the therapy was working.

[Mark Montgomery]

What I would notice is I would.

[Kent Covington]

Be able to talk, but also not have to struggle to find that word that I'm looking for to.

[Kim Henderson]

Eventually, he took a leave of absence from work to focus on his recovery. With Darris help, Kent expanded his therapy.

[Kent Covington]

Schedule, like, every two hours, every day, all day long. And by the end of the year, he was off of both of his medications. He had his full function back and.

[Mike Nelson]

Better than he'd been in eight years.

[Kim Henderson]

These days, the Freemans enjoy afternoon visits with their grandkids, including Noble, who's now four. Today, the boys are tussling on the living room rug. A different sort of touch therapy got you. Both Noble and Kent continue to see a functional neurologist and do therapy. Darris is as amazed as anyone by what it's done for them.

[Kent Covington]

The brain is the most complex and.

[Mike Nelson]

Amazing organ that God made. And to me, functional neurology says we can find a way physically using the body God gave us and created to.

[Kent Covington]

Make the most of that.

[Kim Henderson]

Reporting for world I'm Kim Henderson in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.

[Kent Covington]

Foreign.

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. This is the World and everything in it from Listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Yesterday, a surprise announcement from the 2024 running mate of Democratic president presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

[Hunter Baker]

In September, I announced that I would seek a historic third term as Minnesota's.

[Kent Covington]

Governor, and I have every confidence that if I gave it my all, we.

[Hunter Baker]

Would win the race. But as I reflect on this moment.

[Kent Covington]

With my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can't give a political campaign my all.

[Myrna Brown]

Waltz will finish out his term as a lame duck and leave it to someone else to succeed him. Oddly, the governor thanked the assembled press at the end of his remark and said he would take questions not then, but sometime today.

[Mary Reichert]

It took him just three sentences to arrive at what is widely believed to be the real reason for the withdrawal, a massive public spending scandal involving nonprofit groups and taxpayer money, and how the governor says Republicans are taking unfair advantage. Here's WORLD Opinions commentator Hunter Baker.

[Hunter Baker]

Governor Waltz did not step out of the race quietly. He stepped out swinging. Within moments of announcing he would not seek reelection, Waltz turned from his own decision to assign blame.

[Kent Covington]

For the last several years, an organized group of criminals have sought to take.

[Hunter Baker]

Advantage of this state's generosity.

[Kent Covington]

And even as we make progress in.

[Hunter Baker]

The fight against the fraudsters, we now.

[Kent Covington]

See an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of a crisis.

[Hunter Baker]

I don't want to mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies in Washington and in St. Paul and online want.

[Kent Covington]

To make our state a colder, meaner place.

[Hunter Baker]

That framing is revealing because Minnesota is not dealing with a routine partisan fight or a disagreement over policy priorities. It is dealing with what investigators describe as one of the largest public spending fraud scandals in recent memory. Networks of nonprofit organizations received enormous sums of taxpayer money. Many of the nonprofits claim to provide social services. In some cases, reporters found empty storefronts where functioning programs were supposed to exist. Federal authorities are now involved, and now, under intense pressure, the governor has decided, probably wisely, not to ask voters for another term. That is the immediate news, and there'll be more parsing of his rationale later today. But the deeper story is why scandals like this happen at all and why they keep happening. Political scientists have long warned that democratic systems have a built in vulnerability. Small, organized groups can pursue large, concentrated benefits while the cost is spread thinly across millions of taxpayers. No single citizen feels enough loss to monitor every grant, every program, every line item. That gap is where abuse flourishes. And once it does, it is often shielded by appeals to compassion, by political loyalty, and by accusations designed to shut down scrutiny before it begins. In Minnesota, those defenses appear to be weakening. There's probably no single cause, but I know what it isn't. It isn't because the system suddenly became vigilant. This story started getting attention because the scale of the abuse became impossible to ignore. Waltz himself acknowledged the stakes. We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if we can't earn the public's trust.

[Kent Covington]

A single taxpayer dollar wasted on fraud should be intolerable. And while there's a role to play for everyone from the legislature to prosecutors to insurance companies to local and county.

[Hunter Baker]

Government, the buck does stop with me. Now, that's actually true. But it also points to the heart of the problem. Modern government does far more than fund police, courts and national defense. It redistributes vast sums of money through thousands of programs, often with limited, delayed or purely bureaucratic oversight. To take a tax dollar is to make an implicit the government can spend this money better than the citizen can. When that promise is broken fraudulently, it is not a victimless crime. It is a crime against everybody. Against families who pay in good faith, against communities meant to be served, and against honest organizations now viewed with suspicion because others cheated. These scandals usually produce an initial surge of outrage, then fade. If that happens again, the lesson will be unmistakable. Fraud works. Unless it doesn't. We have an opportunity to see something rare in political life. Sustained attention, real monitoring, real penalties, real reform. Integrity might finally catch up to compassion. Governor Waltz's decision to step aside does not resolve Minnesota's crisis, but it does suggest this one cannot simply be managed away. And that, at least, is a start for world. I'm Hunter Baker.

[Mary Reichert]

Tomorrow on Washington Wednesday, the military operation in Venezuela and how Christians should think about it. And world's music critic Arsenio Arteza catches up with Christian music artist Ellie Holcomb. That and more tomorrow. I'm Mary Reichard.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. The world and everything in it comes to you from World radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you And I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you, I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12 verses 1, 2 and 3. Go now in grace and peace.