Maduro Indicted Stateside & Mamdani’s Reign Begins | 1.5.26

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: "Maduro Indicted Stateside & Mamdani’s Reign Begins"

Release Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Primary Theme:
This episode focuses on three headline stories: the unprecedented U.S.-led capture and extradition of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, spreading anti-regime protests in Iran, and the controversial first acts of New York City's new, far-left mayor Zoran Mamdani.

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1. U.S. Capture and Extradition of Nicolás Maduro

Segment Begins: [02:39]

Key Details of the Operation

• Overview: The U.S. carried out a daring raid in Caracas, Venezuela, to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro.
• Planning: The CIA embedded a team in Venezuela as early as August to track Maduro’s every move.
  • “Back in August, the CIA placed a covert team in Venezuela to track Nicholas Maduro’s movements and ... find out how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore. Everything about his life.” — Kevin ([02:59])
• Trump’s Role: President Trump approved the operation prior to Christmas, but the raid occurred only after favorable weather conditions late Friday night.
• Tactics:
  • Over 150 American aircraft launched from 20+ bases ([02:59]).
  • U.S. missiles disabled Venezuelan air defenses as helicopters flew in.
  • Cyberattack shut down Caracas’s city lights.
    • “Lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have. It was dark and it was deadly.” — Trump, cited by Kevin ([03:49])
  • Special forces stormed Maduro’s compound, capturing him and his wife as they tried to access a safe room.
  • The extraction team practiced on a replica of Maduro’s safe house beforehand.
  • Casualties: 80 Venezuelan soldiers and some civilians killed; 6 Americans wounded, none killed.
• Aftermath:
  • Maduro and his wife were immediately transported to New York, indicted on multiple charges (narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking).
  • Treated not as foreign leaders, but as cartel criminals.
    • “Maduro will now face, quote, the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” — Attorney General Pam Bondi, quoted by Kevin ([04:38])
  • Trump administration released a video mocking Maduro’s defiance.

Political and Global Fallout

• International Reactions:
  • Celebrations in Europe and among Venezuelan expatriates; concerns about escalation.
  • Cuban and Russian officials condemned the move as a violation of sovereignty.
    • “Condemned the move as a violation of state sovereignty, which in Russia’s case, obviously ironic for many reasons.” — Kevin ([05:31])
• Domestic Politics:
  • Democratic criticism: attack called “unconstitutional, reckless, unnecessary” by Kamala Harris, Hakeem Jeffries, and others ([05:31]).
    • “There’s been no evidence that the administration has presented to justify the actions ... of there being an imminent threat...” — Hakeem Jeffries ([06:18])
  • White House position: Not an act of war, but a law enforcement action; skipping Congressional approval for secrecy ([06:50]).
    • “Couldn’t risk getting pre-approval from Congress ... concern was that that information would leak and then potentially jeopardize the safety of our service members.” — Kevin ([06:58])

What Comes Next?

• U.S. to “run Venezuela until a peaceful transition of power” — Trump ([07:17])
• U.S. plans to use oil blockade, not daily management; Vice President Delsey Rodriguez sworn in, publicly pledging loyalty to Maduro ([07:17]).
  • “There is only one president in this country and his name is Nicolás Maduro.” — Delsey Rodriguez ([07:56])

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2. Protests and Pressure in Iran

Segment Begins: [08:17]

Scope and Nature of Protests

• Started: Over a week ago among Tehran’s merchants due to dire economic conditions ([08:36])
• Spread: Now in dozens of cities and towns; demands have shifted to outright regime change.
  • Protesters chant “death to Kame” and “freedom, freedom.”
• What’s Different:
  • Division between those calling for democracy and a nationalist movement favoring restoration of the Pahlavi dynasty ([09:18])
  • New urgency and resolve after “Twelve Day War” that embarrassed the regime and decimated its security forces.
    • Iranian President public quote: “I can’t do anything. Don’t curse me.” ([09:51])

