Podcast Summary: Here’s the Scoop – “How Venezuelans View Maduro’s Ouster and Capitol Hill’s Partisan Split Screen”
Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC News

Episode Overview

On the fifth anniversary of the January 6th Capitol riot, “Here’s the Scoop” dives into two intertwined stories shaping both international and US politics:

1. How Venezuelans are reacting on the ground to the ouster and arrest of longtime leader Nicolas Maduro, and
2. The sharply partisan response on Capitol Hill to both Venezuela’s upheaval and the legacy of January 6th.

Yasmin Vossoughian is joined by NBC contributor Ana Vanessa Herrero reporting from Caracas, and Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles, to unpack the local and global reverberations of these events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking News from Venezuela: Life in Caracas Post-Maduro Arrest

(Main Segment: 00:48 – 10:29)

• Safety and Tension on the Ground

• Ana Vanessa Herrero reports from Caracas, describing recent nights marked by drone attacks and bombings.
• “I live very close by to where one of the bombs was dropped... hope, thank God that I'm here. I'm safe... stayed like that.” – Ana Vanessa Herrero [01:57]
• Despite explosive events, Venezuelans are not acting as if they’re in a full-scale war. Instead, Herrero notes, “It was tension, but a calm tension...” [02:41]

• Public Reaction: Trauma, Disbelief, and Hope

• Many Venezuelans are in disbelief over Maduro’s capture in the US, with some hopeful this could mark “the beginning of a transition, a long awaited transition for many Venezuelans.” – Herrero [03:56]
• Maduro’s loyalists draw parallels with the 2002 Chavez coup, hoping he might return.

• US Rhetoric and Venezuelan Sovereignty

• Mixed feelings among Venezuelans regarding President Trump’s claim that the US is “in charge” of Venezuela.
• Some, weary of Maduro, welcome outside intervention: “If you want to be in charge... there is no country right now” [05:47]
• Others fiercely reject foreign control:
  • “‘I draw the line right there. I am not going to accept that someone else comes into our country and tells us how to live.’” – Caracas resident, reported by Herrero [06:21]
  • Herrero notes a “gathering chorus” of people agreeing with this sentiment.

• The Question of Elections and Real Power

• A US intelligence report suggests only top Maduro regime members are in a position to lead should he lose power; this influenced Trump’s support for interim leader Delsey Rodriguez over opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
• President Trump: Machado “does not have the respect of the Venezuelan people in order to govern,” despite her candidate winning 2/3 of the recent vote.
• Herrero explains the complex split between popular support and state power:
  • “...the state has become an apparatus of absolute control over every single aspect of the country. So it is not the same to have popular support than to have the factual power...” [08:29]
  • Even lacking popular support, Maduro’s regime maintained control because the opposition “has never achieved a real victory,” and “the continuance of the governance is happening right now hand in hand with Delce Rodriguez.” [09:19]

2. US Political Response: Capitol Hill’s Partisan Split Screen

(Main Segment: 12:16 – 20:48)

• Congressional Frustrations and Foreign Policy Nuance

• Congress is back in session, facing division over the Trump administration’s handling of Maduro’s arrest and a host of domestic issues (health care, government funding).
• Ryan Nobles:
  • “Democrats... are unhappy with the fact that the Trump administration did not loop Congress in on this... but the actual extrication of Nicolas Maduro... is not something they're necessarily up in arms about.” [13:15]
  • There’s “widespread agreement among Republicans and Democrats that Maduro was a bad guy and no longer should be in charge in Venezuela.” [13:51]

• War Powers Showdown and Lessons from History

• Big concern: US ownership of the Venezuelan crisis and potential for military intervention.
• “...Republicans and Democrats do not want the United States to become the owner of Venezuela... We've been through this at least two different times when you look back at... Iraq and Afghanistan.” – Nobles [14:26]
• Congress will vote on a War Powers Resolution to require approval for future military operations in Venezuela.
  • “...universal agreement that it's really just paper... but it sends an important signal...” [15:32]

• Pressure of an Election Year and Legislative Gridlock

• Lawmakers’ struggle to appear effective with midterms looming, balancing Venezuela, lapsing health care subsidies, and government shutdown threats (shutdown “meter” not at DEFCON yet).
• “The window of opportunity... to prove that this intervention is worthwhile is extremely small because the American people have been through this before.” – Nobles [17:16]
• Upcoming health care and appropriations fights could see Venezuela policy attached as amendments.

