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Venezuela's Maduro Arrives At Brooklyn Detention Center; Trump Says U.S. Will "Run" Venezuela After Nicolas Maduro Seized; Maduro Indicted On Federal Drug-Trafficking And Weapons Charges; Top Dems Demand Immediate Briefing On Venezuela Operation; Protests Erupt Nationwide As Venezuelan Migrants Celebrate In South Florida; World Leaders Respond To Maduro's Capture; Airlines Set To Resume Flights In Caribbean After Cancellations. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired January 03, 2026 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:00:39]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Thanks for joining us this hour in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Erica Hill and we do begin with the breaking news this hour. Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are now on U.S. soil after being captured in a large scale U.S. military operation.

Maduro's wife arriving at the Metropolitan Detention center in Brooklyn earlier this evening. U.S. President Donald Trump will, in his words, run the country for now and also take control of Venezuela's massive oil reserves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So, we don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.

So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that's what we're all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The president, though light on those details in terms of what it would actually entail. Meantime, the White House releasing these photos which show President Trump and members of his national security team watching the operation unfold in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He said he is open to putting U.S. troops on the ground to help secure Venezuela's oil. Maduro, meantime, is facing drug and weapons charges in New York. In a newly unsealed indictment, prosecutors accused Maduro of running state sponsored gangs and facilitating drug trafficking.

President Trump telling reporters the U.S. military could have killed Maduro during its overnight operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He was trying to get into a safe place. You know, the safe place is all steel and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast. They went through the opposition so fast.

There was a lot of gunfire. You saw some of it today. But he was trying to get to a safe place which wasn't safe because we would have had the door blown up in about 47, I think 47 seconds. They say on average, regardless of how thick the seal was, it was a very thick door. It was a very heavy door. But he was unable to get to that door. He made it to the door. He was unable to close it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Joining us now with more from Washington scene is Julia Benbrook. So, Julia, as we lay out what we do and what we don't know, first of all, what do we know about not only the operation and how it unfolded, but what the day after planning is at this point?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are getting a first glimpse at the ousted Venezuelan leader Maduro as he is here on United States soil, the White House rapid response Twitter account. They posted a video of what appears to be a perp walk. He is walking with officials on a blue carpet. It has DEA branding on it.

And I want to play it for you because he does appear to speak here at the end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Good night. Happy New Year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So we believe that he speaks says there, good night, Happy New Year. Not entirely sure what to take from that being some of the potentially first words that we are hearing from him after this just stunning turn of events that took place today.

But to answer your question, I do want to step back and take a look at what we have heard from the White House throughout the day.

There were, of course, those reports of explosions in Venezuela specifically impacting the capital city. And following that, President Donald Trump, he took to his True Social account where we often hear big announcements from him. But this was a relatively brief post where he did say the United States was behind these strikes on Venezuela and its leader.

He also at that time made the announcement that Maduro and his wife had been captured and removed from the country. He later said that he watched that complex operation take place. He did that from Mar-a- Lago. That's where he has been spending the holiday.

And then he spoke with press, also from Mar-a-Lago, later in the day. And this really led to some more questions as he said the United States would run the country until there is a judicious transition.

[23:05:05]

He was pressed, what exactly does this process look like? He did say that the people standing behind him, you can see them lining up there, would play a role in this. That of course, includes top administration officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

But it wasn't entirely clear how all of this would play out. He was also pressed on if his team had been in contact with Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, and how he could potentially, if he could potentially see her leading in the future. Let's listen to that exchange. Provides a lot of interesting context here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the U.S. aware of the location of opposition leader Machado and have you been in contact with her?

TRUMP: No, we haven't. Really. We haven't. I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So clearly not fully throwing support in that direction. During that press conference, he did say that the United States was working with Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez. She though, has pushed back calling for Maduro's immediate release and has said that she believes he is the legitimate leader of the country.

HILL: Julia, appreciate it. Thank you. Also with us this hour, Geoff Ramsey. He's a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Latin American center and joins us tonight from Washington, DC.

Geoff, it's good to have you here. As you -- as you help us to assess the current leadership situation in Venezuela. How long do you believe this can last?

