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Trump Says The U.S. Is "In Charge" Of Venezuela; Nicolas Maduro Will Appear In U.S. Federal Court On Monday; Trump Officials To Brief Lawmakers On Venezuela On Monday; Maduro Supporters Rally In Caracas, Demand His Release; Oil Prices Swing After U.S. Captures Venezuela's Maduro; Colombia Reinforces Venezuela Border after Maduro's Capture; Venezuelans Celebrate U.S. Operation to Oust Maduro; Venezuelan Migrants React to U.S. Military Operation; Social Media Erupts after Maduro Arrest. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired January 05, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:33]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

POLO SANDOVAL: 1:00 a.m. Monday on the east coast. And I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. Welcome to CNN Newsroom. And let's get right to our breaking news. President Donald Trump says that the U.S. is quote, in charge of Venezuela in his latest comments following his weekend U.S. operation in the Latin American country that saw U.S. forces capture Nicolas Maduro as well as his wife.

Those remarks aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida where he spent the holidays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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 answer and it'll be very controversial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does that mean?

TRUMP: We're in charge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you spoken with her?

TRUMP: We're in charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: We're in charge, he said. President Trump also spoke about the large scale operation in Venezuela and the condition of soldiers who were injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: It was a very dangerous operation. It was amazing that we had a few injured, but all are in good shape right now. But I knew there was great danger. He got off the helicopters were being shot at. They got on the ground. Amazing, amazing talent and tremendous patriotism. Bravery. The bravery was incredible.

Let's see, they got off the helicopter and the bullets were flying all over the place. As you know, one of the helicopters got hit pretty badly. But we got everything back and nobody killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And now we're also hearing from Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez who is now extending an invitation to the U.S. government to collaborate on a, quote, agenda of cooperation. All of this as Nicolas Maduro is set to make his first court appearance on Monday here in New York City. In court, he faces drug, weapons and narco terrorism conspiracy charges. CNN's Evan Perez is following developments from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores have now spent their first day in federal detention here at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Now, this is a place with a fairly notorious reputation. Everyone from judges, members of Congress and even the Justice Department's inspector general have cataloged the number of poor and inhumane conditions here at this facility, including inmates with illegal weapons and illegal electronics, as well as poor medical treatment for the people who are detained here.

Now, those are the conditions under which the Maduros have been living here over the last 24 hours. A far cry from the Presidential Palace in Miraflores in Caracas, where they were just a day before.

Now, what happens next is that the Maduros will be taken to federal court on Monday. This is going to be their first federal court appearance. They'll before a judge at noon in downtown Manhattan. The judge will read them the four federal charges that they are facing, including narco trafficking and cocaine importation conspiracy. And that begins the process inside the U.S. justice system for the Maduros.

We don't know yet who is representing them in federal court, but we expect that this is going to be a process that's going to take some months, perhaps more than a year, before a trial gets started. We anticipate that the Maduros will make the argument that the U.S. plucking them from Caracas is an illegal action and that they should not face these charges.

All of that, of course, is going to be worked out before a federal judge in the coming months. Again, that gets started in downtown Manhattan at noon on Monday. Evan Perez, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANDOVAL: And then there's this question. What will Maduro's commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan when he's led into court look like? CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller spoke earlier about his secured transfer to a New York detention center. And what we can expect to see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFROCEMENT AND ITELLIGENCE ANALYST: We can expect to see more of the same. Every time they move President Maduro or former President Maduro, you're going to see a secure package, as they refer to it, a motorcade with armored vehicles and counter assault teams and escorts by highway patrol because of the high threat nature of the case.

[01:05:00]

When they had the El Chapo case, you saw that move happen every day from Manhattan, where he was held in jail, to Brooklyn where the courthouse is in this case, because that jail was closed as a result of the Epstein suicide and some lapses there. You're going to see the opposite here, which is now the jails in Brooklyn and the courthouse is in Manhattan.

So you're going to see that secure package move every time he has to go to court and when it goes to trial, you'll see that every day. It is entirely possible that the man who was the day before yesterday the leader of a 30 million person country may end up having a public defender, a federal defender appointed by the court until who his lawyer is, who is paying for that lawyer and how is sorted.

His first appearance before the U.S. justice system will be tomorrow in front of Judge Hellerstein. Judge Hellerstein is a very experienced jurist. He's 92 years old. He's been with parts of this case, other parts of it, with other defendants for a number of years himself.

But generally the time between that initial appearance and when a trial is in a regular case is a year. This is an immensely complex case with a lot of discovery and a lot of witnesses. So it could be even more so. In short, you're going to be living with this story in some version for some time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDVOAL: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to walk back President Trump's statement that the U.S. will be running Venezuela indefinitely. Here is on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS HOST: 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 not running the, 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Venezuela's exiled opposition leaders calling on the country's military to bring him to power after Nicolas Maduro's ouster. The U.S. and most Western governments already recognized Edmundo Gonzalez as the rightful winner of Venezuela's presidential election in 2024. Maduro remained in power after the election boards, which was stacked with his allies, claimed that he's the one who won the vote.

Gonzalez fled the country after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, who was 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 is calling for Venezuela to exercise democratic principles now that Maduro is detained in the US.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDMUNDO GONZALEZ, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): 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: The U.S. is suggesting that it will have the final say in terms of who will lead the Venezuelan government. President Trump says the Venezuelan opposition leader and this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, that she lacks the respect to lead the post Maduro government. Here's what he told reporters on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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. Really. 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 that she does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: She does have some significant support in Venezuela, to say the least. Earlier, my colleague Jim Sciutto spoke with Venezuelan opposition politics politician and adviser to Machado, David Smolensky on President Trump's assessment, and here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SMOLENSKY, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: Well, on that regard, with due respect to President Trump, Maria Corina Machado is the most trusted leader in Venezuela. She's got all the legitimacy when she won a primary with 93 percent of the vote, then when she endorsed President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez after she was illegally banned for running President elect one with 70 percent of the outcome. And she's very capable, she's brave, she's courageous. She was in hiding for over a year.

And I don't have any doubt that she's going to be with President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez, the leaders of the rebuilding of Venezuela, where obviously the U.S. is going to be our main allies and we will have plenty of other allies in Latin America and Europe and beyond.

[01:10:05]

But Maria Corina Machado is a leader who is out of this world. And she's got support for from almost every Venezuelan.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: But if she doesn't have support of the U.S. President, how does she have a viable path to power?

SMOLENSKY: Well, she has a viable path to power because she got the support of the people. She's got legitimacy not once but twice, as I said, winning the primary and in 2023 and then the July 28 election, 2024. And then she has led a resistance chapter that contributed, I have to say contributed for where we are right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Sources are telling CNN that the Trump administration is set up to brief a select group of bipartisan lawmakers on Venezuela in a classified meeting which is scheduled for Monday night. And this comes as the White House is being criticized by some lawmakers who say that the Venezuela operation should have had congressional approval.

But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pushing back against those claims. U.S. senators, they are split along party lines on the Trump administration's plans to run Venezuela, as it puts it. Republicans say that Maduro's ouster is a victory for both Venezuela and the U.S. but Democrats are warning that the White House is acting way outside its authority. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): Well, who's not running Venezuela anymore is Nicolas Maduro. And that's a great thing. And it's a great day for America and for the people of Venezuela and really the civilized world. When the president said the United States is going to be running Venezuela, it means that the new leaders of Venezuela need to meet our demand.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The American people this morning, George, are scratching their heads in wonderment and in fear of what the president has proposed. The United States will run Venezuela. We have learned through the years when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And just in the last hour, I spoke with retired U.S. army Major John Spencer, who's an expert in urban warfare. I asked him what we should expect the role of the U.S. military to be in Venezuela during this transitional period.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR JOHN SPENCER (RET.), EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, URBAN WARFARE INSTITUTE: I think just a continued 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 continued 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 carried out by some of these servicemembers, in some cases as young as 20 years old, as we heard from authorities over the weekend.

But when you look at 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 focus on that military action this week.

SPENCER: In my opinion, it was fully legal in the execution of an indictment similar to there is presidents. 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 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: No, it's telling that the secretary of Defense, Pete Hagseth, was maintained that this was a law enforcement operation that was specifically going after an individual that was indicted by 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 US Intervention in previous conflicts?

SPENCER: Yes, I mean, even Panama operation where I served as my first duty station two years after the Just Cause, which involved 27,000 American forces, ground forces on the ground, taking out the Panamanian defensive 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 and even what the United States has done since the step one of capturing Maduro is night and day to previous operations.

[01:15:00]

I actually was a part of the invasion of Iraq as well. I was there when we overthrew the Ba'ath regime and throughout the government, throughout 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Still to come, large crowds of Maduro supporters. They took to the streets of Caracas, waving Venezuelan flags and calling out the U.S. on the mood on the streets of Venezuela. That's next.