3. The Legacy of January 6: Memory and Mistrust

(Main Segment: 18:41 – 20:48)

• Split Observance of the Anniversary

• Democrats mark January 6 with remembrance and ceremonies at the Capitol.
• House Republicans are absent, holding an off-site retreat as “there's this attempt to rewrite, in many ways whitewash history.” – Nobles [19:43]
• Donald Trump attempts to retitle the Kennedy Center in his name, symbolizing the deep partisan divide.

• How Division Shapes Everything

• Nobles links the mistrust and alternative narratives arising from January 6 to Congress’s inability to act cohesively on other major issues.
  • “...the perception that these two groups of people have about what happened... is part of the reason that you can't get an agreement on healthcare... or an authorization for war... the two sides just don't trust each other anymore. And that's honestly, it's scary.” [20:26]

4. Headlines & Memorable Moments

(Segment: 20:51 – 25:26)

• Unexpected Congressional Loss

• Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California dies suddenly, further narrowing the GOP House majority. [20:51]

• Trump’s House Republican Address

• Trump predicts an “epic midterm victory,” warns of impeachment risk, and discusses plans for health care, energy, and ongoing meetings with insurance and oil industries. [21:07]

• Global Fallout Over Venezuela

• European NATO allies issue stern warning over Trump’s suggestion of possible intervention in Greenland, emphasizing sovereignty and UN Charter principles. [22:10]

• Uvalde School Shooting Police Trial

• Opening statements begin for officer Adrian Gonzalez, accused in the 2022 school shooting response. [22:43]

• CDC Childhood Vaccine Policy Shift

• Routine shots for flu, RSV, and hepatitis B no longer standard for all children; new self-administered HPV tests for women to be insurance-covered starting 2027. [23:40]

• Olympics Spotlight: Isabeau Levito Interview

• 18-year-old figure skating hopeful on unexpected items in her skate bag (“my prescription numbing cream for my toes”), music selection (“my coach does it for me”), and her dream to compete in the team event. [24:05–24:44]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Ana Vanessa Herrero, on the ground in Caracas:

  • “I live very close by to where one of the bombs was dropped… I am safe… my family's safe.” [01:57]
  • “Venezuela doesn't really understand what a War is... it was tension, but a calm tension.” [02:41]
  • “It’s a great time to understand the psyche behind trauma. First, a lot of them... are in disbelief... others privately are hopeful...” [03:56]
  • “I draw the line right there. I am not going to accept that someone else comes into our country and tells us how to live.” [06:21]
  • “It is not the same to have popular support than to have the factual power and control over the country.” [08:29]

• Ryan Nobles, Capitol Hill Correspondent:

  • “...the actual extrication of Nicolas Maduro and removing him from the role that he played in Venezuela is not something that they're necessarily up in arms about.” [13:51]
  • “There’s also pretty widespread common ground that Republicans and Democrats do not want the United States to become the owner of Venezuela.” [14:26]
  • “It's really just paper, right? Like it's not really gonna prevent Donald Trump or the administration from doing anything they want militarily. But it sends an important signal...” [15:32]
  • “The perception that these two groups of people have about what happened... is part of the reason that you can't get an agreement on healthcare... or an authorization for war.” [20:26]

Takeaways

• In Venezuela, daily life is marked by tension, trauma, and uncertainty as the political future hangs in the balance—and while foreign intervention is tempting to some, many reject any idea of US “ownership.”
• On Capitol Hill, while the parties agree Maduro had to go, the paths forward (and who gets to decide them) are bitterly contested, with past quagmires weighing heavily.
• The shadow of January 6 lingers, deepening mistrust and gridlock in Congress—suggesting that national memory continues to profoundly shape the politics of today’s headlines.
• The episode blends urgent international developments with domestic policy, showing just how much the two now intersect.

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary captures the urgency, complexity, and human dimension of both Venezuela’s ongoing turmoil and the fractious state of US democracy on a pivotal anniversary.