GEOFF RAMSEY, NON-RESIDENT SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Well, thanks for having me. And I think it's a great question. And I think it all really depends on how President Trump plans on interacting with this apparently interim government in Venezuela led by Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.

Is he going to press them to hold new elections? Is he going to offer sanctions relief and open diplomatic relations like he has with the new government in Syria, or are we going to see the continuation of tensions and military and economic pressure on the new regime in Caracas? I think we still have more questions than answers on that front.

HILL: We do have more questions than answers, that is for sure. There are also questions about a timeline here, right? Whether there is in fact some sort of a timeline. And I asked that question in the context of concerns about chaos setting in. How real in your mind are those concerns and to that point is there actually a timeline?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, the Venezuelan constitution technically says that the vice president has to call for new elections somewhere between 30 days or 90 days after today's events. But the Venezuelan Supreme Court, which is staffed with loyalists of the ruling party, have basically sidestepped that issue and they have installed Delcy Rodriguez as the vice president of the country without mentioning any kind of a timetable for new elections.

So, you know, right now it doesn't look like Venezuela is on the precipice of some kind of Libya style violent meltdown. But the truth is that there are a number of armed groups in the country. There are pro government armed supporters and tensions are still very high.

HILL: Yes, tensions are high and they're just in different factions, as you point out. There are also questions about the sort of the end goal and the end game, but two separate things when it comes to the administration, because we've heard so many different reasons from President Trump over the last several months.

First, starting with the strikes that they were about the drugs. Then we heard immigration was an issue. We're now hearing regime change. And it's impossible to ignore the role that oil is playing here, which the president was very clear about today. Does that in any way taint what we are seeing?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, I think it's very clear that this president is seeking to advance U.S. energy interests in Venezuela. He's also interested in containing the outflow of Venezuelan migrants. There's something like 8 million Venezuelans who have fled the country in recent years.

But he's also interested in pushing back against the deepening influence of Russia and China in Venezuela.

It appears like the president seems like he can reach some kind of a deal with Delcy Rodriguez on some of these issues. But I think it remains to be seen exactly how this will go.

[23:10:05]

And of course, Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, is not likely to take this sitting down and is almost certain to try to press for continued support for her cause to try to fracture the regime and advance a transition of power to the opposition itself.

HILL: What do you make two of President Trump's comments essentially dismissing her earlier today, saying she doesn't have the support, she doesn't have the respect within the country.

RAMSEY: Well, you know, Machado's, you know, Machado remains one of the most popular figures in Venezuela. The opposition won the 2024 presidential election overwhelmingly. I think Venezuelans are hungry for change and Maduro himself was deeply unpopular.

But, you know, the challenge for the opposition and the challenge for Maria Corina Machado has been how to transform this popularity and this legitimacy into real power on the ground. And that's been difficult because they don't have the guns or the institutions.

And so far that seems to be why the White House is working on some form of a transitional arrangement with these key power brokers inside the current Chavista regiment.

HILL: We'll be watching as we see all of this play out. Geoff Ramsey, appreciate your insight. Thank you.

RAMSEY: Thanks for having me.

HILL: Maduro's militant supporters are making their presence known in the wake of his capture. Pro-government paramilitary groups seen roaming the streets of Caracas making it clear they are not gone.

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[23:15:22]

HILL: In the 24 hours or so since President Trump authorized the military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, that operation known as at Absolute Resolve. Officials are offering more detail, now saying the effort involved more than 150 aircraft from some 20 different bases, some aircraft flying barely 100 feet above water on their way to their targets.

The operation itself took months to organize and prepare, and that included everything, including keeping a close eye on Maduro's movements. Sources say U.S. troops took some fire and a handful were injured, but we're told none of those injuries are life threatening.

President Trump says the U.S. was able to actually shut off the lights in Caracas during that mission, but did not disclose how. For a closer look at what comes now, we're joined by retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. Always good to talk to you, General.