Plus, President Trump wants the U.S. to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry. Well, take a look at the impact that the U.S. operation is having on global oil prices.

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SANDOVAL: Just look at some of these massive crowds that they turned out in Venezuela's capital of Caracas on Sunday. They were showing their support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Many of them were carrying Venezuelan flags and chanting Venezuela with Nicolas.

The protesters, they criticized the U.S. military action in their country. And this comes as many within that country are worried about what may come next as President Trump says that the U.S. will be running Venezuela.

Journalist Mary Mena, she's one -- she's on the ground for CNN in Caracas. To get a sense of what people are saying and what they're feeling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY TRINY MENA, JOURNALIST: We are moving around the city of Caracas to get the sense of what is in the mind of Venezuelans after events when U.S. security forces enter Venezuelan soil. We've been talking to some of them. They say they are concerned about what could happen in the coming days. Some of them are getting ready, bracing for new developments. So that is why they are approaching to stores like this one to buy some food, to buy some medicine.

And this is a constant across the city. But we need to say that there is no scarcity. There are products, but we need to remember it's Sunday and not all establishments are open today. So that is why there's line, people in line waiting for food. As I said, there is no scarcity right now, but there are -- we have witnessed police in the streets trying to guarantee that everybody that wants to buy is able to go in.

Also, we have reports from gas stations are open. The borders in Venezuela remain open. And the main airport in Venezuela announced that domestic flights are still working in the country. So it is a country that despite the shocking events of yesterday, it is trying to continue its daily routine. For CNN, this is Mary Triny Mena, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: So how are stock markets reacting to the U.S. operation in Venezuela this weekend? Let's take a look at some of the U.S. Futures as we head into the trading week. Right now, markets are up Dow about 28 points while the S and P gaining about 12 points there. The Nasdaq up about 115 or so at this hour.

Again, numbers that we'll be watching throughout the day on Monday. And the U.S. operation in Venezuela, it has not had a big impact on global oil prices. In fact, they fell only slightly on Sunday. Because traders, they don't think that there will be a significant impact on supply there.

You see WTI crude oil is down just slightly. Brent crude oil, that is also slightly down. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserve, but it only produces a million barrels a day and it exports just over half of that. That's less than 1 percent of the world's overall population.

So let's get a little bit more analysis on exactly what that could mean. Joining me now is Taimur Baig. He's the managing director and also chief economist at DBS Bank. He joins me live from Singapore. Thank you so much for joining us at this hour.

TAIMUR BAIG, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF ECONOMIST, DBS BANK: My pleasure.

SANDOVAL: So, you know, you just heard, we just, we talked about it just a little while ago and I had a chance to speak to another oil expert yesterday on the market, said that the production of oil in Venezuela is just too small to make a difference right now when it comes to trading. So then in that case, why does Venezuela really matter when it comes to oil production?

BAIG: I suppose it matters from a signaling perspective that the hegemonic assertiveness we're seeing out of the US extends to resources, whether it is rare earth in Africa or Greenland or oil in Venezuela. I think it's a signal that the U.S. is heading back to very old school, exerting its influence on resources. as you pointed out correctly that Venezuela's production is not material to the global supply of oil.

Venezuela's so called largest reserve of crude is a fact, but it is also constrained by the fact that it is of a heavy variety which many refineries don't process and it is extremely expensive to produce that oil. $60 a barrel, which is the current oil price, doesn't really actually work very well for expanding investments or production out of Venezuela. Which is why I think the market's collective response to this

development has been a bit of a guarded yawn. It doesn't alter global supply demand dynamic in a meaningful way. Geopolitically, it's substantial. It signals all sorts of things out of the U.S. and I'm sure US's adversaries and peers alike are taking a hard look at these developments.

SANDOVAL: Taimur, the President says that he wants U.S. oil companies back in Venezuela as soon as possible. That's something, as I'm sure you agree is easier said than done. It is going to take some time. If we see it play out that way, what is it? Is there a template for making that happen? I mean, how has that played out in the last -- perhaps in the last several decades?

BAIG: Doesn't bode much, you know, good or hopeful reactions when we look at US's experience in Iraq, for example. I mean, U.S. practically ran Iraq after the early 2000 invasion. It's not that U.S. managed to exert a great deal of influence on Iraq's oil supply or captured that.

[01:25:05]

You see, if we had a world where oil supply was constrained and we had a tremendous amount of inflationary problems around energy prices, one can understand the urgency of seizing or capturing some stable source of oil and hoping that adds to the global supply. But we're not in that area at all.

We are at a geopolitical cycle or geo economic cycle where the world is amply supplied by oil. There is absolutely no dearth of oil supply. In fact, the U.S. itself has gone through a massive renaissance in its own oil production capacity. So it's not like a tough thing that the U.S. has to solve for. Global supply of oil is ample.

Global oil price is extremely low, inflation adjusted, basically some of the lowest we have seen the last 50 years. And so therefore the oil argument, I don't know, maybe on a 20 year basis on the short term, collective beyond.

SANDOVAL: You know, Delcy Rodriguez is currently the head of the Venezuelan government. Acting head I should say. So when it comes to the politics of oil and the diplomacy that's playing out here, or potentially playing out, I mean, how much cooperation should the U.S. expect from her as they try to get to regain some of the oil rights in Venezuela?

BAIG: Well, I think that if we are going down strictly a legal route, then, you know, some of these nationalized assets of Venezuela, the Venezuelan government on its own volition can sign certain deals with U.S. private sector companies or the U.S. government.

Venezuela has been under stringent sanctions over the past decade or longer and it has also had a very poorly managed domestic economy with some really ruinous choices on exchange rate regime and currency management.

Putting these things behind and reducing sanctions, opening the sector up for investment both for the current infrastructure of oil as well as new exploration and new extraction of oil. All of that would be welcome news for Venezuela, notwithstanding the tremendous unease with having their leader being extracted by the U.S. or abducted by the US.

So I think the current leadership of Venezuela would really want move past the Maduro episode and work constructively with the U.S. government, which basically holds all the cards as far as Venezuela's security is concerned. They're simply for U.S. firepower or US's ability to exert influence.

So it's just a question of is the U.S. going to be happy with Maduro's successor or they would want a full regime change the way they implemented in Iraq, which also did not go very well, at least in the first few years.

SANDOVAL: Companies like ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, long gone from the region now since 2007 or so. What kind of guarantees do you think those companies need to get from the US Government, from the White House before they make their way back in, if that's what they want to do?

BAIG: So this is the biggest problem of all. This is such a one person show. It's really Donald Trump's decision to invade and abduct Maduro. It's not like the U.S. Congress approved this. It's not like there's a major legal infrastructure in place that would allow the U.S. to provide guarantees and assurances to its companies.

So for U.S. oil companies to move forward, some sort of a congressional underpinning I think would be absolutely critical. So both Secretary Rubio and President Trump have worked to do. They've gone ahead and done what they wanted to do, but they need to provide a legal basis for U.S. companies to get involved so that whatever they want to pursue lasts beyond the midterm or beyond the otherwise, how can you expect a company, billions of dollars for investment which could change its mind or there's a change in scene with respect to the Republican Party's presidency.

So I think that hard work providing legal assurances, providing an infrastructure that can be used even when Trump is no longer around, would be absolutely essential to get large scale investments done in Venezuela by U.S. companies.

SANDOVAL: Yes, those reassurances will be hard to guarantee in an area that is so destabilized right now and with so much uncertainty and with so many questions. Thank you so much for letting us tackle as many of them as we can. Taimur Baig, as always, I appreciate your time and your expertise. Have a good week.

BAIG: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: We're going to have much more on your breaking news coverage just after the break, including the latest remarks from President Trump on his claim that the U.S. is now running Venezuela.

Plus, President Trump has a warning for Colombia's president why other South American countries are concerned after the Venezuelan operation. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:29:44]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: And welcome back to CNN.

Returning now to our top story.

President Trump is claiming that the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela after capturing ousted leader Nicolas Maduro this weekend. The U.S. operation, it will be the focus of a U.N. Security Council meeting that's planned in the coming hours.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, is now extending an invitation to the U.S. government to collaborate on a, quote, "agenda of cooperation", a sharp contrast from her message yesterday.

The offer comes as Trump weighs further military action inside the country depending on the posture of Venezuela's new leadership.

[01:34:46]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We were prepared to do a second strike if we needed. We're totally prepared. We're still prepared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But that's off the -- that's off the table now.

TRUMP: No it's not. If they don't behave, we will do a second strike.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question is, the American troops, are they going to be on the ground there doing any kind of peacekeeping? I think Americans are very --

TRUMP: It depends on what happens. It depends a little bit on the new administration, if you want to call it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Maduro is scheduled to make his first court appearance here in New York on Monday. And top Trump administration officials, they're expected to brief a select group of bipartisan lawmakers on the situation in Venezuela.

CNN's Paula Newton with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A new day in Caracas and with it, mounting questions about what's next for Venezuela. Its ousted leader, Nicolas Maduro, is in U.S. custody awaiting his first appearance in a Manhattan federal court on drugs and weapons charges. And details of the U.S. role in Venezuela are still evolving after a stunning claim by U.S. President Donald Trump made soon after Maduro's capture.

TRUMP: We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.

NEWTON: On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to explain one of the ways that would be done, saying the U.S. would be, quote, "running policy".

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, what's going to happen here is that we have a quarantine on their oil. That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan people are met, and that's what we intend to do.

So that leverage remains, that leverage is ongoing, and we expect that it's going to lead to results here.

NEWTON: But Venezuela has taken its own steps to fill its power void. Saturday, the country's supreme court ordered Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, to assume the role of acting president of the country. And Rodriguez, a Maduro loyalist, has said the U.S. actions violated the country's sovereignty.

But Trump says there has been communication between the U.S. and Rodriguez, and she is willing to work with Washington.

There was little sign of detente on Sunday from Venezuela's defense minister, who demanded Maduro's return.

VLADIMIR PADRINO LOPEZ, VENEZUELAN DEFENSE MINISTER: It was an act of cowardice, but it also represents a threat to the world order.

NEWTON: There have been crowds of government supporters in Caracas also calling for Maduro's release. But for the most part, the streets of Caracas are quiet as Venezuelans hunker down, uncertain about the path ahead and who will really be running their country.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: President Trump is now taking aim at Colombian president Gustavo Petro. Speaking with reporters, he accused the leader of heading up the country's drug dealings. He also hinted at a potential U.S. operation involving that country.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Colombia is very sick, 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 a cocaine, you know, cocaine factories. he's not going to be doing it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There will be an operation by the U.S.

TRUMP: It sounds good to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Previously, Trump has warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro to watch himself. Colombia has reinforced its border with Venezuela following U.S. operations there.

CNN's David Culver with this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL 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 and 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 three 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, they were out in the streets late into the night.

[01:39:45]

CULVER: 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.

What's interesting is when you speak to those individuals, those who have been, say, 10 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 10 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: There are so many potential trickle-down effects there.

Our thanks to David Culver and his team for his -- for their report.

And Venezuelans living in other countries, they are reacting to the U.S. military operation. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, why some say that they are celebrating the move and others are concerned by what it means for the future of Venezuela.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:44:45]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Thank you, U.S.A. Thank you, U.S.A. Thank you, U.S.A. Thank you, U.S.A. Thank you, U.S.A.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: "Thank you, U.S.A." Those are the chants from a group of Venezuelans in Georgia as they celebrated the United States move to capture Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro.

Demonstrators in favor of the controversial operation, they rallied in Atlanta on Sunday. They praised the Trump administration's decision, saying that it was necessary to help fight Maduro's influence in their home country.

And across the U.S. many Venezuelans we're hearing -- that we're hearing from say that they're happy to see Maduro removed from power.

But as CNN's Rafael Romo reports, not everyone likes the way that the Trump administration chose to do it. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, nearly 7.7 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2014. The agency calls this migration the largest exodus in Latin America's recent history, and one of the largest displacement crises in the world.

These Venezuelans have migrated to multiple countries in Latin America, including neighboring Colombia, Chile, and Brazil. But many others have come to the United States and have made cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and New York their home.

And this was the scene in Miami on Saturday where many Venezuelans gathered to celebrate the news that Nicolas Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces in an overnight raid.

In downtown Chicago, people marched to protest the operation to bring Maduro to the United States to face charges of narco-terrorism and to say no to war and hands-off Venezuela.

In Los Angeles, the Venezuelan-American owner of a cafe said she would have preferred a regime change through democratic means but still welcome the news.

AMARA BARROETA, OWNER, AMARA CAFE: This is a moment that we have been waiting for many, many years. And this is not something that Venezuelans really wanted. I mean, I don't think we wanted to be rescued by it. We fought for many years for freedom. And we're glad that, you know, there is help, right?

ROMO: Rafael Pineyro, a city council member in Doral, Florida and a Venezuelan-American born in Caracas, told CNN that Maduro's capture was necessary.

RAFAEL PINEYRO, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, DORAL, FLORIDA: This is not an intervention in Venezuela. This is not a war against Venezuela. We have to take it as we're dealing with criminals. We're dealing with narco-terrorists that they have to face charges here in the U.S.

