Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ousted Venezuelan President and his Wife Pleads Not Guilty for Conspiracy Charges; Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez Took Her Oath of Office. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 06, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, this is "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

We begin this hour with the breaking news coverage of the fallout of the U.S. operation to capture ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The Trump administration has now briefed a key group of lawmakers from both parties on what happened in Venezuela, the closed-door meeting leaving lawmakers split along party lines, with one top Democrat saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration have no plan for what comes next.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Meantime, inside Venezuela, gunfire and anti-aircraft fire over Caracas Monday night. There are reports of a misunderstanding and confusion between different security groups near the presidential palace and Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information says police fired at drones that were flying without permission.

The city clearly on edge after Maduro's capture. On Monday, he appeared along with his wife for their first court appearance in a U.S. federal court on drug and weapons charges. Both pleaded not guilty.

A source says the U.S. Senate will likely vote later this week on a measure to limit President Trump's war powers in Venezuela. CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill with more on the mixed reactions to the Venezuela briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After more than two hours with top administration officials behind closed doors in the first briefing that Congress has had in the aftermath of that stunning attack that occurred on Saturday morning in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, members came out of this classified briefing really divided along party lines. Democrats sharply critical of this mission.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, said that he had plenty of questions, did not get his questions answered, and had a number of concerns about the policy going forward because there are a number of questions about how long the United States will be in Venezuela, what President Trump means about running Venezuela, how they will actually get the oil out of Venezuela as the President has promised to do, and whether any of this is actually legal in moving ahead.

But behind closed doors, the briefers gave their justification about why this was a legal operation. They did not rule out going into other countries as well because they said that if others have similar issues that the arrest warrant on Nicolas Maduro, potentially, there's a sign that potentially the United States could consider going into those nations as well. That caused significant concern among Democrats.

But Republicans defended the administration's actions, including the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who I asked in the aftermath of this whether or not the United States, how long the United States would stay in Venezuela, what the actual plan is, and the Speaker made clear that this would not go as far as some believed and ruled out the possibility of boots on the ground, American boots on the ground, in that country.

You said the United States is not occupying Venezuela. So how is the United States going to run Venezuela like the President said repeatedly, saying that the United States is in charge of Venezuela? And how much is this going to cost the United States taxpayers in terms of dollars and troops?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: The way that this is being described I think is accurate. This is not a regime change. This is a demand for change of behavior by a regime.

We don't expect troops on the ground. We don't expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new, the interim government to get that going.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries. Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking, and unsatisfying.

RAJU: Now the lawmakers who emerged from this closed-door briefing indicated that the United States would work with Delcy Rodriguez, the Vice President of the country, and that they expected eventually that there would be free and fair elections in Venezuela, and that there would be some level of cooperation with the United States in getting the oil onto market.

Much different message than from the President, who said the United States would go in and take the oil and would sell it, and the United States essentially would profit off of that. [03:05:07]

And they also had a different message about elections happening. The question is, when will that happen, and will it be something that will satisfy President Trump?

That remains unclear. But at the moment, what we're hearing from Capitol Hill is a real divided reaction along party lines. Democrats upset that they were not briefed and that this emission, they say, should not have happened in the way it did, that Republicans falling in line behind the President's actions.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, in Venezuela's capital, hundreds of protesters came out in support of captured President Nicolas Maduro. Demonstrators could be seen holding banners and signs in favor of the former President.

The outpouring of support comes as Maduro's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, was formally sworn in as the country's interim leader on Monday. Here's what we know about Venezuela's new acting President.

The 56-year-old has served as Maduro's Vice President since 2018 and as his Minister of Petroleum since 2024, alongside her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, the current National Assembly President. She has held various positions of power since the Chavez era.

The ambassadors of China, Russia and Iran, key allies of Venezuela, were among the first to congratulate Rodriguez after she took the oath of office. All three countries have denounced the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. The raid is also being met with sharp rebukes from Venezuela's Parliament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO SOTO ROJAS, VENEZUELAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (through translator): The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, has been kidnapped by the government of the United States in a barbaric, treacherous and cowardly attack.

