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Rubio: The U.S. is 'Running Policy' in Venezuela; Maduro's Capture Sparks Concern Across Latin America; Venezuela's Daily Oil Output is Less than 1% of Global Supply; Colombia Reinforces Venezuelan Border after Maduro's Capture. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired January 05, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York, and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
President Donald Trump says that the U.S. is, quote, "in charge" of Venezuela in his latest comments, following this weekend's massive U.S. operation in the Latin American country that saw U.S. forces capture Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
And at the same time, Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, she's extending an invitation to the U.S. government to collaborate on a, quote, "agenda of cooperation."
And all of this as Nicolas Maduro is set to make his first court appearance on Monday here in New York City. He faces drug weapons and narco-terrorism conspiracy charges. President Trump claiming that the case against Maduro is a strong one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does he (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in U.S. prison?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: And you just got to go through a slog of a trial. The judge is very respected, Judge Hellerstein. He's a highly respected judge. We'll see how we do. The case is -- if infallible.
People are so happy with what we've done. You know, you go down to Miami, you go down to a lot of places, and they're all dancing in the streets of this country.
Now, he was a rough -- he was a rough man. Killed millions of people. He killed millions and millions of people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And that was the president just a few hours ago aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington. The operation in Venezuela, it is set to be the focus of an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, which is expected to happen on Monday.
A spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general says that he's deeply alarmed by the U.S. military action we saw this weekend and also deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected. Again, these are words from the U.N.
A call for cooperation from Venezuela as acting president, that one that we mentioned. It is a notable noticeable shift to a -- really, a softer tone in her comments toward the U.S.
Here's CNN's Kevin Liptak with more from West Palm Beach, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is kind of a striking back and forth between the Trump administration and Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president of Venezuela, who President Trump just identified as the likely new leader and as someone who, in his words, "would make Venezuela great again."
She, after that, went on to really decry the raid that ousted Maduro, claimed that Maduro was still the leader there and said that the U.S. was acting unlawfully.
DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (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.
LIPTAK (voice-over): So, it does set up this dissonance. And what the president said in an interview with "The Atlantic" magazine was issuing a threat.
He says, "If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro." So, really kind of upping the pressure --
LIPTAK: -- on Rodriguez to essentially accede to what the U.S. wants to do here.
And that at the end of the day, does appear to be what the president means by the U.S. running Venezuela. We are getting sort of a better picture of what the president's intentions in all of this are, including from Marco Rubio, who is out on the Sunday shows.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump said, "We're going to run the country." So, is it you? Is it Secretary Hegseth? Who are those people who will be running the country, specifically?
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, it's -- it's not running -- it's running policy, the policy with regards to this. We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction, because not only do we think it's good for the people of Venezuela, it's in our national interest. LIPTAK: This is not, you know, a U.S. occupation of Venezuela, akin to
what we saw in Iraq. This is really more of a coercion campaign. The U.S. really relying on the leverage it thinks it has on the remnants of the Maduro regime to essentially do what the United States tells them to do.
LIPTAK (voice-over): And the leverage includes, of course, that massive military buildup which remains in place in the Caribbean Sea, but also the oil blockade that the president has ordered, insisting that oil tankers not be able to go in and out of Venezuela.
LIPTAK: So, that seems to be where all of this is heading to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: Joining me now for more on the U.S. operation in Venezuela, and also the future military plans in the region, is retired U.S. Army Major General -- Major John Spencer.
Major, thank you so much for joining us. I should also note that you're the executive director at the Urban Warfare Institute and coauthor of "Understanding Urban Warfare." Thank you so much for joining us.
MAJ. JOHN SPENCER (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Thanks for having me, Polo.
SANDOVAL: So -- so considering the president's statement that the U.S. would run Venezuela until there's a transition, I wonder if we could just focus on what that would look militarily.
You just heard from my colleague right now: that wouldn't necessarily mean, or it doesn't appear to mean, that we could expect an occupation. But what would the military role be moving ahead during this transition period, do you think?
SPENCER: I think just to continue to -- basically security operations that they're conducting in the Caribbean Sea: interdiction, the blockade of the oil, which is the leverage on the current government, those type of continuing operations.
