Are We Sleep Walking Into a War With Venezuela? (with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer)

Stay Tuned with Preet

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, Politics, Government, News

4.8 • 32.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Are we Sleep Walking into a War with Venezuela? Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer, former national security advisors to the president and co-hosts of “The Long Game” podcast, join Preet to discuss the escalating situation in Venezuela, including the Trump administration’s consideration of airstrikes, the possibility of targeting Nicolás Maduro, and the likelihood of a ground incursion. Plus, the latest on the Gaza peace plan and the expanding role of AI in modern conflict. Then, Preet answers listener questions about a new law that allows senators to sue the U.S. government if it obtained their phone records and what a grand jury investigation actually does. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet and Jon discuss Trump’s meeting with Mohammed bin Salman and the lingering fallout from Jamal Khashoggi’s killing. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay informed without the hysteria, fear-mongering, or rage-baiting. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Subscribe to The Long Game podcast. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to the Stay Tuned Youtube channel and subscribe. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at [email protected], or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Cafe and the Vox Media Podcast Network, welcome to stay tuned.
0:06.0	I'm Preet Bharara.
0:08.0	The fact that this has been going on now for several weeks, and they haven't yet,
0:14.1	pulled the proverbial trigger on land, suggests something is happening inside the White
0:19.5	House in terms of a real debate.
0:21.2	I don't think it would be particularly hard for the United States to go into Venezuela,
0:25.0	to go into Venezuela and topple the government.
0:26.9	But the question then is what happens afterward?
0:35.1	That's Jake Sullivan and John Finer.
0:38.1	Jake and John spent many years in the White House as the president's national security and deputy national security advisors.
0:44.8	Now, they have a new podcast out on Vox, The Long Game.
0:49.6	This week, they join me to talk about leadership, judgment, and the invisible machinery of national security.
0:56.0	We also cover some national security news making the headlines, including Venezuela, the Israel-Gaza
1:01.1	peace plan, and the intersection of AI and statecraft.
1:06.0	Then I'll answer your questions about how grand jury investigations work and the Senate
1:09.8	bill that ended the government shutdown
1:11.3	and allow senators to sue over subpoenaed phone records.
1:15.3	That's coming up. Stay tuned.
1:21.6	It's time for Black Friday at Dell Technologies.
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1:35.2	It's time for Black Friday at Dell Technologies.
	...

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