When we look at where things stand, there's been a lot of talk today about, you know, you break it, you buy it, whether the U.S. owns this. Is it your sense that the U.S. is prepared to own this?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: I suspect there's been a lot going on behind the scenes that we don't see. I'm sure that there's some, a lot of conversations with the oil companies. There's probably a couple of people on standby to go in to work with the government. And I'm sure that there's pressure being applied to the residual Maduro government at this point to cooperate. HILL: You mentioned oil. The president said that, you know, he's fine

with U.S. troops going in to secure the oil. If the U.S. though, owns this now, do you believe that the U.S. should be securing more than just the oil?

CLARK: Well, I think it's going to be difficult to just hold on to the oil in a country that could turn hostile. In the past, countries haven't liked it if big powers come in just to steal resources, even though the president claims that these are American resources and America invested first and there was expropriation, et cetera.

But the point is that this is the aftermath of the brilliant military operation is still unclear. It's still taking form, and I'm sure there's many, many efforts underway to persuade the remaining Maduro government that it's in their interest to cooperate with the United States on this.

HILL: As you look at what we do know and what we don't know tonight, and there is frankly, still a lot that we don't know in terms of what comes next. What is your number one question?

CLARK: Oh, is there some hidden plan that the Venezuelan military has for resistance? Are they scattering people into the hills, distributing weapons, preparing improvised explosive devices and minefields on likely airfields and landing points or around the oil installations to hinder U.S. activities there?

We can't tell. I can't tell. We're not getting any information on this.

The other thing, of course, is what's the reaction of the people? Thus far we haven't seen the kind of joyous reaction in Venezuela that we saw in South Florida this morning. Now perhaps that's because the people in Venezuela are deterred from expressing their joy because of the presence of Maduro's forces or because they're genuinely concerned about what happens next and what it means for them. So those are the two big issues that I see.

HILL: Yes, certainly important points. We also heard, you know, sort of not so thinly veiled references, remarks from the president when it comes to Colombia, when it comes to Cuba. Is it your sense that we are really starting to see a shift in terms of the foreign policy of this administration?

CLARK: Yes. The president announced that we'll see what happens. That usually means he knows what's going to happen. And the national security strategy, it was published a few weeks ago, was very, very clear that we want to get out of Europe. We like peace in Ukraine, we're not so keen on NATO, we're worried about China, but basically the United States going to focus on the Western Hemisphere.

It's a new Monroe Doctrine. Unfortunately, there's been a lot happened since 1823 when that Monroe Doctrine was published.

[23:20:06] And there's 450 million people down there that may see things in some cases somewhat differently than the United States. So I think this is a real challenge.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. We appreciate, as always, you taking the time to offer your insight. General. Thank you.

CLARK: Thank you.

HILL: Still ahead here on CNN, with Nicolas Maduro now facing multiple criminal charges. We're going to take a closer look at the severity of those accusations and just how long it could before he actually ends up in court.

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HILL: Some new video for you. The White House rapid response social media account posting this. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro being perp walked a short time ago in New York. You see in the video he's being led down a hallway in handcuffs and then he seems to say happy New Year. He was fingerprinted and processed at the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Manhattan.

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig has more now on the charges that the Venezuelan leader is facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: There's really four charges here. So one of them is conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism. That's an extremely serious charge. It means being part of an organization that engages in viol and traffics in drugs and sends them into the United States.

[23:25:06]

Then there are multiple charges of importing mass quantities of cocaine into the United States. The indictment alleges that at times they would send 250 tons of cocaine into the United States per year. So that comes out to half a million pounds of cocaine per year, just enormous amounts.

And then there are charges relating to use and distribution of, yes, firearms, machine guns, also incendiary devices and bombs. So the charges here are extraordinarily serious.

Worth noting, if any of these defendants are convicted, they are looking at a mandatory minimum of 30 years in federal prison. I should note that President Maduro is about 63 years old. And if they're convicted, the maximum sentence here would be life.

So the stakes are going to be all or nothing for Nicolas Maduro, for his wife and the other defendants in the case.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HILL: Well, in the wake of Saturday's military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, congressional leaders are calling for a briefing on the intervention itself. House Armed Services Committee aide telling CNN the panel is in the process of planning a briefing next week.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighing in on the administration's decision today to notify or seek approval from Congress. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We call members of Congress immediately after. This was not the kind of mission that you can do Congressional notification on. It was a trigger based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night. We watched and monitored that for a number of days. So it's just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say, hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Joining me now a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Democratic Congressman Gil Cisneros. Congressman, it's good to have you with us tonight. I should point out you're also a Navy veteran, former undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

When you hear from the secretary of State that this is, quote, "not the kind of mission that you can do a notification on," does that make you feel better about where things stand and what Congress was not told?

REP. GIL CISNEROS (D-CA): No, Congress is not the problem. The House Armed Services problem is not the problem with leaks. Their own secretary of Defense in the Trump administration is the one who has leaked information out to the public who was told about operations that had happened in the past. That's where the leaks come from.

They have a responsibility to notify Congress what is going to happen. And pretty much the secretary of State lied to the House of Representatives when he came and told us that they would not seek military action without the approval of Congress. And that's exactly what they did.

HILL: And so what is the follow on for that from your vantage point?

CISNEROS: Well, they need to come to us. They need to tell us what the plans are. You know, I'm very disturbed by the president's press conference where he did say in the fact that he is willing to put boots on the ground. He doesn't have the authorization from Congress to do that. He has not come to us to talk about his plan. He has said that now he is going to be running, you know, Venezuela, and basically tried to give Marco Rubio another job there.

He's already secretary of state. He's already the national security advisor. And I guess he's going to be running the puppet regime that Donald Trump wants to put in place in Venezuela. And so they need to come to Congress and explain what their intentions

are, what their plan is, and really explain, you know, how are they going to do this. Right. It's very disturbing what they did. And they need to answer a lot of these questions.

All this press conference did was just bring forth more questions, both from Congress and as well as the media, and they need to have answers for those.

HILL: So just two things to pick on Bevan (ph) there on what you're saying. You say you want them to come to Congress, you want them to brief Congress. I mean, what is your level of confidence that is going to happen?

CISNEROS: It's not. I don't have any level of confidence that it's going to happen. I think they will come in here, they will tell us things that basically are already out there in the press, information they've already kind of put out there. You know, they're going to try and spin this as it was, you know, bringing somebody to justice, bringing them through the courts.

But this is really about at the heart of it is about regime change. It is about Donald Trump getting his hands on oil. The Venezuelan oil and him, you know, basically, it's my opinion he wants to bring this oil into the United States so he can flood the market and bring down the price of gas.

HILL: So you say you believe this is all about oil. The president, as we just heard from him, said he doesn't have a problem with sending U.S. troops in to protect that oil. When we talk about, though, who is going to be leading the country? And that is a question that many of us have unanswered tonight, as you pointed out and as our reporters have tried to get answer from the president earlier today.

[23:30:06]

My colleague Kylie Atwood, just talking about this day, after planning that there were essentially parallel efforts happening based on comments that you just made to me, do you believe that the administration is actively working to put in a some form of rulers, right, some sort of administration or leaders, that is part of the effort here, part of what would be the U.S. running the country? And if so, who do you envision that is?

CISNEROS: I do not have any idea who they are envisioning or what they're going to do or what their plan is. That is not something they have shared with us. But I believe the president wants to put in a puppet regime that is going to let him have access to the oil so that he can bring it into the United States and, as I said, bring down the price of gasoline.

That's my belief. That's what this is all about. This is about regime change had nothing to do with narcotics or drugs, even though that was kind of what they did at the beginning. This is really about oil and trying to get somebody in there who will allow him to have access to that. And that's why I believe he's not really working with the opposition

party and said that, you know, she wouldn't be right, you know, the opposition party and the opposition leader wouldn't be right to have them come in because they're not going to allow him to have access to the oil. They, you know, that oil, those oil reserves belong to the Venezuelan people. It is for them to decide what needs to be done with that, not for the United States.

HILL: Real quickly, sir, before I let you go. In your conversations, maybe even just your background conversations with your Republican colleagues in Washington, are they concerned, even privately? Do they share some of your concerns? We've heard a lot of public support today.