SANDOVAL: Major, I want to also shift attention to the operation on Saturday. Of course, it was near flawless, as you've noted. It was well-executed and -- and carried out by some of these service members, in some cases as young as 20 years old, as we heard from authorities over the weekend.
But when you look at the -- the legal aspects of this, when it comes to international law, I mean, is it, in your view -- was it, in your view, legal? And I'm asking this ahead of this U.N. Security Council meeting that's expected to -- to focus on that military action this week?
SPENCER: In my opinion, it was fully legal and the execution of a -- an indictment, similar to -- there is precedence -- actually, when I was 20 years old, I served in Panama two years after the Operation Just Cause, which in part was to get Noriega under similar indictments.
But it actually was a much broader operation to restore the government in Panama.
So, that's not what this was. But in all sense, I don't think there's any legal opposition. There is some international norms that the, like, the United Nations or others will argue against. But I don't think there's a strong argument to say that there was some giant legal violation, act of war, anything like that. This was a law enforcement operation, mainly secured by military forces.
SANDOVAL: Now, it's telling that the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, was -- you know, maintained that this was a law enforcement operation that was specifically going after an individual that was indicted by the -- the Department of Justice.
And I'm glad you mentioned your previous experience, Major. I mean, what are some of the unique circumstances involving Venezuela, compared to U.S. intervention in previous conflicts?
SPENCER: Yes, I mean, even the Panama operation, where I served as my first duty station two years after Just Cause was involved, 27,000 American forces, ground forces on the ground taking out the Panamanian defense forces, restoring the government, securing the Panama Canal, and the U.S. communities that were there in Panama, and then also to get Noriega. And it took 13 days to get him.
The differences in even what the United States has done since the step one of capturing Maduro is night and day to previous operations.
I actually was in part of the invasion of Iraq, as well. I was there when we overthrew the Ba'ath regime, and threw out the government, threw out the army.
It's really apples to oranges to this operation. And this is just step one of what we see looks to be more of a change in policy, like Secretary Rubio said of the Venezuelan government, with U.S. national security interests and interests in mind, every step of the way.
SANDOVAL: And there's -- and then there are the oil aspects of all of this. I mean, we've heard from President Trump that it is goal -- his goal to get American oil companies back into the region.
Pivoting back to the military's next potential role in this, how crucial could U.S. forces be in securing the region, in order to convince some of these companies to -- to make their way back into the region again?
SPENCER: That's right. I mean, I don't know -- I don't foresee, but it is a potential aspect of that security umbrella, the security guarantee, more likely, with forces, although I don't know if we'll maintain the naval forces and others that we have currently stationed there for -- for a while now.
But you wouldn't want that security, because it isn't just about turning oil on. There would have to be massive investments by American and other companies to start drilling in places that haven't been drilled thus far. And security is a big part of that, which is why we want to see what the future of the Venezuelan government is going to be.
Is it just this -- you know, the vice president takes over? Or are you going to return it to the people who actually won the election that Maduro clearly stole from the Venezuelan people?
SANDOVAL: Over -- over the weekend, Major, CNN crews spotting some of these paramilitary forces inside of Venezuela. Many of these forces, armed groups that are loyal to the Maduro regime.
[00:10:11]
Does the U.S. government -- does the U.S. military see these as any potential threat moving forward, do you think?
SPENCER: I'm sure they're definitely calculating them. And the recent comments by the minister of defense are helpful: is either Maduro's what they call brown shirts. These loyalist groups that are going to be aligned to that government; would always be a part of a -- a decision-making process in dealing with those forces.
And that's why this is a -- a very planned steps in -- and I've heard they've done more gaming of what the potential scenarios are of those groups that might stay aligned, versus accepting a new government, a new direction for the country, which is for the betterment of the people of Venezuela.
SANDOVAL: Yes, with so much uncharted territory in this situation, I'm sure that that -- that training, those war games are certainly going to be useful.
Major John Spencer, as always, a pleasure to have you on. Thank you so much for your time and your insight.
SPENCER: Thank you.
SANDOVAL: Sources are telling CNN that the Trump administration, it is set to brief a select group of bipartisan lawmakers on Venezuela in a classified meeting, and that meeting is scheduled to happen on Monday night.
