Why Washington went kinetic now

This is a repeat of an episode published on Swamp Notes, a sister podcast of the FT News Briefing on January 9, 2026. Subscribe to Swamp Notes on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.

After a military operation to capture Venezuela's leader, the Trump administration is seeking influence over other regions across the western hemisphere. The FT’s national editor Edward Luce and US-Europe foreign affairs correspondent Amy Mackinnon share their insights on how Trump and his cabinet have come to embrace the idea of foreign intervention.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Trump really wants Greenland

US says using military is among ‘options’ to acquire Greenland

How the US’s audacious operation to capture Nicolás Maduro unfolded

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here

Swamp Notes is hosted by Marc Filippino, and produced by Henry Larson. This week’s show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. 

The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.

CREDIT: Roll Call, CNN, Democracy Now!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.