Overview
- Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in the Southern District of New York on expanded charges including narcoterrorism and weapons conspiracies, with Maduro identifying himself in court and the next hearing set for March 17.
- President Donald Trump said there was no prior coordination with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez or Maduro’s inner circle, noted Rodríguez has been cooperating as sanctions on her are reviewed, and ruled out early elections while warning of possible further U.S. action.
- Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president after Venezuela’s assembly and top court acted on Maduro’s absence, as authorities reported drones were downed near Miraflores and press groups detailed detentions and a deportation of journalists.
- The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warned the U.S. action violated a core legal norm and cautioned that Venezuela’s state of emergency and increased militarization risk further human rights deterioration.
- Energy and market stakes sharpened as Trump touted rapid U.S. private investment to rebuild oil infrastructure even as major firms voiced caution, and maritime trackers reported at least 16 sanctioned tankers leaving Venezuelan waters largely bound for China; separate reporting cited an estimated death toll of about 80 from the operation.