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US military operations against Nicolás Maduro, oil sanctions, and the turbulent push for political transition in Venezuela
The U.S. military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing two men, U.S. Southern Command said, bringing the total number of people killed in such strikes since the Trump administration…
3 MIN READThe US military said it carried out a second strike on an alleged drug vessel in the eastern Pacific over two days, killing three men in an operation that pushes the death toll from similar attacks to more than 200 since last year.
3 MIN READThe Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials, in…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s government said Saturday it deported Alex Saab, a Colombian-born businessman once described as Nicolás Maduro’s “bag man,” to the United States to face several criminal investigations — less than three years after President Joe…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s government said Saturday it deported Alex Saab, described as a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro, to face criminal investigations in the United States. The move marks a reversal for Saab, who was pardoned by President Joe…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump said twice this week he is considering making Venezuela the 51st U.S. state, including a Truth Social post showing a map of the South American country filled with the American flag. In Caracas, the reaction was not…
3 MIN READGuyana said Thursday it has demanded Venezuela investigate two shootings targeting Guyanese troops along their shared border, including one that wounded a soldier. The demand came days after the two countries appeared at the International…
3 MIN READU.S. President Donald Trump has revived interest in turning Venezuela into the 51st U.S. state, most recently through a Truth Social post, but Venezuela’s government response has been comparatively muted. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s remark that he was “seriously considering” making the country the 51st U.S. state, and she simultaneously defended Venezuela’s claim to the…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, told journalists Monday that her country has no plans to become the 51st U.S. state after President Donald Trump said he was “seriously considering” the move. Speaking at the International…
3 MIN READA federal jury in Miami convicted former U.S. Representative David Rivera and political consultant Esther Nuhfer on all counts Friday for a clandestine $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of Venezuela’s government, a case that drew…
3 MIN READA former Miami congressman, David Rivera, was convicted Friday in a secret foreign lobbying case tied to Venezuela’s government during President Donald Trump’s first administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. A federal jury found…
3 MIN READU.S. military forces boarded the sanctioned oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said Feb. 15. The Pentagon said the boarding was carried out as part of maritime…
3 MIN READThe U.S. military says its latest strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific killed three people Sunday, according to U.S. Southern Command. The Trump administration has repeatedly struck suspected drug-trafficking…
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The U.S. military said it carried out another strike Friday on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people, according to U.S. Southern Command. The military did not provide evidence that any vessels…
3 MIN READA reporter for The Associated Press described a 64-day protest in Caracas led by women seeking the release of husbands detained by the Venezuelan government. Regina Garcia Cano said the sit-in outside a police station tested the…
3 MIN READTwo women in Venezuela who staged a monthslong protest to demand the release of political prisoners described how their husbands were not among those freed. Mileidy Mendoza and Sandra Rosales held vigils outside detention facilities in…
3 MIN READA U.S. special forces soldier was granted $250,000 unsecured bond in North Carolina after federal prosecutors alleged he used classified information about a mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to win money on Polymarket.…
3 MIN READColombian President Gustavo Petro met in Caracas with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez for their first meeting since U.S. forces seized former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their home in January, the Associated…
3 MIN READA U.S. special forces soldier involved in the January operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was charged with using classified information about the mission to profit from a Polymarket prediction bet worth more than…
3 MIN READVenezuela's exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado drew several thousand supporters to a rally in Madrid on Saturday, declining a meeting with Spain's progressive Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez while expressing support for U.S.…
5 MIN READU.S. military forces struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing three men the Pentagon says were trafficking drugs, according to U.S. Southern Command. The Southern Command said no U.S. personnel were harmed.
3 MIN READThe USS Gerald R. Ford has broken the U.S. record for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment by an aircraft carrier, returning after nearly 10 months at sea that included a military raid in Venezuela and the early phase of the Iran war,…
3 MIN READU.S. military forces attacked a vessel Wednesday in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men the Pentagon said were drug traffickers, the Southern Command reported. No U.S. military personnel were injured in the operation, the command…
3 MIN READThe U.S. military launched another strike on a boat suspected of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. The attack was the fourth such strike announced in days, and…
3 MIN READEl Ejército de Estados Unidos informó que el lunes realizó un ataque contra una embarcación que, según el gobierno, transportaba drogas en el océano Pacífico oriental, en el que murieron dos personas. El anuncio se suma a una campaña de…
3 MIN READTrinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has escalated a feud with Caribbean neighbors over U.S. policy toward drug trafficking and Venezuela, demanding CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett leave after her term ends in…
3 MIN READPrediction markets have increasingly drawn scrutiny as regulators and lawmakers probe whether geopolitics and insider information are being turned into profit online. The Associated Press reported this week that the U.S. government charged…
4 MIN READUnion leaders, retirees and public-sector workers in Caracas marched Thursday toward the presidential palace demanding higher wages and dignified pensions, but police blockades halted the crowd. The protests came the day after acting…
3 MIN READVenezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez asked public and private sector workers in a televised address for patience as her government works to improve the economy. She promised a wage increase on May 1, while warning it would be…
3 MIN READIn federal court in Miami, lobbyist Brian Ballard testified about what he says were his decisions to cut ties with former Rep. David Rivera after learning in 2020 that Venezuela’s government awarded Rivera a $50 million contract. Ballard,…
3 MIN READThe U.S. lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to a U.S. Treasury notice. The change, announced April 1, allows Rodríguez to work more freely with U.S. companies and investors.
3 MIN READLa presidenta mexicana Claudia Sheinbaum dijo el lunes que el gobierno venezolano debería poder usar fondos para pagar los honorarios de los abogados del ex presidente Nicolás Maduro en un juicio por narcotráfico en Estados Unidos. Sus…
3 MIN READThe U.S. has formally reopened its embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, resuming full diplomatic operations after the Trump administration removed former President Nicolas Maduro. The State Department said the move began Monday, following more…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to lift all sanctions against Venezuela, saying partial licenses do not give foreign investors the legal certainty they need for long-term…
3 MIN READUn juez federal en Nueva York presionó el jueves al gobierno de Donald Trump sobre su argumento para impedir que el gobierno de Venezuela pague los honorarios legales del expresidente Nicolás Maduro y su esposa, Cilia Flores, en un juicio…
4 MIN READNEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. judge pressed the Trump administration on Thursday about its legal basis for barring Venezuela from paying former President Nicolás Maduro’s court costs in a U.S. drug trafficking case in which he is jailed in…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a Cabinet shake-up Wednesday, appointing Gen. Gustavo González López as defense minister to replace Gen. Vladimir Padrino López. Rodríguez said the appointment was effective…
3 MIN READColombia said it is seeking an exemption from U.S. sanctions to invest in Venezuelan electricity projects and natural gas ventures, a move Colombia said could include reopening a gas pipeline between the neighboring countries. The request…
3 MIN READThe American flag was raised Saturday over the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela for the first time since 2019, the U.S. Embassy team said, as relations between Washington and Caracas have shifted under President Nicolás Maduro’s successor. The…
3 MIN READThe Colombian government said a planned Friday meeting between Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro and Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez at the international Atanasio Girardot bridge was canceled. Venezuela’s government later…
3 MIN READJavier Giraldo arrived Friday at the Atanasio Girardot Binational Bridge between Colombia and Venezuela hoping to display a sign asking for his father’s release from a Venezuelan prison. Instead, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and…
3 MIN READJavier Giraldo travelled to the Atanasio Girardot Binational Bridge on Friday hoping to display a sign pleading for his father’s release from a Venezuelan prison, only to learn that the scheduled meeting between Colombian President Gustavo…
3 MIN READJavier Giraldo arrived at the international bridge between Colombia and Venezuela on Friday hoping to display a sign requesting his father’s release during a meeting between the two countries’ presidents. But the meeting between Colombian…
3 MIN READVenezuela and Colombia canceled a planned meeting between their presidents that was set for the following day at their shared border, the governments announced Thursday. The announcement came from Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry,…
3 MIN READVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said the Trump administration remains a “fundamental ally” for Venezuela’s democratic transition, even as Washington has endorsed acting President Delcy Rodríguez. Speaking in Santiago,…
3 MIN READVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Thursday that the Trump administration remains a “fundamental ally” for Venezuela’s democratic transition, even as the United States has supported acting President Delcy Rodríguez as…