ROMO: But other Venezuelans expressed doubts and concerns, saying that getting rid of Nicolas Maduro is a blow to the regime, but not necessarily the end of Chavismo, the kind of left-wing populism that has defined the Venezuelan economy for decades.

JESUS AGUAIS, VENEZUELAN AMERICAN IN NEW YORK: It's important to understand that the Venezuelan regime has five heads and Maduro and the wife are one or two of those. And the four remaining in Venezuela are the minister of defense, the vice president, and other actors like Diosdado Cabello.

ROMO: This Venezuelan American also said that he's concerned about what President Donald Trump really means when he says the United States is going to run Venezuela and take control of its oil.

He's also concerned, he said, about the loyalty of Venezuela's new acting president to the Maduro system.

Rafael Romo, CNN -- Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, images from the Venezuelan attack and the Maduro arrest, they have flooded social media. But what's fact, what's real and what's A.I.? We'll dive into that, next.

[01:48:20]

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SANDOVAL: U.S. airlines are scrambling to add flights to the Caribbean after Saturday's military operation in Venezuela disrupted travel. The FAA temporarily closed airspace in the region, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations from popular tourist spots like Aruba, Puerto Rico.

Well, those restrictions have since 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 these major carriers are currently working to add more flights to get travelers where they need to go.

And roughly 48 hours now since the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, CNN's Brian Stelter takes a look at how the now-viral moment played out, both on social and on traditional media.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: You know, with a monumental story like this one, you can think about social media as a supply of raw material -- photos, videos, claims and counterclaims, some true and some false. All of it for traditional media outlets to sift through, surfacing what's reliable and then shutting the rest.

We saw that happening all weekend long as the world's media focused on the aftermath of the U.S. attack in Venezuela. You know, it was eyewitnesses in Caracas and elsewhere in the country who captured the first videos of the strikes.

But there were plenty of mislabeled videos on social media as well, and some examples of straight-up disinformation on those platforms.

I noticed, for example, several A.I.-generated images imagining Nicolas Maduro in U.S. government custody before verified real images were shared by the government.

But sometimes that raw material can be useful. And Even members of President Trumps own inner circle were logged in to Elon Musk's social network X early Saturday morning, as the attack was underway.

Photos released by the White House show the social network up on a projector screen, and it appears senior officials were monitoring X to see if word of the operation had leaked, or if any local residents had posted about the explosions.

It was on Trump's own rival social network, Truth Social, that he officially announced the mission, and that is symbolic of the administration's broader approach to information right now.

The Trump administration is trying to control the message by funneling information through the White House, and in many cases, directly through the president himself.

Pentagon beat reporters who cover the U.S. military for a living tell me that they are not getting answers from military spokespeople, even to basic questions. Instead, those questions are being referred back to the White House.

Although in some cases the White House is then directing those inquiries right back to the Pentagon, and no answers are forthcoming.

And Trump seems to want to be his own spokesman. He fielded questions from the press both on Saturday and again on Sunday. Although many of his answers about the future of Venezuela were vague.

[01:54:50]

STELTER: And CNN's Daniel Dale pointed out falsehoods in his comments.

Trump also hopped on the phone with several American news outlets, including a couple that he has threatened not long ago. I'm thinking, for example, about "The New York Times", an outlet he is actively suing.

Meantime, Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly thanked media outlets that learned about the U.S. strike plans ahead of time and held off on reporting the information given the potential danger to American service members. Rubio said on ABC, quote, "We thank them for doing that or lives could have been lost."

Brian Stelter -- CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And Pope Leo is expressing concern over the developments in Venezuela. He's calling for the country to remain an independent nation after U.S. military operations led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): The good of the (INAUDIBLE) Venezuelan people must prevail over any other consideration and lead to overcome violence and embark on paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the country. Ensuring the rule of law enshrined in the constitution, respecting the human and civil rights of each and every person, and working together to build a peaceful future of collaboration, stability and harmony. With a especial attention to the poorest who are suffering because of the difficult economic situation. For this I pray. And I invite you to pray.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Worth mentioning that the Pope had previously urged President Donald Trump not to oust Maduro using military force. And we now know how that turned out.

We do want to thank you so much for joining us for the last hour of news.

I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. We wish you a great week ahead.

But there is much more CNN breaking news coverage with my colleague Rosemary Church as she picks things up live from Atlanta in just a few moments.

[01:56:35]

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