CISNEROS: Look, I think my Republican colleagues, it's like Jekyll and Hyde, right? In private, they say one thing. In public, it's something else. I haven't talked to any of my Republican colleagues today. I'm sure we'll have some conversations when we go back, but I'm sure they have concerns in private, but they're not going to make those concerns known in public.

HILL: Congressman Gil Cisneros, we appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.

CISNEROS: Thank you.

HILL: Just outside the White House protest as Americans voice their frustration with what is happening in Venezuela and the prospect of war and bloodshed over oil.

In New York, more demonstrations, some with the message no war on Venezuela. These are people who are out in the streets just hours after President Trump announced the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife. There have also been protests reported in Boston, Minneapolis and Atlanta.

While there are concerns about what comes next, there is also plenty of celebration at the ousting of Maduro. Here you're seeing Venezuelans in South Florida celebrating the news of his capture. These images are from Doral, Florida, which is home to more Venezuelan immigrants than any other single place in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't think straight. I have a lot of mixed feelings. I'm very happy, very excited. It's very intense feelings. We've been waiting for this for 26 years and it finally happened. I can't believe it. It's a number overwhelmingness of feelings. But I'm happy. I'm grateful to President Trump and Maria Corina and Edmundo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So you hear from that woman there. She is grateful. She is hopeful. A number of folks hoping the Trump administration's actions will spark the change that they have been waiting and hoping decades to see in Venezuela. CNN's David Culver has a closer look now at some of that reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Massive crowds building up throughout the morning and into the day in what folks affectionately refer to as Doro Venezuela, Doral, outside of Miami. This is a place where you have a lot of Venezuelans and gathering in this spot. You can certainly see that just by all the flags that folks are carrying, wearing around them. They have hats on. They have U.S. and Venezuelan flags.

They were chanting just a short time ago, libertad, liberty. And it's not just Venezuelans who are out here. We've seen Cubans, Nicaraguans, others hoping that perhaps what has happened today in Venezuela could happen in other countries.

But you have a flood of emotion. Let me take you through the crowd here. Carlos, we can try to work through and get a sense of just how many folks have gathered and how many more are still coming.

I mean, they have blocked off several different streets in this area and folks are just making their way in. You can see Maria Corina. This is the individual who many believe should be the ruler of Venezuela.

[23:35:00]

And obviously, folks are all smiles, all celebration horns are honking. There's a lot of noise, a lot of joyfulness and cheers. You can hear it. You can hear them. She said this is the moment that the whole world has been waiting for and all of Venezuelans have been waiting for. And so clearly a lot of joy. And in this moment, what do you think is next? What's going to happen after this?

She says they have to have patience in this moment. They're waiting for official word from, as she sees it, the rightful rulers, Maria Corina and then Edmundo Gonzalez as well, who would be the president.

OK, so you have there somebody who's a coordinator for Maria Corina, who's the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who's part of the group along with Edmundo Gonzalez, who folks believe should be the rulers of Venezuela. And then you have crowds of all different ages who are gathering here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Earlier, I also spoke with my colleague Juan Carlos Lopez from CNN Espanol about the reaction among the Venezuelan diaspora and whether it was similar to what we saw there with David Culver in Doral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL U.S. POLITICAL DIRECTOR AND ANCHOR: Doral is a city that has a high concentration of Venezuelas, although there's been people leaving after the immigration raids by the Trump administration. But the hope for many is that with Maduro gone, things will change. But everyone's holding their breath because Maduro is gone. But things haven't really changed.

HILL: There are questions, too. I mean, we're hours into this, but there are questions about not only who will be leading the country. Right. But who can actually hold the country together. What is your sense tonight about the potential power struggle that we could be watching unfold?

LOPEZ: Well, the first step is that we just saw the equivalent to the Venezuelan Supreme Court order. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who was very close to Maduro, to assume as president in charge. So she is the one holding power.

Remember, President Trump this afternoon said they were in talks with her and that as long as she did what the U.S. wanted them, wanted her to do, she would be in power. And then she came out with a statement saying that Maduro is the only president of Venezuela and allegedly apparently being very clear about her loyalty to him.

So we don't know if there's something happening behind closed doors, but she did speak to Secretary of State Rubio. So right now, it's all very confusing.