3 MIN READVenezuela and Colombia abruptly canceled a planned meeting between their presidents, with the governments citing “force majeure,” according to a joint statement released by Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday. The meeting had…
3 MIN READThe International Criminal Court said prosecutors have dropped an investigation into whether U.S. sanctions on Venezuela amounted to crimes against humanity. Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence of the “necessary intent” to…
3 MIN READThe U.S. issued a license Friday authorizing dealings with Minerven, Venezuela's state-owned gold mining company, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum concluded a visit to Caracas where he met with acting President Delcy Rodríguez and…
3 MIN READAmerican Airlines said it has received approval to resume regular flights to Venezuela, becoming the first U.S. airline to restart service there. The airline, which suspended Venezuela flights in 2019, said the company plans to restore…
3 MIN READArgentine police officer Nahuel Gallo, freed from a Venezuelan prison after 448 days in detention, urged the international community on March 4 to seek the release of 24 foreign nationals still held at Rodeo I. Gallo said his “mind is…
3 MIN READU.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that Venezuela's government has pledged to protect foreign companies seeking to invest in the country's mineral sector, concluding a two-day visit to Caracas that advanced the Trump…
4 MIN READU.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met Wednesday with Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas, leading representatives of more than two dozen American mining and energy companies in talks aimed at opening Venezuela's…
4 MIN READCARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Sunday she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks, adding that elections will be held in the South American country. In a message shared on social media,…
3 MIN READVenezuelan politician Enrique Márquez, released from prison earlier this month after years of detention following his challenge to the 2024 election, urged political rivals on Friday to work together for the country’s recovery. Márquez…
4 MIN READThe lawyer for deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro asked a judge in Manhattan federal court on Thursday to throw out the indictment against him, arguing U.S. sanctions have blocked access to funds needed to pay his legal team.…
3 MIN READThe Justice Department has filed a complaint to legally take ownership of the sanctioned oil tanker Skipper and nearly 2 million barrels of oil seized off Venezuela in December, marking the first step in a U.S. court process to permanently…
3 MIN READMaduro’s lawyer told a Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Treasury blocked authorization for Venezuela to pay Nicolas Maduro’s defense costs, raising a dispute tied to the drug case in New York and alleged constitutional concerns over…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s National Assembly-appointed commission said more than 3,200 people have been fully released since an amnesty law took effect four days ago, following the capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. Lawmaker Jorge…
3 MIN READThe U.S. military boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The Pentagon said U.S. forces boarded the tanker Bertha overnight, calling it a maritime…
3 MIN READSecretary of State Marco Rubio plans a one-day trip to St. Kitts and Nevis this week to take part in a Caribbean Community summit, a State Department statement said. The visit comes about a month after a U.S. operation removed…
3 MIN READVenezuela released 16 political prisoners verified by a local rights group, but the government said it was processing 1,557 applications under a new amnesty law and that hundreds of people were already being freed. The releases announced…
3 MIN READVenezuelan authorities said Saturday that at least 1,557 people detained for political reasons have submitted applications under an amnesty law signed this week, with hundreds already being released. The amnesty marks a reversal for…
3 MIN READVenezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez signed an amnesty law on Thursday, marking a major policy shift following last month's U.S. military raid that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro. The law is expected to free hundreds of…
4 MIN READThe U.S. military said it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people. The strikes carried out Monday brought the death toll from the administration’s campaign against alleged…
3 MIN READA shipment of medicine and medical supplies from the United States arrived in Venezuela on Friday, signaling what U.S. officials described as a new spirit of cooperation between the two countries. Laura Dogu, the U.S. diplomat in…
3 MIN READRelatives of Venezuelan prisoners began a hunger strike on Saturday demanding the quick release of dissidents held at a Caracas detention center known as Zona 7. The relatives’ Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners said the…
3 MIN READU.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday to assess changes to the country’s oil sector, according to a report from Caracas. Wright met acting President Delcy Rodríguez at the Miraflores presidential palace and…
3 MIN READUnited States Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday for a firsthand assessment of changes aimed at overhauling the country’s oil industry. Wright met with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas…
3 MIN READVenezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa, a close ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado, was placed under house arrest after his family said he was released from prison two days earlier. His son, Ramón Guanipa, said…
3 MIN READLess than three years after President Joe Biden pardoned Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro, the Justice Department is once again investigating the businessman, according to two former law enforcement…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s top prosecutor ordered the arrest of opposition leader María Corina Machado’s ally Juan Pablo Guanipa hours after he was released from detention, according to authorities and relatives. The attorney general’s office said it…
3 MIN READU.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine aimed at pressuring Venezuela, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. The boarded…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s government on Sunday released several prominent opposition members from prison, including Juan Pablo Guanipa, a close ally of Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado. The moves come as acting President Delcy Rodríguez…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s legislature has advanced an amnesty bill proposed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez that, if approved and signed, could lead to the release of hundreds of people detained for political reasons, including opposition leaders,…
3 MIN READAn Argentine judge has requested the extradition of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from the United States over alleged crimes against humanity tied to a crackdown during his presidency, according to a warrant signed this week.…
3 MIN READVenezuelan human rights activist Javier Tarazona, an ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado, was released from prison Sunday after the government promised to free political prisoners in an amnesty bill, rights groups and family…
3 MIN READVenezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez signed a law Thursday that overhauls the country’s oil industry, reversing long-standing state control to allow private companies to manage production and sales. The move came after the National…
3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump said he has directed the United States to reopen all commercial airspace over Venezuela and that Americans could travel there “very shortly.” He also said he told his transportation secretary and U.S. military leaders to take steps to make the change by the end of the day. The State Department continued to warn Americans not to travel to Venezuela, while at least one U.S. airline said it expects to resume direct flights.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump’s military operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday. Rubio also sought to calm concerns among lawmakers about Trump’s Greenland and NATO remarks, and addressed questions about Iran, China and the administration’s approach in the Western Hemisphere.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that the Trump administration soon will allow Venezuela to sell some oil currently subject to U.S. sanctions, with revenue initially earmarked for basic government services and placed under U.S. oversight. Rubio said the United States would control the dispersal of the money through Treasury, while Venezuela’s interim leaders would submit monthly budgets for funding needs.
The Trump administration has notified Congress of plans to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, marking the first formal step toward restoring diplomatic relations following the military operation that ousted President Nicolás Maduro in early January. The State Department said it will deploy temporary staffers to conduct "select" diplomatic functions while the existing embassy compound is brought up to standard.
The U.S. military says the death toll from American strikes on alleged drug boats is up to 126 people, including those presumed dead after being lost at sea. The updated figure includes 116 people killed immediately in at least 36 attacks since early September in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, the U.S. military said.
The death toll from U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats has reached 126 people, the U.S. military confirmed Monday. The figure includes 116 people killed in at least 36 attacks since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, plus 10 others presumed dead after searches did not locate them, U.S. Southern Command said.
Venezuela's acting government released 266 prisoners since January 8 under newly installed president Delcy Rodríguez, as the country responds to U.S. pressure to free dissidents jailed by ousted leader Nicolás Maduro. More than 100 prisoners were freed over the past two days, according to Foro Penal, a prisoner-rights organization.
The U.S. military carried out a deadly strike Friday on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean accused of drug trafficking, the first known attack since a raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. The strike killed two people and left one survivor, according to U.S. Southern Command. The Coast Guard launched search and rescue operations for the survivor.
The House rejected a Democratic-backed resolution Thursday that would have prevented President Donald Trump from sending military forces to Venezuela, with the vote ending in a tie—short of the majority needed for passage. Republican leaders held the vote open for more than 20 minutes while Rep. Wesley Hunt rushed back from a Texas campaign trip to cast the decisive vote against the measure. The narrow outcome reflects growing tensions in the GOP-controlled Congress over Trump's aggressive foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.
