The Daily Populous Sunday January 4th, 2026 night edition
Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by lolikroli

From 4h ago 22.54 CET Nicolás Maduro ‘has arrived in New York’ A plane believed to be carrying Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, has landed near Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. Maduro is expected to be taken by helicopter to the city where he will be processed and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center prison, officials told NBC News. They added the Venezuelan president is to appear in court by Monday evening. Share Updated at 00.34 CET

1m ago 03.00 CET Maduro operation disrupts hundreds of flights across Caribbean The US military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country early on Saturday has disrupted Caribbean travel at a busy travel time for the region. No airline flights were crossing over Venezuela on Saturday, according to FlightRadar24.com. And major airlines cancelled hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean region and warned passengers that the disruptions could continue for days after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed restrictions. Flights were cancelled to and from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Aruba and more than a dozen other destinations in the Lesser Antilles island group that lies north of Venezuela. The airlines are waiving change fees for passengers who have to reschedule their flights this weekend. Share

39m ago 02.22 CET 'President Trump sets the terms': Hegseth speaks about next steps The US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has spoken to CBS News about the US operation in Venezuela and what happens next. Trump earlier said the US was going to “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”. Asked about Trump’s comments, and whether this would mean US troops on the ground, Hegseth responded: Well, it means we set the terms. President Trump sets the terms. And ultimately, he’ll decide what the iterations are of that. But it means the drugs stop flowing. It means the oil that was taken from us is returned, ultimately, and that criminals are not sent to the United States. Hegseth told CBS the capture of Maduro was “the most sophisticated, most complicated, most successful joint special operations raid of all time”.

Hegseth, who was among the Trump officials who oversaw the operation, also appeared alongside the president at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier on Saturday. During the press conference, Trump said the US would run Venezuela “with a group” and would be “designating various people” in charge while pointing to Hegseth, as well as the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio; and the joint chiefs of staff chair, Gen Dan “Razin” Caine, behind him.

Hegseth was also asked whether the Trump administration would seek approval for a full-scale US intervention to stabilise Venezuela – and whether he believed, legally, that was necessary. He responded: Well, we’re postured. As the president said, the blockade continues: no oil going in and out, no drug boats allowed to traffic in the Caribbean or the Eastpac. We’re still poised there. This was a law enforcement exercise. It was the Department of War in support of the Department of Justice pulling out an indicted person who ultimately will face justice. And [US secretary of state] Marco [Rubio] was clear that this is not something you notify Congress about beforehand, but were there to be more extensions to this, of course, we’ll keep Congress involved. They’re our partners, and we would do. View image in fullscreen Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump watch the raid that captured Nicolás Maduro. Photograph: White House Press Office Handout/EPA Share Updated at 03.00 CET

1h ago 01.59 CET Maduro lands in New York before helicopter transfer amid high security Hello, this is Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok, taking over from my colleagues in London. We’ll be bringing you the latest developments after the capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro by US troops. Images from agencies appear to show the journey made by Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as they were flown into the US. A plane believed to have been carrying the couple landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York on Saturday evening. Maduro was escorted off the plane surrounded by FBI agents, according to a report by AFP. View image in fullscreen An airplane carrying Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores arrives at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters Maduro and Flores were then taken by helicopter to the Westside Heliport in Manhattan, arriving at 7pm according to the New York Times. View image in fullscreen Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores arrive in custody from a helicopter before scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court, at the Westside Heliport in New York City. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters Heavy security awaited Maduro in Manhattan, images showed. He was due to be taken to the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, then to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility in Brooklyn, according to US media. Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was held at the same facility during his trial last year, as were other high profile prisoners including Ghislaine Maxwell. View image in fullscreen Heavy security during the operation. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters Share Updated at 02.38 CET

2h ago 00.36 CET View image in fullscreen One of three helicopters believed to be carrying Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores leaves before their scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters Share

3h ago 00.15 CET At least 40 killed in attack on Caracas: report Tom Phillips The New York Times has reported that at least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in Saturday’s US attack on Venezuela. The estimate comes from a senior Venezuelan official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The victims reportedly include a woman called Rosa González, who was killed when her three-story apartment complex was hit by a strike. Another resident was reportedly severely injured. Share Updated at 02.33 CET

3h ago 00.10 CET Callum Jones US oil giants have so far remained silent on Donald Trump’s claim that they are primed to spend “billions and billions of dollars” rebuilding the Venezuelan oil industry following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro​. Chevron, the only US oil company still operating in Venezuela, committed only to following “relevant laws and regulations” after the US president suggested American energy multinationals would be central to his plans for the country. Venezuela’s vast oil reserves – reputedly the world’s largest – will be modernized and exploited, Trump claimed in interviews and a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate. US oil firms will invest heavily to reconstruct “rotted” infrastructure, ramp up production and sell “large amounts … to other countries”, he told reporters, adding: “We’re in the oil business.” “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies – the biggest anywhere in the world – go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country,” the president said. The firms would be “reimbursed”, he added, without providing more detail. ExxonMobil, the biggest US oil company, and ConocoPhillips, another major player, did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Chevron said: “Chevron remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.” US oil giants silent on Trump claim they will spend billions on Venezuelan oil industry Read more Share

3h ago 23.59 CET Mark Carney: 'Canada calls on all parties to respect international law' In response to today’s events, Canada’s PM, Mark Carney, wrote on X: “One of the first actions taken by Canada’s new government in March 2025 was to impose additional sanctions on Nicolás Maduro’s brutally oppressive and criminal regime – unequivocally condemning his grave breaches of international peace and security, gross and systematic human rights violations, and corruption. Canada has not recognised the illegitimate regime of Maduro since it stole the 2018 election. The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people. “Canada has long supported a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people. In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law, sovereignty, and human rights, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law. We stand by the Venezuelan people’s sovereign right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society. “Canada attaches great importance to resolution of crises through multilateral engagement and is in close contact with international partners about ongoing developments. We are first and foremost ready to assist Canadians through our consular officials and our embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, and will continue to support Venezuelan refugees.” View image in fullscreen Canada's PM Mark Carney. Photograph: Darren Calabrese/Reuters Share Updated at 02.49 CET

3h ago 23.42 CET Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, arrives in US federal custody at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York ahead of his scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court. View image in fullscreen Photograph: ABC Affiliate WABC/Reuters Share Updated at 23.44 CET

3h ago 23.32 CET David Smith Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few but what I’d really like to talk about is my disastrous predecessor and some pathetic city mayors,” is what Winston Churchill didn’t say during Britain’s war against Adolf Hitler. On Saturday, Donald Trump fancied himself at his most Churchillian as he hailed the derring-do of US military heroes who toppled Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in an audacious overnight operation. But far from the gravitas of London’s cabinet war rooms or the White House’s situation room, Trump was luxuriating at his winter retreat, the gilded Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he whiles away the days playing golf and the evenings playing DJ. And while Trump talked at length about the capture of Maduro and vague plans to “run” Venezuela in a case of the American empire strikes back, he could not resist upending his moment of glory by airing familiar grievances, from his legal treatment to frustrations with specific officials and a perceived lack of credit for his past actions. Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, the president claimed Maduro had sent “savage and murderous gangs” into the US which, with a weave of the Trump brain, led to a digression on crime in Washington DC, then the role of the national guard, and then how the national guard is doing great work in Memphis and New Orleans. Suddenly, with a global audience on tenterhooks for the future of Latin America, we were here: “We also helped, as you know, in Chicago and crime went down a little bit there. We did a very small help because we had no working ability with the governor. The governor was a disaster and the mayor was a disaster.” Maduro’s capture had the world’s ear – but Trump returned to petty gripes Read more Share

4h ago 23.09 CET Democratic members of the US Congress said senior officials of president Donald Trump’s administration had misled them during recent briefings about plans for Venezuela by insisting they were not planning regime change in Caracas. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, said he had been told in three classified briefings that the administration was not pursuing regime change or planning to take military action in Venezuela. “They assured me that they were not pursuing those things,” Schumer said on a call with reporters. “Clearly they’re not being straight with the American people.” Schumer said he had not been briefed by Saturday afternoon and called for the administration to fill in all lawmakers by early next week. “They’ve kept everyone in the total dark,” he added. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, said: “No serious plan has been presented for how such an extraordinary undertaking would work or what it will cost the American people. “History offers no shortage of warnings about the costs – human, strategic, and moral – of assuming we can govern another nation by force.” Share Updated at 23.17 CET

4h ago 22.54 CET Nicolás Maduro ‘has arrived in New York’ A plane believed to be carrying Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, has landed near Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. Maduro is expected to be taken by helicopter to the city where he will be processed and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center prison, officials told NBC News. They added the Venezuelan president is to appear in court by Monday evening. Share Updated at 00.34 CET

4h ago 22.49 CET Venezuela’s oil exports, which had fallen to a minimum amid president Donald Trump’s announced blockade of all sanctioned tankers going in and out of the country’s waters, are now paralysed as port captains have not received requests to authorise loaded ships to set sail, four sources close to operations told Reuters. Trump said on Saturday that an “oil embargo” on the country was in full effect. Several vessels that have recently loaded crude and fuel bound for destinations including the US and Asia have not set sail, while others that had waited to load have left empty, according to monitoring data. No tankers were loading on Saturday at the country’s main oil port of Jose, TankerTrackers.com said. Share Updated at 23.14 CET

4h ago 22.34 CET The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, has backed a transition of power in Venezuela. He said his Labour administration would “shed no tears” over the end of Nicolás Maduro’s regime and said Britain would discuss the “evolving situation” with American counterparts over the coming days. Starmer said in a statement: “The UK has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela. “We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime. “I reiterated my support for international law this morning. “The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.” Starmer earlier refused to be drawn on whether the US military action broke international law, saying he wanted to talk to president Donald Trump, with whom he had not spoken on Saturday morning, and allies to “establish the facts”. About 500 UK nationals are in Venezuela and work is continuing to “safeguard” them, the prime minister said, while the UK’s Foreign Office advised against all travel to the country. “As you know, I always say and believe we should all uphold international law, but I think at this stage, fast-moving situation, let’s establish the facts and take it from there,” Starmer told broadcasters. Share Updated at 02.46 CET

5h ago 22.21 CET Summary: the day so far It’s been an incredibly dramatic day so far but a confusing one, in the US and Venezuela, as the world watches the aftermath of a lightning military strike overnight that resulted in Nicolás Maduro being captured by US forces and taken to an American aircraft carrier in handcuffs. The toppled Venezuelan president was en route to New York early on Saturday, where the Trump administration has promised to bring him up in court, indicted on drug trafficking and other federal criminal offenses. He could arrive later the same day, even. Donald Trump claims the US is now running Venezuela, with the remaining regime’s cooperation – a claim sharply contrasted by Maduro’s vice-president, talking on TV from Caracas a little earlier. Here’s where things stand: The United Nations security council is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday as a result of the United States attacking Venezuela early on Saturday and snatching up its president, Nicolás Maduro, holding him en route to New York where it will confront him with federal criminal charges related to drug trafficking and weapons.

Nicolás Maduro’s vice-president in Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez , a loyalist, has appeared on television and radio there, from the capital Caracas, contradicting Donald Trump’s description of her now being president and cooperating with the US. She said Maduro was Venezuela’s “only” president and that Venezuela would not be colonized.

Rodríguez appears to be in Caracas. This followed hours of rumors that she might have been in Russia or parts unknown, but not in Venezuela.

Donald Trump called Cuba a failing nation, and US secretary of state Marco Rubio called the communist-run island, from which his parents fled to the US in the 1950s, a “disaster”. Both hinted that they could reprise their action in Venezuela in Cuba, but made no direct threats.

Trump was asked about his current thoughts on Russian president Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war perpetrated by that country in Ukraine. Trump said he was “not thrilled” with Putin and called the war a bloodbath.

Donald Trump said he and his administration have not talked to Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado since the capture of Maduro. He took on a dismissive tone and said she would not run Venezuela as she did not have the necessary support or respect in the country. It was unclear whether he was talking about the Venezuelan regime or the general population. Machado won the latest Nobel Peace prize.

United Nations secretary general António Guterres said the Trump administration was setting a “dangerous precedent” with its unilateral action inside Venezuela. He later said he thought the US had probably breached the founding charter of the UN.

At a press conference in Florida, Trump said that US oil companies will take control of Venezuela’s state oil operation. There has been no confirmation of anything like this from US oil companies, nor how such an arrangement would work.

Donald Trump claimed at his press conference earlier that the United States is “going to run” Venezuela for the time being. He gave no specific details about how that might happen, later implying the remains of the Maduro regime were cooperating with US leadership – something soon after contradicted by Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez .

Trump posted a picture on his Truth Social platform that he states is “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima”, which appeared to show the captured Venezuelan president in handcuffs, black goggles and headphones, clutching a water bottle, expressionless.

The US Department of Justice unsealed a fresh version of a federal criminal indictment of Nicolás Maduro. He was indicted by the US in 2020. The superseding indictment now includes his wife and son.

Trump confirmed that the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores , were heading to New York. Trump told Fox News on Saturday that Maduro and his wife were taken to a ship after their capture by US forces and were headed to the US city.

US attorney general Pam Bondi said the deposed Venezuelan leader and his wife would face criminal charges after an indictment in New York. Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts”.

The United States is going to be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry after the operation to capture Maduro, Trump told Fox News on Saturday. He said: “We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it.”

The US vice-president JD Vance hailed what he called a “truly impressive operation” in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of Maduro. Posting on social media as he reshared Trump’s post about the action, Vance wrote: “The president offered multiple off-ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States.”

The US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a post on X that Maduro is “under indictment for pushing drugs in the United States”. The Republican US senator Mike Lee said on Saturday that Rubio had told him that he “anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody”.

Venezuela’s government urged citizens to rise up against the US assault and said Washington risked plunging Latin America into chaos with “an extremely serious” act of “military aggression”. “The entire country must mobilise to defeat this imperialist aggression,” it added. It accused the US of launching a series of attacks against civilian and military targets in the South American country, after explosions rocked its capital, Caracas, before dawn on Saturday.

Explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday. In its statement, Venezuela’s government confirmed that the city had come under attack, as had three other states: Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua.

Venezuela has accused the US of trying to “seize control” of the country’s resources, in particular its oil and minerals. The country has called on the international community to denounce what it called a flagrant violation of international law that put millions of lives at risk.

The president of neighbouring Colombia, Gustavo Petro , called for an immediate emergency session of the UN security council, saying on social media that Venezuela had come under attack.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer has reacted to Donald Trump’s military action in Venezuela saying: “The UK was not involved in any way in this operation.” He added that “we should all uphold international law”. France said the US military operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro went against the principles of international law.

Russia has demanded “immediate” clarification about the circumstances of the capture of Maduro during an attack ordered by Trump. Earlier, Venezuela’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, said the US needed to provide “proof of life” for Maduro.

Venezuelan allies Russia, Cuba and Iran were quick to condemn the strikes as a violation of sovereignty. Tehran urged the UN security council to stop the “unlawful aggression”. Among major Latin American nations, Argentina’s president Javier Milei lauded Venezuela’s new “freedom” while Mexico condemned the intervention and Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it crossed “an unacceptable line”. Share Updated at 23.03 CET

5h ago 22.06 CET Leaning on Fortune here, briefly, for some context about the oil. As the magazine points out in this article: Trump has repeatedly said he wanted the Venezuelan oil back that was expropriated from American operators during George W Bush’s second term. During his press conference, he called it the “largest theft of property in the history of our country”. Democratic congressman Seth Moulton, a member of the House armed services committee, said on CNN a little earlier that Trump was now “trying to steal” Venezuela’s oil. He also balked at the White House suggestion that Congress was not told about the US military action in Venezuela beforehand because of fear of leaks. He said his committee, for one, hadn’t leaked under Trump. He accused the White House of lying to the committee, having, he said, told them he was not interested in regime change in Venezuela or a US military intervention in Venezuela. “Every step of the way, he and [Marco] Rubio have lied about what is going on here,” Moulton said. Share Updated at 22.10 CET

5h ago 21.48 CET Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, has echoed other leaders and geopolitics experts today in saying that the US’s unilateral military action in Venezuela and capture of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, breaches the founding charter of the UN. Specifically the section of the charter that states: “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” The UN secretary general, António Guterres, put out a statement via his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, that said, Reuters reports: The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected. The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, has posted on X that what the US has done is “not regime change, this is justice”. Share Updated at 22.01 CET

ImperiumRome on January 3rd, 2026 at 15:21 UTC »

Not just Trump, but also Vance who said:

> The president offered multiple off-ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States.

Neither he or Trump made any mention of pushing off foreign (aka Chinese) influence in the LATAM region. I don't know if it's not a diplomatic thing to say or something.

Normal_Imagination54 on January 3rd, 2026 at 15:12 UTC »

At least this time, there is no veneer of installing democracy and delivering freedom.

Kudos, there is progress.

lolikroli on January 3rd, 2026 at 15:03 UTC »

SS: In the latest comments regarding invasion of Venezuela Trump stated that that the United States is going to be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry. In a tweet JD Vance stated that the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Could this be the real reason for the invasion?