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Connect the World
Maduro's VP Sworn in as Venezuela's Acting President; U.S. Allies Criticize Maduro Seizure at UNSC Emergency Meeting; Reports of Misunderstanding After Gunfire in Caracas; Trump Meeting with House Republicans at Closed-door Retreat; U.S. Making Plans to Intercept Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela; Columbian President Accuses U.S. of Colonialist Ambitions in Latin America. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired January 06, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, BREAKING NEWS: What else did Venezuelan President Maduro has spent the night in this New York jail after pleading not guilty
to drug trafficking charges on Monday. It is 09:00 a.m. Tuesday in New York, 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi.
I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching "Connect the World". And wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome. Also, ahead of U.S. armada off the
coast of Venezuela. Will the threat of further military intervention keep the new leadership in check. And why people in Greenland fear they may be
next.
Stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now. It looks like a flat open after Monday's rally. The DOW, Monday crossing the 49,000
thresholds for the first time. More on that, as markets open later. We start with new questions over the future of Venezuela after U.S. army
troops captured President Nicolas Maduro and took him to the U.S. to stand trial.
So far, Maduro loyalists remain in power. The legislature there swearing in Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president on Monday. She
denounced what she called Maduro is quote kidnapping, while also calling for cooperation with Washington. What comes next in Venezuela is an open
question.
In an interview on Monday night U.S. President Donald Trump said he is the one who is ultimately in charge there. White House Deputy Chief of Staff,
Stephen Miller describes U.S. involvement there as a quote, ongoing military operation, and says it is about asserting American power in the
region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: By definition, we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the
country, we set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So, for them to do commerce,
they need our permission.
For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So, the United States is in charge, the United States is running the country during
this transition period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Maduro and his wife, meantime, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in a New York federal courthouse on Monday. Maduro
telling the judge he was kidnapped from his home in Caracas, describing himself as a prisoner of war.
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, of course, last month, appears frozen out of any future leadership
by the U.S. President, but she is still offering effusive praise. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I actually spoke with President Trump on October 10th, the same day the price was announced, not
since then, but I do want to say today, on behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for his courageous vision, the actions, historical
actions he has taken against this narco-terrorist regime to start dismantling this structure and bringing Maduro to justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. seizure of Maduro has drawn criticism at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Monday, with several staunch
U.S. allies calling it a violation of international law. Right, we're going to cover this from all angles, as you would expect here on CNN with that
Nic Robertson in London.
Paula Newton is in Ottawa. Alayna Treene will join us shortly from the White House. Paula, let me start with you, gun fire and anti-aircraft fire
scene overnight in Caracas. This was reportedly a misunderstanding between security units, but I wonder what it says about the tension on the ground.
Let's start there.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, certainly the tension would be palpable. This happened, remember in the center of Caracas at the
presidential palace, the palace where Nicolas Maduro was taken by U.S. forces.
[09:05:00]
Becky, I have been outside of that palace, inside of that palace, both at night and during the day and at the best of time, security forces there are
on heightened alert. You can only imagine now the kind of tension that is going on deep within -- deep inside Venezuela, not just in Caracas, but
outside, where we're not likely to have a good eye on what exactly is going on those U.S. forces came in and really did significant damage to the
military installations.
And within that downtown area of Caracas, people are wondering right now who they can trust, who is armed, who is actually protecting the security
apparatus of the newly installed Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, and for all of these reasons, they remain very, very tense times inside Venezuela,
but especially in those corridors of power.
No one knows who to trust here, Becky, and this will continue, I assume, for some days, if not weeks.
ANDERSON: Let's get back to what's happening on the ground momentarily. I want to bring Nic in at this point, we heard from Stephen Miller on his
position with regard who is in charge of Venezuela. He has echoed Donald Trump saying that the U.S. is in charge.
He said nothing can get in and out of Venezuela without the U.S. permission. What are allies bracing for at this point, when we next hear
the U.S. President speak, expected later during this show, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I think undoubtedly, allies are kind of be trying to assess how sort of iron this
grip is that Stephen Miller and President Trump think that they have on Venezuela's economy by blockading the ports and putting limits on aircraft
flights that, you know is begs a question about the massive border with Brazil and Colombia, and what sort of trade may go across there, or small
ships bobbing along close to the coast, all that sort of thing.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
ROBERTSON: So, I think you know in that context, allies are going to be looking out for about how this actually plays out on the ground, and those
tensions, Paula was just talking about the gun fire in Caracas overnight. That indicates that the ground is unsettled.
