Overview
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are in U.S. custody and charged in federal court with narco‑terrorism and related offenses.
- Residents in Caracas reported multiple pre‑dawn explosions and low‑flying aircraft, with military sites including La Carlota air base, Port La Guaira and Higuerote Airport among the locations described in reports.
- Republican lawmakers broadly backed the action after post‑operation briefings, with several citing Article II authority and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s confirmation that Maduro would face U.S. justice.
- Democratic lawmakers called the strikes illegal for lacking congressional authorization, demanded urgent oversight and in some cases urged impeachment proceedings.
- Trump scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference to detail the operation, members of Congress said they were briefed after the fact, and the Defense Department did not immediately comment as legal debates continue; Sen. Mike Lee relayed Rubio’s view that no further action is anticipated.