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WASHINGTON — The Senate fired a warning shot at President Donald Trump, voting Thursday to advance a bipartisan resolution to block him from using military force “within or against Venezuela” unless he gets prior approval from Congress. The vote of 52-47 on the war powers measure came after an unsuccessful plea by Republican leaders to sink it and preserve Trump’s authority, as he threatens a “second wave” of attacks on Venezuela. Trump has declared that the U.S. would “run” the country temporarily after he ordered a military operation last week to capture and extradite leader Nicolás Maduro. Five Republicans joined...

More than 100 people were killed during the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the country's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Wednesday...Cuba revealed on Monday that 32 of its citizens were killed during the operation...Seven U.S. service members were injured

On January 3, 2026, a United States force of military personnel, assisting United States law enforcement, captured and took into custody Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro. Maduro had taken control of the government of Venezuela and illegitimately refused to transfer power after losing the last election. An indictment against Maduro had been issued by a New York grand jury in 2020, accusing the Maduros of conspiracy to transport and sell illegal drugs into the United States.Because the United States does not recognize the Maduro regime as the legitimate government of Venezuela and because of the indictment against...

Three things were said in the aftermath of the remarkable"Operation Absolute Resolve," mounted by the American military, which resulted in the arrest in Venezuela and removal to a Brooklyn jail of dictator Nicholas Maduro and his wife in the early morning hours of Saturday which deserve particular attention. During the press conference that morning, after President Donald Trump had announced the stunning success of the American military’s actions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "President Trump doesn’t play games." In the course of the press conference that followed, President Trump declared at one point, simply but directly: "Life is a...

Venezuelans across the globe celebrated Saturday after the US captured their homeland’s longtime dictator and alleged drug titan — whose repressive regime triggered one of the largest migration crises in recent history. Jubilant celebrants took to the streets in the US, South America and Europe in the hours after captured strongman Nicolás Maduro and his wife were flown to the states and indicted on a litany of federal charges. In the South Florida city of Doral — home to the largest Venezuelan community in the US – hundreds have been celebrating in the street since 4 a.m.

The US has faced widespread condemnation for a “crime of aggression” in Venezuela at an emergency meeting of the United Nations security council. Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Spain were among countries that on Monday denounced Donald Trump’s decision to launch deadly strikes on Venezuela and snatch its leader, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to stand trial in the US. “The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line,” Sérgio França Danese, the Brazilian ambassador to the UN, told the meeting. “These acts constitute a very serious...

A woman was arrested live on camera in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while talking to a local newscast about protesting the U.S. government’s sudden takeover of Venezuela. Jessica Plichta helped Grand Rapids Opponents of War organize the turnout Saturday, which inspired dozens of locals to march through snowy city streets. But in a bizarre turn of events, Plichta’s decision to exercise her First Amendment rights ended when local authorities handcuffed her on the sidewalk while she was live on air. “We have to apply pressure at all points that we can, this is not just a foreign issue,” Plichta said before...

The White House on Monday accused congressional Democrats of hypocrisy for criticizing President Donald Trump's arrest and extradition of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. In a release, the White House pointed to years of prior statements in which many of the same lawmakers called for Maduro's removal, delegitimization, or arrest. "Democrats spent years howling that Maduro was a ruthless tyrant who had to be delegitimized, pressured, and removed. But the instant President Trump succeeds where they failed, they erupt in furious hypocrisy — prioritizing their unhinged hatred of President Trump over American interests and national security," the White House said in...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Saturday’s military operation that led to the ouster of Nicolás Maduro a major success as he offered a vague plan for his administration “to run” Venezuela until a transition of power can take place. While there are no visible signs of a U.S. presence on the ground in Caracas, Trump was demonstrating chutzpah that’s become the trademark of his foreign policy approach. It’s one marked by a grand confidence that his will on the international stage is an immovable force.

"Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Could Change the World. Here’s How." It's still an open question as to how Trump plucking Nicholas Maduro out of Venezuela on Saturday to face criminal charges will change the world but has Politico already been changed by President Donald Trump since most of the thirteen experts, regional analysts to national security veterans, it sought input from the next day were surprisingly upbeat about what could happen next?The first expert cited was Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who...

NEW YORK CITY—Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty during a historic arraignment in Manhattan where he faces an indictment on various conspiracy charges, as well as the potential for decades in prison. “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,” Maduro said. The former dictator entered a Manhattan courtroom on Jan. 5 around 12:01 p.m. ET, and could be seen wearing his blue prison uniform. Both he and his wife wore headsets to hear translations of the proceedings. Their appearance in a Manhattan courtroom on Jan. 5 represented his rapid...

...Why Trump Is Likely Referring to Chávez’s 2007 Oil Seizures Based on the wording of Trump’s post, particularly his demand that Venezuela “return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us,” the most plausible reference is the 2007 expropriation of U.S. oil assets by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez... The Legal Case Behind the Rhetoric ConocoPhillips pursued international arbitration for years and ultimately won multiple awards... Most recently, in January 2025, arbitration rulings were upheld totaling approximately $8.7 billion plus interest. Venezuela has consistently refused to pay...

However, these radars did little to defend Venezuela against an impending attack. A military observer who writes on defense matters said on X: “In the 3 hr operation to capture/arrest Maduro, US forces not only proved Russian air defense useless but also proved Chinese technology useless. This is a Chinese promo for its JY-27 ‘anti-stealth’ radar, of which Venezuela bought 9, all of which failed to detect the incoming aircraft.”

Some Democrats are grumbling at their party's largely oppositional stance to President Trump's raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, saying privately that their colleagues should be celebrating. Why it matters: These lawmakers argue it could be a major political miscalculation if the party fails to applaud the downfall of a brutal dictator with sufficient volume, even given grave concerns about the operation's legality and longer-term ramifications. Party leaders have raged at Trump for bypassing Congress and leaving them in the dark about the operation to capture Maduro, which involved striking several military targets in Venezuela's capital city. And many...

A top Venezuelan official said Sunday that the South American country’s government remains united behind ousted dictator Nicolás Maduro. “Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in a recording released by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. "Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations.” Officials in Maduro's government have denounced Saturday's seizure of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a kidnapping, Reuters reported. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has assumed interim leadership of the country but has...

EXPULSION Before examining the strategic calculus behind the January 3, 2026, military operation in Venezuela, it is essential to understand who actually makes decisions of this magnitude. In the American national security apparatus, the Pentagon does not await presidential direction on major military operations. The Pentagon assesses threats, evaluates strategic priorities, and determines when military action crosses from option to necessity. The president then executes what the military establishment has already decided is required.

President Donald Trump late Sunday predicted Cuba was "ready to fall" after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, warning that Havana can no longer rely on Caracas for security and oil. Trump said Cuba’s fate is now directly tied to Maduro’s ouster and the collapse of Venezuela’s ability to bankroll allies in the region. Asked if he was considering U.S. action in Cuba, Trump replied: "I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count."

Video Transcript Summary In a January 4, 2026, interview on NBC's Meet the Press, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States is not at war with Venezuela but is enforcing sanctions and conducting law enforcement operations against drug trafficking organizations, including the seizure of sanctioned oil vessels under court warrants. Rubio emphasized that Nicolás Maduro, recently captured in a U.S. military operation and now in custody facing charges in New York, had cooperated with criminal elements and adversaries, posing direct threats to U.S. national security. He clarified that the U.S. is not directly running Venezuela but...

I’ve served on the Homeland Security Committee for the past three years. I’m 100% for strong safe secure borders and stopping narco terrorists and cartels from trafficking deadly drugs and human trafficking into America. Fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of U.S. drug overdose deaths and fentanyl comes from Mexican cartels made with chemical precursors from China and trafficked across the U.S. Mexico border. Mexican cartels are primarily and overwhelmingly responsible for killing Americans with deadly drugs. If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasn’t the Trump...

The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP