Ep 276 | ‘Jack Ryan’ TV Show Predicted Maduro’s Capture?! | Annie Jacobsen | The Glenn Beck Podcast

Jan 31, 2026

Annie Jacobsen, investigative journalist and author who advised on Jack Ryan, discusses a scripted Venezuela raid that mirrored a real-life capture. She explores historical kill-or-capture tactics, secret tech like sonic weapons, and how AI, drones, and space-based reconnaissance are reshaping modern operations. They weigh presidential power, rapid geopolitical ripple effects, and the stakes of today’s accelerating arms race.

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INSIGHT

Fiction Mirrored Real Tradecraft

Annie Jacobsen advised Jack Ryan writers to include an authentic kill-or-capture Venezuela mission and helped plan the assault details.
The show's fictional planning closely mirrors real-world CIA and special-ops tradecraft, highlighting blurred lines between fiction and reality.

INSIGHT

Successful Raids Reshape Power

The Maduro operation surprised experts by its scale and success, revealing capabilities the public hadn't appreciated.
Annie Jacobsen says such successes reshape presidential authority and future use of special operations and CIA assets.

ADVICE

Use History To Interpret Today

Read history to better interpret present-day operations and avoid knee-jerk conclusions.
Historical context reveals patterns and helps citizens form more informed opinions about covert actions.

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What if a scripted TV raid on Venezuela turned into real-life headlines? In this eye-opening episode, Glenn sits down with investigative journalist and author Annie Jacobsen to unpack the shocking U.S. operation that captured Maduro — drawing direct parallels to her advisory work on the show “Jack Ryan,” where she pushed for “an authentic kill-or-capture mission inside Venezuela.” Glenn shares his take on Trump’s unorthodox strategy, noting, “I felt like he took one stone and knocked out 200 birds,” with ripple effects impacting China, Russia, and beyond. Delving into advanced weaponry, Annie explains how Havana syndrome technology has “existed since the ’50s,” while Glenn warns of the rapid advancement of AI and drone warfare. The duo discusses Trump’s nuclear fears, the limits of presidential power and intelligence agencies, Greenland, and the feasibility of the “Golden Dome” — before agreeing that, as we witness this rapidly accelerating arms race that could redefine global conflict, we must work together to prevent World War III.

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