\u200b<\/p>\n
Helicopters carrying ousted Venezuelan dictator<\/a> Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have landed at the West Side Heliport in New York City, according to Fox News.<\/p>\n The motorcade is first moving from the heliport toward Drug Enforcement Agency Office in Manhattan with a final destination of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n GOP reps say Rubio offered Maduro ‘many ways’ out of country before capture<\/p>\n Following Venezuelan leader<\/a> Nicolas Maduro’s capture on Saturday, Republican lawmakers said he was offered “many” options to leave the country on his own accord.<\/p>\n During a news conference Saturday afternoon, Rep. Mario D\u00edaz-Balart, R-Fla., said Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered Maduro “many ways to find an exit path to get out of the country,” but Maduro did not accept, or “believe what the president was saying.”\n<\/p>\n “President [Donald] Trump decided on th[e] option to use the brave men and women … to go get him in Caracas and bring him to justice,” D\u00edaz-Balart said. “Let’s remember who we’re dealing with. We’re dealing with a man who was under indictment in the Southern District of New York for drug trafficking and multiple other offenses.”<\/p>\n “We have been accepting and tolerating and seeing the death and the poisoning of countless young Americans,” he continued. “We’ve seen boats and airplanes come north from the south, and we were able to only intercept a very small percentage of those.”<\/p>\n D\u00edaz-Balart said Maduro’s capture marks “an important day” for the American people, and “a crucial day for the entire hemisphere.”<\/p>\n UK Prime Minister Starmer says he will ‘shed no tears’ over end of Maduro\u2019s rule<\/p>\n U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that he would \u201cshed no tears\u201d over the end of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro’s rule, reaffirming Britain\u2019s long-standing opposition to his government.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UK has long<\/a> supported a transition of power in Venezuela. We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate President and we shed no tears about the end of his regime,” Starmer posted to X. \u201cI reiterated my support for international law this morning.”<\/p>\n \nStarmer said he hopes for a transition to a government that \u201creflects the will of the Venezuelan people.”<\/p>\n \u201cThe UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.”<\/p>\n Maduro seen wearing hoodie under heavy federal guard after landing in New York<\/p>\n Ousted Venezuelan dictator<\/a> Nicol\u00e1s Maduro was seen under heavy federal escort after landing in New York on Saturday, according to aerial footage and wire images.<\/p>\n \nMaduro appeared flanked by multiple agents and wearing what looked to be a light blue\u00a0or grey\u00a0hoodie as he was led from a U.S. federal aircraft at Stewart International Airport.<\/p>\n Law enforcement personnel wearing jackets marked Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration were visible on the tarmac surrounding Maduro.<\/p>\n Images provided by Reuters show Maduro being escorted from the plane across the tarmac to a helipad.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Fox News\u00a0was\u00a0live at the West Side Heliport, where the aircraft carrying Maduro was expected to arrive for onward transport, an Associated Press source said.<\/p>\n Federal authorities have not publicly detailed the timing of Maduro\u2019s transfer.<\/p>\n U.N. Security Council to hold emergency meeting Monday on U.S. operations in Venezuela<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n The U.N. Security Council is expected to convene an emergency meeting Monday to discuss U.S. operations in Venezuela<\/a>, following the capture of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife.<\/p>\n \nThe meeting is reportedly set for 10 a.m. ET and will include ambassadors from 15 countries at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, according to the\u00a0Washington Examiner<\/a>.<\/p>\n This comes after both Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil requested the meeting on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cIn response to the criminal aggression perpetrated by the US government against our nation, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the body responsible for upholding international law,\u201d Gil posted to X. \u201cNo cowardly attack will prevail against the strength of this people, who will emerge victorious.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the U.N. did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.<\/p>\n Persons escorted out of plane believed to carry Maduro, wife, under cover of darkness<\/p>\n People believed to be Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> and his wife were escorted off a plane under the cover of darkness late Saturday after the aircraft landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base, according to Fox News reporting.<\/p>\n There has been no official confirmation yet identifying the passengers, but Fox News Digital is reporting that the individuals removed from the aircraft are Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.<\/p>\n \nVideo from a news helicopter operated by WNYW shows law enforcement activity on the tarmac as the plane arrived.<\/p>\n Authorities are now awaiting a transfer to a nearby helipad, where the people are expected to be moved for onward transport.<\/p>\n Federal agents spotted as DOJ plane carrying Maduro lands on American soil<\/p>\n Law enforcement officers wearing jackets labeled Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration were spotted flanking a Department of Justice aircraft carrying ousted Venezuelan leader<\/a> Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife on the tarmac at Stewart Air National Guard Base, according to video from a news helicopter overhead.<\/p>\n As of 5:15 p.m., Maduro and his wife had not yet been seen disembarking from the plane.<\/p>\n \nThe heavy federal law enforcement presence on the tarmac included multiple agents positioned near the aircraft as authorities appeared to prepare for the next phase of transport.<\/p>\n Fox News Channel is reporting that officials are awaiting a transfer to a nearby helipad, where the pair are expected to be moved under secure escort.<\/p>\n Neither the Department of Justice nor federal law enforcement agencies have publicly confirmed the identities of the passengers or detailed the timing of their departure from the aircraft.<\/p>\n Breaking News \u200b<\/p>\n Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> has arrived on U.S. soil at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York after being captured during Operation Absolute Resolve early Saturday morning in Caracas, Venezuela.