And this comes as the U.S. secretary of state says that approval from Congress was not needed for the operation that was carried out this weekend. But the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee seems to disagree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): I'm a member of the Gang of Eight, and I have yet to get a phone call from anybody in the administration. Whether you think Congress leaks or not, the law says you must brief the Congress. So, this is just yet another example of absolute lawlessness on the part of this administration. RUBIO: Well, we will seek congressional approval for actions that
require congressional approval, but otherwise, they will get congressional notification. That -- and this is not an operation that required congressional approval.
In fact, this is an operation akin to what virtually every single president for the last 40 years has conducted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the --
RUBIO: The difference is that when it's Donald Trump, you know -- you know, all these Democrats go bonkers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And then here's a reminder of what has been public sentiment leading up to this weekend's crucial operation.
A CBS/YouGov poll from November, it shows that the majority of Americans are largely opposed to military action in Venezuela and, notably, 3 in 4 Americans that were polled, who also said that the president should have congressional approval before taking military action there.
And my colleague Jim Sciutto spoke with Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley about the U.S. operation and asked him whether it was legal. And here was some of their conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): It was not. And actually, the boat strikes weren't. And you know, I think the public needs to know that Congress wasn't briefed before those strikes happened. They clearly weren't briefed as it relates to this.
And this is, what, my 17th year in Congress now. We have been talking about Congress reasserting its constitutional role here in all those 17 years, and it simply hasn't stepped up.
This is getting very scary. It's -- it's close to home. It has the ability to escalate very dramatically. And, I think it's fair to ask what's next?
Part of that "what's next" is Congress reasserting that role. But also understanding the threats that exist with this and what's taking place, and just how far President Trump will take this, you know, not just in Venezuela, but his rather overt threats to other countries. What he's talked about with Greenland.
"What's next" is probably top of everyone's mind as we go back to D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And that last point, we'll discuss it a little later in the broadcast. But still ahead here on the CNN NEWSROOM, the man whom U.S. and Western leaders have recognized as Venezuela's rightfully elected president. He says that he's ready to take office, and he's asking the military to help get him there.
Plus, major protests across many parts of the globe following the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Coming up next: how some in Latin America are viewing the United States' actions. Stay with us.
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SANDOVAL: Venezuela's exiled opposition leader is calling on the country's military to bring him to power after Nicolas Maduros's ouster.
The U.S. and most Western governments recognize Edmundo Gonzalez says the rightful winner of Venezuela's presidential election in 2024.
Maduro remained in power after the election board, which was stacked with his allies, claimed that he was the one who won the vote. Well, Gonzalez was eventually forced to flee the country after an arrest warrant was issued for him.
Now, opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, well, she has been barred from running in that election, says that the time has come for Gonzalez to take his rightful place as the country's elected leader.
Gonzalez now calling for Venezuela to exercise democratic principles, now that Maduro is gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDMUNDO GONZALEZ, ELECTED PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA IN 2024: As president of the Venezuelan people, I issue a calm and clear call to the national armed forces and the state security forces. Your duty is to uphold and enforce the sovereign mandate expressed on July 28, 2024.
As commander in chief, I remind you that your loyalty is to the constitution, to the people, and to the republic. This is a historic moment, and we are approaching it with serenity, clarity and democratic commitment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Critics say that the Trump administration is providing some confusing and inconsistent legal justifications for the Venezuela operation, and really, hasn't provided a full explanation at all.
As recently as early November, the White House chief of staff acknowledged that land strikes in Venezuela would need congressional approval, which the administration did not seek or did not receive.
Other officials also admitted that they lacked the legal justification to support land strikes, but the Trump administration carried them out anyway.
Well, now President Trump says that the U.S. is running Venezuela and will take over its vast oil reserves, all of which raises even more legal questions.
So, let's see if we can at least find some answers now. Joining us is Alex Plitsas. He is a CNN national security analyst and director of the Atlantic Council's counterterrorism program. He joins us -- joins us from Fairfield, Connecticut.
[00:20:02]
Alex, it's great to see you. Thanks for joining us.
ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thanks so much for having me.
SANDOVAL: So, let's just look back on the last 48 hours. Remarkable, historic. What else has stood out to you in the last couple of days? And -- and perhaps most importantly, the broader questions that you want answers to?
PLITSAS: Sure. I greatly appreciate that. I mean, this was an unprecedented operation. I think, as you just rightly characterized, this was initially discussed as an escalatory pattern of U.S. military activity that was supposed to include land strikes of infrastructure targets inside the country that the administration had contended were connected to the Maduro regime's support for narcotics trafficking.
