Venezuela leader captured. Trump says U.S. to 'run' the country. Here’s what we know

Summary

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Sources & Methods: "Venezuela Leader Captured. Trump Says U.S. to 'Run' the Country. Here’s What We Know"

Date: January 4, 2026
Host: Mary Louise Kelly (NPR)
Guests: Greg Myre (National Security Correspondent), Tom Bowman (Pentagon Correspondent), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Carrie Kahn (South America Correspondent)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This special episode urgently covers the stunning overnight U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and a dramatic announcement by President Trump that the U.S. will "run the country" until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" can occur. NPR’s correspondents break down what happened, examine the legality and implications of U.S. actions, congressional reaction, and responses from Venezuelan leaders and citizens.

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Breakdown of Key Discussion Points

1. The Operation: How Maduro Was Captured (00:27 – 04:44)

• Scale and Surprise
  • The operation, "Absolute Resolve", was significant in scale: 150 aircraft, airstrikes dismantled air defenses, and U.S. special forces raided Maduro’s residence in Caracas.
  • “It took American forces just over 2 hours, 150 aircraft and the dismantling of Venezuela's air defenses…” – Mary Louise Kelly [00:34]
  • “Officials said it was done with complete surprise.” – Tom Bowman [00:27]
• Execution Details
  • Trump gave the order at 11PM; the operation began at 1AM ET.
  • Delta Force entered by helicopter, apprehended Maduro and his wife as they attempted to seek refuge in a safe room.
  • “They went into the house and Maduro tried to flee through the steel door into a safe room. Both he and his wife were taken… No U.S. casualties.” – Tom Bowman [02:36]
  • The captured leaders transferred to the USS Iwo Jima and then extradited to New York on narco-trafficking charges.
• Intelligence and Preparation
  • Months of “pattern of life” surveillance on Maduro’s movements by CIA, NSA, and National Geospatial Agency.
  • U.S. built a mock-up of Maduro’s home, practicing just as with the Bin Laden raid.
  • “General Kaine mounted what’s called a pattern of life... We knew how he moved, lived, traveled, ate.” – Tom Bowman [03:41]

2. Legality, Precedent, and Reaction in Washington (04:44 – 14:54)

• Is This Legal?
  • Debate over legality: Democrats claim the action is unauthorized and unconstitutional, requiring Congressional assent.
  • “[They’re] saying things like, Trump's action is an illegal escalation, he's trampling the Constitution, it's an abuse of power.” – Greg Myre [05:05]
  • Trump’s team frames the raid as law enforcement, referring to prior indictments for drug trafficking and terrorism.
• The Trump Doctrine
  • Trump claims: “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” [01:36]
  • Mary Louise Kelly notes the gravity of this statement, questioning "what it means, how it's possible" [01:55–02:00]
• Congressional Reaction: Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) [11:15 – 16:03]
  • Smith slams the lack of a plan, questions the feasibility of “running” Venezuela, and calls for immediate Congressional oversight.
  • “The president has not presented a plan… This certainly doesn’t seem to be something that's going to advance U.S. interests.” – Rep. Adam Smith [11:50]
  • Smith notes Congress had no advance notice, urges hearings, and pushes to cut off funding for any ground operations:
    “I oppose boots on the ground in Venezuela. If the President is entertaining it, then Congress should act to cut that off and block any money going for that purpose.” [14:21]
• Historical Parallels
  • Smith draws a parallel to Iraq and Libya, warning of further instability once a dictator is toppled:
    “A bad situation can be made worse. And now, again, the U.S. is on the hook for a lot of this.” [14:17]

3. Plausibility and Risks of U.S. "Running" Venezuela (06:00 – 10:54)

• No Clear Plan or Presence
  • U.S. currently lacks a diplomatic or troop presence—the embassy has been closed since 2019.
  • “How is the US going to run a country when it really doesn't have a presence, at least at the moment?” – Mary Louise Kelly [06:59]
• Venezuelan Public and Military Uncertainty
  • While many Venezuelans resent Maduro’s authoritarianism, it’s unclear how they’ll react to foreign occupation.
  • Potential for military splintering and guerrilla resistance.
  • “Will [the army] stand down? Could you have some sort of guerrilla force within the military working on behalf of Maduro and his supporters?” – Tom Bowman [08:19]
• Oil Sector and Nation-Building
  • Venezuela’s collapsed oil industry is seen as key, but restoration requires years and massive investment.
  • “That doesn't happen overnight. That is a multi-year process.” – Greg Myre [08:52]
  • Trump alluded to ongoing U.S. military presence to secure oil infrastructure—but scale of such a mission is unknown. [09:23]