So, I think they're not only going to be listening for what Trump has to say about how he assesses his iron grip on this country going, but they're
also going to be looking for the reality on the ground from their own intelligence assets. And they're also going to be, you know, quite frankly,
probably staying quite quiet about it because they don't want to upset President Trump. And that's a track we've seen allies on so far.
ANDERSON: Talking about allies, it is interesting to see images just coming to us from Paris, where we are seeing members of the coalition of the
willing. That is Macron. He is expecting to and I'm sure whether he has actually arrived yet, but as I understand it, the Ukrainian President will
be there.
And this is ostensibly a meeting about Ukraine, but it is very likely that this will very much overshadow what would have been the sort of schedule of
the agenda there, and we're looking at those images now. Paula, I do want to get back to you. The president then sworn in in Caracas just days after
a foreign country raids her country, seizes the man she used to work for effectively when she was vice president.
And her brother is the Leader of the National Assembly. Who are this family? What's that background, and what does Delcy Rodriguez do or go from
here?
NEWTON: Well, the family itself has an impeccable political pedigree in that socialist movement that is Chavismo, which was started by Hugo Chavez.
And this goes right back to their father, who was a devout Marxist. But coming back to the present day, Delcy Rodriguez, Becky, I have to tell you,
if you're on the streets of Caracas, at least, they refer to her just as Delcy.
She has been ubiquitous. She has been at the side of both Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. What was so extraordinary about yesterday, Becky, was that
it wasn't extraordinary in a way. I have seen that performance at the National Assembly several times, and it is a rubber stamp organization for
this regime, for the Maduro regime.
And if you are Venezuela, if you are stuck in your flat, in your home right now, wondering where your next stack of medicine is going to come from,
where the flour is going to come from, where the rice is going to come from.
[09:10:00]
You're watching that on state TV or listening to it on the radio and understanding that so far, not much has changed. And in order to continue
to make that point, Maria Corina Machado, from the opposition, and speaking to Fox News yesterday, basically said that Delcy is the architect of the
Maduro regime, accusing her of torture, persecution, narco-trafficking.
And basically, underscoring the fact that she does not believe that the U.S. should put their confidence in her as interim president or anything
else.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's fascinating, isn't it? And you mark the fact that there will be Venezuelans at home thinking, well, what has changed? And
asking, what happens next? And there are some 8 million Venezuelans who have fled the country, who will be in various places around the world, not
least in other South American countries and in the states, asking a very similar question, is this time to go home?
Many, one assumes, will be saying, not at this point, not if nothing has changed, and that was the reason why they had left the country because of
the Maduro regimes. Good to have you both. Paula, thank you and your insight, of course, into Venezuela, given the amount of time you spent
there, is extremely useful.
And Nic, as ever, our international diplomatic editor, with what you need on what is this sort of you know, story that is difficult to get your arms
around, but involves so many countries and so much sort of diplomacy and inverted commas, we see where it goes next.
President Trump is meeting with House Republicans today, as Democrats call him out and accuse him of not having a plan for Venezuela. Alayna Treene
joining me now from the White House. And he has, of course, astonished the world with his Venezuela decision, certainly many parts of the world.
And now he's off to meet Republicans today at the Kennedy Center. What do we expect to hear from him?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, look, I think this is going to be a lot of you know, conversations that they're having beyond
Venezuela, but that will be, of course, one of the priorities that House Republicans who are attending this retreat today with the president are
looking for answers on.
Because it's been clear that there hasn't been a lot of clarity when it comes to what the next steps in Venezuela look like you've heard kind of
different and varying explanations for what the president has meant when he says that he's running it, something I should say he has now tripled down
on.
He has said repeatedly now that the U.S. is running it, you've heard a little bit of a more nuanced explanation from Secretary Rubio, who's really
been the driver of this entire operation and the planning that has gone into this. And my conversations with people here at the White House, Becky,
they say he has really been the one alongside Stephen Miller here at the White House, who have really been pressuring Trump to lean in to this
escalation.