International Context and U.S. Involvement

• Ripple Effect: Iran losing ally Maduro hurts its position ([10:10])
  • “In the 21st century, under the Trump administration, we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere in the sphere of control.” — Secretary of State Marco Rubio ([10:23])
• Warnings:
  • Trump declares U.S. will intervene if Iran massacres protesters.
    • “If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. … The United States is locked and loaded and ready to go.” — Trump's statement, summarized by Tim ([10:39])
  • Israel’s foreign minister expresses support for Iranian demonstrators ([11:24])
    • “Your protests ... are justified. … Be strong and determined. Justice is on your side.”
• Tally: At least 16 killed in unrest so far ([11:39])

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3. Zoran Mamdani’s Controversial First Acts as NYC Mayor

Segment Begins: [11:56]

Swearing-In and Left-Wing Platform

• Tone: Mamdani’s speech espoused “the warmth of collectivism” and promised to prioritize solidarity and government intervention.
  • “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” — Zoran Mamdani ([01:17], repeated at [12:38])
  • “The words that most define us are the two we all share: New Yorkers.” — Zoran Mamdani ([12:54])
• Quick Moves:
  • Revoked executive orders from Eric Adams aimed at protecting Jewish New Yorkers.
  • Signed new orders, especially freezing rent on stabilized apartments.
    • Quote: “Those in rent stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike because we will freeze the rent.” — Zoran Mamdani ([13:22])
  • Launched task forces on housing policy and use of city-owned land ([13:30])

Tensions with Jewish Community

• Policy Changes:
  • Rescinded prior executive definitions of anti-Semitism.
  • Lifted ban on city workers supporting BDS (Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions) against Israel.
• Rationale:
  • Claimed “Jewish groups had, quote, immense concerns around the definition of antisemitism.” ([14:13])
  • Pledged “to fund hate crime prevention and celebrate our neighbors and practice a politics of universality.” — Paraphrased from Mamdani ([14:31])
• Concerns: Jewish groups and critics worry about lack of specificity and the impact on the Jewish community.

Opposition to Maduro Raid

• Strong Criticism:
  • Mamdani protested Maduro’s capture, opposed “pursuit of regime change.”
    • “I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change.” — Zoran Mamdani ([15:18])
• Irony Noted: Despite his objection, Maduro and his wife will be held in New York City for trial ([15:44])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• General Dan Kane on CIA Monitoring:
  • “Find out how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore. So everything about his life.” — General Dan Kane, via Kevin ([02:59])
• President Trump on Caracas Cyberattack:
  • “Lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have.” ([03:49])
• On Maduro's Indictment:
  • “Maduro will now face...the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” — AG Pam Bondi ([04:38])
• Democratic Reaction:
  • “There’s been no evidence the administration has presented to justify the actions ... of there being an imminent threat...” — Hakeem Jeffries ([06:18])
• Secretary Rubio on Secrecy:
  • “People talk a lot in Washington ... information would leak ... jeopardize the safety of our service members.” ([06:58])
• Vice President Rodriguez:
  • “There is only one president in this country and his name is Nicolás Maduro.” ([07:56])
• Iranian President on Protest Pressure:
  • “I can’t do anything. Don’t curse me.” ([09:51])
• Rubio on Venezuela:
  • “In the 21st century...we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere in the sphere of control.” ([10:23])
• Trump’s Warning to Iran:
  • “If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters ... the United States of America will come to their rescue ... locked and loaded and ready to go.” ([10:39])
• Zoran Mamdani on Governance:
  • “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” ([01:17])
  • “Those in rent stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike because we will freeze the rent.” ([13:22])
  • “I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act ..." ([15:18])

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:39] – Details of Maduro capture operation
• [05:31] – International response to the raid
• [07:17] – U.S. intentions for Venezuela's future
• [08:36] – Roots and scope of Iran protests
• [10:39] – Trump’s warning to Iran
• [11:56] – Zoran Mamdani’s inauguration and first executive orders
• [14:13] – Jewish community concerns, BDS policy changes
• [15:18] – Mamdani’s opposition to the Maduro raid

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Conclusion

This episode of Morning Wire delivers an in-depth, fact-driven look at several major geopolitical and domestic developments:

• The high-stakes, controversial U.S. operation removing Maduro from power in Venezuela
• The resurgent, bold anti-regime movement in Iran, with heightened international stakes
• The immediate, ideologically charged actions of NYC’s new Democratic Socialist mayor Zoran Mamdani

The hosts and guests provide sharp perspective, notable direct quotes, and context for ongoing debate on the balance of power, U.S. foreign policy, protest movements, and the ideological future of a major American city.