What ended up happening in the end is that the administration said that they executed a -- a warrant for Maduro's arrest, connected to indictments going back to 2020 and then subsequently, you know, extradited him back to the United States.
But that was conducted primarily by the U.S. military, by elements of the Army's Delta Force, 160th Special Operations Aviation regiment, along with FBI special agents from the hostage recovery -- excuse me, from the hostage recovery team, who were very tactically trained to help execute that warrant.
So, Congress is pushing back, saying that this is a military operation that falls, you know, under the -- under the law. And therefore, briefings are required, as well as other -- as other measures. And the administration is contending that this is really a law enforcement matter.
SANDOVAL: Yes. The secretary of defense really laid it out pretty simply, saying that they were simply after -- they were trying to detain somebody who was wanted on a -- on an indictment that was issued by the Department of Justice.
Now, obviously, as you know, a lot of this -- a lot of what happens next weighs on whoever is heading the Venezuelan government. And so far, it seems to be Delcy Rodriguez, the vice president, now acting as -- as -- as president.
What do you make of this sort of back and forth that we've seen from her? I mean, after the operation, she called it a brutal use of force.
But now Rodriguez, she seems to be sort of striking a different tone and seeking not only respectful relations with the United States, but also cooperation with the U.S.
I mean, what does that shift tell you about the position that she's currently in?
PLITSAS: The entire situation has been rather confusing, I think, as you rightly characterized in the -- in the introduction of the segment.
And that is what was the plan afterwards. Right?
So, if we look at the force footprint that was deployed, nearly a third of the U.S. Navy that -- deployed ships were off the coast, but there was only 2,000 Marines with the Marine expeditionary unit. And obviously, the Special Operations forces that were used in this raid.
There was never a substantial ground force in the area to either occupy Caracas, never mind the rest of the country. That simply wasn't in the cards.
So, the question became, when he left, what was the plan afterwards? Was the administration in touch with former or current Venezuelan officials? Right? Even though they said that they weren't legitimately elected, like the vice president?
Was the plan simply just to take him out and see what happened afterwards? That remained unclear.
President Trump, his initial response to a question about that was, well, Venezuela has a vice president. I don't know about Machado. She doesn't have the -- you know, the support inside the country. We'll see what happens.
So, it was almost an indication that that's what they had settled on. And that was before any statements had come out from anyone else from the vice president in Venezuela, in which, as you rightly said, she originally said, Hey, we're not going to -- you know, we're not going to stand for this. This was an act of aggression. We want him back, and we're going to defend our country.
Twenty-four hours later, now all of a sudden, we get a statement saying, you know, We're looking forward to a -- you know, an agenda with the United States to sort of work together.
So, there must have been some backchanneling in the background. Or the government met, because she did hold a meeting; and they determined that there was military overmatch, and they're best suited by trying to work with the United States.
SANDOVAL: So, if it doesn't end up being somebody sort of a remnant of the Maduro regime; if it doesn't seem to be a member of Venezuela's opposition, which, as you point out, as we heard over the weekend from President Trump, he doesn't seem to be really interested in that. Then what does an ideal successor regime look like then, that the
White House could perhaps pursue diplomatic routes with?
PLITSAS: You know, that's the -- that is the question; the right one to be asking. And the problem is we're getting conflicting information.
So, the president initially made that statement about the opposition and then, you know, went on to say, we -- you know, there's a vice president; effectively alluding that we could work with her.
Secretary of State Rubio appeared to be batting cleanup today on the morning shows, basically saying, hey, she's not legitimately elected either, because she was elected along with Maduro, who actually wasn't elected.
So, it seems like there's going to be a period of transition, whatever that means. Loosely defined, you know, with some objectives today coming from the president of, you know, cleaning it up, getting the oil back on track, whatever that is supposed to mean, you know, in terms of the White House goals.
How exactly that's going to happen isn't entirely clear at this point. So, it seems that this is the starting point and that there's still supposed to be a transition in the end.
So, the good news is this statement appears to be a potential off-ramp for additional military action, provided the government continues to work with the United States, which is apparently the White House's goal.