4. On-the-Ground Reporting: Venezuelan Reactions (16:39 – 21:29)

• Kerry Kahn (South America Correspondent) from Rio de Janeiro
  • Confirms uncertainty about Vice President Delse Rodriguez’s role—she appeared at a televised Defense Council and explicitly rejected U.S. claims of authority:
    • “There is only one president of Venezuela, and it's Maduro… Venezuela will never surrender, will not ever return to being a colony of anyone, including new empires and empires in decline.” – Delse Rodriguez (quoted by Kerry Kahn) [17:52]
  • Venezuelan government staging a “show of unity,” not submission.
• Ordinary Venezuelans: Mixed Emotions—Relief and Fear
  • “[We heard] some relief that Maduro was gone…if a transition is to happen, God willing, she hopes it will be peaceful.” – Sandra Martinez, retired worker [19:18]
  • Others anxious about security:
    “Everyone’s saying the next days will be difficult… I'm taking what little money I have and buying as much food as I can.” – Carlos Barrada, shopkeeper [19:18]
• Opposition Leader’s Stance
  • Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado hails the opportunity:
    “Peace and sovereignty are coming to Venezuela… all political prisoners will be released and we will bring all our children home.” [20:51]
  • Trump shrugged off Machado’s role, saying: “She's a very nice woman, but doesn't have respect inside Venezuela.” [21:16]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• President Trump (clip):

  • “We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” [01:36–01:41]

• Mary Louise Kelly:

  • “I'm still trying to wrap my head around that phrase.” [01:55]
  • “How is the US going to run a country when it really doesn't have a presence, at least at the moment?” [06:59]

• Tom Bowman:

  • “No US casualties and no word yet, Mary Louise, on Venezuelan casualties… Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima…” [02:36]

• Greg Myre:

  • “Trump's team is trying to portray this as a military action which was part of a law enforcement operation…” [05:05]
  • “Trump has been much more aggressive with the military in this term... sending troops always seemed to be a red line, but this time it didn't seem to bother him.” [06:08]

• Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA):

  • “What I hope the American people are thinking about is, how does this advance US interests? It's not going to do much of anything to reduce the drug [trade]. Maduro was not actually running that.” [12:38]
  • “If you try to enforce [regional stability] at the point of a gun, that does not typically lead to greater stability.” [13:27]

• Kerry Kahn (paraphrasing Delse Rodriguez):

  • “Venezuela will never surrender, will not ever return to being a colony of anyone, including new empires and empires in decline.” [17:52]

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Important Timestamps

• [00:27–04:44] — Operation “Absolute Resolve”: Planning, execution, and the intelligence picture
• [05:05–06:59] — Congressional/legal controversy; U.S. intentions for 'running' Venezuela
• [08:02–09:38] — Uncertainty over Venezuelan support, military response, oil infrastructure
• [11:15–16:03] — Interview: Rep. Adam Smith’s critique, oversight demands
• [16:39–21:29] — Kerry Kahn with on-the-ground responses from the Venezuelan government and citizens

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode moves at a rapid-fire, investigative pace, emphasizing uncertainty, risk, and disbelief among NPR reporters and their guests. There is a persistent undercurrent of alarm regarding both U.S. constitutional norms and the stability of Venezuela. The gravity of the U.S. military action—and its open-ended consequences—drove the discussions, punctuated by a candid skepticism of official narratives from all sides.

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This episode is a comprehensive, on-the-fly debrief on one of the most consequential U.S. military interventions in the Western Hemisphere in decades, balancing hard news reporting with urgent analysis and on-the-ground reactions.

Transcript

[A]

Hello and happy New Year. It's Michelle 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]

This was a huge operation and officials said it was done with complete surprise.

