source: CNN
- On the ground: Venezuela remains on edge following the capture of ousted leader Nicolás Maduro. Security forces were seen patrolling the streets, and gunfire and anti-aircraft fire were reported over the capital of Caracas overnight. A Venezuelan ministry spokesperson said “no confrontation occurred.” Sigue nuestra cobertura en español.
- Renewed focus on Greenland: Leaders from major European powers expressed support for Greenland and Denmarkin a joint statement issued earlier today after President Donald Trump said the US “needs” the island.
- What’s next for Venezuela?: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has vowed to return home“as soon as possible,” but White House aide Stephen Miller dismissed calls for the US to install her as Maduro’s replacement. Trump said he considers himself in charge of Venezuela.
- Not-guilty plea: Maduro and his wife pleaded not guiltyto drug and weapons charges yesterday and chose not to immediately fight their detention.
The United Nations has said it is “deeply worried” about what comes next for Venezuela following the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
“It is clear that the operation undermined a fundamental principle of international law – that states must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement acknowledged the Maduro government’s “appalling human rights record”, but said US intervention could have damaging consequences both for Venezuela and the rest of the world.
“We fear that the current instability and further militarization in the country resulting from the U.S. intervention will only make the situation worse.”
“The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone, with full respect for their human rights, including the right to self-determination, and sovereignty over their lives and their resources,” it added.
4 hr 19 min ago
What are the politics of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado?
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrives to a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 23, 2023.
Carlos Becerra/Getty Images
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in October last year for keeping “the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”
She was awarded the prize “for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said at the time. In a statement accepting the award, Machado said the prize belonged to the people of Venezuela.
She also dedicated the prize to US President Donald Trump, telling CNN that “he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize because of (the) incredible events that are taking place currently in the world.”
In addition to being a staunch proponent of democracy and a vocal supporter of Trump, Machado is also an avowed capitalist who previously ran on a campaign to privatize most Venezuelan public assets, including in the sectors of health, oil and education.
In an interview with CNN before Venezuela’s contested 2024 elections, she repeatedly called for the country’s markets to be opened, saying: “we need to create conditions that are so competitive, so attractive that international resources will be invested in a country, despite what happened in the previous regime.”
Yesterday, Machado said that, following the US’ capture of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, her country “will be the United States’ main ally in matters of security, energy, democracy and human rights.”
In an interview with Fox News the same day, Machado said she hadn’t spoken to Trump since October, after her Nobel Peace Prize win.
She thanked the US leader for “the historical actions he has taken against the narco-terrorist regime,” saying that January 3, when Maduro was captured by the US, “will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny.”
