
Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels Did We Just Start WW3? RUSSIA AND CHINA React To Venezuela
Jan 7, 2026
Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer, and Josh Hammer, a constitutional attorney, dive into the geopolitics surrounding Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro capture. They expose the stakes of global supremacy, discussing the implications for U.S. relations with Russia and China. Baker reveals strategic motives tied to oil and gold, while Hammer evaluates the legality of the operation under constitutional law. The conversation challenges listeners to consider the broader fallout, including potential future conflicts and the shifting balance of power.
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Capture Is A Geopolitical Earthquake
- The capture of Nicolás Maduro is a geopolitical earthquake that blends narco‑trafficking, resource control, and great‑power rivalry.
- The operation's significance goes far beyond a single law‑enforcement action and reshapes regional strategic calculations.
Detaining Maduro Doesn't Mean Oil Control
- The U.S. does not suddenly control Venezuela's oil simply by detaining Maduro because the regime's power structure remains intact.
- Regime change outcomes depend on who backfills power and whether deals were struck behind the scenes.
Operation Mirrored Abbottabad Planning
- The raid relied on months of intelligence, recruited insiders, and elite units like Delta and the 160th to succeed.
- Mike Baker compared the operation's planning and risks to the Abbottabad bin Laden raid as a marker of its complexity.