The President of the United States, Mr. Trump, intends to be prosecutor, judge and policeman of the world. From Bolivarian Venezuela, we say to him, you will not succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The U.N. Secretary General says U.S. military action in Caracas has left him, quote, "deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected." At the U.N. Security Council emergency meeting on Monday, the U.S. ambassador described the Trump administration's rationale.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: As Secretary Rubio has said, there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country, this was a law enforcement operation in furtherance of lawful indictments that have existed for decades. The United States arrested a narco-trafficker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia, China and Colombia all condemned the U.S. military operation as illegal and other council members insisted on the importance of abiding by international law and the United Nations Charter. Venezuela's ambassador is calling on the U.N. to uphold those principles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMUEL MONCADA, VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): Allowing such acts to go without an effective answer would amount to normalizing the replacement of law by might, while eroding the very foundations of the collective security system. Today, it is not only Venezuela's sovereignty that is at stake, the credibility of international law, the authority of this organization and the validity of the principle that no state can set itself up as a judge, party and executor of the world order are also at stake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Christopher Sabatini is a senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House. He joins me now from London. Good to have you with us.

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, SR. FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Speaker Mike Johnson says what happened in Venezuela was not regime change, but instead the coercing of the new interim government to change and do what's required. Still, questions remain about who's running the country.

President Trump says he's the one in charge, but his own secretary of state and his ambassador to the U.N. don't appear to agree. And Venezuela's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as acting president. So, who is actually in charge of Venezuela?

SABATINI: Well, quite frankly, Rosemary, it's more complicated than that because you have two officials within the former Maduro government, now Delcy Rodriguez government, who have really been at odds with Delcy Rodriguez and her brother, Jorge.

And they are, quite consequentially, the interior minister of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, who's also indicted for a criminal activity, as well as Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who's the defense minister. They've always been at odds.

[03:10:09]

So, Delcy Rodriguez is going to have to walk a very fine line, trying to please Donald Trump or Marco Rubio or basically Washington, D.C., while also trying to not offend or even basically incite these other two generals or two military officials to rebel against her. So, she's got a tough line to walk. I'm not sure anyone really is in control of Venezuela right now.

Delcy is nominally. Obviously, Trump has kind of appointed Rubio to be in charge, but we really don't know. I think things will settle after a little while, but she's got to walk a tight rope, and that's not going to be made any easier if Donald Trump continues to make demands on this regime.

CHURCH: Right, and of course, as Speaker Johnson admits, this is not regime change. Nicolas Maduro is gone, but his regime essentially remains in place. So, what exactly has been achieved here?

With the old guard still in power, while President Trump sidelines the opposition that actually won the 2024 election, is this more about the U.S. getting access to Venezuela's oil by coercing the government to make that happen?

SABATINI: Well, really, the calculation was primarily political. The CIA made the calculation that actually bringing Maria Corina Machado and the duly elected President from the 2024 election Edmundo Gonzalez straight into power with the existing apparatus that is basically the government that Maduro and his predecessor, Chavez, have created with a deeply politicized military, with a number of illicit groups, with a policy collaboration with the guerrilla group ELN, could actually cause more instability.

So, what we have right now is somewhat of a hazard plan to engage in some sort of transitional government that can try to clear up and conduct a series of reforms that will be necessary for a much more peaceful transition without the risk of any upheaval, without the risk of fragmenting the country. It's primarily political. Quite frankly, unfortunately, I think it's a shame that Donald Trump didn't make this about oil, because it's really not about oil.

There are real democracy and security concerns here. The truth is the U.S. and the world market do not need Venezuela's oil.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, after the capture and removal of Maduro, President Trump has been threatening to do the same in Cuba, Mexico, Iran, Colombia and Greenland, the self-governing territory of Denmark, causing anxiety in those countries. What are you hearing from your contacts in Colombia and Cuba specifically about Trump's threats?

