Newscast — "Trump Strikes Venezuela, Captures the President, Says US Will Take Over"

Date: January 3, 2026
Hosts: Chris Mason, Paddy O'Connell
Guests: Liz Sly, (Clip from Keir Starmer), Comment from John Bolton

Overview

This dramatic Newscast episode unpacks the extraordinary and unprecedented events that unfolded overnight: US President Donald Trump ordered military strikes on Venezuela, captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and announced a US-led takeover of the country. Hosts Chris Mason and Paddy O'Connell, joined by BBC international correspondent Liz Sly, dissect the shocking news, analyze its legal and geopolitical implications, probe UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's reaction, and draw historic parallels. The episode explores what could happen next for Venezuela, the international order, and the political fallout on both sides of the Atlantic.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Operation: What Happened?

• Initial Strikes and Capture
  • Trump authorized a US military operation in Caracas overnight, resulting in spectacular strikes and the extraction and capture of President Maduro and his wife.
  • The operation, months in planning, was executed by US Delta Force with diversionary strikes on major Venezuelan military bases.
  • Maduro is being transported to New York for trial in the US.
  • Trump claimed: “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” — Donald Trump, (05:05)

“In the dead of night, there were suddenly loud explosions. Caracas is in a valley, so they were thunderous … US military strikes on major military bases in Venezuela … a well-rehearsed operation to extract Maduro …” — Liz Sly, (02:26)

• Motivations and Justifications
  • Trump’s administration framed the intervention as a law enforcement operation, tied to combatting “narco-traffickers” and protecting US national security.
  • Trump further cited the need to restore democracy, referencing the barring of opposition leaders and claiming Maduro stole the 2024 election.

“They have framed this not as regime change, not as extracting a leader, but as taking on a threat to the national security of the United States.” — Liz Sly, (06:16)

2. International Law and Legality

• Legal Debate
  • Critics immediately highlighted likely violations of international law:
    • No imminent threat, no self-defense claim
    • Capture of a sovereign leader
  • The administration claims legal authority by labeling Venezuelan trafficking networks as terrorist organizations and citing previous indictments against Maduro.

“By international law, it’s very clear … unless you’re being attacked by a country, it’s not legal to go in and drop bombs, let alone go in and snatch their leader.” — Chris Mason, (05:35)

“They have been making their case … they say this is about US national security.” — Liz Sly, (06:16)

3. Oil Interests and Open Rhetoric

• Trump’s “Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud”
  • Trump bluntly declared the US intends to pump and sell Venezuelan oil, feeding accusations of “resource theft.”
  • The panel notes Chevron’s complex involvement and recurring US accusations over Venezuelan oil since the Chávez years.

“One of the reasons why President Trump’s supporters love him … he says the quiet part out loud … he said, ‘We want the oil.’” — Liz Sly, (10:00)

• Historical U.S. Interventions
  • The operation is described as “retro”—echoing Cold War and 20th-century US interventions (e.g., Panama 1989, “gunboat diplomacy,” and the revival of the Monroe Doctrine).

“In a way it feels this is very retro. This is old fashioned American … gunboat … you go in …” — Chris Mason, (11:18)

“President Trump gave it a name … he said they call it the D Roe Doctrine … revive the 19th-century doctrine of President Monroe …” — Liz Sly, (12:02)

4. Immediate and Geopolitical Fallout

• Power Vacuum & Uncertainty in Venezuela
  • Maduro’s close circle remains in Caracas, reportedly defiant.
  • The Venezuelan opposition jostles for a role but is fragmented; Nobel laureate María Corina Machado is still in hiding.
  • “What next?” is highly uncertain and unstable.

“The people closest to Maduro are still there … The opposition is also saying they should be moving into this power vacuum … a moment fraught with risk.” — Liz Sly, (02:26)

• Risks and Precedents
  • Possible encouragement for other strongmen to act similarly (e.g., Russia, China) and weakening of the “rules-based international order.”
  • Fears about new global instability and questions about when/if the US will actually hand over power.

“If the US can do it … what’s to stop us from doing it? And this is the shattering of what has been called the rules-based international order.” — Liz Sly, (28:11)

5. Reactions in the UK and Beyond

• Understanding Keir Starmer’s (UK PM) Response
  • Chris Mason describes Starmer as “snookered” — strong alliance with Trump, but can’t condone alleged international law breach.
  • Starmer avoids direct condemnation, insisting on “getting all the facts” and emphasizing his lifelong commitment to international law.