Venezuela's legislature gave initial approval Thursday to a bill that would loosen decades of state control over the country's vast oil sector, opening the door to private companies operating fields independently and settling disputes in international courts. The bill represents the first major overhaul of the oil industry since late socialist leader Hugo Chávez nationalized portions of it in 2007. The measure follows intense pressure from the Trump administration, which has pushed the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez to invite greater investment from U.S. energy companies in Venezuela's flagging oil industry.
Venezuelan prisoners’ families demanded the release of nearly 800 people still detained, calling for the government to move beyond a limited set of releases. The appeals came Tuesday as relatives waited outside prisons in Caracas after President Nicolás Maduro’s successor announced a “significant number” would be freed.
Venezuela’s interim authorities released Rafael Tudares Bracho, the son-in-law of opposition figure Edmundo González, after 380 days in detention, his wife said Thursday. Mariana González said he had returned home following more than a year of incommunicado detention, and she described the imprisonment as “unjust and arbitrary.”
The Associated Press reported that U.S. drug enforcement records dating back at least to 2018 show Delcy Rodríguez, a Venezuelan interim president and former vice president, has been under scrutiny by the Drug Enforcement Administration for years. The report said the DEA labeled her a “priority target” in 2022 and that the agency has tracked allegations that range from drug trafficking to gold smuggling.
Donald Trump’s announcement of Nicolás Maduro’s capture as a first step toward drug-trafficking charges in the United States cast Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, as a potential partner. But the Associated Press reported that U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration records show Rodríguez has been on the agency’s radar for years, including being labeled a “priority target” in 2022. AP said the files date to at least 2018 and include allegations and named associates that U.S. authorities have not publicly charged Rodríguez over.
The FAA on Friday urged U.S. aircraft operators to “exercise caution” when flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing “military activities” and possible satellite navigation interference. The warning was issued in Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, that warn of potential risks at all altitudes for aircraft during overflight as well as arrival and departure phases of flight.
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez was labeled a "priority target" by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2022 — a designation the DEA reserves for suspects believed to have a "significant impact" on the drug trade — according to records obtained by The Associated Press and more than a half-dozen current and former U.S. law enforcement officials. The DEA has maintained an intelligence file on Rodríguez dating to at least 2018, cataloging alleged associates and allegations ranging from drug trafficking to gold smuggling, the records show. The U.S. government has never publicly accused Rodríguez of criminal wrongdoing, and she is not among the Venezuelan officials charged with drug trafficking alongside ousted President Nicolás Maduro.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued a series of advisories urging U.S. aircraft operators to "exercise caution" when flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. The agency cited "military activities" and possible satellite navigation interference. The 60-day alerts warn that "potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight."
The Drug Enforcement Administration labeled Delcy Rodríguez, now Venezuela's acting president, a "priority target" in 2022 — a designation the agency reserves for suspects believed to have significant impact on drug trafficking — according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and statements from more than half a dozen current and former U.S. law enforcement officials. The disclosure comes as President Donald Trump has positioned Rodríguez as Washington's preferred partner for stabilizing Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
A first flight carrying 231 Venezuelan migrants deported from the U.S. city of Phoenix arrived at an airport outside Caracas on Friday, after Washington captured former President Nicolás Maduro and moved him to New York to face drug trafficking charges, according to Venezuelan officials. The Eastern Airlines plane marked the resumption of direct deportation air transfers after the U.S. suspended them in mid-December, the Associated Press reported.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Venezuela and met in Caracas with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to a U.S. government official. The meeting took place Thursday and lasted about two hours, the official said.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she handed her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, after Trump publicly questioned her credibility. The Nobel Institute has said Machado could not give the award to Trump.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas on Thursday and met for two hours with Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez, becoming the highest-ranking Trump administration official to visit the South American country since a U.S. military operation captured former leader Nicolás Maduro roughly two weeks ago, according to a U.S. government official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting came at the urging of President Donald Trump and was intended to demonstrate U.S. desire for a better relationship with Venezuela, the official said. It occurred the same day Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump at the White House, even as he has effectively sidelined her.
Cuban officials on Thursday repatriated the remains of 32 officers killed during a Jan. 3 raid tied to Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, staging a mass funeral in Havana as the U.S. threat remains a central theme in Cuban messaging. The ceremonies took place at Havana’s airport and at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, where urns were placed on a table beside pictures of those killed.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state-of-the-union message on Thursday to urge opening the state-run oil industry to more foreign investment and to pursue warmer ties with the United States. In a 44-minute speech in Caracas, she also called for faster approval of oil-sector reforms tied to foreign firms’ access to Venezuela’s reserves. The remarks came less than two weeks after the U.S. captured and toppled former President Nicolás Maduro, according to the Associated Press report.
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan, nominated to lead U.S. Southern Command, told the Senate Armed Service Committee on Thursday that he is ready to oversee an expanded U.S. military presence in Latin America but does not know how long it will last. Lawmakers questioned how the administration plans to run the Southern Command amid a campaign that culminated with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture, and they also grilled another nominee for the National Security Agency.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a meeting at the White House on Thursday. Machado said she did it “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom,” then went to Capitol Hill and later met with a bipartisan group of senators.
The White House chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller has outlined a worldview that emphasizes American strength at home and abroad, including arguments he made about the Venezuela crackdown and domestic immigration enforcement, according to writings and interviews reviewed by The Associated Press. In excerpts from Miller’s comments, he argued that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had sent criminals into the United States, defended a U.S. military posture in Venezuela, and said concerns about the possibility of U.S. conflict over Greenland were unfounded. The AP also highlighted Miller’s criticism of anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis and his remarks about international aid, oil and governance.
The U.S. Coast Guard seized another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration said has ties to Venezuela, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the military. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the tanker, named Veronica, was boarded early Thursday. The seizure marked the sixth sanctioned tanker taken by U.S. forces as part of the administration’s effort to curb Venezuela’s oil exports, the Associated Press reported.
Days before a U.S. military operation removed Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, Justice Department lawyers said the action would serve “important national interests” and would “not rise to the level of war in the constitutional sense,” according to a heavily redacted legal opinion released this week.
U.S. Coast Guard and military forces seized a sixth sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, boarding the vessel named Veronica in an operation conducted with troops launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of a U.S.-imposed quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the region, Noem said.
The Marine Corps general nominated to lead U.S. military operations in Latin America told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that he expects U.S. Southern Command to look "much different" this year, but said he does not know how long the Trump administration's enhanced military presence in the region will last or what its long-term plans entail. Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan appeared before the committee for his confirmation hearing to lead Southern Command, the Doral, Florida-based headquarters overseeing U.S. military operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who retired last year amid growing scrutiny over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on boats accused of drug smuggling.
White-gloved Cuban soldiers carried urns containing the remains of 32 military officers into the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in Havana on Thursday, completing a repatriation that the Cuban government marked as one of the most significant mass funerals on the island in half a century. The officers were killed on Jan. 3 during a U.S. raid on the Caracas residence of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was seized and transported to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. Tens of thousands of Cubans lined streets to pay their respects as President Miguel Díaz-Canel and former President Raúl Castro attended the ceremony.
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala President Bernardo Arévalo said Thursday his country is focused on maintaining a "good" relationship with the United States while working to uphold international law and peaceful dispute resolution, an approach he described as increasingly urgent following the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state of the union address Thursday to call for opening the country's state-run oil industry to foreign investment and to advocate for resuming diplomatic ties with the United States, less than two weeks after Washington captured and ousted former President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal at the White House on Thursday, describing the gesture as recognition of his "unique commitment" to Venezuelan freedom — even as the White House said the meeting had not changed Trump's assessment of her political viability. The two-and-a-half-hour meeting produced no public commitment from Trump on a timeline for elections in Venezuela, where interim President Delcy Rodríguez continues to govern with U.S. cooperation.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday in a gesture she described as recognition of his role in ousting Nicolás Maduro. Trump confirmed on social media that he accepted the medal, calling the meeting "an honor." Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House before heading to Capitol Hill, where senators who met with her said she received no commitment from the administration on holding elections in Venezuela.
Stephen Miller, the White House chief of staff for policy, told CNN in January that world affairs are "governed by strength, governed by force, governed by power," articulating the ideological framework the Trump administration has applied to its military operation in Venezuela, its push to acquire Greenland, and its domestic immigration enforcement crackdown. "These are the iron laws of the world," Miller told CNN anchor Jake Tapper.
The Trump administration said Tuesday that multiple Americans detained in Venezuela have been released, after a U.S. operation earlier this month that captured President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department said it welcomes the releases, without providing exact numbers. A Venezuela human rights group, Foro Penal, said it confirmed dozens of political detainees had been freed, while Venezuela’s government disputed the count and did not provide evidence or identities.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is "inclined" to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after the oil company's chief executive declared the country "uninvestable" during a White House meeting with energy executives on Friday. Trump made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida.
More than 770,000 Venezuelans living in the United States greeted the Trump administration's removal of President Nicolás Maduro this week with a mix of celebration and apprehension. In interviews from New York City to Utah to Florida, Venezuelan migrants described feelings that, as Miami advocate Alejandra Salima put it, "seesaw between joy and trepidation." Maduro's ouster is "a first step, but we're nervous," said Salima, who fled Venezuela three years ago with her son and now assists other Venezuelans at the Miami office of the National TPS Alliance.
Venezuelan authorities had freed 49 political prisoners as of Monday afternoon, according to Caracas-based advocacy group Foro Penal, a trickle of releases that left hundreds of families camped on prison sidewalks hoping for more. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez's government pledged last week to free a significant number of detainees as a goodwill gesture to "seek peace," but officials have not named or enumerated those being considered. Human rights organizations say more than 800 people are held in Venezuela for political reasons.
A federal judge in Manhattan on Monday rejected a former senior Justice Department official's attempt to insert himself into the legal defense of ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, ruling the attorney had no authority to do so without Maduro's direct approval. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that attorney Bruce Fein had "no legal basis" to join Maduro's drug trafficking case, reversing an earlier approval after Maduro's retained lawyer produced a statement from the deposed leader himself denying any knowledge of Fein. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, remain held without bail at a federal jail in Brooklyn, where they await a March 17 court date on charges they have pleaded not guilty to.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after Exxon’s chief raised skepticism about oil-investment plans there. Trump spoke aboard Air Force One as he left West Palm Beach, Florida, according to the Associated Press.
Scores of families in Venezuela have begun registering relatives they say are “political prisoners” after the government’s promised release of detainees following the Jan. 3 U.S.-linked capture of President Nicolás Maduro, according to prisoner advocates and human rights monitors. For many, the reopening of outreach comes too late: police officer Edilson Torres died in detention in December and was buried in his hometown in Guanare this week.
LIMA, Peru — Officials from Washington to Lima urged millions of Venezuelan migrants this week to return home following the ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro, but the diaspora — numbering nearly 7 million across Latin America, according to United Nations-coordinated tracking data — showed little appetite for leaving the lives they have built abroad. Venezuela's economy remains in ruins, the government that presided over mass displacement continues to govern, and for many, the political shift has not yet cleared a path home. "You've got to keep an eye on it, know what's going on, but not lose hope," said Yanelis Torres, a 22-year-old graphic designer in Lima who spent the days after Maduro's capture filling orders for T-shirts featuring his image overlaid with phrases like "Game Over."
President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a fresh ultimatum to Cuba's communist government, demanding Havana strike an unspecified "deal" with Washington and declaring that no more Venezuelan oil or money would reach the island — days after the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro severed the oil lifeline Cuba had depended on for years. Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected the demand hours later, accusing the United States of lacking moral authority to criticize his government.
An anonymous trader collected more than $400,000 from prediction market platform Polymarket after wagering that former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would fall from power, the Associated Press reported. The bulk of those bets were placed just hours before President Donald Trump announced a surprise nighttime U.S. military raid that resulted in Maduro's capture, AP reported, fueling online suspicions of potential insider trading. Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres on Friday introduced a bill aimed at restricting government employees from trading on politically related event contracts — the first legislative response to the episode, according to AP.
Venezuela released dozens of prisoners in a goodwill effort, but families of detainees outside prisons in Caracas said releases have come only “in a trickle.” By Monday afternoon, the rights group Foro Penal had verified the release of 49 prisoners, as the U.N.-backed fact-finding mission said the numbers “falls far short” of calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
A federal judge on Monday rejected an attempt by attorney Bruce Fein to join the defense team for ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s drug trafficking case. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said Fein had “no legal basis” to represent Maduro unless Maduro personally retained him.
President Donald Trump said Sunday he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after the company’s top executive raised concerns about oil investment plans following the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro. Trump made the remark aboard Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida, after a Friday meeting with oil executives.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday to prevent Venezuelan oil revenues held by the United States from being seized in judicial proceedings. The order declares the funds to be Venezuelan property held for 'governmental and diplomatic purposes' and not subject to private claims — a new legal instrument layered onto the administration's broader effort to control Venezuela's oil industry.
HAVANA — U.S. forces seized their fifth Venezuela-linked oil tanker on Friday as part of a broader administration push to control Venezuelan oil distribution globally, intensifying fears among experts and residents that Cuba's already battered economy may not survive a full cutoff of Venezuelan crude. Cuba had been receiving an estimated 35,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela before the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro, according to Jorge Piñón of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, who tracks shipments using oil tracking services and satellite technology.
Venezuela's government freed 16 people imprisoned for political reasons over three days following its Thursday pledge to release a significant number of detainees in what officials described as a gesture to "seek peace," according to Foro Penal, a Venezuelan advocacy group for prisoners. Eight hundred and four political prisoners remained imprisoned as of Saturday night, Foro Penal said. Officials had not identified or given a number of prisoners being considered for release, leaving rights groups and families waiting outside prisons in Caracas and other communities with little information.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute said Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be revoked, transferred, or shared with other recipients, closing off Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado's expressed wish to give or share her award with President Donald Trump. "The decision is final and stands for all time," the institute said in a brief statement issued from Oslo.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute said Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize, once announced, cannot be revoked, transferred or shared with others—closing the door on talk that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado could give or share her recent award with President Donald Trump. The comment came after Machado said she would like to pass the prize to Trump and called his role in capturing Nicolás Maduro “historic.”
A trader at Polymarket reportedly pocketed more than $400,000 after betting that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would soon be out of office, drawing renewed attention to prediction markets. The bets were placed hours before President Donald Trump announced a nighttime raid that led to Maduro’s capture, according to the report.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at protecting revenue from Venezuelan oil that the U.S. is holding from being seized in U.S. judicial proceedings, the White House said. The order was made public Saturday as Trump met with U.S. oil executives, including ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, in Florida.
President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Cuba to “make a deal” after Nicolás Maduro was deposed in Venezuela, as Cuba faces a cut-off from Venezuelan oil shipments amid U.S. operations targeting Venezuelan crude. Trump said Cuba had long relied on Venezuelan “oil and money” and posted that there would be “ZERO” further support. Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, responded that those who “turn everything into a business, even human lives” have “no moral authority” to criticize Cuba.
Venezuelans who fled across Latin America are watching closely what comes next after U.S. forces deposed Venezuela’s president, with officials in Washington and in countries such as Peru urging some to return. Many say the decision is complicated by the state of Venezuela’s economy, legal uncertainty in host countries and concerns about security forces and food scarcity at home.
Venezuelan government releases of detainees continued into a third day on Saturday, after the government pledged a goodwill effort to free political prisoners. Families gathered outside prisons in Caracas and other cities hoping loved ones would be among those released.
China holds at least $10 billion in outstanding loans from Venezuela backed by crude oil, according to analysts, setting up a potential conflict with the Trump administration's plan to assert direct control over Venezuelan oil sales. Two Chinese state-owned enterprises — China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec — are entitled to 4.4 billion barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves under contracts signed with the government of former President Nicolás Maduro, the highest share for any foreign country, according to a Morgan Stanley research note. The competing claims emerge as Trump is expected to travel to Beijing in April to protect a trade truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping, creating pressure on the administration to avoid turning Venezuela into a diplomatic flashpoint, analysts said.