<\/p>\n \nFox News can confirm the plane that arrived in New York is owned by and registered under the Department of Justice. Persons with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) jackets waited on the tarmac.<\/p>\n Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on sweeping federal charges, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Saturday.<\/p>\n According to Bondi, Maduro is charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cThey will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,\u201d Bondi said in a statement posted to X.<\/p>\n Stewart Air National Guard Base is located about 60 miles from New York City in Orange County, New York.<\/p>\n FAA restricts Caribbean and Venezuela airspace due to US military operation, Duffy says<\/p>\n \nTransportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted airspace over parts of the Caribbean and Venezuela early Saturday in coordination with the Department of War to protect the flying public.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly this morning in support of the Department of War, the FAA restricted the airspace in the Caribbean and Venezuela to ensure the SAFETY of the flying public,\u201d Duffy wrote on X. He said the limits will be lifted \u201cwhen appropriate\u201d and advised travelers to contact their airlines if flights were affected.<\/p>\n The FAA restrictions followed U.S. military action announced overnight and came as officials emphasized safety and coordination across federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration.<\/p>\n Duffy closed his post by praising the commander-in-chief and the armed forces, writing, \u201cGod bless President Trump<\/a> and the United States military.\u201d<\/p>\n Argentina says it will not be a \u2018refuge\u2019 for Maduro regime allies after his arrest<\/p>\n Argentina is moving quickly to tighten its stance following the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, with officials making clear the country will not serve as a refuge for anyone tied to his regime.<\/p>\n \nArgentina\u2019s Ministry of National Security said new migration measures are being implemented to block entry for Venezuelan officials, military members, business figures and others linked to Maduro. The ministry said the goal is to prevent collaborators from using Argentina as a safe haven in the aftermath of Maduro\u2019s capture.<\/p>\n President Javier Milei went further, celebrating what he called the fall of a \u201cnarcoterrorist dictatorship\u201d and framing the moment as a clear moral divide between democracy and authoritarianism. Milei said Argentina is prepared to help support a peaceful transition to a free and democratic Venezuela.<\/p>\n Officials emphasized Argentina\u2019s position is rooted in defending freedom, democracy and regional security, adding that there will be no tolerance for those associated with Maduro\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n The announcements mark one of the strongest responses so far from a regional government following developments in Venezuela<\/a>.<\/p>\n F-35s, bombers and warships: The massive US operation to capture Maduro<\/p>\n U.S. Gen. Dan Caine<\/a> The mission, known as \u201cAbsolute Resolve,\u201d began in the predawn hours Saturday.About 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases to dismantle Venezuelan air defenses, clearing the way for military helicopters to insert troops into Caracas.<\/p>\n The operation involved F-35 and F-22 fighter jets as well as B-1 bombers. The mission lasted approximately two hours and 20 minutes, Caine said.<\/p>\n Ahead of the operation, the Department of War directed a major buildup of U.S. forces in the Caribbean, deploying an aircraft carrier, 11 warships and more than a dozen F-35 fighter jets.<\/p>\n This is an excerpt of\u00a0an article<\/a>\u00a0by Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman.<\/p>\n Past social media posts from President Donald Trump<\/a> and former President Joe Biden are drawing renewed attention following Trump\u2019s confirmation Saturday that Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro was captured in Operation Absolute Resolve.<\/p>\n In June 2020, during Trump’s first term, Biden criticized the president’s Venezuela policy, writing that Trump \u201ctalks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro,\u201d while pledging to stand \u201cwith the Venezuelan people<\/a> and for democracy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n One day later, Trump pushed back in his own post, vowing he would \u201cALWAYS stand against socialism and with the people of Venezuela\u201d and saying he would only meet with Maduro to discuss \u201ca peaceful exit from power.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, Trump was responding to reports suggesting he had expressed second thoughts about recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaid\u00f3. Trump insisted any engagement with Maduro would be aimed solely at removing him from power.<\/p>\n More than five years later, those posts are being viewed through a new lens as Trump, now president again, oversaw the operation that led to Maduro\u2019s removal from office.<\/p>\n “This tweet did not age well,” one user wrote under former President Biden’s post.<\/p>\n Burgum praises Trump admin, won’t allow cartels to make millions while trafficking drugs<\/p>\n Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised President Donald Trump<\/a> for ordering this weekend military operation in Venezuela.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Burgum noted that border crossing have hit record lows and that Trump has fulfilled his “America first” promise.<\/p>\n \n“This administration has stopped the invasion at our Southern Border, and now we\u2019re stopping the mass casualties caused by Maduro\u2019s criminal network,” he wrote of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n “The U.S. will no longer allow cartels to make billions while drug trafficking kills hundreds of thousands of Americans. This is America First,” he added.<\/p>\n Trump tears up Obama-era Latin American policy with renewal of Monroe Doctrine<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0and his administration have revived the\u00a0Monroe Doctrine\u00a0\u2013 rebranded as the “Don-roe Doctrine” \u2013 and used it to justify strikes in Venezuela and the capture of dictator Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal. But we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a lot,” Trump said Saturday. “They now call it the \u2018Don-roe Doctrine\u2019 \u2026 We sort of forgot about it. It was very important, but we forgot about it. We don’t forget about it anymore. Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The restoration of the Monroe Doctrine, which sought to limit European influence in Latin America<\/a> and to protect U.S. influence in the region, comes as the\u00a0Trump administration\u00a0released its National Security Strategy this month that redirects U.S. attention to the Western Hemisphere in an intentional effort to better prioritize protecting the U.S. homeland amid the Trump administration’s crusade against the influx of drugs into the U.S. from Latin America.\u00a0<\/p>\n “President Trump has prioritized enforcing the Monroe Doctrine unlike any other President in decades,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital in December. “He was elected on his promise to eliminate the scourge of drug deaths in our country, including his commitment to secure the southern border and take on the cartels. He has delivered on both fronts by stopping the flow of drugs by land and by sea.”\n<\/p>\n This is an excerpt from an article<\/a> by Diana Stancy.<\/p>\n Schumer and Jeffries demand ‘Gang of Eight’ briefing after Trump actions in Venezuela<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n \nSenate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are calling for immediate congressional briefings following U.S. military actions in Venezuela<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a joint statement released Saturday, the two New York Democrats said Trump\u2019s \u201cannounced plan to run Venezuela is unacceptable\u201d and urged the administration to brief senior congressional leaders without delay.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is critical that the Trump administration provide an immediate Gang of Eight briefing, followed by briefings for all Members of the House and Senate early next week,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n \nThe request comes after Trump confirmed U.S. military strikes in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro under Operation Absolute Resolve, a move that has drawn swift reactions from U.S. lawmakers and foreign leaders.<\/p>\n Ranking Dem says Trump’s actions has introduced ‘more chaos and instability into Venezuela’<\/p>\n Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. military operation in Venezuela “has introduced more chaos and instability into” the country.<\/p>\n “It appears the Trump Administration gave no consideration or plan for what comes next in terms of a functioning government in Venezuela,” Smith said in a statement. “This vacuum threatens to destabilize South America, will likely have no impact on the drug cartels, and could make the situation worse.”<\/p>\n \nSmith also criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for repeatedly stating that the Trump administration’s goal in the South American nation was not regime change<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Today\u2019s military action, taken without consultation with or authorization from Congress, shows that Secretary Rubio misled the Congress and the American people,” he said. “The administration must immediately and truthfully brief Congress on its plans in the region and Congress, specifically the Republican majority, must stop abdicating its responsibility.”<\/p>\n “These actions run counter to everything Trump campaigned on and rather than ending conflicts the president has chosen to drag the U.S. into further foreign wars,” he added.<\/p>\n VP Vance was ‘deeply integrated’ in planning Venezuela strikes and Maduro arrest, spokesperson says<\/p>\n Vice President JD Vance was ‘deeply integrated’ in the planning and execution of the U.S. operation targeting Venezuela<\/a> The spokesperson said Vance participated in multiple late-night meetings with national security principals via secure video conference in the days leading up to the operation. He also briefly met with President Donald Trump at Trump\u2019s golf club in West Palm Beach on Friday to discuss the strikes.<\/p>\n Vance was not at Mar-a-Lago Friday night, the spokesperson said, citing concerns that a late-night motorcade movement during the operation could have alerted Venezuelan officials ahead of Operation Absolute Resolve.<\/p>\n Instead, the vice president remained engaged remotely, joining secure video conferences throughout the night to monitor developments as the mission unfolded. After the operation concluded, Vance returned to Cincinnati.<\/p>\n \nThe spokesperson added that heightened security considerations have led the administration to limit how often and how long the president and vice president are “co-located” outside the White House.<\/p>\n Rubio to Cuba: ‘I’d be concerned’ after US military arrests Venezuelan leader Maduro<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n Cuban leaders should be concerned following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the arrest of\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday, as President Donald Trump signaled that his administration could shift its focus to the Caribbean island.<\/p>\n \nCuba has long maintained a presence in Venezuela, with intelligence agents and security personnel embedded amid close relations between Havana and Caracas.<\/p>\n Rubio<\/a>, the son of Cuban immigrants, said Venezuela\u2019s spy agency was “basically full of Cubans,” as was Maduro\u2019s security detail.<\/p>\n “One of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba,” he said during a news conference in which officials revealed details of the military operation. “They tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint.”<\/p>\n He added that the communist island was “a disaster. It\u2019s run by incompetent, senile men \u2014 and in some cases, not senile, but incompetent nonetheless.”<\/p>\n \nThe secretary has repeatedly denounced Cuba and its leadership as a dictatorship and a failed state.”If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I\u2019d be concerned \u2014 at least a little bit,” Rubio said.<\/p>\n Trump\u00a0said Cuba was something his administration would “end up talking about because Cuba is a failing nation right now \u2014 a very badly failing nation.”<\/p>\n “And we want to help the people,” he added. “It\u2019s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we also want to help the people who were forced out of Cuba and are living in this country.<\/p>\n “Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken by\u00a0U.S. forces\u00a0and brought aboard the USS Iwo Jima. They were expected to be transported to the U.S. to face federal charges.<\/p>\n This is an excerpt of an article<\/a> by Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano.<\/p>\n Kerry Kennedy condemns Trump over Venezuela operation, sets ‘dangerous precedent’ for Latin America<\/p>\n Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, condemned President Donald Trump over the U.S. military operation in Venezuela.<\/p>\n In a statement, Kennedy said the military action violates U.S. and international law.<\/p>\n Furthermore, it sets a “dangerous precedent for Latin America and beyond.”<\/p>\n She also condemned the alleged widespread human rights abuses by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n “At the same time, any actions<\/a> taken in response must fully adhere to international and humanitarian law,” she wrote. “We urge the U.S. government to clearly articulate how its actions uphold these principles.”<\/p>\n Kennedy called for a peaceful democratic transition of power in the South American nation that “must respect the will of the Venezuelan people and be governed by the Venezuelan People.”<\/p>\n Macron says Venezuelans are \u2018rid of Maduro\u2019s dictatorship\u2019 after Trump confirms capture<\/p>\n French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that the Venezuelan people are \u201crid of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s dictatorship,\u201d welcoming the dramatic developments after President Donald Trump<\/a> confirmed a U.S. operation that resulted in Maduro\u2019s capture.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Venezuelan people are today rid of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s dictatorship and can only rejoice,\u201d Macron wrote on X, accusing Nicol\u00e1s Maduro of seizing power and trampling fundamental freedoms.<\/p>\n \nMacron said the next phase must focus on a peaceful and democratic transition that respects the will of Venezuelan voters. He expressed hope that Edmundo Gonz\u00e1lez Urrutia, who was elected in 2024, can move quickly to guide the country forward.<\/p>\n The French leader said he is in active discussions with regional partners and added that France is \u201cfully mobilized and vigilant,\u201d particularly when it comes to protecting French nationals amid the rapidly changing situation.<\/p>\n Macron\u2019s remarks add to a growing list of international reactions following Trump\u2019s announcement of the U.S. military operation early Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Netanyahu applauds Trump for \u2018decisive resolve\u2019 after US action in Venezuela<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump on Saturday following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela<\/a>, applauding what he called Trump\u2019s \u201cbold and historic leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n In a post on X, Netanyahu congratulated Trump for acting \u201con behalf of freedom and justice\u201d and commended the U.S. military for carrying out the mission.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations, President Donald Trump, for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice,\u201d Netanyahu wrote. \u201cI salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n \nThe message came after Trump confirmed that Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife had been captured and removed from the country to face U.S. charges in New York.<\/p>\n CHART: Venezuela holds the world\u2019s largest oil reserves. Here\u2019s how others stack up<\/p>\n Venezuela, roughly twice the size of California, indisputably holds the world\u2019s largest proven oil reserves.At an estimated 300 billion barrels, about 20% of the global total and nearly four times U.S. reserves, that endowment dwarfs that of any other nation.<\/p>\n Yet its crisis-stricken economy and persistent\u00a0political instability\u00a0have sharply limited its ability to convert those reserves into sustained production.<\/p>\n A similar dynamic has played out in countries like Iran and Libya, where political turmoil, economic crises and deteriorating infrastructure also constrain output despite vast resource wealth.<\/p>\n Venezuela\u2019s<\/a> stockpile, now larger than those of energy titans like Saudi Arabia, has become a central flashpoint in the geopolitical struggle surrounding the country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n Maduro\u2019s fall sparks suspicion of betrayal inside Venezuela\u2019s ruling elite<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n As Americans awoke to the news of U.S. That inner circle includes Diosdado Cabello, who currently holds the role of minister of interior, justice, and peace, is widely believed to be as powerful as Maduro.<\/p>\n Another member of that inner circle is Vladimir Padrino, the longstanding head of the nation’s Armed Forces, who wields enormous power. Both Cabello and Padrino quickly condemned U.S. actions, but their responses so far have rung hollow.<\/p>\n Cabello now stands as the undisputed heir to the Chavista movement, with Padrino and the nation’s military muscle seemingly in lockstep, yet the Venezuelan Armed Forces seemingly put up no resistance of any kind to the operation.<\/p>\n \nIn an early morning video shared on X, Padrino lambasted the “criminal military aggression by the government of the United States\u2026coming to strike with their missiles and rockets fired from combat helicopters in Fuerte Tuna, Caracas, and the states of Mirana, Aragua, and La Guaira.<\/p>\n “He repeated decades-old Hugo Chavez talking points, stating, “Venezuela rejects with all its strength the presence of these foreign troops which have only brought death, pain and destruction. This invasion represents the greatest tragedy that the country has suffered, which is motivated by an insatiable greed for our strategic resources.”<\/p>\n With a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head, considerable domestic unpopularity, and the disputed 2024 election which the international community widely discredited as stolen, the writing appeared on the wall for Nicolas Maduro for years.<\/p>\n \nNow, Maduro and Flores are reportedly guests of the United States government on the\u00a0warship Iwo Jima, bound for New York to face what is likely to be the trial of the decade. Maduro is facing weapons and drug charges.<\/p>\n This is an excerpt of an article<\/a> by Fox News Digital’s David Unsworth.<\/p>\n Released photos show Trump, national security team monitoring Venezuela mission from Mar-a-Lago<\/p>\n President Donald Trump released photos Saturday afternoon showing himself and senior members of his cabinet monitoring the early-morning U.S. military operation in Venezuela<\/a> from Mar-a-Lago.<\/p>\n \nThe images, posted to Trump\u2019s Truth Social account, show Trump seated at a long table alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, with aides and security personnel standing nearby. Computer screens and communications equipment appear visible in several shots.<\/p>\n The photos were taken in the early hours of Saturday morning as U.S. forces carried out what he described as a \u201clarge-scale strike\u201d in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife.<\/p>\n The images offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at Trump and his national security team tracking the operation in real time from Florida.<\/p>\n Chevron, last US oil company in Venezuela, says it\u2019s following US law amid leadership crisis<\/p>\n Chevron, the only remaining U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela<\/a>, said it continues to run its limited operations in \u201cfull compliance\u201d with all applicable laws following the predawn capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations,\u201d a Chevron spokesperson wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n \nThe company emphasized that its priority remains the safety and wellbeing of its employees and the integrity of its assets, declining to comment on the broader security environment in Venezuela as the political situation rapidly evolves.<\/p>\n Chevron has maintained a constrained presence in the country through joint ventures with the state-run oil company, Petr\u00f3leos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), after other U.S. energy firms exited amid nationalization efforts, sanctions and political instability.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said U.S. energy companies<\/a> could play a central role in rebuilding the country\u2019s oil sector. He added that the United States continues to enforce its embargo on Venezuelan oil.<\/p>\n Schumer warns Trump running Venezuela \u2018should strike fear in the hearts\u2019 of Americans<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that President Donald Trump\u2019s announcement that the U.S. would run Venezuela should cause alarm among Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago told reporters that following strikes on Venezuela\u2019s capital Caracas, and the subsequent capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife on Saturday that the U.S. would be running the country.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,\u201d Trump said. \u201cSo, we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.\u201d<\/p>\n But Schumer noted that moving ahead with the strikes and \u201cwithout a credible plan for what comes next is reckless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe administration has assured me three separate times that it was not pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuela,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cClearly, they are not being straight with Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.\u201d<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> and Trump both weighed in on why Congress wasn’t notified of the strikes \u2014 Rubio warned it could have endangered Operation Absolute Resolve while Trump charged that lawmakers leak information.<\/p>\n Schumer demanded that the administration brief lawmakers on its objective in Venezuela immediately, and what plan Trump had to prevent a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster\u00a0\u201cthat plunges us into another endless war or one that trades one corrupt dictator for another.”<\/p>\n Trump tells Colombian president to ‘watch his a–,’ citing cocaine production<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n Colombian President Gustavo Petro<\/a> needs to watch his backside, according to President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \nA reporter asked Trump whether Petro should be worried following the U.S. operation in Venezuela in which dictator Nicol\u00e1s Maduro was captured.<\/p>\n “Well, he has cocaine mills. He has, factories where he makes cocaine, and. Yeah, I think I stick by my first statement. He’s making cocaine. They’re sending it into the United States. So he does have to watch his a–,” Trump said.<\/p>\n Petro posted a lengthy condemnation<\/a> of the U.S. operation in Venezuela, claiming it was carried out in violation of the United Nations charter, an argument made by other foreign leaders.<\/p>\n Trump says lawmakers not notified of Venezuelan strikes because \u2018Congress has a tendency to leak\u2019<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> offered a simple answer as to why lawmakers weren\u2019t notified ahead of Operation Absolute Resolve: Congress leaks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Several lawmakers are furious that they were not notified ahead of the surprise strikes, and subsequent capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife on Saturday.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago told reporters that lawmakers weren\u2019t notified ahead of time out of concern that it could endanger the operation, but were called right after. He noted that \u201cthis is not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on; it was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe watched and monitored that for a number of days,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cSo, it’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say, \u2018hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Trump interjected with a simpler explanation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCongress has a tendency to leak,\u201d Trump said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis would not be good if they leaked, General, I think it would have been maybe a very different result,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut I have to say they knew we were coming at some point, you know, we had a lot of ships out there, they sort of knew what we were. But Congress, Congress will leak and we don’t want to leakers.”<\/p>\n Oil embargo against Venezuela still in place after Maduro capture, Trump says<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n Despite the historic U.S. operation leading to the capture of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, the embargo on Venezuelan oil has not been lifted, President Donald Trump<\/a> announced on Saturday.<\/p>\n “The embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect. The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until the United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied,” the president said. “All political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.”\n<\/p>\n US has ‘overwhelming evidence’ against Maduro, Trump says<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. had “overwhelming evidence” against Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> and his wife, Cilia Flores.<\/p>\n \n“Maduro and his wife were soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil… But we have people where the overwhelming evidence of their crimes will be presented in a court of law. And I’ve seen it. I’ve seen what we have. It’s both horrible and breathtaking that something like this could have been allowed to take place.”<\/p>\n AOC charges that Maduro capture not about drugs but \u2018oil and regime change\u2019<\/p>\n Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,<\/a> D-N.Y., accused the Trump administration of running a smokescreen to hide the real reason that Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife were captured Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about drugs,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said on X. \u201cIf it was, Trump wouldn\u2019t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.\u201d<\/p>\n President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> pardon last year of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez of a drug trafficking conviction was already a sticking point for several congressional Democrats and some Republicans, but Ocasio-Cortez and her colleagues have since argued that it’s a point of hypocrisy by the administration in the wake of Maduro\u2019s extraction.<\/p>\n Trump and top officials have long accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with cartels and gangs that have been designated as terrorist organizations. Over the last year, the administration has carried out several strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean in an effort to stymie the flow of drugs into the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \nBut Ocasio-Cortez argued that the Trump administration\u2019s motives were more sinister, and geared toward shifting the balance of power in Venezuela, along with pointing attention elsewhere from key issues in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about oil and regime change,\u201d she continued. \u201cAnd they need a trial now to pretend that it isn\u2019t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.\u201d<\/p>\n US oil companies will ‘spend billions’ to fix broken infrastructure, Trump says\n<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust. A total bust for a long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping and what could have taken place,” Trump said.<\/p>\n “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go and spend billions of dollars to fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”<\/p>\n Trump says US will run Venezuela after Maduro’s capture for now<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago that the United States will temporarily run Venezuela after the capture of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said from his Palm Beach, Fla., residence. “So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country. It’s their homeland.”<\/p>\n Trump shares image of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima after historic US operation in Venezuela<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> shared an image of Venezuela dictator Nicol\u00e1s Maduro aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima.<\/p>\n The dictator appeared in a gray sweatsuit and was seemingly blindfolded and restrained. He was also holding a plastic water bottle.<\/p>\n Overnight, the U.S. carried out strikes in Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife. The duo are on their way to New York where they will stand trial for criminal charges.<\/p>\n Speaker Johnson touts \u2018justified,\u2019 \u2018decisive\u2019 action to extract Maduro, lawmakers to get briefings<\/p>\n House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., backed President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to arrest Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> and his wife amid partisan praise and backlash for the early Saturday operation.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s military action in Venezuela was a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives,\u201d Johnson said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n \n\u201cNicolas Maduro is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans after years of trafficking illegal drugs and violent cartel members into our country \u2014 crimes for which he\u2019s been properly indicted in U.S. courts and an arrest warrant duly issued \u2014 and today he learned what accountability looks like,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Trump confirmed that Maduro and his wife were captured after strikes and taken from the country after strikes in Venezuela’s<\/a> capital Caracas. He\u2019s expected to address the nation on the operation at 11 a.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n \nMeanwhile, the strikes have driven yet another partisan wedge between the aisles in Washington, D.C. Johnson and congressional Republicans have largely come to bat for Trump and the administration. The speaker said the president\u2019s move \u201cwill no longer allow criminal regimes to profit from wreaking havoc and destruction on our country.\u201d<\/p>\n And the speaker noted that lawmakers would soon be clued in on what happened over the weekend.\u201cThe Trump Administration is working to schedule briefings for Members as Congress returns to Washington next week,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cOur brave military personnel who executed a precise, successful operation deserve our gratitude and congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n Mexico condemns US action in Venezuela as violation of United Nations charter<\/p>\n Mexican President<\/a>\u00a0Claudia Sheinbaum condemned U.S. action in Venezuela, saying that it was carried out in violation of the United Nations Charter.<\/p>\n The Mexican president posted on X verbatim Article 2, Section 4 of the U.N. Charter, which reads “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”<\/p>\n In\u00a0a statement<\/a>, the Mexican government called for “respect for international law” after the U.S. carried out strikes on Venezuela overnight and captured its leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.\u00a0<\/p>\n UN chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by US strikes on Venezuela, capture of Maduro<\/p>\n United Nations<\/a> Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres was “deeply alarmed” after the U.S. carried out strikes in Venezuela and captured its leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, St\u00e9phane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement to Fox News.<\/p>\n \n“Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter. He\u2019s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected,” Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General calls on all actors in Venezuela to engage in inclusive dialogue, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law.”<\/p>\n The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) could possibly hold an emergency meeting on Saturday following the U.S. actions in Venezuela, Fox News has learned. Reports indicate that Venezuela could have demanded the meeting. Additionally, Russia, which condemned the U.S. strikes, publicly called for an “immediate meeting” of the UNSC.<\/p>\n Trump reveals Maduro and wife were taken to USS Iwo Jima by helicopter<\/p>\n President Donald Trump told “Fox & Friends Weekend” that Venezuelan dictator<\/a> Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. The two were captured during an operation on Saturday morning in Caracas.<\/p>\n Fox News host Griff Jenkins asked Trump<\/a> Well, they’ll be heading to New York,” Trump said. Griffin interjected, “were they taken to a ship first?”<\/p>\n “Yes, the Iwo Jima,” Trump said. “They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.”<\/p>\n “Even people in their own country. They killed a lot of people to maintain power. He’s a very vicious person.”<\/p>\n Earlier on Saturday, Trump confirmed on Truth Social that the U.S. carried out strikes in Caracas and captured both Maduro and his wife.<\/p>\n Fox News has learned that Maduro could make an appearance in federal court in New York, where he was indicted years ago, as soon as Monday.<\/p>\n Russia condemns US ‘act of armed aggression’ in Venezuela<\/p>\n Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) condemned “The pretexts used to justify these actions are untenable,” the Russian MFA wrote in a post on X. “Russia reaffirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.”<\/p>\n In a longer statement<\/a>, Russia’s MFA called for the prevention of further escalation and urged the U.S. and Venezuela “to focus on finding a solution through dialogue.” The Kremlin added that “Latin America must remain a zone of peace, as it proclaimed itself in 2014.”<\/p>\n This comes as the Trump administration has been attempting to negotiate peace in the nearly four-year-long Ukraine-Russia war. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n Trump speaks to ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ hours after US strikes on Venezuela, capture of Maduro<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> spoke with “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday morning just hours after the U.S. hit Venezuela and captured its leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n The president said that he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago.<\/p>\n \n“It’s just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,” Trump said of the historic operation.<\/p>\n When asked about critics who have emerged in the hours since the strikes, Trump brushed it off, saying that they were “weak, stupid people.”<\/p>\n Maduro could make NY federal court appearance as soon as Monday, Fox News learns<\/p>\n Venezuelan dictator\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> could make an initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan as soon as this coming Monday, Fox News is told.<\/p>\n The timing could change at this stage, but his appearance will happen “likely Monday,” Fox News learned.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said the U.S. carried out a strike on Venezuela early Saturday and captured Maduro and his wife, who have been flown out of the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated that Maduro and his wife had already been indicted in the Southern District of New York.<\/p>\n Trump ‘offered multiple off ramps’ to Maduro before US strikes, Vance says<\/p>\n Vice President JD Vance stood by President Donald Trump’s decision to carry out strikes in Venezuela and to capture dictator Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,” Vance wrote on X.<\/p>\n “Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation,” he added.<\/p>\n The strikes on Venezuela and capture of Maduro have been praised and condemned across the globe. While some countries expressed concern that the move would lead to chaos in the region, others cheered on the U.S.<\/p>\n US capture of Maduro championed, condemned across world stage after surgical Venezuela strikes<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n World leaders were sharply divided Saturday after the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela and President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0announced that the country\u2019s leader, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country.<\/p>\n Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel Berm\u00fadez condemned what he called a “criminal attack,”\u00a0writing on X\u00a0that, “Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted.” Communist Cuba is a supporter of the Maduro government and has been a longtime adversary of the United States.<\/p>\n Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his government viewed the reports coming out of Venezuela “with deep concern,” and he warned against further escalation, claiming the U.S. strikes risked destabilizing the region.<\/p>\n “The\u00a0Colombian Government\u00a0rejects any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or put the civilian population at risk,” Petro\u00a0wrote on X.<\/p>\n \nMeanwhile, President Javier Milei of Argentina, a close ally of Trump, praised the news by sharing a previous video of him denouncing Maduro’s “narco-terrorist” regime as a regional threat and urging Latin American leaders to back U.S. pressure to end it.<\/p>\n “Long live freedom, dammit!” Milei wrote, using his signature pro-freedom chant.<\/p>\n Maduro spoke of potential Trump olive branch in car interview days before capture by US forces<\/p>\n Days before he was captured by U.S. forces, Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro <\/a> The pre-taped interview was staged with Maduro seated behind the wheel of a car and driving with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet in the passenger seat while they discussed a potential deal. In the clip that aired on state TV, Maduro said Venezuela is “ready” to discuss a drug-trafficking deal with the U.S. He called on the countries to “start talking seriously, with data in hand.”<\/p>\n “The U.S. government knows, because we\u2019ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we\u2019re ready,” he said. “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it.”<\/p>\n Chevron Corp.<\/a> is the only\u00a0major U.S. oil company currently exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States.<\/p>\n Cuban-born US congressman champions Maduro’s capture as ‘equivalent to the Fall of the Berlin Wall’<\/p>\n Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who was born in Cuba<\/a> and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, praised the Trump administration for striking Venezuela and capturing Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n “President Trump has changed the course of history in our hemisphere. Our country and the world are safer for it,” Gimenez wrote on X. “Today\u2019s decisive action is this hemisphere\u2019s equivalent to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.”<\/p>\n \n“It\u2019s a big day in Florida, where the majority of Venezuelan, Cuban and Nicaraguan exiles reside. This is the community I represent & we are overwhelmed with emotion and hope,” Gimenez added.<\/p>\n Bondi vows Maduro, wife will face ‘full wrath of American justice’ on DOJ indictments after capture<\/p>\n Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed Saturday that Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> and his wife, Cilia Flores will face the “full wrath of American justice” following their capture by U.S. forces in Venezuela and extraction from the country.<\/p>\n In an X post, Bondi reiterated that Maduro and his wife had been indicted in the Southern District of New York.<\/p>\n “Nicholas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi wrote.<\/p>\n \n“On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,” she added.<\/p>\n According to the State Department’s website, Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York in 2020 for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.<\/p>\n Sen. Tom Cotton<\/a>, R-Ark., also reiterated on X that Maduro “was indicted in U.S. court nearly six years ago for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.”<\/p>\n “Nicolas Maduro wasn\u2019t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation,” Cotton wrote.<\/p>\n \nThe senator added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Maduro would “face justice for his crimes against our citizens.”<\/p>\n Maduro made a statement on state TV after US strikes started: report<\/p>\n Venezuelan President\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>\u00a0reportedly made a statement on television and radio condemning the U.S.’s “grave military aggression” against his country.<\/p>\n \nMaduro reportedly said the U.S. strikes were carried out in violation of the United Nations Charter and that Washington put peace and stability at risk across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to\u00a0The Miami Herald<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an attack against the sovereignty of Venezuela,\u201d Maduro reportedly said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \nMarco Rubio gives reminder that he has long assessed Maduro ‘is NOT the President of Venezuela’<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted a reminder that he long asserted Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> was not the legitimate president of the country.<\/p>\n “Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States,” Rubio wrote in a post on X<\/a> in July that he reposted following Maduro’s capture.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. carried out overnight strikes in Venezuela and that Maduro had been “captured and flown out of the country.”<\/p>\n Venezuela demands proof of life for Maduro after US arrest<\/p>\n Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded in audio played on state TV that the U.S. provide “proof of life” for Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> and his wife.<\/p>\n “We demand that President Donald Trump\u2019s government provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,” Rodriguez said, according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n In August, the U.S. announced a $50 million bounty for information leading to the arrest and\/or conviction of Maduro.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump announced on Jan. 3 that the U.S. carried out overnight strikes in Venezuela and “captured” Maduro and his wife.<\/p>\n Maduro headed for criminal trial in US, Republican senator says\n<\/p>\n Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said on Saturday that he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> after the U.S. carried out A major strike inside Venezuela.<\/p>\n Lee said Rubio told him the actions carried out in Venezuela were to protect U.S. personnel executing an arrest warrant for Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. The senator added that Rubio said Maduro is expected to stand trial in the U.S. on criminal charges.<\/p>\n \n“He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody,” Lee added in a subsequent post on X.<\/p>\n The Republican lawmaker announced his conversation with Rubio after\u00a0 questioning the legality of the strikes in a previous post. However, after speaking with Rubio, Lee said he believed that “this action likely falls within the president\u2019s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.”<\/p>\n \nUS strikes Venezuela, captures Maduro and wife, Trump confirms<\/p>\n The U.S. military carried out a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela early Saturday morning and took Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife into custody, President Donald Trump <\/a>confirmed.<\/p>\n The president wrote on Truth Social that the operation was successful and Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the country.” Trump said the operation was conducted with U.S. law enforcement and added that a news conference will take place at Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\nMaduro arrives on American soil at New York airport<\/p>\n
\n, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a broad array of military forces took part in an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n
\n and the arrest of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, a spokesperson for the vice president told Fox News.<\/p>\n
\nmilitary strikes on Venezuela<\/a>, and the capture and extraction of\u00a0Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u00a0and his wife Cilia Flores, questions are being asked if Maduro was betrayed by someone from his secretive inner circle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n said on Saturday that U.S. oil companies would spend “billions” to fix the oil infrastructure in Venezuela.<\/p>\n
\n, “Before we let you go, though, can you tell us where Maduro and his wife are right this second?””<\/p>\n
\nU.S. strikes on Venezuela<\/a>, saying that the U.S. carried out “an act of armed aggression” that “gives rise to deep concern [and] warrants condemnation.”<\/p>\n
\nsaid that his government was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. aimed at fighting drug trafficking.<\/p>\n