Keir Starmer: “I don’t shy away from this. I’ve been a lifelong advocate of international law … but I want to ensure that I’ve got all the facts at my disposal …” (18:55)

- Chris Mason presses: “We know enough here that the US by its own admission, has struck a sovereign state. They have captured the leader of a sovereign state.” (19:29)

• Contrast with Other UK Voices
  • Ed Davey and Zac Polanski (Lib Dems, Greens) condemn the action, while Nigel Farage is skeptical of legality but sees possible benefit.
  • Conservatives hedge, emphasizing “not rushing to judgment.”
  • French and EU leaders call it a “crystal clear violation of international law.”

“The French … are crystal clear violation of international law. The E.U. foreign policy chief … emphasized the need to respect international law.” — Liz Sly, (23:27)

6. Political and Electoral Dynamics

• U.S. Domestic Political Impact
  • Trump pitches intervention as protecting Americans both domestically (crime) and abroad.
  • Only 25% of Americans polled supported military intervention in Venezuela pre-crisis.
  • This move may appeal to Trump’s base but splits MAGA—some allies, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, now oppose him on ‘forever wars’.

“Only 25% of Americans would back this kind of military intervention in Venezuela … MAGA doesn’t want forever wars …” — Liz Sly, (26:03; 26:50)

• Latino Reactions
  • Noted as a key demographic, but opinions are mixed and not easily predictable.

“That big Latino vote in the US … is in a very interesting demographic … no one in every demographic all thinks the same way …” — Chris Mason, (27:15)

7. Historic Parallels and Warnings

• Echoes of Iraq, 2003
  • Liz Sly recalls post-Saddam Iraq and the difficulties of US occupation, drawing warnings for Venezuela.

“I had the images of 2003 in Iraq … celebrating then protest when they realized they’d be run by Americans … it is absolutely jaw-dropping.” — Liz Sly, (14:00)

• Precedent Risks
  • What if other powers copy the US example, e.g., Russia moving against Ukraine’s Zelensky?

“What if President Putin declares … that Zelensky is a threat … what will Sir Keir Starmer say then?” — Liz Sly, (28:11)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Trump’s Justification:

  “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition … because that’s what we’re all about.”
  — Donald Trump, (05:03)

• On Legalities:

  “By international law, it’s very clear … unless you’re being attacked by a country, it’s not legal to drop bombs on another country, let alone … snatch their leader.”
  — Chris Mason, (05:35)

• On Oil:

  “There have been accusations against the United States: whenever it goes in it is to steal the resources. President Trump says, yeah, that’s why we’re going in. We want the oil.”
  — Liz Sly, (10:00)

• On US Foreign Policy as “Retro”:

  “It feels to me this is very retro … gunboat diplomacy … the US would go in, institute disruption … in all sorts of countries.”
  — Chris Mason, (11:18)

• On Contradictions in Trump’s Foreign Policy:

  “… at the beginning of 2025 … Trump said those days of us intervening in countries … are over. The days of nation building are over. And then here we are … he has completely upended.”
  — Liz Sly, (12:02)

• On UK Response:

  “Starmer in some ways has kind of been snookered by his relationship with Donald Trump.”
  — Chris Mason, (17:53)

  “I’ve been a lifelong advocate of international law … I want to ensure that I’ve got all the facts at my disposal.”
  — Keir Starmer, (18:55)

Timelines and Segment Highlights

| Timestamp | Segment | |--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:38 | Trump’s announcement of strikes on Venezuela | | 01:06 | Confirmation of Maduro’s capture | | 02:12 | Liz Sly summarizes events, ongoing power vacuum | | 04:37 | Latest details on US military operation and Maduro’s arrest | | 05:03 | Trump’s press conference declaration on running Venezuela | | 05:35 | Legal and international law discussion | | 10:00 | Oil interests openly discussed by Trump/Liz Sly | | 12:02 | Analysis: historic precedents and the Monroe Doctrine | | 14:00 | Parallels with post-invasion Iraq | | 18:55 | Chris Mason interviews Prime Minister Keir Starmer | | 23:27 | French/EU response: clear violation of international law | | 26:03 | Impact on American voters and domestic politics | | 28:11 | Precedent for other nations; endangering rules-based order | | 31:59 | Preview of special analysis on the military operation |

Tone and Final Thoughts

The episode’s tone is incredulous, urgent, and at points, somber—reflecting the scale of the news. Hosts maintain a balance between measured analysis and expressing shock at what they repeatedly call “jaw-dropping,” “retro,” and “fraught with risk,” drawing out both the legal and human implications of Trump’s actions. The panel’s expertise, especially Liz Sly’s historic context and John Bolton’s insider caution, add gravitas. The uncertainty for Venezuela, the international order, and UK–US relations pervades the discussion.

For listeners: Whether or not you caught the news as it happened, this episode offers a comprehensive, nuanced walkthrough of the events, the motives behind them, their possible ramifications, and how the world’s leaders—including the UK’s Keir Starmer—are navigating the fallout.