Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Wall Street heliport ahead of his appearance in federal court in New York, on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

What to know about Venezuela and the case against Maduro
o Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, make their first court appearance in New York at noon Monday on charges related to drug trafficking.
o They were captured by U.S. forces and brought to the U.S. Saturday following what President Trump described as "a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader," following months of military buildup.
o "We're in charge" of Venezuela right now, Mr. Trump said Sunday. After removing Maduro, Mr. Trump said the U.S. would "run the country" on a temporary basis and "get the oil flowing."
o Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled on Sunday that the U.S. wouldn't directly govern Venezuela but will "exert tremendous leverage" through an "oil quarantine." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said "President Trump sets the terms."
o Mr. Trump on Sunday once again called for a U.S. takeover of Greenland and he threatened U.S. action against Colombia.

Kaine says Venezuelan mission is an "illegal action" without vote in Congress
Sen. Tim Kaine said on "CBS Mornings" Monday that the administration needs to "explain why this is legal" as officials are set to brief top lawmakers on the Venezuela operation later Monday.

"I believe it's an illegal action because we're not supposed to be at war without a vote of Congress.," Kaine said. "They need to explain what the purpose is… And they need to explain to the American public why this is a smart thing to do."

The Virginia Democrat said "there's a tall order, many questions that the administration needs to answer, and thus far they've not even been willing to do it in a single public hearing."

Kaine said there are "two levers that we intend to use" in Congress, pointing to a war powers resolution that he said will come up for a vote this week in the Senate. He outlined that the second lever would come through the Defense Department funding bill.

"So you'll likely see both power of the purse, but also just a straight-out war powers resolution to say, 'no military action without a vote of Congress,' which is what the Constitution requires," Kaine said.

Kaine said, though the president could veto a war powers resolution should it reach his desk, "we think a strong congressional vote, even if President Trump chooses to veto it, will send him a message that may cause him to rethink the foolishness that he's engaged upon."

McMaster says administration trying to use "coercive diplomacy"
Retired general H.R. McMaster, who served as President Trump's national security adviser during his first term and is now a CBS News contributor, said he hopes "that we see more clarity" on the administration's goals in Venezuela.

"I think what the administration is trying to do now is to use coercive diplomacy to do something short of an invasion to get the political outcome they want," McMaster said Monday on "CBS Mornings."

McMaster said he isn't concerned about Mr. Trump "putting boots on the ground" in Venezuela, which the president has said he's not afraid to do. McMaster noted "it would take a significant commitment from our nation" to do so.

He also said, "I wish they would talk more about the restoration of sovereignty in the Venezuelan people."

"There is a military dimension of this, there's an economic dimension to this but there's also a moral dimension to this," he said. "And what we should make clear is that what we want to see in Venezuela is a restoration of the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people."

Tight security at courthouse in lower Manhattan
Maduro and his wife were transported via helicopter from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the Wall Street heliport this morning, and then were taken by motorcade to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan where they are due to be arraigned at noon.

There is high security at the courthouse. Barricades line the street, and a long line has already formed of people waiting to get inside.

Maduro faces narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons charges. He could face up to life in prison.
War powers vote expected as Congress returns
A war powers vote is on the horizon as lawmakers return to Washington this week.

Congress has not authorized military force against Venezuela, and the Trump administration did not notify lawmakers of the plan ahead of time.

Most Democrats and a few Republicans have sought to limit Mr. Trump's authority to strike Venezuela and suspected drug-trafficking boats in the region. But the Senate and House have each failed twice to limit Mr. Trump's authority to continue the military campaign. Mr. Trump has called the South American country's role in drug smuggling a threat to national security.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said the Senate will vote this week on his latest war powers resolution. He introduced the measure in early December, days after the revelation that the U.S. killed two people who survived the initial blast of a Sept. 2 strike in the Caribbean Sea.

Kaine's measure would require "the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress."

Source

Posted by Temmy
Mon, January 05, 2026 2:56pm