The News Agents - USA Why 2026 could be Trump's most volatile year yet
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Jan 7, 2026 Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA operations officer and co-host of the Crisis Room podcast, shares insights on a daring operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, revealing how it caught both Caracas and Washington off-guard. He discusses the implications of Trump's ambitions for global influence, particularly in relation to oil and potential conflicts with Russia. The conversation shifts to the political fallout from fraud allegations in Minnesota, examining how such tactics could be weaponized by MAGA in future campaigns.
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Trump's Broader Territorial Ambitions
- The Maduro capture revealed an expanding Trump-era appetite for rapid, extraterritorial operations.
- This suggests the administration may target nearby nations like Colombia, Cuba and Greenland with similar bold tactics.
Resource Trade-Offs With Hemisphere Focus
- Marc Polymeropoulos warns that focusing resources in the Western Hemisphere diverts attention from China.
- Concentrating special operations southwards can leave other strategic priorities neglected.
Scale Of The Venezuela Deployment
- The Venezuela mission mobilised a huge chunk of U.S. special operations and naval assets.
- Such concentration raises questions about readiness for simultaneous crises elsewhere, including potential confrontations with Russia.