Transcript

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[Kevin]

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[John Bickley]

As the smoke clears over Venezuela's capital, new details emerge about the daring capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro.

[Zoran Mamdani]

To see how good they were, how professional they were, how incredible the equipment we have, and to see how it worked so perfectly.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howm. It's Monday, January 5, 2026, and this is MORNING Wire.

[Tim Pierce]

Iran's supreme leader lashes out as nationwide protests against the Islamic regime spread despite deadly government crackdowns.

[Zoran Mamdani]

And we will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.

[John Bickley]

Zoran Mandani's reign in New York City begins with a series of controversial orders.

[Tim Pierce]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING Wire. Stay tuned. The news you need to know.

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[Tim Pierce]

New details have emerged surrounding the daring mission to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest on the strike that shocked the world and its continued fallout. Hey, Cabot. So an unexpectedly wild weekend kept us busy here. There's been some new revelations, some new details that have emerged. Let's start there. What have we learned?

[Kevin]

Yeah, we're starting to get a clearer timeline of what transpired in Caracas, and it is straight out of a Tom Clancy novel. So according to the Pentagon, back in August, the CIA placed a covert team in Venezuela to track Nicholas Maduro's movements and according to General Dan Kane, quote, find out how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore. So everything about his life. President Trump reportedly approved this operation just before Christmas. But it wasn't until late Friday night that the weather finally cleared and more than 150American aircraft took off from more than 20 different bases across the Western Hemisphere. As helicopters carrying the main extraction team approached the city, a barrage of missiles disabled Venezuela's air defenses. And the capital city also went dark, almost entirely reportedly thanks to a US Cyber attack or something of that nature. Here's Trump hinting at that aspect.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have. It was dark and it was deadly.

[Kevin]

Moments later, a group of special forces operators arrived at Maduro's compound where the tyrannical leader and his wife were ultimately captured as they attempted to open the door of a large ste safe room. By the way, those operators had reportedly built an exact replica of Maduro's safe house so that they could be practicing ahead of time. All told, the entire operation took a little more than two hours. Venezuelan officials say that about 80 soldiers and potentially some civilians were also killed in the fighting. Pentagon officials say that half a dozen American service members were wounded, but thankfully, none killed.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, thankfully indeed, in a point Trump made repeatedly over the weekend. Now, what about Maduro? Where exactly is he now?

[Kevin]

So he and his wife were transported to New York on Saturday and they've already been indicted. The pair now face charges of narco terrorism, conspiracy, cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal weapons. The list goes on. So they have plenty to go on from the prosecuting side. Essentially, he's being treated not as a foreign leader, but a cartel kingpin. Now, for their part, the White House posted a video taunting Maduro With a clip of a recent speech where he was addressing Donald Trump saying, quote, come for me. I'll wait here. Don't take too long. Coward. According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Maduro will now face, quote, the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. There is a good chance that his first court appearance will take place within the next 24 hours in New York City. And you can imagine what sort of attention that trial is going to get here over the next year.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, quite a bit, I'm sure. Now, as far as the political fallout to this, what have we seen so far in terms of reactions abroad and at home?

[Kevin]