[A]

It took American forces just over 2 hours, 150 aircraft and the dismantling of Venezuela's air defenses to capture and arrest Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. How did this happen and what happens next? This is Sources and Methods from npr. I'm Mary Louise Kelly. It is Saturday evening and we are dropping in with a special Sources and Methods episode to bring you the latest on Venezuela. After months of threats, months of warnings, seizing of alleged drug boats targeting oil tankers, tensions between the United States and Venezuela have now come to this. Overnight, President Trump ordered American forces to enter Venezuela and capture leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores. The two are now being extradited to New York where they will face charges related to alleged drug trafficking and narco terrorism conspiracies. Meanwhile, President Trump this morning said this.

[B]

We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a.

[C]

Safe, proper and judicious transition.

[B]

So we don't want to be involved.

[C]

With having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that.

[B]

We had for the last long period of years.

[A]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that phrase. We are going to run the country here to help me try to make sense of it. Greg Myre, who covers national security. Hey, Greg.

[C]

Hi, Mary Louise.

[A]

And Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Hey, Tom.

[B]

Hey, Mary Louise.

[A]

Tom, you start with what we know. How did all this unfold?

[B]

Well, Trump gave the order last night around 11. The operation called Absolute Resolve started around 1am Eastern Time. U.S. airstrikes took out Venezuelan air defenses. You know, those were likely explosions we could see from local videos. Then a US Special operations unit arrived at Maduro's house by helicopter flying just 100ft above the ground.

[A]

This was Delta Force.

[B]

It was Delta Force. They went into the house and Maduro tried to flee through the steel door into a safe room. Both he and his wife were taken. No sense of any gunfire until the helicopters were leaving and one took some fire, but officials said it was flyable. A few skirmishes as the helicopters were leaving and they engaged in defensive fire. No US Casualties and no word yet. Mary Louise. Unvented Venezuelan casualties. It was all over in about two and a half hours. Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima. And then they're now in New York where an indictment is charging them along with Maduro's son and two officials with narco trafficking. This was a huge operation, 150 aircraft, everything from F35s to B1 bombers to drones to surveillance aircraft. And officials said it was done with complete surprise.

[A]

Yeah, that's one follow up on that. The complete surprise element because there have been all these questions about US Intelligence and how good it was, how much we knew about Maduro's movements. Do we know how they found him?

[B]

Well, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kaine said they knew his location, likely through intelligence sources. And Trump had already said a few weeks ago, remember, the CIA was on the ground. So General Kaine mounted what's called a pattern of life for some time. He said, we knew how he moved, lived, traveled, ate. So they were watching him steadily. And Kaine said the National Security Agency was involved. So they were intercepting communications, phone calls. And he also said the National Geospatial Agency was involved as well, which provides photos from its satellite. So they likely had a very complete picture of where he was and what he was doing around the clock. Now, we're told the US has been planning and training for this operation for months, and it included building a mock up, a model of Maduro's home. And as you know, Mary Louise, coming to intel, this is common for operations like this. The Navy Seal Team 6 did something similar before they assaulted Osama bin Laden's compound back in Pakistan in 2011.

[A]

I have seen that model. The former CIA director Bill Burns used to keep it in his office on the seventh floor at headquarters at Langley. Greg Myre, just to sum up here we have an American president, President Trump, who has sent troops to another country, a sovereign country, arrested its leader, spirited him out of the country. Is this legal?

[C]

Well, you certainly have a lot of folks saying no. The Democrats say Congress needs to authorize war and the use of military force. And we've seen this stream of statements today from Democrats saying things like, Trump's action is an illegal escalation, he's trampling the Constitution, it's an abuse of power. Now, Trump's team is trying to portray this as a military action which was part of a law enforcement operation. Maduro was indicted in 2020 on drug trafficking and other charges.

[A]

They updated that indictment today.

[C]

Yeah, exactly and this was just an effort to bring him to justice in the US but obviously this is much larger than just a legal case. A foreign leader has been ousted. And as we noted, Trump says the US Will be in charge of the country for some indefinite time.

[A]

Yeah, that tees up my next question, which is how is that going to work, the US Running Venezuela for some indefinite period of time?

[C]

Yeah, very unclear at this point. Now, Trump said it would be done with some of those standing with him at the news conference. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon Chief Hegseth, working in coordination with the leaders or people in Venezuela. Now, Trump does have this reputation of declaring victory and then moving on in other sorts of endeavors, but he did acknowledge rebuilding Venezuela would be a challenge. He said, you know, if the US Just left, there would be zero chance of it coming back. And so Trump has been, you know, much more aggressive with the military in this term by sending and sending troops always seemed to be a red line, but this time it didn't seem to bother him. As we've noted, he said, I'm not afraid to put boots on the ground. We don't mind saying it. That's what we need. But, but you know, the troops aren't there right now and the US doesn't have diplomats there. The US embassy has been closed since.

[A]

2019, since Trump's first term.

[C]

So how is the US going to run a country when it really doesn't have a presence, at least at the moment?

[A]

What about the question of how actual Venezuelans feel about this? Are they likely to welcome US Boots on the ground, whatever that may end up looking like?

[C]

Yeah, that seems a question that's almost impossible to answer clearly. And it's why it's so risky and it's so uncertain. You know, the countries in terrible shape. The economy has effectively collapsed. They had a presidential election in 2024. Voters appeared, according to independent monitors, to overwhelmingly go against Maduro and his party vote against him. They say he rigged the election. So there are certainly a lot of Venezuelans who are probably very happy to see him go. But he had his supporters. He has a lot of people who depended on him for their benefits. What will the military do? So it doesn't automatic mean that most or all Venezuelans are going to be supporting a new government.

[B]

And Mary Louise, if I could just add. Please. Trump said, and others have said that the Venezuelan Vice President, Delsey Rodriguez, would cooperate with the US but we haven't heard from her. And more importantly, we have not heard from any Venezuelan military leaders. Now what will they do? Will they stand down?

[D]

Will they?

[B]

Could the army splinter? Could you have some sort of guerrilla force within the military working on behalf of Maduro and his supporters? We're in a very tense situation. It has just started. We have no idea what the security situation will look like in Venezuela in the coming days and weeks.

[A]

Yeah. All excellent questions, Greg. Just a quick one to you. This is not a quick question, but if you can answer it quickly, Oil. Venezuela is broke. Oil is its one big valuable industry. What does this look like to have the US Going in? Does that help Venezuela get on its feet?

[C]

Well, it certainly could, but it just seems like a long term process. The infrastructure has just degraded over time. It will need huge investments. This is a difficult thing to do. It's gone from about 3 million barrels a day a quarter century ago to a million barrels a day. So if it could restore that level of production, yeah, the country would have some money, it would have some income. It wouldn't necessarily guarantee prosperity for everybody, but it could be a big help. But that doesn't happen overnight. That is a multi year process.

[B]

And it's also important to note that Trump said there could be a US Military presence as they rebuild these oil facilities. Well, how many troops will that require? It's going to be a lot more than a small Delta Force unit to accomplish that in the coming days and weeks.

[A]

And we've certainly seen them laid the groundwork for that with sending all these ships to the region and so forth. That is NPR national security correspondent Greg Myhre. Thank you, Greg. And our Pentagon correspondent, Tom Bowman. Thanks to you both.

[B]

You're welcome.

[C]

Sure thing.

[A]

Mayor LOUISE we're going to take a short break. When we get back, we hear from the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. That is ahead on Sources and Methods from npr. What's in store for the music, TV and film industries for 2026? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year, plus setting some personal pop culture resolutions. Listen to Pop Cult, Put your happy hour in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

As we say goodbye to 2025, our reporters are looking back at some of the most memorable international stories they covered in the last year. From a city in Africa emerging from war to resilient Indian turtles, liberated refugees to defiant Austrian nuns, global favorites from the last year. Listen to State of the World on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

And we're back. We continue our coverage of the extraordinary news from Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro ousted President Trump, saying the US Will run Venezuela for now. Let's get a reaction to that from Congress. Representative Adam Smith of Washington State is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, welcome.

[D]

Thank you for having me on. I appreciate the chance.

[A]

I am gathering you are not a fan of today's attack. You wrote in a statement that you believe the Trump administration acted without a plan for what comes next. What's your top concern?

[D]

Yeah, I mean, that's the top concern. And you heard that from President Trump today when he said we're going to be, quote, running Venezuela in the short term with no explanation of what that means or how it would be accomplished. And also, it's completely impossible in the current situation. As far as we know, we have no forces in Venezuela whatsoever to run anything.

[A]

Although President Trump says he's not afraid of changing that and putting boots on the ground.

[D]

Sure. But what he hasn't put forward is, okay, what's the plan? Where are those boots gonna go? How are they gonna secure the country? You know, what is the power structure now? Yes, it seems that the vice president, for the moment, has taken over. But what of Maduro supporters, various other gangs and armed groups? What are they going to do? The president has not presented a plan for that. And this certainly doesn't seem to be something that's going to advance U.S. interests at this point.

[A]

When and how did you that this attack was underway?

[D]

Well, my wife actually told me first thing because I'm on the west coast. So got up and she said the news. And I went down, looked at my phone and had a whole bunch of calls from a whole bunch of people. So I had to talk to the House Armed Services Committee staff and others to figure out how to respond. So. Yes.

[A]

So safe to say you did not get advance notification?

[D]

No, they did not notify Congress of this. But that's, you know, that's not the most important point here. What I hope the American people are thinking about is how does this advance US Interests? It's not going to do much of anything to reduce the drug. You know, Maduro was not actually running that. He may have been involved in it, but the cartels are not going to go anywhere. Venezuela is a transshipment point, but most of the activity happens in Colombia and Mexico and elsewhere. So it's not going to change that. And now we don't know what comes next in Venezuela, what level chaos is going to be.

[A]

Forgive my jumping in. The president today didn't seem all that focusing and change of pace for him, but didn't seem all that focused on drug trafficking. He was much more focused on regional stability, on the US Having good, reliable allies across the region. What's wrong with that?

[D]

Well, what's wrong with that is if you try to enforce that at the point of a gun, that does not typically lead to greater stability. So we've removed a leader. We don't know what's coming next. There is clearly a high amount of chaos within Venezuela to begin with. So how just taking one leader out is going to increase stability in the region? I don't see that argument. Look, this is a road we've walked down before, and this is what Trump claimed he understood. You know, wouldn't the world be a better place if Saddam Hussein was not in charge of Iraq, if Muammar Gaddafi was not in charge of Libya? And it's very tempting because they're bad people doing bad things, and so is Nicolas Maduro. All right, but what comes next? A bad situation can be made worse. And now, again, the US Is on the hook for a lot of this. So that's the major challenge here.

[A]

So what's your next move? What should Congress's next move be?

[D]

We should exercise oversight. I think we need to have a hearing to answer these questions you are asking. I mean, a couple of reporters asked me today what comes next? And the honest answer is, nobody knows, least of all Donald Trump. We ought to demand those answers and get a plan from the Department of Defense and from the White House going forward. Then I think we ought to cut off funds to continue military operations in Venezuela. I oppose boots on the ground in Venezuela. If the president of the United States is entertaining it, then Congress should act to cut that off and block any money going for that purpose.

[A]

What are you hearing from folks in your district today? What questions are they raising?

[D]

I haven't heard a lot, to be honest with you. I think the main questions are, what does this mean? Where does it go? And also, I think there's a general concern about, once again, President Trump behaving more like an authoritarian leader of a monarchy than as the leader of a constitutional republic, simply acting however he wants, regardless of what the rule of law or the Constitution says.

[A]

Last thing, quickly, you've talked about that you believe Congress needs to exercise oversight. Have you reached out to Republican colleagues to check if they are interested in that, if they are interested in holding hearings, asking hard questions, figuring out, okay, we're here now, what's the plan?

[D]

Yes, I have, and I'm told that we're going to do that. Next week. We're supposed to have a briefing from the Department of Defense for the House Armed Services Committee. I have not talked to the Senate. I assume they're doing the same. But we'll see. I mean, we've had promises about that before on things like Iran and the Middle east and elsewhere. So we'll see if the administration actually comes through and answers that. Thus far, Republican leadership in the House has said that, yes, they want to exercise that oversight.