A dispute erupted in Manhattan federal court over who has authority to represent former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in his drug trafficking case, days after Maduro's arraignment on charges alleging he worked with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States. Defense attorney Barry Pollack, who sat with Maduro at his arraignment, filed a declaration Thursday with Manhattan federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein asking that lawyer Bruce Fein be removed from the court docket as Maduro's representative. Pollack said Maduro "does not know Mr. Fein and has not communicated with Mr. Fein, much less retained him, authorized him to enter an appearance, or otherwise hold himself out as representing Mr. Maduro."
Venezuela released high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists, the government said Thursday, describing the move as a bid to “seek peace.” The releases came less than a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces to face drug-trafficking charges, Associated Press reported.
Venezuela released a number of imprisoned opposition leaders, activists, and foreign nationals Thursday in what the government described as a gesture to "seek peace," less than a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces to face federal drug-trafficking charges. U.S. President Donald Trump said the releases came at his administration's request, telling Fox News that the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez had been "great" and given the United States "everything we've wanted."
The Senate advanced a war powers resolution 52-47 on Thursday, with five Republicans joining Democrats to require congressional approval before President Donald Trump can conduct further military operations against Venezuela. The vote, which ensures a final-passage debate next week, came days after U.S. forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a surprise overnight raid.
The Associated Press photographer Matias Delacroix said an armed woman on the back of a motorcycle in Caracas reminded him of a well-known photograph from the 1990s. Delacroix described how he shot the image in the aftermath of U.S. strikes that ended with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Days after former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arraigned on drug trafficking charges, a dispute has surfaced over which lawyer will represent him in Manhattan federal court. Defense attorney Barry J. Pollack accused Bruce Fein of seeking to join the case without authorization, while Fein told Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein that a judge asked him on Friday to help resolve the representation issue.
President Donald Trump’s effort to assert control over Venezuela’s oil could collide with China’s debt and oil-linked claims built into contracts signed years ago, according to an Associated Press report. The potential friction comes as U.S. officials move to seize and manage sanctioned tankers and begin sales of Venezuelan crude, while China seeks to protect economic ties after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.
The Associated Press reports President Donald Trump has linked a U.S. military raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to a broader message of American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. In the days since the operation, Trump has also pressed allies and neighbors, raised pressure on Venezuela’s interim government, and cited American preeminence in the region.
Marines and Navy sailors boarded another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration targets vessels carrying oil to and from Venezuela. The Pentagon said the vessel, named Olina, was seized after a predawn raid launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, with the Coast Guard then taking control of the ship.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime Florida Republican, has emerged as a key point person for President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, aides say, including in the U.S. operation that ousted Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. In private briefings and public remarks, Rubio has sought to temper more bombastic rhetoric while advancing the administration’s plans for Venezuela and addressing concerns about statements on Greenland.
President Donald Trump on Friday urged oil executives to invest in Venezuela, telling them they would have “total safety” after the U.S. military raid that captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The White House meeting sought to draw major oil companies toward projects that, the administration said, could help secure roughly $100 billion in investment to repair Venezuela’s infrastructure and tap its petroleum reserves.
As the U.S. pressures Venezuela after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro, environmental experts are warning that Washington’s push to revamp and boost Venezuela’s oil production could worsen pollution and increase planet-warming emissions. They cite the heavy, “very dense, very sloppy” nature of the crude, decaying infrastructure, high methane and flaring rates, and a history of spills that have left ecosystems in fragile regions struggling to recover.
Following President Donald Trump's use of military force to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the administration moved to access Venezuela's oil reserves — announcing the country would provide 30 to 50 million barrels of crude to the United States and selectively removing sanctions to enable Venezuelan oil sales worldwide. Venezuela holds an estimated 303 billion barrels of crude oil, about 17% of the world's supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But analysts and industry experts say the country's decimated infrastructure, severe brain drain, and uncertain political future pose enormous obstacles to any rapid expansion of production.
At 2:05 a.m. on Jan. 7, as American airstrikes shook eastern Caracas, Associated Press photographer Matías Delacroix ran toward the explosions with his camera. Mariana Camargo, 21, ran the other way. Their crossing paths produced one of the first images of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela: Camargo in a white shirt and jeans, sprinting through the street, fear and urgency on her face, friends running behind her. The photograph appeared on the front pages and websites of major media outlets worldwide.
Faith leaders across South Florida and Philadelphia ministered to Venezuelan diaspora communities on Sunday as congregations grappled with conflicting emotions a day after the U.S. military capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While many in the diaspora took to the streets waving flags in celebration, others face deep anxiety about their immigration status following the Trump administration's cancellation of two federal programs that together had allowed more than 700,000 Venezuelans to live and work legally in the United States.
The Trump administration on Wednesday seized two more sanctioned oil tankers carrying Venezuelan petroleum and announced plans to selectively lift sanctions to oversee the global sale of Venezuela's oil — moves that administration officials said would give the United States control over proceeds from the world's largest proven crude reserves. The tankers, the Bella 1 seized in the North Atlantic and the M Sophia captured in the Caribbean Sea, join at least two others taken by U.S. forces last month.
Venezuela's opposition leaders find themselves largely in exile or prison days after the U.S. military operation that seized President Nicolás Maduro, with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez governing in his stead after the Trump administration declined to back the country's recognized opposition leadership. Maduro, removed from his home on a military base in Caracas on Saturday and transferred to New York on federal drug trafficking charges, has been succeeded not by opposition figures but by members of his own administration.
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela's military held a state funeral Wednesday in the capital for some of the dozens of soldiers killed during the U.S. operation that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro four days earlier. Military orchestral music accompanied families and uniformed officers as they marched behind flag-draped wooden caskets at a cemetery on the capital's south side, where the dead were honored with a gun salute.
A 21-year-old woman in eastern Caracas, Mariana Camargo, said she ran through the streets when explosions erupted during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela. The Associated Press photographer Matías Delacroix captured images during the night, including a photo of Camargo sprinting while people behind her also ran.
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, has said the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro is a “complete violation of international law and Venezuelan law.” The remark came after a Saturday capture that prompted President Donald Trump to praise Rodríguez while also warning that the ruling party must be kept in check and that the United States should gain “total access” to Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Nicolás Maduro’s first U.S. court hearing began a legal process that could keep the deposed Venezuelan leader and his wife in custody for years, prosecutors and a judge said in court on Monday, Jan. 6. Maduro and Cilia Flores were arraigned in New York on drug trafficking charges days after U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home, according to court proceedings described by The Associated Press.
The U.S. Senate advanced a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, setting up a vote next week on final passage. Democrats and five Republicans backed the measure on a 52-47 vote, a step that sounded disapproval of what lawmakers described as expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
A 21-year-old Venezuelan woman sprinting through eastern Caracas at 2:05 a.m., white shirt, cellphone in hand, fear on her face — that image, captured by Associated Press photographer Matías Delacroix as U.S. military strikes erupted over Venezuela's capital, appeared on the front pages and websites of news outlets around the world within hours of the operation. The woman in the frame was Mariana Camargo, out with friends when the explosions began. Delacroix had awakened to the same rumbling, grabbed his camera, and run toward the blasts as she ran from them.
Delcy Rodríguez, sworn in Monday as Venezuela's interim president after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, built part of her political prominence through a 2017 effort to court the incoming Trump administration — including directing Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, to donate $500,000 to Trump's inauguration, according to an Associated Press investigation drawing on interviews with 10 former U.S. and Venezuelan officials. The charm offensive failed to shift U.S. policy toward Venezuela, but it raised Rodríguez's profile in American business and political circles and helped pave the way for her current role as Washington's primary interlocutor in Caracas.