So the general response from the international community, especially in Europe, was celebration that Maduro's reign had ended, but also concern over the potential implications and the potential again for escalation. Predictably, the harshest criticism came from Venezuelan allies like Cuba and Russia. They condemned the move as a violation of state sovereignty, which in Russia's case, obviously ironic for many reasons. Elsewhere, we saw enormous celebrations among Venezuelan refugee communities across Latin America. And here in the U.S. here's what one of those demonstrations in Florida sounded like this week. Weekend. Come celebrate with us. We love everybody because you, America has loved us so much. So much. Thank you, America. But as you can imagine, not everyone here stateside is celebrating. A long list of prominent Democrats has slammed the attack as unconstitutional, reckless and unnecessary. We heard from Kamala Harris and just a host of other Democrats saying that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed that sentiment from the left, saying that Venezuela did not pose an immediate danger to the U.S. well, there's been no evidence that the administration has presented to justify the actions that were taken in terms of there being an imminent threat to the health, the safety, the well being, the national security of the American people. Now, in response, the White House says that congressional approval was not needed because this was not, in their view, an act of war, but rather a law enforcement operation to arrest a wanted man. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also argued that they couldn't risk getting pre approval from Congress. People talk a lot in Washington and the concern was that that information would leak and then potentially jeopardize the safety of our service members.

[Cameron Arcan]

Right.

[John Bickley]

And the secrecy of this operation is a major part of this story. Now, the big question, what comes next? There's obviously lots of concerns about how America handles this.

[Kevin]

Yeah, we could spend the whole show talking about that and I'm sure we'll spend a lot of time this week discussing it. President Trump has said the US Plans to quote, run Venezuela until a peaceful transition of power can take place. Obviously, still a lot of questions regarding what exactly he means by that and, and importantly, if US Troops will be involved. In the meantime, Secretary Rubio on Sunday confirmed that the US Would not be running the country's day to day operations, but instead will use the ongoing oil blockade to exert pressure on the Venezuelan government. Over the weekend, Venezuela's Vice president, Delsey Rodriguez was sworn in to replace Maduro. Now, according to Trump, she is essentially, quote, willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. But in a weekend address to the nation, Rodriguez again pledged loyalty to the Maduro regime, saying, quote, there is only one president in this country and his name is Nicolas Maduro. So there's still plenty of room for more friction here in South America.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, no doubt about that. And we'll be here for all of it. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Kevin]

Absolutely.

[John Bickley]

Anti regime protests continue to rock Iran as the government struggles to handle crises at home and internationally.

[Tim Pierce]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the state of Iran and the significance of this latest round of unrest. So, Tim, catch us up to speed on the protests in Iran. Where are they happening and who's involved?

Well, the protests started over a week ago, and when they began, they were largely relegated to merchants in Tehran, but they've since spread around the capital and into dozens of smaller cities and towns across the country. The Tehran merchants were originally angered by the tough economic situation in Iran, fueled by rampant corruption and currency devaluation, as well as sanctions pressure from the United States and the United Nations. But within the past week, the protests have grown larger than just discontent with the economy into calls for regime change. Protesters have chanting phrases such as death to kame and freedom, freedom.

Now, this isn't the first time we've seen this. Over the past decade, we've seen a handful of protests like this in Iran. What's different about this round?

A couple things. No matter how they start, these protests have always generally blended into an anti regime demonstration. But this time around, there appears to be a split in what activists want between either democracy or because of a newer nationalist strain in Iran, a return of the Pahavi dynasty and Iran Shah currently in exile. While the other new thing about this current round of protests is that it comes after the Twelve Day War. The Iranian regime was so thoroughly embarrassed and lost so many key people in leadership and among its security forces that it's given the anti regime activists new resolve in these new protests. And it's had an impact on their regime as well. Iranian President Possession admitted last month that concerning Iran's problems, he said, quote, I can't do anything. Don't curse me.

Now, aside from just this internal unrest, Iran is also facing some international pressure. Tell us about that.

Yeah, part of that pressure actually ties in with President Trump's recent decision to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is a big ally of Iran and South America. Here's Secretary of State Marco Rubio talking about that on Sunday.

[Kevin]

It's very simple, okay? In the 21st century, under the Trump administration, we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere in the sphere of control.

[John Bickley]

And the crossroads for Hezbollah, for Iran.

[Kevin]

And for every other malign influence in the world that's just not going to exist.

[Tim Pierce]

According to human rights groups, at least 16 people have been killed during the civil unrest in Iran so far. Trump put out a statement on his True Social on Friday that said if Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. He added that the United States is locked and loaded and ready to go. Trump has, of course, already hit Iran once and did significant damage to its nuclear program in that one operation. And after Maduro's arrest over the weekend, the president's statement should carry a bit more weight for that as well. In addition to the United States, Iran is also facing some outside pressure from Israel, which was largely responsible for bringing the regime to its knees over the summer. Here's Israel's foreign minister expressing solidarity with the Iranian protesters.

