Former CIA officer, security specialist, and winner of ABC's hit reality series Shark Tank, Jason Hanson is a highly sought-after expert on safety and survival. He joined guest host Rich Berra (email) in the first two and half hours of the program to discuss tactics he used as a CIA officer for counterintelligence and surveillance. Hanson identified two major threats to American safety. The first, less known, is the possibility of states attempting to secede after the 2024 election, leading to civil unrest or even civil war. He suggested that government sources are concerned about this, fearing that states will close their borders, resulting in chaos. Hanson has prepared by stockpiling food, water, and ammunition to ensure his family is safe. He believes that regardless of the election outcome, the nation's polarization may lead to turbulence.
The second threat relates to personal safety and awareness in daily life. Hanson emphasized the importance of being vigilant, especially for women, in public places. Criminals target distracted people, such as those looking at their phones. He recounted a story of his wife being followed in a store and explained how she detected it through situational awareness and used a surveillance detection route to confirm the threat before seeking help. He advised listeners to avoid going straight home if they feel followed and to rely on basic but effective safety habits to avoid becoming victims of crime.
Hanson reflected on the portrayal of espionage in popular media, specifically citing Quantico, an FBI TV show that incorporated CIA training in its second season. He praised the show's technical consultant for portraying aspects like surveillance detection routes with some degree of accuracy, though overall, he acknowledged that most spy-themed entertainment exaggerates the action. In reality, espionage is often mundane, with only a small fraction of the work involving the high-stakes scenarios seen on screen, he revealed.
Hanson discussed strategies for disappearing to evade surveillance, referencing a game scenario where participants attempt to stay hidden from advanced technology. He outlined a practical plan for avoiding detection, emphasizing the importance of staying in rural areas, avoiding cities, and shedding any trackable devices like phones or vehicles. He touched on the mental challenge of truly going off the grid, as it requires a high level of self-discipline. Hanson mentioned his experience teaching people, particularly victims of domestic violence, how to disappear, noting that while it is technically easy, most people struggle with the psychological demands of such a lifestyle.
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Next, earthquake researcher Luke Holmquist talked about his most recent string of hits and how he has been able to predict seismic activity. He provided detailed insights into earthquake forecasting, focusing on the scientific methods used and the accuracy of his predictions. Holmquist explained that a 4.7 magnitude earthquake, like the one recently in Malibu, is relatively mild but can cause infrastructure issues such as water main breaks. He described how the Richter scale works, pointing out that each whole number increase represents a tenfold increase in amplitude. Holmquist's predictions cover areas including Japan, Taiwan, Greece, and California, where he has had significant success forecasting earthquakes, often pinpointing the location and magnitude within a close range.
He explained his method of prediction, which relies on analyzing the tangled magnetic fields in Earth's atmosphere. He likened this to solar flares, which release energy when magnetic fields untangle. The strength and size of the tangle determine the size of the earthquake, making larger quakes easier to predict. Holmquist mentioned his success rate has improved significantly, particularly in recent months, with nine out of ten earthquakes being accurately forecasted. He also discussed his use of various data sources, including temperature, wind, pressure changes, and historical seismic data, to create detailed maps that help forecast significant quakes three days in advance.