Transcript
A (0:05)
Good morning. It's Monday, January 5th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. Welcome back after a long holiday break. Let's spend most of our time today on Venezuela. What we know about what's unfolded in the past few days, what US Leaders are saying and how Venezuelans are reacting. Late Friday night into Saturday morning, a U.S. army Special Forces unit stormed a safe house in Caracas where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were reportedly sleeping. Over the course of just a few hours, Maduro, who had been in power since 2013, was deposed and now faces trial in New York on federal criminal charges, including narco terrorism conspiracy. The operation was a dramatic escalation of a months long campaign in the waters around Venezuela that involved the seizure of oil tankers, airstrikes on alleged drug boats and pressure from the US On Maduro to leave office of his own accord. Removing Maduro in this way, using US Military force without congressional approval and in apparent violation of international law has led to major questions about what happens next in Venezuela. On Saturday, President Trump began to lay out the United States plans.
B (1:27)
So we're going to stay until such time as we're going to run it, essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place.
A (1:34)
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US Military forces are currently still off of Venezuela's coast and will maintain a quarantine around the country to prevent oil tankers from entering and leaving and to hold leverage over the country during its transition. President Trump also said that the US Would maintain all other military options, including deploying ground troops in the country, until US Demands were met. And he said that US Oil companies would make major investments in Venezuela and fix the country's oil infrastructure. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but they're a largely untapped resource. Rubio sought to clarify Trump's comments on the oil industry in an interview with Meet the Press yesterday.
B (2:20)
We don't need Venezuela's oil. We have plenty of oil in the United States. What we're not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States. You have to understand why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? They're not even in this continent. This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live. And we're not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors and rivals of the United States.
A (2:44)
He went on to say that the administration wants to see money made from the oil industry go toward Venezuelan citizens. While much of Venezuela's oil previously went to refineries in the U.S. china is its largest customer now. Experts say, however, it could take at least a decade to make any meaningful oil output. Let's stick with Venezuela. And who is currently in charge in Caracas? Delsey Rodriguez, who had been Maduro's vice president, was sworn in as an interim president in a secret ceremony over the weekend and is poised to be a key figure moving forward. Word Trump claimed on Saturday that Rodriguez, who had helped Maduro hold on to power, would effectively do whatever the US Wanted. But she struck a defiant tone in an address to the nation hours after Trump's press conference in which she said that Maduro was the rightful president, demanded his return, and said that Venezuela would never again be, quote, a colony of any empire. Despite her initial combative tone, by Sunday night Rodriguez appeared to have softened a bit, inviting the US Government to work together in backing Rodriguez. The White House is also effectively sidelining the Venezuelan opposition leader and recent Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corinna Machado. She's pushed for another opposition figure to assume power, Edmundo Gonzalez, recognized by many countries countries as the winner of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election. John Lee Anderson is a staff writer at the New Yorker who has profiled political leaders in the region, including former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Maduro. He told us why Machado, who has praised Trump, is not getting his support right now.