If that doesn't happen, this could lead to additional strikes in Venezuela, which -- which President Trump alluded to today.
So, if we're taking this overall based on the loose goals that we've heard, it appears that it would be a transition from the current sitting vice president, who is the acting president -- the supreme court of Venezuela affirmed that -- over some period of time, getting the country in manageable shape, whatever that means from the White House's perspective.
And then sort of a democratic election potentially held again, because the last one was fraudulent.
So, picking from some of the comments, that seems to be an overall plan, but nobody's clearly articulated that to date.
SANDOVAL: Yes, loose is right. Really, just a complete lack of specific details right now that we've seen from the administration.
And then finally, is there some precedent that's being set by President Trump when it -- with the operation that that he greenlit? I mean, is Colombia watching this closely? Greenland? I mean, what could come next?
And is Europe worried about what we just witnessed over the weekend? PLITSAS: Well, I think anybody who has been in the president's
crosshairs, who is watching this and is not concerned at this point, would be rather foolish to do so.
You know, there were some reports that came out that, if true, you know, that President Maduro's dancing at some of these rallies, you know, probably aggravated President Trump, who didn't think he was taking the situation seriously.
And, you know, there were leaders in the region who came out against this. The leader of Colombia, as you just mentioned. The Cubans have made statements. And we've seen some very significant statements coming from both President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio against -- I mean, in the last 24 hours, we've heard comments about Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland. I mean, there's five different countries at this point.
So, you know, when asked today about potential operations in Colombia or in -- or in Cuba, you know, the president basically said that the president of Colombia should watch himself. And then when it came to Cuba, maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
So, that's not clear if that's bluster or if he means it. But at this point, given, you know, what transpired, I would take it seriously.
SANDOVAL: Yes. It was also interesting that the response from most of the South American countries or leaders in South American countries, was mainly split down ideological lines.
But -- but to your earlier point, for the rest of the world, they have reason to watch this.
Alex Plitsas, thank you so much for -- for your insight. I think we packed a lot in. Appreciate your time.
PLITSAS: Thanks so much.
SANDOVAL: And while some across the U.S. are protesting against the military action taken in Venezuela, there are others who support it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, USA! Thank you, USA! Thank you, USA!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, USA! Thank you, USA! Thank you, USA!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, USA! Thank you, USA! Thank you, USA!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: This is what happened in Atlanta as Venezuelans who have fled the country are rejoicing at the ousting of Nicolas Maduro. Some of them told CNN that they have hope for their country, now that Maduro is detained in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And then you have Venezuelans living in Mexico City. They attended a rally celebrating Maduro's capture. They say rebuilding the country should be the next step, so they can return home. Something certainly easier said than done.
And many leaders across Latin America, they are expressing concern over the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the U.S., as we just discussed.
And this comes as some Maduro loyalists, they rallied in Caracas in support of their captured president.
CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go home! Gringo, go home!
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anger from a group on the streets of Colombia's capital city.
(CHANTING)
GRAPHIC: Yankee, hitman, out of my neighborhood!
LOPEZ (voice-over): Solidarity after the U.S. captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from his compound in Caracas. It's an attack many in Latin America feel is far too close to home.
Trump has accused Maduro's government of flooding the U.S. with drugs, an accusation that has long been leveled at other countries in Latin America, too.
Colombia. Venezuela's next-door neighbor, is also the largest recipient of that country's refugees, with over 2.8 million in a 2024 count. The possibility of a new surge worries the government so much that more than 30,000 Colombian troops are now positioned along its border with Venezuela.
MARTHA ELENA HUERTAS, PROTESTOR (through translator): As a Latin American woman, we want to tell the world that we are absolutely and unequivocally rejecting this criminal, murderous, colonialist invasion; an invading, plundering act by the decadent U.S. empire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Well, I feel that this was something many people were expecting, especially the Venezuelan people. However, we have to see to what extent international law is respected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Many people from Venezuela are going through great hardship because of that regime, and the kind of dictatorship that existed. I'm happy, and I support the United States in this attack.
LOPEZ (voice-over): In Rome, people gathered Sunday to listen as Pope Leo expressed deep concern for Venezuela. The U.S.-born pope, with extensive ties to Latin America, called for Venezuela's independence to be protected.
Among bystanders and passersby, reactions were mixed.