HILL: It is very confusing. And you know, our colleague Kylie Atwood laying out for us just a short time ago that there seem to be almost parallel efforts happening here when it comes to the day after efforts by the U.S., efforts by the opposition party there in Venezuela.

The fact that this is not being coordinated, or at least not that we know of because we've been given so few answers, how is that being received in the broader region?

LOPEZ: It's very confusing because President Trump himself now. You've probably heard of Maria Corina Machado, who recently received the Nobel Peace Prize, opposition leader. She was not a presidential candidate. She wasn't allowed. She was banned by the Maduro regime.

But she supported Edmundo Gonzalez, who, according to all information available, won the election in 2024 only to have it stolen by Maduro. But President Trump today said that she did not have the respect of the country and she couldn't lead it.

So that's also generating a very bizarre scenario where the person who many see would be the natural leader in the future Venezuela is considered not able to lead by President Trump. And then President Trump and Secretary Rubio mentioned Delcy Rodriguez, who is very close to Maduro.

So Maduro's people are still running the government in Venezuela even though the U.S. President said that the U.S. would be running the country. So far, it's an unpredictable scenario.

HILL: Yes, it certainly is. So many questions and more questions than answers. But really appreciate you giving us at least a better understanding of the situation there. Juan Carlos Lopez. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: Well, Venezuela's vice president is striking a defiant note on the heels of Maduro's capture by the US. Ahead, a look at Delcy Rodriguez, who has now assumed the duties of acting president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:43:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELAN VICE PRESIDENT (through translator): What is being done to Venezuela is barbaric. Besieging and blockading the country is an atrocity that violates all mechanisms of the international human rights system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That is Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaking after the U.S. had captured Nicolas Maduro. A Venezuelan court has now directed her to assume the powers and duties of acting president. Rodriguez called Maduro's detention a kidnapping.

She also demanded his release, adding Maduro is the, quote, sole president of Venezuela. All of that appears to fly in the face of the initial statement we heard from President Trump, who said Rodriguez was ready to work with the US.

For more now, Paula Newton joins us from Ottawa with a closer look at Delcy Rodriguez and someone who has been around for a long time, Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, two decades in fact. And I have to say, listening to her again today, Erica, her rhetoric has not changed at all. Whether she was with Hugo Chavez, who took over in 1999 in Venezuela, or with President Maduro, this is someone the regime has counted on to really be an effective enforcer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON (voice-over): Just hours after the dramatic extraction of her president by U.S. forces, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was the picture of defiance. Surrounded by regime loyalists, she called the U.S. operation barbaric, declaring, Nicolas Maduro is the only president of Venezuela.

Known to many in the country simply as Delcy. Rodriguez has been an influential and reliable regime enforcer for nearly two decades.

[23:45:00]

She began in the government of Hugo Chavez, faithfully implementing the tenets of Chavizo, the nationalist populist movement that brought the Venezuelan economy to its knees.

When Chavez died in 2013, she remained an assertive voice within President Maduro's government. Uncompromising in her rhetoric, she vilified the Venezuelan opposition and frequently warned the country about the threat of foreign intervention.

Crucially, as energy minister, she also has been a steady hand in funneling Venezuela's dwindling energy revenues to the regime. Seen here last month with state workers, she says we have something to tell Mr. Trump. Venezuela doesn't owe the U.S. anything.

Rodriguez has for many years been sanctioned by Canada, the E.U. and the United States. Even attempted to question her in 2016 after a CNN investigation uncovered a scheme to illegally sell Venezuelan passports and out of the country's embassy in Iraq.

Rodriguez, then the foreign minister, refused to comment to CNN on every occasion. In keeping with her political pedigree, Rodriguez has a less than subtle message for the Trump administration as she demanded Maduro's release. Her involvement in any future transition in Venezuela will be challenging.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: You know, Erica, keep in mind here that for Venezuelans sitting at home, whether they support Maduro or not, Maduro's gone, but his regime is still in place. And that's what they saw for hours and hours on television today, including all the rhetoric that we had heard for so many years about how the United States is imperialist and how Donald Trump is a fascist.

