Transcript
A (0:00)
Hello and happy New Year. It's Michele Martin from MORNING Edition. Thank you to everyone who donated during our end of year fundraising campaign. 2025 dealt a big blow to NPR and local stations with the loss of federal funding for public media. But we are so heartened by the outpouring of support and we will get through this together. Thank you for keeping NPR strong, moving into 2026 and beyond.
B (0:24)
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jael Snyder. President Trump says the US Captured Venezuel Nicolas Maduro as part of a major military operation overnight that rocked the country's capital, Caracas. NPR's Greg Myre reports on Trump's announcement early this morning, saying Maduro has been taken out of the country.
C (0:44)
The US Launched the operation in the middle of the night with explosions ringing out in the capital Caracas and helicopters crisscrossing the sky. A couple hours later, President Trump took to Truth Social and wrote, quote, the United States has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President N. Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country. The president did not provide additional details. It was not immediately clear who would now be running Venezuela. The US Action follows months of a military buildup in the region and repeated threats by Trump against Maduro. Greg Myre, NPR News, Washington.
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NPR's Kerry Kahn is keeping track of events in Venezuela from her base in Rio de Janeiro.
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Reports started flooding social media with videos of multiple explosions throughout the city. And I spoke right away with a reporter, Vanessa Silva, and she actually lives right in front of the military airport La Carlota in Caracas. She says Caracas is in a valley. And so she said you could hear explosions echoing throughout there. And she says there were several fires on the Runway, but they were put out quickly. But she could hear airplanes continuing to circle around the Caracas skies for hours.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on allies in Europe and on Capitol Hill to defend the military operation to oust Maduro. Rubio has long argued that Maduro was not a legitimate leader and is under indictment in the U.S. on drug charges. NPR's Michelle Callaman reports on some of the reaction Rubio is getting.
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The EU's top diplomat, Caya Kalla, says she spoke to Rubio and agrees that Maduro lacks legitimacy. She says the European Union supports a peaceful transition that follows the principles of international law and the UN Charter. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling the US Operation an act of armed aggression that must be condemned. Hamas weighed in, too, condemning what it calls the abduction of President Maduro and his wife. And Iran blasted the US For a blatant violation of Venezuela's sovereignty. This comes just a day after President Trump warned Iranians that the US Is locked and loaded if they kill peaceful protesters in Iran. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv.