Overview
- Maduro and Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty in Manhattan after his seizure in Caracas and extradition to New York, with the next hearing scheduled for mid‑March.
- The indictment alleges a narco‑terror plot to flood the United States with cocaine through ties to Colombian rebels and other co‑conspirators.
- Hellerstein, a veteran SDNY jurist and Orthodox Jew who displays the Torah verse “Justice, justice you shall pursue,” told the court he intends a fair trial.
- Spain’s El País edited and apologized for wording that questioned the judge’s impartiality because he is Jewish, drawing condemnation from Jewish organizations.
- Commentary has questioned Hellerstein’s fitness due to his age, citing an allegation he nodded off during the Charlie Javice trial and urging him to step aside.