CLARA PERES SOLANO, MEXICAN TOURIST (through translator): As a Mexican, I must first acknowledge Trump's great achievement. However, I'm a little scared by his desire to dominate everything he's talking about regarding oil.
[00:30:03]
CIELO CELESTE, PERUVIAN TOURIST (through translator): But finally, the dictatorship is gone, thank God. As they say, Trump took a firm hand and dragged him away.
LOPEZ: For Venezuela and its neighbors, who have taken in refugees by the thousands and witnessed their struggles firsthand, there is hope for relief.
SANDRA, CHILEAN RESIDENT (through translator): I'm happy for them because they're going to get to go back to their country. Well, they won't leave immediately, because I'm not going to let them go so quickly.
LOPEZ (voice-over): In Latin America, many are still holding their breath. Maduro is gone. But for now, those close to him remain in power.
And for the region's millions of displaced Venezuelans, a return home still isn't on the cards.
Juan Carlos Lopez, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: Still ahead, the president of the United States, back in Washington after his holiday getaway. But now, we'll tell you more or less what he's -- what his remarks were as he was returning to Washington, as the U.S. looks to gain access to Venezuela's oil.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANDOVAL: Everybody, I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. And these are some of the today's top stories.
President Donald Trump says that the U.S. is, quote, "in charge" of Venezuela. And that comment coming aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida.
These are his latest remarks following the large-scale U.S. operation in the Latin American country that saw U.S. forces capture Nicolas Maduro and his wife. [00:35:07]
And the ousted Venezuelan president, it -- he is set to make his first court appearance on Monday. Maduro is expected to appear before a federal judge in New York at noon. He faces drug weapons and narco- terrorism conspiracy charges.
President Trump says that he believes that the case against Maduro is, quote, "infallible."
Cuba says at least 32 of its citizens were killed during the U.S. strikes on Venezuela. Cuba's president condemning the operation, calling it, quote, "state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against our America."
Havana declared two days of mourning for Monday and Tuesday, honoring those killed.
President Trump remains adamant about getting Venezuela's new acting leader to cooperate, following the successful following the successful U.S. operation to capture Nicolas Maduro.
CNN's Julia Benbrook brings us the latest from the White House
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump is now back at the White House --
BENBROOK (voice-over): after spending a couple of weeks at his mar Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. That is where he monitored the complex operation that led to the capture of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
On his trip back to Washington, Trump spoke with reporters for more than 30 minutes, and he praised the work of the U.S. Service members who were involved. He said that they are all in good shape after a, quote, "dangerous operation."
BENBROOK: He also reiterated a statement that he had made earlier in the weekend when he said the United States would, quote, "run Venezuela" until a judicious transition can take place.
Who's in charge of Venezuela right now? Have you spoken to the newly- sworn-in president there, Rodriguez, and what are your thoughts on the entire situation? You said the U.S. would run Venezuela.
TRUMP: We're dealing with the people. We're dealing with the people that just got sworn in. And, don't ask me who's in charge, because I'll give you an answer. And it will be very controversial.
BENBROOK: What does that mean?
TRUMP: It means we're in charge now.
BENBROOK (voice-over): Now, Trump did say that the United States is working with Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who is in that acting role now.
But she has pushed back and has called for Maduros immediate release, saying that she believes that he is the country's legitimate leader.
BENBROOK: Now, in an interview Sunday with "The Atlantic," Trump delivered a stark warning for Rodriguez.
BENBROOK (voice-over): He said this: quote, "If she doesn't do what's right, she's going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."
When he was pressed on what he meant by that, he said that her situation would probably be worse because Maduro, quote, "gave up immediately."
He also said that the United States needs total access to oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.
BENBROOK: Trump has not yet spoken to Rodriguez directly. Now, Trump does say that he believes the case against Maduro is infallible. Maduro faces drugs and weapons charges and is expected to appear in federal court soon.
Julia Benbrook, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: The U.S. strike on Venezuela came as a surprise, because President Trump has previously been against operations to enforce overseas regime changes.
Our Boris Sanchez spoke with Stephen Collinson and Daniel Rodriguez about how the U.S. has fared in the past when it's trying to seek regime change.
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STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It's not a great track record either. In Latin America, whether it's somewhat mixed. The CIA has engineered plenty of regime changes there.