But the way Rubio frames it is more of that they're trying to coerce cooperation from the newly sworn in President Delcy Rodriguez, who, of
course, was Maduro's Vice President, and very much represents the politics that Maduro had been leading when he was -- before he was captured.
But look, I think when I look at this and in my conversations with people here, what they say is that the plan for now is that they're trying to
prioritize administrative stability. That's not what a lot of these Republican lawmakers, I think, had expected, which was that this
administration would push more quickly and more fervently for a democratic process to take place inside Venezuela, specifically, you know, calling for
elections more quickly.
There was also a lot of, I think, surprise, and I've had this in my conversations with Republicans on Capitol Hill, which is that the president
kind of dismissed the opposition leader inside Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado. We actually heard Machado say yesterday on Fox News that she
hadn't spoken to President Trump for months.
I'd contrast that with what I'm hearing in my conversations with people in that building behind me, Becky, which is that Secretary Rubio has had
several different conversations with Delcy Rodriguez. The president actually told NBC yesterday that Rubio quote speaks to her fluently in
Spanish, and that their relationship has been very strong.
So that's one part of this. The other part, I think, is there's a lot of questions about oil. We've seen the Trump Administration officials leading
this plan kind of leaning on the remaking and kind of retaking, really, of Venezuela's oil industry as a key area of leverage to ensure that Rodriguez
and other people within Maduro's government actually cooperate with the United States.
That's a tall expectation, given that a lot of oil companies, including U.S. oil companies, who are being expected to potentially invest in some of
that. They want longer term guarantees of what that will actually look like. And so, there's a lot of, you know, skepticism of that strategy as
well.
And then, of course, I think a bigger question that a lot of people are grappling with today is what the administration plans are for other
potential countries that they might be taking similar action toward.
[09:15:00]
For the president now repeatedly insist in recent days, since this operation in Venezuela, that he wants to take Greenland. He says the U.S.
needs it for national security reasons. You heard Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, argue the same yesterday, and that no one is really
going to attest to U.S. military action in Venice, in Greenland, which is very different from what we're actually hearing from European allies, and
reminding the U.S. that Greenland is a Danish territory and it's all part of NATO.
But he's also made similar claims about Mexico and Colombia. Those are worrisome, particularly for people on Capitol Hill, because I'd remind you,
it is Congress' duty to try and sign off on some of this. Not only should they be notified which they weren't ahead of this Venezuela operation, but
they believe they deserve a vote when it comes to military moves as big as this one in Venezuela.
So, there's a lot of questions that they're going to be asking of the president. I'm not sure we're going to really see any of that action on
camera. We will see the president's remarks, of course, I'm sure we will hear a lot of what he has said in recent days, defending this operation and
lauding the precision of the military in what they did in this capture of Maduro.
Not to really get a lot of the back and forth with lawmakers, but we'll definitely be reporting it out, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's fascinating, and we will stick with you for that. And that is coming up just after the top of this next hour. Thank you. Well
ahead on "Connect the World", Ukraine's key allies are gathered in Paris as we speak, seeking to firm up security guarantees for Kyiv.
Will they be distracted by Donald Trump's threats against Greenland? That is sure to be part, if not a substantive part of discussions today, we will
monitor that for you. Plus, protests in Iran are not slowing down. A look at how the government there is trying to appease the public, even as the
State Security Forces are cracking down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Washington, saber rattling is raising some serious red flags in Greenland. And in Denmark, which, of course, is responsible for the
territories defense. The Danish Prime Minister warns that U.S. threats against Greenland but the very existence of NATO in jeopardy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
METTE FREDERIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER: Firstly, I believe that the American President should be taken seriously when he says that he wants
Greenland. But I also want to make it clear that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops
that is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well European leaders are banding together against the notion of a Greenland sort of takeover, as it were.
[09:20:00]
In a joint statement today, the leaders of France, Germany, Spain and others made it clear that Greenland, as an extension of Denmark, is a part
of NATO, and its security must be protected by the alliance collectively including the United States. Here's British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of
Denmark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the rhetoric from the Trump Administration only appears to be ramping up. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller openly
questioning Denmark's claim to the territory. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their
basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark. The United States is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region to protect
and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States.
Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get reaction from Denmark Rasmus Jarlov is a member of the Danish Parliament joining us live from Copenhagen. Now, let's start
with the White House Deputy Chief of Staffs comments that. What is your response to Stephen Miller when he openly questions Denmark's territorial
claim over Greenland?
RASMUS JARLOV, DANISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I will try to say this as politely as I can, but it is quite shocking that a person who is in charge of this
completely illegitimate land claim on Greenland knows so little about the history and the background of why Greenland belongs to Denmark.
The United States themselves have signed at least three treaties where they recognize Greenland as part of Denmark. They did it in 1917 when we sold
the U.S. Virgin Islands to the United States. Part of that treaty was that they should recognize a Greenland as part of Denmark.
It has been approved in New York, in the U.N. General Assembly by the entire world that Greenland is integrated into Denmark. And the history
goes all the way back to Viking times, when the Vikings settled in Greenland in 982 and since 1380 so for 646 years, Greenland has belonged to
Denmark uninterrupted and undisputed the entire time.
So, this may be one of the most well-established ownerships of territory in the world. It is not disputed by anyone. It has never been disputed by the
United States themselves. And they really should know these things before almost starting a war with an allied country.
ANDERSON: So, what, is likely the response was Stephen Miller here today, this administration doesn't seem to care, sir.
JARLOV: No, he doesn't care. He goes on TV to talk about how Greenland has 30,000 people. They have 57,000 so he's also off on the facts about
Greenland. They don't seem to care about the facts and the reality in Greenland, which is also that the United States has exclusive and full
military access to Greenland already.
ANDERSON: Right.
JARLOV: So, this talk about needing Greenland for security is complete nonsense. The United States can put as many troops in Greenland as they
want, they have chosen to only have 150 troops currently, downscaling from 15,000 troops in the 50s and 60s. And that also shows that it's not true.
When they're talking about the need for large military presence in Greenland, they talk about that the United States are the only ones that
can protect Greenland, but the fact is that they're the only ones threatening Greenland. Neither China nor Russia are threatening Greenland.
ANDERSON: Right.
JARLOV: They don't have any intention of taking Greenland. The only ones that have that intention is United States, and this is a very sad situation
to be in for Greenland.
ANDERSON: So, what -- Yeah, I guess this begs the question, what happens next, right? European leaders reacting today with that joint statement,
reaffirming what many have said already, that only Greenland, you are echoing this, only Greenland and Denmark will determine Greenland's future.
Do you think the European statement is strong enough?
JARLOV: No.
ANDERSON: And Will Trump get the message?
JARLOV: I don't think it's strong enough. I'm afraid the Americans are not going to stop. We don't know if they're going to attack Greenland
militarily or not. We will defend it. And in that case, we would be at war.
[09:25:00]
We would be fighting each other, which is completely absurd. And it's very hard to disagree with our prime minister's analysis, even though I'm in
opposition to her, but you cannot disagree that if United States attacks a NATO country, there is no alliance. We have an alliance with Americans and
with other NATO countries to have our territories protected from others taking it.
And if you start taking territory from your allies, that's not compatible with being allies. That's the actions of enemies, not of allies. So, it
would be the end of the Western alliance. Nobody's going to want to be in an alliance with someone that tries to take territory from allies.
But I don't think it's the most likely scenario. I think the more likely scenario is that United States is going to make an economic offer to the
green lenders, trying to bribe them into becoming part of the United States, which is equally unacceptable. I mean, imagine China going to
Hawaii, trying to bribe the people there to leave the United States to become part of China.
Greenland is not a colony. It's an integrated part of Denmark. It is no more colony of Denmark than Alaska or Hawaii is a colony of the United
States.
ANDERSON: One other reason Greenland is back in the headlines is not just because, of course, we've heard both Stephen Miller and the U.S. President
threaten Greenland. It is partly why Stephen Miller was asked about this, because his wife, a conservative political figure in her own right, posted
this image of Greenland with a U.S. flag there with the one-word caption, soon.
So, what is the received wisdom? What's your intel? What are you and your colleagues in the Danish Parliament -- what do you believe may happen next,
and when, at this point, when you see that post? Do you expect there to be action in the days, weeks to come?