HILL: Well, in terms of Donald Trump, the fact that Delcy Rodriguez is also the energy minister, and we've heard so much from President Trump today about the oil, how could that come into play?

NEWTON: You know, it's interesting. I was shocked when I heard in the news conference that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been on the phone with Delcy Rodriguez. And yet when you consider her pivotal position in Venezuela, she has always been key to this regime in terms of funneling any leftover revenues from what is a dwindling oil and gas industry in Venezuela. Very depth, and funneling a lot of that to the regime.

But keep in mind, she also has to work with Chevron, the U.S. Company that produces about a quarter, I believe, still of Venezuela's oil. And Delcy Rodriguez herself have gone out of her way just in the last few weeks on social media to point out that saying, look, in Venezuela, we, you know, we work with Chevron, we follow international law. We can get this done, and was highlighting even ships leaving Venezuela headed to the United States with Venezuelan oil.

And for that reason, I would say even her statements today in that address, we don't know. It's incredibly opaque. No matter what she declared, no matter what she is saying, with that regime around her, what ends up happening in the next few days and weeks might actually end up being quite different.

HILL: Yes, Paula, appreciate it as always. Thank you.

Reaction among world leaders to President Trump's military action in Venezuela, swift and varied. Some Venezuelans living abroad celebrating the operation. Here's more from Polo Sandoval.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): World leaders are swiftly reacting to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer making it clear the UK had no part in it.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I can be absolutely clear that were not involved in that. And as you know, I always say and believe we should all uphold international law.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): But there is outrage among many Latin American leaders. Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva said the U.S. attack crossed an unacceptable line and was a serious affront to Venezuelan's sovereignty.

Condemnation also coming from the leaders of Colombia, Chile, Cuba and Mexico. But Argentina's president, a Trump ally, appearing to welcome the capture of the Venezuelan leader, posting on social media that freedom advances. But the developments are being closely tracked around the world.

DONALD TUSK, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): In today's times, such massive events as today's attacks by American forces have an impact on the entire world. So we shall be responding and preparing ourselves for this new situation.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Russia, a close ally of Venezuela, called the U.S. strikes an act of armed aggression. And China, whose envoy had met with Maduro just hours before his capture, says the U.S. violated international law.

But apart from the sharp diplomatic fallout, reaction in many places where Venezuelans are living abroad has been jubilant. In Madrid, which is one of the largest populations of Venezuelan expats outside of Latin America in the U.S., many people waved Venezuelan flags and cheered Maduro's downfall.

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And in Florida, some people expressing relief that Maduro was in U.S. custody, saying it may make it possible for them to return home one day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My reaction is I'm so, so happy because now Venezuela is free. Free.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Polo Sandoval, CNN.

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HILL: We continue to follow the impact on travelers across the Caribbean. Some airline passengers facing a lot of delays and cancellations as a result of those U.S. strikes on Venezuela. A closer look at what is happening with those flights at a number of airports, just ahead.

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HILL: Well, in the next hour, flights are set to resume over the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Transportation Secretary. Much of that airspace, of course, was closed on Saturday after the U.S. launched an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Hundreds of flights from Caribbean airports were either canceled or delayed.

JetBlue the most affected. According to the trafficking -- the tracking website FlightAware.

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JetBlue canceled more than 200 flights delayed, 263 as of 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The airline says flights to the Dominican Republic, though in Jamaica were unaffected. United Airlines is telling its impacted passengers they can rebook for free. Delta says it does plan to operate its normal Caribbean schedule tomorrow.

Meantime, long lines at the checkout at the supermarket in Caracas. Venezuelans really trying to understand what their new reality is in this moment after their leader, of course, was captured by the United States. President Trump also making a promise earlier Saturday that the U.S. would be running their country.

Also, some long lines outside drugstores in the capital on Saturday. People have been seen stockpiling food, water and medication as they worry about possible disruptions to the supply chain. And again, all that uncertainty.

A number of businesses, including pharmacies, grocery stores and gas stations, though, also remained closed.

We are going to continue to follow all of the developments out of Venezuela for you, I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for spending part of your evening with me. My colleague Polo Sandoval puts things up after a quick break.

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