Overview
- Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are in U.S. custody in New York, with Maduro due in Manhattan federal court on Monday on narcotrafficking charges.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will not run Venezuela day to day and will instead enforce an existing oil quarantine and other pressure to drive policy shifts, while not ruling out further options.
- Venezuela’s military recognized Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, and Rubio said the U.S. is prepared to work with current authorities based on their actions.
- A joint statement from Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay condemned the U.S. operation as incompatible with international law, and Democrats pressed legal challenges as Sen. Tim Kaine vowed a War Powers vote.
- Rubio warned Cuba over its influence in Venezuelan security forces and argued U.S. goals include curbing drug trafficking and preventing U.S. adversaries from benefiting from Venezuela’s oil industry.