SABATINI: You know, they're split. In the case of Colombia, there's a large segment of the population that does not like the current President, Gustavo Petro.

They thought he provoked a fight with Donald Trump that was unnecessary. And it is true that he's continued to -- continue to basically annoy Donald Trump. At the same time, his record in terms of controlling narcotics trafficking has not been good, in fact, narcotics or cocaine production is the highest point in recent history in Colombia. So Donald Trump is trying to send a message to him, but also to Cuba.

Basically, get in line. This is Donald Trump's hemisphere now and we will do what's necessary if we think you're basically violating or undermining U.S. interests. And that includes interest on drugs, it includes interest in the case of Cuba of being an irritant since the Cuban Revolution in 1959 to U.S. interests in the hemisphere.

Donald Trump is trying to say, look, we're going to do what we need to do, even if it means disrupting and unfortunately, perhaps even violating international law to ensure that U.S. interests are met.

That's what's happening. And this is a message that's larger than Venezuela. As you say, it also extends all the way north to Greenland.

CHURCH: Christopher Sabatini, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

SABATINI: Thank you.

CHURCH: As we said earlier, the deposed Venezuelan president and his wife appeared for the first time in a U.S. federal court Monday. Both pleaded not guilty. CNN's Laura Coates and Evan Perez bring us the latest from outside the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: It was truly an amazing moment in history to watch Nicholas Maduro and his wife, who says she's the first lady of the Republic of Venezuela, inside a United States courthouse facing four federal charges for Maduro alone, three for her.

He stood self-assured, confident, speaking in Spanish with having headphones on for interpreters who were speaking to them, translating their every word. The very first opportunity that Maduro had to speak, he talked about being captured in his home, abducted, a prisoner of war.

He also wanted to have his notes, he's taking copious notes, having held in his hand for the first time, he says, the indictment that was then planted towards him. He also was indicted by the judge who said, I don't want to talk about essentially the legality of you being removed from your home or any upcoming motions.

Are you Nicholas Maduro Moros, which he said that he was? He also proclaimed his innocence and pled not guilty, along with his wife, who had visible injuries, at least bandages on her temple, also above her eye.

Her attorney said had severe bruising on her ribs. They exchanged glances at different moments in time.

[03:15:02]

And at one point in time, Maduro sort of controlled the moment by having her attorney speaking with him, him talking to his own attorney. This is a man used to being in control, undoubtedly.

We also learned very significantly, Evan, that there was not going to be a bail request at this time. They were going to wait for the future, they still had the opportunity to do so. But right now, they just wanted the consulate.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that bail hearing, that certainly bail request is certainly anticipated. They mentioned that they are going to make that request. And until then, they are now to the MDC, to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which is a pretty grim place.

All of the problems have been cataloged in that facility. And you don't have to take my words or the words of some of the defense attorneys out there. Even the Justice Department's Inspector General has repeatedly cited and cataloged the number of problems in there, including with the medical care that is provided to defendants, people who are held there.

And given the fact that Celia Flores is citing that she -- her attorney pointed out that she has some significant injuries, you can bet that that is going to be an issue going forward. Now, the fact that he is still claiming to be the President of Venezuela, she's claimed to still be the First Lady of Venezuela, we can anticipate that there's going to be an effort to try to improve the conditions in which they're being held right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, a key member of Donald Trump's inner circle weighs in on White House plans for both Venezuela and Greenland. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

The U.S. military operation in Venezuela is testing international norms. After it unfolded, President Trump said American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again. He's quipping about his so-called Donroe doctrine, a policy to enact his will on sovereign nations with threats, coercion and even military force.

Now, some are concerned his actions could embolden China and Russia to assert their own spheres of influence, including in Taiwan and Ukraine.

President Trump and others in his administration have already issued warnings to Iran, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico, as well as Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Donald Trump reminding everyone of his desire to take over the island, telling reporters on Sunday, let's talk about it again in 20 days. Now his deputy chief of staff is openly questioning Denmark's claim to the territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark? The United States is the power of NATO.

For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the United States. Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, a number of leaders are denouncing the notion of a Greenland takeover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And the people of Greenland don't appear to be enjoying all this new attention from the U.S. Danes are also offended by the White House remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: It's absurd. And I think he's the archetype of greed. And we need to push back and let him know that this is not, this is not for him.

UNKNOWN: I think it's crazy. I think it's, it's something that seems totally unreasonable from the U.S. side. And I'm not sure why they think that they can just start going around and buying other people's land from them or taking other people's land.

In the beginning, everyone kind of chuckled and laughed and thought it was a silly proposal and nothing would come of it. But it's good that we're taking it more seriously now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Greenland's Prime Minister calls President Trump's threats unacceptable and disrespectful. And the Danish Prime Minister warned that a U.S. attack on Greenland would end the NATO military alliance. Here's CNN's Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the issue of Greenland seems to be re-emerging as a serious point of contention between the U.S. and its traditional European allies, most of all Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the vast Arctic territory.

We were actually there back in October, when the Danes staged a show of military force, which they officially said was meant to deter Russian and Chinese military threats, but which Danish military officials privately told me were designed to show President Trump just how seriously they took Greenland's security, just after his repeated threats to take it over.

But now, after the extraordinary events in Venezuela and yet more incendiary remarks about Greenland, the Danish Prime Minister has appeared on national television saying she had made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it doesn't want to be part of the United States. She also warned of the consequences of U.S. military action to seize Greenland, something President Trump has not ruled out.

[03:25:05}

METTE FREDRIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): First of all, I think you have to take the U.S. President seriously when he says he wants Greenland. But I also want to make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II.

CHANCE: Well that is a clear warning about the potential of this issue of Greenland, which is in a strategic location and does have significant natural resources, to fracture the Western military alliance if this pressure from Washington escalates further.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Trump says Venezuela's new acting President appears willing to cooperate with the U.S., but back in Caracas, the government is taking a page from Nicolas Maduro's playbook. Details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. Here are some of today's top stories in our breaking news.

New video shows gunfire and anti-aircraft fire in Venezuela's capital Monday night. This reportedly came after a misunderstanding and confusion between different security groups near the presidential palace. The city is still clearly on edge after the U.S. operation to capture President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday. The ousted Venezuelan leader claimed he's still the president of

Venezuela during his New York court appearance. Both he and his wife Celia Flores pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapons charges. Their lawyers confirmed a formal bail application will be presented at a later date.

The U.N. Secretary General says U.S. military action in Caracas has left him quote "deeply concerned" that rules of international law have not been respected. The U.N. Security Council discussed the situation in an emergency meeting on Monday. Russia, China and Colombia all condemned the U.S. military operation as illegal.

Nicolas Maduro's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, was formally sworn in as Venezuela's interim leader on Monday. CNN's Paula Newton has more on a landmark day in Venezuela's National Assembly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a bold statement that the old guard in Venezuela is still in charge. Lawmakers in the National Assembly gathered to open a new session, an unprecedented one, as a loyal operative of the regime of Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as acting President.

Even in taking the oath, Delcy Rodriguez denounced Maduro and his wife's capture, saying she was in pain for the kidnapping of two heroes. While Maduro was shackled and on his way to his first appearance in a New York courtroom, his inner circle returned to a familiar playbook, calling on Venezuelans to hit the streets and protest Maduro's incarceration.

Even his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, was installed once again in Parliament, emotionally pledging his allegiance to Rodriguez, adding, the homeland is in good hands, dad.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): We seem to have swapped one head of the snake for another, and we absolutely have to make sure that the result from the arrest and removal of Maduro, who was illegally holding office and who violated U.S. and international law, that we move towards a transition.

NEWTON (voice-over): On the streets of Caracas, the shock of the last few days is giving way to a return to business as usual and a regime that is all too familiar. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in custody, and citizens have been warned the regime is aggressively hunting down U.S. collaborators. Government media parrots the line that the entire country stands with Maduro, even though Rodriguez is herself now vowing to engage in a cooperative agenda with the U.S.

