Julian EXPLODES: CIA-backed Cartels, Paid Sell-Outs, China & Direct Energy Weapons | Jorge V. • 375
Julian Dorey · 19 Jan 2026 · 3h 4m
Guest: Jorge Ventura · Host: Joey Def, Julian Dorey
Independent journalist Jorge Ventura, recently departed from News Nation, joins Julian Dorey to walk through a string of overlapping stories about US foreign policy, cartels, and media incentives. Ventura argues that the operation that removed Nicolás Maduro was preceded by a CIA presence in Venezuela and suggests Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president, cooperated with US intelligence and may retain power. He describes the 'Cartel de los Soles' terrorism designation as effectively invented to give the administration legal cover to bypass Congress, calling it Marco Rubio's playbook, and predicts Nicaragua, Cuba and Mexico are next in line for pressure campaigns. The conversation turns to how narratives get shaped: paid social-media influencers touring Qatar or Gaza, Nicki Minaj's sudden appearance at a conservative event tied to Nigeria, and the Epstein files' release timed, in the hosts' telling, to bury other headlines. They spend an extended stretch dissecting the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, questioning agency vetting standards and White House pressure on officials and journalists covering it. Ventura recounts his on-the-ground reporting on the Kerrville flood and the emotional toll of covering tragedy without becoming detached like corporate media. Later segments cover Chinese cartel financing, fentanyl precursor supply chains tied to Sinaloa and CJNG, and Chinese migration networks through Ecuador and Tijuana. The episode closes with a wary discussion of whether Iran could become the next country pulled into US-driven regime change, and broader reflections on Gen Z's economic despair.
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What comes up
Timestamps link into the episode on YouTube.
- Maduro ouster and alleged CIA role
- Cartel de los Soles fabrication and Rubio's playbook
- Nicaragua and Cuba as next targets
- Nicki Minaj, Nigeria and manufactured narratives
- Epstein files timed to bury news cycles
- Minneapolis ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good
- Paid influencer trips and journalism ethics
- Kerrville flood coverage and reporter detachment
- Gen Z economic despair
- Chinese cartel financing and fentanyl networks
Said on this episode
Quoted from the auto-generated transcript, which mishears names and technical terms. podcite.com reports what a show said; it does not endorse or fact-check it.
“No, it's confirmed. CIA hit the ground in Venezuela in April and”
“they fabricated, they kind of made up carttos, so it sounds sexy”
“independent should be reserved for guys who are calling balls and strikes, not on on a team”
“There is no good that has happened in your life at that point. And the fact that like pundits and people from other generations can't recognize this pattern to see why Gen Z feels some of the strong ways they do is embarrassing”