Overview
- Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores appeared before a federal judge in New York on narcoterrorism and cocaine importation charges, with a protracted legal fight anticipated.
- President Donald Trump said elections will not be held soon and that Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller and JD Vance will manage Venezuela’s transition under his direction, warning interim leader Delcy Rodríguez.
- The Pentagon said roughly 200 U.S. troops entered Caracas as FBI-led agents detained Maduro, with Trump insisting the U.S. is not at war and portraying the raid as a law-enforcement arrest.
- Democratic leaders and legal experts challenged the operation as violating the UN Charter and bypassing Congress, citing extradition rules and potential head-of-state immunity issues.
- Diplomatic and regional fallout grew as Denmark and Greenland rejected U.S. designs on the island, Cuba reported 32 nationals killed, Colombia condemned threats after Trump floated an operation there, and fresh gunfire was reported near Miraflores in Caracas.