The regime, though, its guardians still in place, returned emboldened to this performative display. In fact, the events of the last few days seem to vindicate the revolutionary ideals among Maduro loyalists that the U.S. posed a clear and present danger to the country, and only a dogmatic, zealous devotion to the regime could fight.

Paula Newton, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Venezuela's exiled opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, says she will return to her home country as soon as possible. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, the Nobel laureate revealed she last spoke with President Trump in October when her peace prize win was announced, Despite Trump doubting her ability to lead a post- Maduro Venezuela, Machado had nothing but praise for the U.S. President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Actually, I spoke with President Trump on October 10th, the same day the prize was announced.

[03:34:57]

Not since then, but I do want to say today, on behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for his courageous vision and the actions, historical actions he has taken against this narco- terrorist regime to start dismantling this structure and bringing Maduro to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Over the last few days, the U.S. President has repeatedly said the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela. Here's how one of his senior aides is explaining that assertion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILLER: By definition, we are in charge. Because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions, we have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce.

So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So the United States is in charge, the United States is running the country during this transition period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Nic.

So confusion continues over who's actually in charge of Venezuela, with President Trump insisting he is, while the country's old guard remains in power and acting President Delcy Rodriguez appears to continue the regime's governing style, going after anyone who dares to support the U.S. action against Maduro. What is the latest on all of this?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Passing a law outlawing, in effect, support for Maduro's capture is an indication of the direction that Delcy Rodriguez's government, Maduro's government, is willing and continuing to go in.

The U.S. position outlined there by Stephen Miller that by controlling the ports, by controlling the commerce of Venezuela, that this is going to change the course of the government is something that really only can be tested on time. What levers of behind-the-scenes diplomacy are being enacted to convince Rodriguez and the government to change course at the moment, they're doing what they know best. And that is continuing.

And President Trump has really, you know, with the capture of Maduro has signaled what is willing to do, but it's also signaled to the Venezuelans that they need to be better ready for that in the future and better prepared for it. So, President Trump being able to walk away from this operation, as Stephen Miller outlined last night, with only a few injuries to U.S. forces, the cost could be much higher next time around.

So, again, how do you put on that leverage that President Trump has already used a degree of military force to do? If it's only being done diplomatically, it's hard to see how the outcome is going to be different in the short term, particularly as a return to democracy has been ruled out by Secretary Rubio. No elections, the U.S. is not pushing for elections in Venezuela.

CHURCH: And, Nic, in the wake of the U.S. military action in Venezuela, President Trump has been threatening to do the same in Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Iran and Greenland. What's been the reaction to this from the international community and what would happen if President Trump tried to take Greenland by force? How would NATO likely react? What would happen to NATO?

ROBERTSON: Well, Mette Fredriksen, the Danish Prime Minister, has said, in effect, that that would collapse NATO and that would bring an end to the post-World War II security that NATO has brought to Europe, to the Atlantic Alliance, to the United States. Interesting, listening to Stephen Miller last night, he said no one needs to talk about military force being used to take Greenland because, quite simply, no one would fight the U.S. for it.

I don't think anyone is envisaging a U.S. force going into Greenland and the rest of NATO going toe to toe with inside of Greenland. But the implications that Fredriksen, the Danish Prime Minister, outlines that this would fracture, seriously, perhaps irreversibly, this long- standing, historic military alliance that has proved dominant through decades, would be perhaps a realistic outcome and that would enable the United States, other putative enemies like Russia, although people would question how much Trump is really an enemy of President Putin and Russia, but perhaps China as well would see a weakened transatlantic alliance for their actions as well.

So what Fredriksen is talking about and what European leaders worry about, because they do take President Trump seriously when he says that he wants Greenland for U.S. national security, it could significantly reshape the security of Europe, of the transatlantic region and therefore the rest of the world.

[03:40:06]

It is big stakes and that's how it's being seen and discussed here in Europe.

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Nic Robertson joining us live there from London, I appreciate it.

Well, President Trump is offering an ambitious timeline for rebuilding Venezuela's oil industry. Just ahead, why experts say it might not be so easy and U.S. oil companies are not yet on board.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:09]

CHURCH: Here are your business headlines.

Wall Street kicked off the first full week of trading in 2026 on a high note. The Dow closed up about 1.5 percent. But the big story was that it briefly passed the 49,000 mark for the first time. Chevron was one of the winners, soaring on the prospect of U.S. companies working in Venezuela's oil industry.

U.S. President Donald Trump says it'll take less than 18 months for American oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's energy infrastructure. He acknowledged over the weekend that it would take billions of dollars in investment, but says the companies would be reimbursed.

Experts say U.S. oil executives are in no rush to invest in Venezuela. The lack of political stability and the huge cost of rebuilding infrastructure are two of the main deterrents. The U.S. Energy Secretary plans to meet with industry executives this week to discuss the situation.

Years of underinvestment, economic crisis and international isolation have left Venezuela's oil industry in a state of disrepair. CNN's Brian Todd reports it could take decades to turn things around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Following the dramatic capture of Nicolas Maduro, President Trump put it bluntly. America was taking over the running of an underperforming oil power.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's been horribly run. The oil is just flowing at a very low level.

TODD (voice-over): Why are Venezuela's oil reserves so important to the U.S.? Analysts say it's not just that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, sitting on over 300 billion barrels of crude, but it now has the potential to eventually reclaim its status as one of the world's top oil producers, with a type of oil that fits America's needs and capabilities to a T.

CLAYTON SEIGLE, SR. FELLOW, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Venezuela's particular kind of crude oil, which we call extra heavy, is a perfect match for the sophisticated oil refineries that the U.S. energy companies have invested in and built in the Gulf Coast.

TODD (voice-over): In the hours after Maduro's capture, President Trump made this claim about Venezuela's oil trading history with America.

TRUMP: It was the greatest theft in the history of America. Nobody has ever stolen our property like they have. They took our oil away from us, they took the infrastructure away.

TODD (voice-over): Experts say it's not true that Venezuela stole America's oil. The oil itself, they say, was always Venezuela's. But one analyst says part of Trump's claim is correct, that Venezuela did expropriate some of the assets and infrastructure of American oil companies in Venezuela.

SEIGLE: There were two major rounds of expropriations. One of them was in the 70s and another one was in the early to mid-2000s under Chavez, the former strongman.

TODD (voice-over): It was under Hugo Chavez, analysts say, that Venezuela's status as an oil power began to spiral.

BOB MCNALLY, PRESIDENT, RAPIDAN ENERGY GROUP: A communist dictator came in, nationalized the resources, kicked out most of the U.S. companies, and then invited the Russians and the Chinese to come in. And then he didn't organize and plan and run the wells well. So he ran the system into the ground.

TODD (voice-over): Then Maduro ran it further into the ground, to the point where now Venezuela produces less than one percent of the world's crude oil.

TODD: How long will it take to revitalize that decaying operation as President Trump has promised to do?

Well, despite Trump's promise that U.S. oil companies are ready to race back into Venezuela, CNN has learned that they've been hesitant to commit to that. Experts say those companies will want to see some real political stability there first, and that could take years, if not decades.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just ahead, we will see how Colombia is reacting to the U.S. operation in neighboring Venezuela, and what Colombia's leader is saying to President Trump. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is praising the U.S. military, saying they did their job, quote, flawlessly during the mission to capture Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro. Former FBI counterintelligence and counterterrorism operative Eric O'Neill called it a most efficient operation. Earlier, he told CNN's Erica Hill why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC O'NEIL, FORMER FBI COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND COUNTER TERRORISM OPERATIVE: So this required the CIA to embed themselves in Venezuela, not get caught, and also work sources within Maduro's close network in order to create an idea of where he went, what he did, who he met with, and most importantly, where he would be when they chose to strike.