[Kevin]

Your protests by women and men, young people and students, mothers and fathers are justified. You have the right for a better future. Be strong and determined. Justice is on your side.

[Tim Pierce]

So the regime increasingly appears boxed in from pressure coming from outside as well as up from below.

Well, a chilling warning from the president given the events of this weekend. Tim, thanks for reporting.

Thanks for having me.

Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City on New Year's, and he's already imposing some sweeping changes.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcan joins us with more. Morning, Cameron. So we closely watched this race last year for New York's mayor and documented Mamdani's really far left platform. Now he's in power and is already making waves, correct?

[Cameron Arcan]

Good morning, John. Yes, and it's in many ways that we already predicted. So he's already produced some headline makers after a swearing in where he made a declaration that sounded like it was ripped straight from the Communist Manifesto touting the quote warmth of collectivism over frigid individualism and really prioritizing, prioritizing the role of government.

[Zoran Mamdani]

If our campaign demonstrated that the people of New York yearn for solidarity, then let this government foster it. Because no matter what you eat, how you pray, or where you come from, the words that most define us are the two we all share. New Yorkers.

[Cameron Arcan]

Now, this is not too shocking considering he quoted socialist leader Eugene Debs in his victory speech last year. He also revoked executive orders from former Mayor Eric Adams after his indictment date. Now, he also signed some orders of his own on housing specifically related to tenant rights. Now, one of his big campaign promises was to freeze rent on many of the city's rental properties.

[Zoran Mamdani]

Those in rent stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike because we will freeze the rent.

[Cameron Arcan]

We'll see if that ends up coming to fruition. So far, he's already launched two task forces on housing policy and taking inventory of city owned land that could be turned into housing.

[John Bickley]

Now, there were also concerns from the Jewish community about some of Mamdani's initial actions this weekend. What's causing that alarm?

[Cameron Arcan]

Yes, that's right. Now, this was a much discussed issue during the leadup to the election, especially surrounding Mamdani's campaign. The concerns boiled down to two executive orders that were meant to protect Jewish New Yorkers while Mayor Eric Adams was in office, but those have now been revoked. Now, the first was about how anti Semitism is defined, and the second stopped people who worked for the city from backing BDS efforts against Israel. Now, the BDS movement targets Israelis and Israeli owned businesses, demanding divestments and boycotts. The mayor defended his actions by claiming that Jewish groups had, quote, immense concerns around the definition of anti Semitism. He also insisted, according to Politico, that his administration would, quote, be relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division, including anti Semitism. He claims he'll do so by, quote, actually funding hate crime prevention and celebrating our neighbors and practicing a politics of universality. So not too many specifics there just yet, right?

[John Bickley]

The devil's in the details. Always. Now, tying this back to our first segment on Venezuela, Mamdani was also immediately vocal against the Trump administration's capture of the socialist dictator. What did we hear from him on that?

[Cameron Arcan]

Correct. Now, many Democrats opposed the strikes and the capture of Maduro, saying it's a play for oil. The mayor is certainly one of them and he was very vocal right off the bat, like you said. Here he is at a press conference over the weekend telling his supporters that he actually directly protested Maduro's capture.

[Zoran Mamdani]

I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change.

[Cameron Arcan]

Of course. Later that day, Saturday afternoon, Maduro and his wife were brought to a facility in New York City before they face their trial on narco terrorism charges in the Southern district of New York.

[John Bickley]

All right, so despite his complaints, Mamdani's forced to house the captured dictator.

[Cameron Arcan]

It's a bit ironic for sure.

[John Bickley]

It is. Well, we knew that if he followed through on this campaign rhetoric like he said, he'd be one of America's most far left mayors. He's definitely tracking that way. Cameron, thanks so much for reporting.

[Cameron Arcan]

Thank you.

[Tim Pierce]

Thanks for waking up with us. And for those listening to the show now, you can watch for free on Daily Wire. We'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.