President Donald Trump has made broad but vague assertions that the United States will "run" Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, while providing almost no details about how that governance would work, raising concerns among former diplomats and some lawmakers about the administration's level of planning. Seemingly contradictory public statements from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have left unclear whether the U.S. now controls Venezuela's levers of power or intends to allow Maduro's subordinates to remain in leadership positions. Current U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were not aware of any preparations for a military occupation or interim civilian governing authority.
Americans are roughly evenly split on whether U.S. military forces should have been sent to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but nearly half oppose the United States taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government there, according to an Associated Press analysis of recent polls. The surveys, conducted before and immediately after the military operation, found that most Americans had entered 2026 wanting Washington focused on domestic concerns — health care and the cost of living — and that almost no one had named Venezuela as a government priority.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday thanked news organizations for withholding advance knowledge of last weekend's U.S. military strike in Venezuela, saying their restraint protected American lives. The acknowledgment marked a rare moment of praise for the press from an administration that has otherwise been at war with mainstream news outlets, particularly over access to the Pentagon.
Nicolás Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, appeared Monday in federal court in New York City and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges carrying potential life sentences, days after U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a nighttime raid. Maduro told the judge, in Spanish through an interpreter, that he remains Venezuela's president and that his capture was a kidnapping; he declared himself a prisoner of war. Their next court hearing before Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York is scheduled for March 17.
Cuba's government on Tuesday published the names, ranks and ages of 32 military officers killed during the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, announcing two days of national mourning. The deceased — drawn from Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces and Ministry of the Interior — ranged in age from 26 to 60 and included colonels, lieutenants, majors, captains and reserve soldiers, according to Cuban state media, which published individual headshots showing the officers in olive-green military uniforms.
Trump supporters interviewed across five states by The Associated Press said they generally approved of the U.S. military's seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but their response was more measured than President Donald Trump's claim that voters were uniformly "thrilled." Trump said those who "voted for me are thrilled. They said, 'This is what we voted for.'" The voters AP journalists interviewed in the days after the raid — conducted without congressional authorization — described a more conditional reaction.
THE HAGUE — The U.S. military's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at a military base in Caracas has drawn condemnation from governments across four continents, with critics warning Monday that the operation sets a dangerous precedent for the erosion of international law. Maduro appeared in a New York federal court on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges as the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session on the legality of the mission.
The emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday drew criticism and defense of a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro, with allies and adversaries of the United States both using the session to argue over international law. Denmark’s U.N. ambassador said the inviolability of borders is “not up for negotiation,” while U.S. envoy Mike Waltz defended what he called a “surgical law enforcement operation.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” that rules of international law were not respected in the Jan. 3 operation.
Cuba’s government lowered flags Monday to mourn 32 security officers it said were killed in a U.S. weekend strike in Venezuela, its closest ally, as residents in Havana questioned what President Nicolás Maduro’s detention will mean. The Associated Press reported that Cuba and Venezuela have been tightly linked through shared security arrangements and Venezuela’s oil shipments, which help sustain the island’s struggling economy.
Cuba’s government said Sunday that an American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, calling it the first official death count of the strikes. In a statement read on Cuban state television, Cuba said the officers were on a mission the Venezuelan government had asked Cuba to carry out.
Delcy Rodríguez became Venezuela’s interim president after Nicolás Maduro was captured in a U.S. nighttime military operation, according to the Associated Press. Venezuela’s high court ordered her to assume the interim role Saturday, and the leader was backed by the military, AP reported. Rodríguez, who has served as Maduro’s vice president, offered “to collaborate” with the Trump administration in remarks that signaled a possible shift in relations between the two governments.
Americans’ early reactions to a U.S. military operation in Venezuela suggest broad skepticism about further U.S. involvement, according to polling analyzed by The Associated Press. The AP-NORC survey found about one-quarter of U.S. adults prioritized foreign policy topics for 2026, while the Washington Post and SSRS poll found roughly 4 in 10 approved of using the U.S. military to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and 45% opposed the U.S. taking control of Venezuela.
An Associated Press fact check found that misrepresented videos and fabricated images circulated widely online soon after the U.S. removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from public view. The review also said President Donald Trump shared some of the misleading posts, including videos that were edited or taken out of context.
Nicolás Maduro appeared in a U.S. federal court in Manhattan on Monday to plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges, his first court appearance since he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their Caracas home last weekend. During the hearing, Maduro told the judge, in Spanish, “I was captured,” and later asked for a plea of “innocent” while a federal judge asked whether he was Nicolás Maduro Moros.
Mexico will not send additional oil shipments to Cuba, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday, even as the United States moves to seize Venezuelan oil and the Trump administration hardens its stance toward Havana. Speaking in Mexico City, Sheinbaum said exports are not increasing beyond historical levels, though she did not provide figures on the number of barrels.
U.S. energy shares rose sharply Monday after President Donald Trump said the United States would take control of Venezuela’s oil industry. The move, the U.S. said it plans following its capture of President Nicolás Maduro, raised expectations that American companies could help revive Venezuela’s oil sector and reshape energy markets.
Colombia President Gustavo Petro held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday after escalating threats between the two governments over Venezuela, and Petro told supporters that he asked to reopen direct communication. Thousands of Colombians gathered in public squares across the country to “defend national sovereignty” amid growing alarm about Trump’s military rhetoric, according to the Associated Press.
President Donald Trump publicly celebrated the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 5, hours before Maduro was taken through the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New York, a move that left Latin America divided. Across the region, right-wing leaders portrayed the raid as a victory, while left-wing presidents called it dangerous or unlawful, and warned it could destabilize the hemisphere.
President Donald Trump’s administration said it seized two sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers and outlined plans to relax some sanctions so U.S. authorities can oversee the sale of Venezuelan petroleum worldwide. The administration said the move follows a surprise nighttime raid that ousted Nicolás Maduro and that it intends to route oil “in and out of Venezuela” only through channels approved under U.S. law and national security interests.
President Donald Trump has said the United States will “run” Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro is ousted, but has offered few details about how a transition would work, according to questions raised by former officials and sanctions advisers. In remarks over the weekend, Trump’s statements and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments appeared to diverge on whether the U.S. would take direct control or rely on existing tools such as sanctions. The uncertainty, some former diplomats said, has added to concern about what planning exists for the country’s next phase.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would provide 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States at a market price, and he pledged to use proceeds from any sale “to benefit the people” of both countries. He also said the White House will hold a meeting Friday with U.S. oil executives to discuss Venezuela.
President Donald Trump’s supporters interviewed by The Associated Press reacted with a mix of praise and caution to the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from a military base, according to interviews published Monday. Some said they were thrilled by the operation’s speed, while others said they were wary of what the move could cost the United States.
The lightning U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being seen by analysts as both a strategic help and a political complication for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, according to an Associated Press account. The story comes as Russia tries to position the United States’ moves in Venezuela alongside its own war in Ukraine, and as U.S. diplomacy on Ukraine enters a pivotal stage.
Venezuelan Christians in the United States have been holding prayer services and urging calm as uncertainty grows after the U.S. capture of deposed leader Nicolás Maduro, Associated Press reported. In South Florida, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said many people are “happy” to see Maduro out but still anxious about what comes next.
Venezuela’s military held a funeral in Caracas on Wednesday for dozens of soldiers killed in a U.S. operation that Venezuela said captured former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The ceremony came a day after acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a seven-day mourning period for the slain officers, according to the report.
Venezuelan lawmakers on Monday swore in Delcy Rodríguez as interim president after the weekend arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, as the government moved to project that it is being run independently. Rodríguez, a former vice president, was sworn in in Caracas to lead until a National Assembly term scheduled to run through 2031. The swearing-in followed Maduro’s first court appearance in the United States over federal drug-trafficking charges used to justify the arrest.
Venezuela’s opposition has been sidelined after Nicolás Maduro was seized by U.S. forces and put in jail in New York on drug trafficking charges, leaving leaders of his administration in control, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. allowed Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control, sidelining most opposition figures who are either in exile or imprisoned, the AP reported. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, including in her praise of President Donald Trump, has become less influential at home, AP said.
Wall Street opened the first full week of the year higher, with energy stocks leading gains as U.S. crude prices rose after forces captured Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to 6,902.05, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average set a new record.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior U.S. officials briefed congressional leaders behind closed doors Monday on a military operation in Venezuela, as lawmakers raised questions about what comes next and what role U.S. forces may play. Republicans largely backed President Donald Trump’s decision to forcibly remove Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, while Democrats left with concerns and calls for clarity. The briefing preceded a Senate vote this week on a war powers resolution that would bar U.S. military action in Venezuela without congressional approval.
President Donald Trump announced a “large scale strike” in Venezuela on Jan. 3, saying U.S. forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and would bring him to New York for court proceedings. Maduro later appeared in a U.S. courtroom and pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges, according to the Justice Department’s indictment.
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session Monday as countries ranging from traditional U.S. allies to long-standing rivals condemned the Jan. 3 American military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and transported him to New York to face federal narco-terrorism charges. Maduro declared his innocence during his first appearance in a Manhattan federal courthouse the same day.
Nicolás Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom Monday and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges, declaring himself a "kidnapped president" and demanding to be returned to Venezuela. The deposed leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night military operation Saturday and flown to New York under heavy security. Their court appearance marks what federal prosecutors say is the most consequential U.S. prosecution of a foreign head of state in decades.
Fabricated and misrepresented images purporting to show Venezuelan celebrations and Nicolás Maduro's arrest spread widely across social media in the days following the U.S. military's capture of the Venezuelan leader, the Associated Press reported Monday. President Donald Trump amplified at least two of the false videos on Truth Social, falsely claiming both showed Venezuelans celebrating Maduro's removal.
Energy stocks led Wall Street to broad gains Monday as investors priced in the potential for American oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry following the U.S. military capture of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend. Halliburton surged 7.8%, Chevron jumped 5.1%, and Exxon Mobil rose 2.2% — among the session's strongest performers. U.S. crude oil prices climbed 1.7% to $58.32 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average set an all-time record, climbing 594.79 points, or 1.2%, to 48,977.18. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 6,902.05, just below its own record set in late December. The Nasdaq composite closed at 23,395.82, up 0.7%. Smaller company stocks outpaced the broader indexes, with the Russell 2000 rising 1.6%.
Shares of major U.S. energy companies rose broadly Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela's oil industry, saying American companies would lead a revitalization of the sector following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Oilfield services firms posted the steepest gains, while refiners and major explorers also moved higher at the opening bell.
Cuba's government said Sunday that 32 Cuban military and police officers were killed in a U.S. military operation in Venezuela the previous day, providing the first official death count from American strikes in the South American nation. The officers were on a mission the Cuban military was carrying out at the request of Venezuela's government, according to a statement read on Cuban state television Sunday night.
Nicolás Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom Monday, pleading not guilty to narcotics trafficking charges and declaring "I was captured" as he protested what he called his illegal removal from Venezuela. The hearing marked his first public appearance since U.S. forces extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their Caracas home in an overnight military operation Saturday. Both defendants appeared in leg shackles and prison clothing, using headsets to follow English-language proceedings translated into Spanish.
Cuba published names, ranks and ages of 32 Cuban military personnel it said were killed during a U.S. strike in Venezuela, announcing two days of mourning starting Tuesday. U.S. Ambassador Leandro Rizzuto told the Organization of American States the operation was a targeted law enforcement action against an “indicted criminal,” and he said the U.S. did not invade Venezuela.
Nicolás Maduro appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Monday and told the judge, “Fui capturado,” as he pleaded not guilty to U.S. federal drug-trafficking charges tied to Venezuela. Maduro, who said he was seized illegally at his Caracas home, also identified himself in court as “el presidente constitucional de mi país,” according to a Spanish translation provided during the hearing.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration thanked some news organizations for learning in advance about a Saturday military operation in Venezuela and for not reporting on it before it happened. Rubio made the remarks on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, after President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured. The remarks came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed restrictive press rules for Pentagon reporters.
The United States says it captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro through a legal, military action, a move that has drawn unease from U.N. officials and European and other leaders about the future of international rules. U.N. Undersecretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo told the Security Council that international peace depends on states’ continued commitment to the U.N. Charter, as Maduro faced charges after his removal from power.
Donald Trump’s government said the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro was legal and tied it to fighting illegal drug cartels, prompting concern from other countries and UN officials about whether it respects the UN Charter. On Monday, the UN Security Council heard remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo, who said international peace and security depend on states adhering to all UN Charter provisions. European and other officials warned the action could weaken the international legal order governing the use of force.
Venezuelans in South Florida celebrated the U.S. military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, chanting “liberty” and draping Venezuelan flags on Saturday in Doral. The festivities followed a U.S. announcement that the country would be run at least temporarily by the American government.
Revelers in South Florida gathered in Doral on Saturday to celebrate what they described as the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, chanting “Liberty” and draping themselves in Venezuelan flags as they watched word spread that he had been flown out of the country.
Energy analysts and oil industry experts said Saturday that President Donald Trump's plan to revitalize Venezuela's oil industry following the U.S. military seizure of President Nicolás Maduro faces a years-long rebuilding timeline and approximately $100 billion in required investment before production could return to historic levels — and that global oil markets are unlikely to feel an immediate impact.
President Donald Trump's military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and transport him to New York to face criminal charges drew initial Republican support Sunday, but exposed fractures within the party over whether the intervention abandons the 'America First' philosophy central to Trump's political rise. Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said his supporters were behind the mission. "They said this is what we voted for," he told reporters.
President Donald Trump pledged Sunday to have the United States "direct" Venezuela and oversee a transition of power following a U.S. military operation the previous day that resulted in the overnight seizure and extradition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump described the action as "one of the most impressive, effective and powerful demonstrations of American military might and competence in the history of the United States." Trump offered few details about how the United States would govern Venezuela, saying his administration must remain "very involved" while promising Venezuelan oil revenues would repay U.S. costs. "The money that comes out of the ground is very substantial," he said. "They're going to reimburse us for everything we spend."
An anxious quiet settled over Venezuela's capital on Sunday, the day after a U.S. military operation seized President Nicolás Maduro and transferred him to New York for a Monday court appearance. Stores, restaurants and churches across Caracas remained closed. Those who ventured out appeared shell-shocked, staring at phones or into the distance. "People are still shaken," said David Leal, 77, who arrived for work as a parking attendant to find the streets deserted near Venezuela's presidential palace.
Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's deposed president, was scheduled to appear before a New York federal judge Monday to face U.S. drug trafficking charges, setting up a legal battle over sovereign immunity that experts said echoes — and will likely follow — the failed defense mounted by Panama's Manuel Noriega more than three decades ago. Maduro was captured Saturday, 36 years to the day after Noriega was taken into U.S. custody. His lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest by arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. Legal experts said that argument is unlikely to succeed and was largely settled in Noriega's trial.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was brought before a Manhattan federal court Monday following a U.S. military operation that seized him in Caracas the previous day, as prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing him of running a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the United States with thousands of tons of cocaine. His wife, Cilia Flores, was captured alongside him and faces charges in the same case. Maduro was expected to be held at a federal jail in Brooklyn pending trial.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro arrived Saturday night at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York — a federal jail that some judges have refused to use due to documented violence, infrastructure failures, and chronic staffing problems, according to the Associated Press. A crowd of Venezuelan expatriates, many draped in their country's flag, gathered outside the facility to celebrate, cheering as the law enforcement motorcade believed to be carrying Maduro and his wife pulled in.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought Sunday to reassure critics that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day following the military seizure of former leader Nicolás Maduro, even as President Donald Trump insisted Washington was "in charge" of the oil-rich nation. Rubio said the U.S. would enforce an existing oil quarantine on sanctioned tankers and use that leverage to press policy changes in Caracas. Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One en route from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, said of Venezuela: "We're going to run it, fix it."
President Donald Trump on Saturday declared a U.S. military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela a success and pledged that his administration would "run" the country through a transition period, according to the Associated Press. At a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump called the operation "one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history."
The Trump administration seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an overnight military operation Friday, transporting him and his wife aboard a U.S. warship to New York to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, the Associated Press reported. A surprise U.S. incursion rocked the Venezuelan capital with explosions before dawn, and the administration declared it would "run" the South American country — raising sharp legal questions about the scope of executive war powers and the absence of congressional authorization for what some scholars said now constitutes an undeclared war.
U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in an overnight raid on his Caracas compound, President Donald Trump announced Saturday at his Florida home, describing a covert operation months in the making that removed a sitting head of state from office and delivered him to a U.S. warship. Trump said Maduro and Flores would face criminal charges in New York and declared that the United States would "run" Venezuela until a new leader can be chosen.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday it was still searching the eastern Pacific Ocean for people who jumped off alleged drug-smuggling boats when the U.S. military attacked the vessels days earlier, with harsh weather and the passage of time sharply diminishing the likelihood that anyone survived. The search began Tuesday afternoon after the military notified the Coast Guard that survivors were in the water roughly 400 miles southwest of the border between Mexico and Guatemala.
A U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday triggered the cancellation of hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean, grounding nearly 60 percent of departures from San Juan's international airport and stranding holiday travelers across nearly two dozen island destinations. The Federal Aviation Administration imposed airspace restrictions following the operation, halting all commercial airline traffic over Venezuela. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday night the restrictions would end at midnight Eastern time, allowing airlines to resume normal operations Sunday.
President Donald Trump made false claims about the lethal impact of drug-boat strikes and Washington, D.C., homicide rates at a Saturday news conference called to explain the U.S. military raid that extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to an Associated Press fact-check published January 3, 2026. Trump's assertions — that each intercepted vessel prevents 25,000 American deaths, and that the capital had seen no killings in six or seven months — contradict federal data and Metropolitan Police Department records.
Nicolás Maduro, deposed Venezuelan leader, is expected to appear in a New York courtroom on Monday to face U.S. drug charges, with his lawyers likely to argue he is immune from prosecution. The legal challenge is set to revive a debate over whether foreign leaders have immunity when the United States asserts jurisdiction after an arrest.
The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment charging Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and others with drug-trafficking and weapons-related offenses, according to newly filed court documents. The indictment, unsealed Saturday, accuses Maduro of running a “corrupt, illegitimate government” supported by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that brought thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States, the government alleges.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the Bureau of Prisons said, according to an Associated Press report published Sunday. The AP described MDC Brooklyn as a facility some judges have refused to use, and said it currently holds about 1,300 inmates.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day beyond enforcing an existing “oil quarantine,” even as President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. would be “in charge” after a military operation that ousted Nicolás Maduro. Speaking as Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez urged the U.S. to collaborate, Rubio described using oil-related leverage to press for changes in Venezuela.
Anxious quiet settled over Caracas on Sunday after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation early Saturday, with many people slow to resume routines and unable to absorb what comes next. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined competing signals about what Washington plans to do, as Venezuelan officials shifted duties to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, whom the high court named interim president.
President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and seek American investment is unlikely to cause a major change in global oil prices in the near term, analysts said. Venezuela’s output is about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day, and rebuilding the sector after years of sanctions and neglect would likely take years, analysts said.
President Donald Trump called the military operation that overthrew Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday a “great success,” while offering a vague plan for how his administration would “direct” Venezuela until a leadership transition can be carried out. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said the action was among the “most impressive, effective and powerful” demonstrations of U.S. military capability in the country’s history.
President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela will pose a test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during an election year, the Associated Press reports. The AP said there were early signs of unease among Republicans after Trump’s mission to bring Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to New York to face criminal charges.
President Donald Trump cited the Monroe Doctrine as partial justification for a U.S. operation that led to the arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, a maxim that has shaped American foreign policy for more than two centuries. In remarks Saturday, Trump also quipped about the doctrine, calling it “the Don-roe Doctrine,” and defended the move as an effort to strengthen U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere.
U.S. forces conducted what the Trump administration called a "large-scale strike" across Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and placing them aboard a U.S. warship bound for New York to face criminal charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi said both had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges related to a narco-terrorism conspiracy. The operation ended months of escalating U.S. military action that included more than 35 strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in Caribbean and Pacific waters, killing at least 115 people, according to administration announcements.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during an attack by U.S. forces on Caracas. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, later said the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores were still unknown. Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, said Maduro and Flores would face charges in New York.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States carried out the overnight operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him to the United States after a mission he described as “Absolute Resolve.” Speaking at a news conference in Florida, Trump said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were transported by helicopter to a U.S. warship and then to New York to face charges, while U.S. forces rehearsed for months and waited for weather conditions to enter Caracas.
Trump repeated several claims he has made before while discussing a U.S. raid aimed at extracting Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, according to an Associated Press fact check published Saturday. In a lengthy news conference, President Donald Trump also praised U.S. military activity and U.S. National Guard deployments, while at times veering into other topics, the fact check said.
Horas después de una operación militar en Venezuela que Estados Unidos usó para sacar al presidente Nicolás Maduro del país, el presidente Donald Trump dijo que Estados Unidos administraría Venezuela al menos temporalmente y explotaría sus vastas reservas de petróleo. La operación ocurrió durante la madrugada del sábado, según el relato de Trump y de funcionarios venezolanos, y culminó con el traslado de Maduro —capturado junto con su esposa— hacia Estados Unidos.
President Donald Trump said Saturday’s military operation that led to the ouster of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was a major success, and he offered a vague plan for his administration “to run” Venezuela until a transition can take place. Trump spoke at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, as governments and lawmakers in multiple countries voiced concerns about legality and stability.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday it is still searching for people who jumped from alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific after a U.S. military attack days earlier, with the odds of finding survivors diminishing. The search began Tuesday afternoon for people reported to be in the water about 400 miles (650 kilometers) southwest of the Mexico-Guatemala border.
A U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country early Saturday disrupted air travel across parts of the eastern Caribbean during the New Year holiday weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions, and major airlines canceled hundreds of flights to and from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba and other destinations.
The Trump administration’s capture of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and its assertion that it will “run” the country are raising new questions about the legality of U.S. actions and how any future operations would be carried out, legal experts said. Maduro was transported with his wife on a U.S. warship to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges in New York after a surprise incursion in Caracas, according to reporting.
Venezuelans scrambled on Saturday to understand who was in control of their country after the U.S. military captured President Nicolás Maduro, removing the Venezuelan leader who had survived a failed coup, mutinies, protests and sanctions. In Caracas, fears spread quickly as streets emptied and residents lined up for basic goods, while President Donald Trump said the United States would take control of Venezuela.
U.S. forces carried out a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela on Saturday that captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removed them from a military base. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores were then taken aboard a U.S. warship bound for New York to face criminal charges.
The U.S. military said it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing eight people as others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, said the attacks occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it did not disclose where.
U.S. officials have not publicly acknowledged a drone strike at a Venezuelan docking area that President Donald Trump linked to drug trafficking, but two people familiar with the operation told The Associated Press that the CIA carried it out. The strike, reported as the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September, is believed to target a site used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to the AP report.
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four firms operating in Venezuela’s oil sector and designated four additional oil tankers that it said are part of a shadow fleet serving President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The Treasury Department said the firms and tankers are now “blocked property,” limiting their ability to access assets held in the United States.
President Donald Trump said the United States “hit” a dockside facility in Venezuela where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up,” escalating his pressure campaign on President Nicolás Maduro. Trump offered few specifics, including not confirming whether U.S. forces carried out the strike or where it occurred.
The U.S. military said it conducted another strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people, according to the Pentagon’s Southern Command. The latest attack brought the total number of known boat strikes to 30 and the number of people killed at least 107 since early September, the Trump administration said.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. “hit” a dock facility along Venezuela’s shore where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up,” in remarks that offered few details about where or how the strike occurred. He said the facility was “the implementation area” and declined to confirm whether U.S. military or CIA forces carried out the action.
The U.S. military carried out another strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people, the Pentagon said. President Donald Trump also said the U.S. “hit” a dock facility along Venezuela’s shore where, he said, alleged drug boats “load up,” speaking during meetings in Florida. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the U.S. operations are meant to pressure him to leave power.