JARLOV: We certainly can't rule it out. We can't know what the American next step will be, but we certainly can't rule it out. They're not ruling
out military action themselves. They've been asked the question numerous times, and they refuse to rule out military action against Denmark and
Greenland.
So, we have to be ready for that, unfortunately, which is completely absurd. But as I said before, I think the more likely scenario is that
they're going to try to make an economic offer to the Greenlanders to make them leave Denmark to become part of the United States.
You have to understand that only 6 percent of the people in Greenland want to leave Denmark to become part of the United States. There isn't a single
member of the Greenlandic parliament that wants that to happen. They had an election last year, and nobody was elected that wanted to be part of the
United States, even though it was already on the table back then.
So, I mean, it's really difficult to deal with people that don't understand that no means no. And it's also difficult to deal with people that do not
accept facts and it makes no impression on them when we tell them the facts. We heard President Trump, mark Denmark about how we have added a dog
sled to the defense of Greenland, when the reality is that we have added more than 5 billion euros, two frigates, three large unmanned planes, many,
many other capacities are on their way.
And we only do that to accommodate the American fantasy that Greenland is threatened by China and Russia. But we don't even get any credit for that,
because they just keep saying that all they've added is a dog sled. So, it's really hard, and it's also hard to see, what can we do for the
Americans?
What can we give them that they don't already have? Because they already have unlimited military access to Greenland that they don't use, and they
could extract all the minerals that they wanted, if they would just put up the investments. So, there's absolutely no upside.
There's nothing they need in Greenland that they do not already have exclusive access to. And the best thing for them would be to talk to us
like normally, and ask if there's anything more that they could get -- and they could get it, but the idea that they will annex Greenland, attack it,
bribe it into becoming part of the United States is very, very dangerous.
And it may be one of the most illegitimate land claims ever in history. There's no historical claim, there's no moral claim. There's no threats
from Greenland. There are no drug laws in Greenland. There's no illegitimate government in either Denmark or Greenland. There is no excuse
for this, none at all. There's no legitimacy behind it.
ANDERSON: The view of Danish Parliament Member Rasmus Jarlov, and sir, very good to have you on. Thank you very much indeed.
JARLOV: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, leaders from what is known as the Coalition of the Willing, Ukraine's key allies are meeting in Paris.
[09:30:00]
Ostensibly, they are discussing security guarantees for Kyiv, and one would expect them to continue to do that, of course, part of a renewed push to
end Russia's war against Ukraine. But there are obvious, massive distractions. Let's get you live to Paris and to CNN's Melissa Bell.
Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, that meeting here at the Elysee Palace just getting underway, as you say, the timing of
all this pretty unfortunate. The focus of Europeans, their absolute priority for 2026 had been not just question of Ukrainian accession talk to
the European Union, but of course, those security guarantees at the heart of the meeting that is about to take place here.
The lunch has already finished. President Zelenskyy has been with the French President and the American envoys for the first time in person in
Paris for one of these Coalition of the Willing talks, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Now the other heads of state, a couple of dozens of them
have arrived for those talks to begin the idea to try and define precisely the mechanisms by which any front line would be watched kept the peace kept
should a ceasefire be agreed, the monitoring process for that line.
The question of what shape any troop deployment would take from the Coalition of the Willing inside Ukraine to guarantee peace going forward.
All of these essential questions with, of course, the need for Europeans to have that essential American backing.
In the middle of this and ahead of that Venezuela fairly muted response from Europeans in terms of what could have been more forthright
condemnations, partly because their focus is about making sure that the United States stays on side when it comes to Ukraine and ensuring their
security guarantees.
And of course, everything you've just been talking about Greenland, very much now hovering over this meeting and the question of what this further
saber rattling, or any further saber rattling, would mean for NATO, even as it tries to act strongly alongside Kyiv, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Stay warm, as I understand it. It was snowing overnight. Is that snow on the ground behind you?
BELL: It is snow on the ground. It is absolutely freezing, Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, you are wrapped up. I guess it was cold. Well done. Thank you very much. Appreciate you being outside on what is a very, very chilly
day in Paris. Thank you. Still to come U.S. President Donald Trump offering an ambitious timeline for rebuilding Venezuela's oil industry, but just
said why experts say it may not be as easy as he thinks. That is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching, "Connect the World". Thank you for joining us. These are headlines this
hour, U.S. President Donald Trump says he considers himself in charge of Venezuela. He made those comments in an interview two days after U.S.
forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid in Caracas.
Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges on Monday in New York. Meantime, the United States is making plans to
intercept an oil tanker linked to Venezuela. Russia has claimed ownership of the tanker, which is under U.S. sanctions for allegedly transporting
illicit oil.
Russia filed a formal diplomatic request last month demanding that the U.S. stop pursuing the vessel. Well, the Swiss bar hit by a deadly fire on New
Year's Eve had not been inspected in five years. That is, according to the presidents of Crans-Montana Council. He says the local authority bitterly
regrets that discovery and will take full responsibility under the justice system.
The U.S. Department of Justice says it's released less than 1 percent of the Epstein files. Attorney General Pam Bondi and a deputy told the judge
on Monday that the department is still reviewing more than 2 million documents. President Trump projects it will take less than 18 months for
oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's energy infrastructure.
Mr. Trump said Monday, a quote, tremendous amount of money will have to be spent to get it up and running. Let's discuss this with Javier Blas. He's
the Energy and Commodities Opinion Columnist for Bloomberg. It's good to have you.
JAVIER BLAS, ENERGY & COMMODITIES OPINION COLUMNIST FOR BLOOMBERG: Thank you for having me.
ANDERSON: Right, President Trump Monday projecting all companies can rebuild Venezuelan infrastructure in less than 18 months. How realistic is
that timeline to your mind?
BLAS: It very much depends on what President Trump means by rebuilding. He means increasing production, few 100,000 barrels a day from where he's at
the moment, which is just under 1 million. That's doable. There are some quick wins in lifting the sanctions on Venezuela and increasing spending to
get production running.
He means returning production to where it was before Hugo Chavez became President of Venezuela about 26 years ago. 18 months is not nearly enough.
We are talking more of 5 to 10 years, perhaps even more.
ANDERSON: Yeah, I think you're making some really important points, though, because it is post-sanctions, which were, what 1998 as I understand it,
post sanctions that the industry has been, you know, steadily, sort of decimated. You're saying that Venezuela could get some, but not all of what
it might get back onto the market, and that could be as much as what 3 million barrels.
But it could get some back on despite its infrastructure being in shambles, correct? What do we know about the energy infrastructure there?
BLAS: A lot of the infrastructure is in a bad shape. Oil pipelines that they were leaking have not been repaired, pumps that fail have not been
replaced. People have not been paid. Suppliers have not been paid. So, everything needs a massive investment, and that's going to take time.
But the first question that everyone in the oil industry is asking themselves is, who is in charge to do all of this? Is going to be the
current president or Interim President Delcy Rodriguez? Is going to be someone else? Are they going to be elections in a few months perhaps years?
And all of those questions are very important. The biggest problem in Venezuela today for the oil industry is not really the -- what we call the
below ground, the reservoirs, the Geology is the above ground races, is who is in charge and under what kind of jurisdiction we are going to be
investing in the country?
ANDERSON: Yeah, that's fascinating. In your most recent Bloomberg opinion piece published just on Sunday, you write this quote, President Donald
Trump now has his very own oil empire. And you say that includes more than just U.S. and now Venezuelan oil. Break down the math for us, if you will.
BLAS: I've been talking about current production, not what it may happen in the future, not about oil reserves, but current production. And I'm
thinking about what the U.S. is trying to put under his spell of influence, whether he can control or just perhaps benefit from those barrels.
[09:40:00]
You start with the United States oil production, you add Canada, and then you add the whole of Latin America, all the way from Mexico in the north to
Argentina in the south, and now you are including also Venezuela and, of course, other big oil rich countries, like Brazil, like Colombia, like
Guyana, all of that comes to almost 40 percent of the world's oil production.
That's a huge leverage, and it's a fact that it's not just Donald Trump. Donald Trump is at the right time in the White House to enjoy a booming oil
production across the Americas. And we have not seen that level of share of global production for the Americas since the Second World War and FDR been
at the White House.
ANDERSON: Yeah. I mean, it is remarkable. I mean, Franklin D. Roosevelt, back in the 1950s had this sort of economic and geopolitical sort of
leverage. I guess that begs the question, what are the potential geopolitical implications were the U.S. to control effectively 40 percent
of the world's oil?