They had to have him in pocket perfectly, and what amazes me is, one, nobody knew what was happening, including the very astute Cuban intelligence services that were surrounding Maduro, and they were able to use a combination of human intelligence, so recruiting sources, being on the ground surveillance, and cyber intelligence, cyber espionage, to see where he was going to be and to know when to launch that strike.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: After the U.S. operation to remove Maduro, Colombia is increasing security across its border with Venezuela. Colombia's president fired back at President Trump, saying that he would, quote, "take up arms if the U.S. attacked his country." CNN's David Culver has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the show of force Colombian commanders want the world, and perhaps mostly Washington, to witness.

CULVER: And so here it is now evening, going into late in the night, and we're about to see some of the many patrols that have sprawled out across the 1300-plus miles of border between Colombia and Venezuela.

CULVER (voice-over): The government says it's now deployed some 30,000 Colombian troops to its eastern border.

CULVER: Military commanders stress that their priority is security and stability more than anything else. It may look like an escalation, but they say this is about being prepared for whatever situation might unfold.

But you can't look past the timing, and that is all of this happening as scrutiny from Washington intensifies.

CULVER (voice-over): At all hours, the Colombian military increasingly present here. CULVER: What is the priority right now?

CULVER (voice-over): Pushing back on claims from the Trump administration that they're not doing enough to stop criminal organizations and drugs from crossing the border.

UNKNOWN (translated): The deployment of troops (is) to guarantee the sovereignty of the territory.

CULVER (voice-over): Adamant they're focused on guaranteeing and defending Colombia's sovereignty and primarily its citizens.

UNKNOWN (translated): (For) the defense of the territory and especially the defense of Colombians.

CULVER (voice-over): And yet, despite the show of force, life here pretty normal for the moment.

CULVER: You can see steady traffic coming in from Venezuela into Colombia. This is the Simon Bolivar Bridge, takes you right into Venezuela.

[03:55:08]

CULVER (voice-over): Or out of Venezuela, in Maria's case, if only for a couple of hours.

She's got a doctor's appointment in Colombia.

CULVER: She says everything's calm.

CULVER (voice-over): She's among those still living in Venezuela, willing to tell us on camera she's happier with Maduro gone.

CULVER: She says as soon as Maduro became President, everything just went downhill from there. So she's hoping it can revert back to the way it was, as she says, before.

CULVER (voice-over): In a seemingly forgotten, tucked away mountain community here in Cucuta, Colombia, many we meet dream bigger for Venezuela's future.

CULVER: And this is a community that's basically a migrant settlement.

She thinks there are more Venezuelans in this community than Colombians. Mind you, we're in Colombia.

CULVER (voice-over): This family left Venezuela two years ago, intentionally keeping close to their homeland.

CULVER: Do you want to go back?

She would love to go back.

That's where the bedroom is.

They have running water and electricity. The neighbor has internet and so they share it.

So this is their kitchen. They have one bedroom there.

CULVER (voice-over): Incredibly modest, but better still, she insists, than life on the other side of the border.

CULVER: She said life in Venezuela was incredibly difficult, even working. She said she had to make choices. Do you buy clothes? Do you buy food?

CULVER (voice-over): She's among the nearly three million who've left Venezuela to settle in Colombia in recent years, believed to be the largest Venezuelan diaspora outside of Venezuela.

CULVER: She said her husband wanted to stay close to their homeland, so they're just over the border. Secondly, she was worried about the journey to the U.S.

CULVER (voice-over): And yet, before returning, she, like most here, want to see lasting changes take shape.

CULVER: Do you think the U.S. can change things in Venezuela?

She does think the U.S. actually can contribute, not to do everything, but to at least make a better Venezuela, as she sees it.

CULVER (voice-over): Until then, they've made this home.

CULVER: She says go back three years ago and this was a mess. It didn't look anything like this, but the community came together and now it's a place where a lot of the kids gather and they play.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I want to thank you for your company this hour, I'm Rosemary Church. Our coverage of the ouster of Nicolas Maduro and the global ramifications continues with Rahel Solomon after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)