[A]

That is Congressman Adam Smith of Washington. He's the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. We'll look forward to checking back with you after those hearings are underway. Thanks so much for your time. Thank you. We're gonna take another break. When we get back, what do we know about what is actually happening now in Venezuela? That's ahead instead on sources and methods from npr. And now to the view from Venezuela. NPR South America correspondent Kerry Kahn. She has been tracking events in Venezuela from her post in Rio de Janeiro. Hey, Kerry.

[E]

Hi, Mary Louise.

[A]

Okay, so parsing what we heard from the president this morning, President Trump, that is, he says the U.S. will run Venezuela. He also said at that press conference in Mar a Lago that the current vice president of Venezuela has taken over. Is that right? What do we know about her and her role now?

[E]

Trump said that she NPR's podcast Trump's.

[D]

Terms is your source for same day updates on big news about the Trump administration. Short, focused episodes, one topic at a time, about five minutes or so. We carry out reporting from across all of NPR's coverage. So you are always getting the biggest, most urgent stories. Listen to Trump's Terms on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[E]

First week it'd been sworn in and that she spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump also said that the VP is essentially willing to do what we want. And then he added that those in the Venezuelan government that do not do what the US Wants knows what will happen to them. Later in the day, though, Venezuela's Vice President Delse Rodriguez held this televised Defense Defense Council meeting. All the top leaders of the Venezuelan government were there, and she was very defiant. She said there is only one president of Venezuela, and it's Maduro. And that Venezuela will never surrender, will not ever return to being a colony of anyone, including new empires and empires in decline. The extremists who have promoted this armed aggression against our country will be made to pay in history and in justice. Justice, she said. And she also added, the Venezuelan people have already relegated them to the garbage dump of history. That doesn't sound like somebody quite in line with the US Stance.

[A]

It does not, no.

[E]

And it was clear that the televised meeting was the show of unity to Mary Louise, just of the Maduro government and the socialist core that has held him in power all these years.

[A]

Okay, so that's what we're hearing from the top of Venezuela's government, or what is left of it. What about ordinary Venezuelans, people on the streets in Caracas? What are you hearing?

[E]

We sent a reporter to talk with people in Caracas. I think the overall sentiment we heard was just shock. You know, this happened at 2am These explosions went off in multiple sites throughout the city. We heard some relief that Maduro was gone, like from this retired government worker, Sandra Martinez. She's 59 and says Maduro had to go. It was necessary already, she said. And if a transition is to happen, God willing, she said she hopes it will be peaceful. We also heard from a shopkeeper, Carlos Barrada, who's 57 years old. He'd been lining up to get medicine from a drugstore since 5am and by the time we talked him, he'd already been there four hours. There have been long lines of people shopping, stocking up on groceries and medicines. He lives near that military airport that was bombed at 2am and he said that there was three explosion, and one sent shockwaves through his whole apartment. But he's really worried now about what's coming next. He says everyone's saying the next days will be difficult. And he said he's decided to take the little money he stashed away and buy as much food as he can. He says he and his wife are alone, that 80% of his family has left the country and now lives in exile.

[A]

Before I let you go, Kerry, I want to put to you a question, and that is about where the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corino Machado fits into all this. Leader of Venezuela's opposition. She dedicated that Nobel award to President Trump. What is she saying about the future of Venezuela?

[E]

She put out a statement today saying that peace and sovereignty are coming to Venezuela. And soon there will be order in the country. All the political prisoners will be released. And she says we will construct an exceptional country and bring all our children home. She did add that there is a plan coming forth and she will announce it soon. When Trump was asked about her, he dismissed her role and said, she's a very nice woman, but doesn't have respect inside Venezuela.

[A]

NPR's Carrie Kahn reporting from Rio de Janeiro. I know you've had a long day. Thanks so much for all your insight, Kerry.

[E]

You're welcome.

[A]

That's NPR South America correspondent Kerry Kahn. And that's it for today's special episode of Sources and Methods. A reminder, you can email us with your feedback and your questions at sourcesandmethods. That's all one word sources and methodspr.org and if you're enjoying the show, please, you can support us by leaving a rating or a review on the platform wherever you listen. In a world of algorithms, that really does go a long way toward helping new listeners find the show. I'm Mary Louise Kelly. Happy 2026. We are back Thursday with our next regular episode of Sources and Methods from N.