A lot of people yesterday were talking about the parallels with Iraq and Afghanistan. It's -- what do you do if you do this and then don't have a plan for the day after? Well, today is the day after.
And what is fascinating, the way this has developed today, it seems like what the administration has in mind here is not regime change, but regime decapitation, followed by coercive on behalf or on the remnants of that regime for them to do the things that the United States wants to do. Moving Venezuela away from drug trafficking, opening up the oil markets, moving away from China and Russia, that Maduro wasn't prepared to do.
And I think there are massive questions here. Is that a viable strategy that the United States can impose from the outside? Does the vice president here, Delcy Rodriguez, is she willing to do that? Does she have the political power inside Venezuela to make some
compact with the United States, even if she wants to? So, this is really fascinating how it's developed today.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. No doubt. A lot of unanswered questions on -- on what happens next. I do wonder Daniel, as secretary of state, Rubio says that Venezuela is not Libya, nor Iraq or Afghanistan; that Latin America and the Middle East are apples and oranges.
Do you see it that way?
DANIEL LANSBURG-RODRIGUEZ, FOUNDING PARTNER, AURORA MACRO STRATEGIES: So, first of all, thank you for having me on the show, Boris.
[00:40:03]
I would say that I -- I agree in -- in principle, less because of the cultural differences. More because Venezuela was, for many years -- you know, people used to speak about Venezuelan exceptionalism. There's white papers from the United States in the '80s and '70s about how -- whether the Venezuelan model of institutional governance was actually something that could be applied to countries without huge oil reserves.
So, as a result of that, you know, Venezuela has, within its cultural DNA, a level of institutionalism, which, you know, I think, could be brought back more easily than a country like, say, Afghanistan, where you had a lot of tribal cultures; but you didn't really have, you know, people who, in living memory had remembered working, for example, as a lawyer, but you know, not as a broker.
Or working as -- you know, within the realms of institutions, without, you know, strong-arm rule.
You know, I think that that's something that would -- might be a little bit more akin to, you know, a post-World War II Japan scenario, in which you had people who remembered Meiji.
And, you know, you had 25 years in which things got really bad really quickly. But there's still people who remember how to function in that sort of state.
So, I think that there's something to what he's saying. At the same time, I don't see how changing, you know, how a decapitation actually changes very much, particularly given that Maduro was not a particularly powerful figure within the ruling party in Venezuela.
He was, you know, the arbiter of, you know, certain factional disputes, but you really haven't had very many factional disputes, at least recently.
So, you know, if anything, it's maybe an opportunity for a facelift, for you know, what is really a very diseased, and unstable political ruling party. So, I don't see -- you know, I think that the issue has less to do
with institutionalism, more to do with the -- you know, the actual dynamics within the regime are tremendously complex. And, you know, if you don't have Maduro there, there's still more toxic figures that become more powerful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: Now, President Trump wants the U.S. to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry. Still ahead, we'll take a look at the impact the U.S. operation is having on global oil prices.
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[00:46:05]
SANDOVAL: The U.S. operation in Venezuela has not had a big impact on global oil prices. In fact, they fell only slightly on Sunday, because traders don't think that there will be significant impact on supply.
Venezuela, it has the world's largest oil reserve, but it only produces a million barrels a day and also exports just over half of that. So, that's less than 1 percent of the world's overall production.
About two-thirds of Venezuela's crude exports go to China, with just under a quarter heading to the U.S.
So, why hasn't Venezuela's massive oil reserve translated into a big supply of oil production?
Here's CNN's Rafael Romo to explain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How much oil does Venezuela have? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the South American country is sitting --
ROMO: -- on a massive 303 billion barrels of crude oil.
ROMO (voice-over): In fact, Venezuela leads all countries, even outnumbering Saudi Arabia and representing almost 20 percent of global reserves, in 2023.
In announcing the capture of Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said that American oil companies are going to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela and fix the badly broken infrastructure.
ROMO: Venezuela is home to the largest proven oil reserve on Earth, but its potential far outweighs its actual output.
Venezuela produces only about 1 million barrels of oil per day, which is about 0.8 percent of global crude production.
ROMO (voice-over): That's less than half of what it produced when Maduro took control of the country in 2013, and less than a third of the 3.5 million barrels it was pumping in 1998, just before Hugo Chavez, the socialist regime, took over.
ROMO: Most of Venezuela's oil, about 68 percent, is bought by China, followed by the United States, with 23 percent in Spain and Cuba at 4 percent each.
ROMO (voice-over): While Venezuelan oil could be particularly beneficial to the United States --
ROMO: -- it could take years at an incredible expense, as the kind of oil Venezuela is sitting on requires special equipment and a high level of technical prowess to produce.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: U.S. airlines, they are scrambling to add flights to the Caribbean after Saturday's military operation in Venezuela disrupted travel for many passengers.
The FAA temporarily closed airspace in the region, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations this weekend.
Well, those restrictions, they have been lifted, but airlines are now playing catch up during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
Delta, United, Southwest American Airlines, JetBlue, all of them say that they are working to add more flights to get travelers where they need to go. So, check with the airline if you're in this situation.
And still ahead here on CNN, Columbia -- or CNN on Colombia's border with Venezuela, and could we see a U.S. operation target Colombia's president.
Hear what Donald Trump has to say about that.
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[00:52:45]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Columbia is very sick, too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long.
He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He's not going to be doing it very long.
BENBROOK: So, there will be an operation by the U.S., and --
TRUMP: It sounds good to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: That's Donald Trump there, taking aim at Colombian President Gustavo Petro and also hinting at a potential U.S. operation involving that country.
President Trump has previously warned Petro to watch himself. And Colombia, as you know, it has a reinforced -- it has reinforced its border with Venezuela, following U.S. operations there. That's where we find CNN's David Culver.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A heavy reinforced military presence on the Colombian side of the Colombia-Venezuela border.
And you can see three armored vehicles here. A fourth over there. But it's not just military that has set up here on this side of the border, but also, we're told, humanitarian aid, in case anything happens with regards to a rush of individuals coming here into Colombia.
Now, let me set the stage a bit for you. This is the border crossing where we are. Cucuta, Colombia. On the other side, you enter Venezuela and you can see, on a Sunday morning, traffic is moving rather calmly back and forth. This is pretty typical if you talk to locals.
The only difference is the military presence and the press. And you've got many of -- individuals from media across Latin America who have set up here to get a sense of what could happen next.
Now, Cucuta is really an interesting town, in that this is a pressure valve, if you will, a real indicator of what could come next.
This is a place that really saw a lot of the surge of outward migration from Venezuela in the past decade plus. Here in Colombia, you have the largest diaspora of Venezuelans, some 3 million, according to some estimates.
And of course, you had Venezuelans who passed through here to then continue up into Central America, through Mexico and into the U.S. Many of them we've met along the way in recent years.
And a lot of them referenced the instability, the uncertainty, the insecurity of living in Venezuela.
So, the folks here who have made their lives in Cucuta, for example --
[00:55:00]
CULVER (voice-over): -- they were out in the streets late into the night. In fact, we touched down just before midnight, and folks were still out celebrating.
You had families draping themselves in flags. There were a lot of emotions. People seemingly very happy.
CULVER: What's interesting is, when you speak to those individuals, those who have been, say, ten plus years out of Venezuela, say they have their lives here in Colombia. No matter what changes in Venezuela, they have no real desire to move back.
But those who have been here less than that, and it seems to be a rough average of ten years or so, say they do want to go home. They want to try to reestablish their lives.
So, this could be a place where we see a few things. You could see folks who are fearing the chaos, fearing more instability, fearing more fracturing coming from Venezuela into Colombia.
You could also see those who are fearing retaliation, because perhaps they're aligned with Maduro.
Then on this side, you could see a reverse migration. Folks who want to go home, want to go back to Venezuela. And this is where many of them would return on that crossing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: And U.S. clothing company Origin USA is trying to cash in after Nicolas Maduro was seen in one of their hoodies when he stepped off the plane in New York, and the image, it went viral.
So. the company posted on social media, "Welcome to America. Unfortunately, our Patron Blue RTX shirt won't be shipping until spring, but they're available to preorder."
So, the Maine company, it is -- or, the company is based out of Maine. It sells a cooling hoodie online for about $79.
The founder says that he started the company to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. It is quite the commercial.
Thank you so much for watching. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I'll be right back with you with more breaking news coverage of the ouster of Nicolas Maduro and the global ramifications after a very quick break.
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