OPEC, of course, you know that would be competing with the cartel, plus Russia. What does that do to the energy, the world's energy dynamic,
Javier?
BLAS: Well, in the past, the cause of oil, the price of oil has been always a constraint of American foreign policy. When the White House wanted to do
something that the Pentagon wanted to do something, the risk of a spike in oil prices was always a concern for American diplomats.
Today, the White House does not really need to worry about massive spike in oil prices, at least for now. And we have seen what this new policy allows
to do to the United States. We have seen the bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran. We have seen the White House effectively allowing Ukraine to bomb
Russian oil refineries.
We have seen the U.S. now very boldly kidnapping or taking the President of Venezuela out of Caracas and extra lighting it into Manhattan, into New
York City. All of those things would not be possible, if production in the United States of oil and in countries that they are nearby wasn't as high
as is today.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and I'm going to put the oil prices up as we say goodbye. Thank you, Javier. Your analysis and insight so important to us, and you
have the oil prices up there is more world news ahead with us. Those oil prices are really very calm at this point. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
ANDERSON: With Venezuela's future uncertain at this point, citizens of neighboring Colombia are increasingly concerned about rising tensions
between their President, Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump. The foreign minister, speaking a short time ago, says Colombia is not
interested in becoming a U.S. colony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSA VILLAVICENCIO, COLUMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We have also stated that we reject all threats made against any country and that we reject colonial
style administrations once we have achieved national sovereignty. An offense against the president is an offense against our country and a
violation of all the democratic processes which have been going on for years. This is our position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Clarissa Ward now with more on this story from Bogota. She spoke earlier with my colleague, Jon Bone (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty calm on the surface, but we have seen another salvo from Colombia's President
Gustavo Petro, taking aim at the 1825 Monroe Doctrine, which President Trump has appropriated and renamed the dawn row doctrine, saying that that
doctrine effectively renders sovereign Latin American countries into colonies.
In a post on X, he went on to write that quote, that goes completely against international law. It's the same doctrine around living space that
Hitler used, and it caused two world wars. One could also argue it's the same logic that President Putin has used with his invasion of Ukraine, that
President Xi of China has also used in pushing for Taiwan.
But nonetheless, this is the latest in a sort of back and forth between President Trump and President Petro. Behind the scenes, we are seeing a
concerted effort from Colombian officials to try to tamp down the rhetoric. You mentioned that post yesterday where President Petro said, you know, I
put my weapons down years ago and vowed never to fight again, but I will pick up arms and fight if there's any U.S. military intervention.
Meanwhile, the defense minister saying, hold on a second, we're not enemies, we need to work together. We have four decades of assisting the
U.S. with its counter narcotics strategy. And the focus right now really needs to be on ensuring for Colombia that that 1400-mile-long border with
Venezuela is secure.
There are some 30,000 Colombian troops who have been deployed across that border to ensure that the situation remains calm. But as we see these
little incidents like last night in Caracas in Venezuela, some chaotic moments, gun fire, some sort of misunderstanding between different groups
of security forces, but it gives you a feel, Jon (ph), for just how on edge those forces are in Venezuela and just how quickly potentially things can
escalate when it is such a fraught and tense situation.
So, Colombia today really focused on trying to ensure that, that border and its citizens stay secure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Clarissa Ward with that report. Dignitaries from China, Russia and Iran, all close allies of Venezuela, of course, were
among the first to congratulate Delcy Rodriguez as she was sworn in as interim president Monday in the wake of Maduro's arrest.
And Iran among the countries now facing President Trump's threats. Protests have spread across Iran for well over a week now, spared by a cost-of-
living crisis. Trump says if the government starts killing people, then they are, quote, going to get hit very hard by the United States. My
colleague, CNN's Paula Hancocks with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A female protestor is dragged from a street in Tehran. Demonstrators run for cover as gun fire is
heard in Malekshahi, a city in Iran's Western Ilam province. It is a familiar and brutal response to nationwide protests now in their second
week.
The Iranian currency is collapsing, inflation rising, and the cost of living becoming hard to bear, shopkeepers, traders and students on the
streets blame government mismanagement. Officials say publicly they are willing to talk.
SANAM VAKIL, CHATHAM HOUSE: The government is trying to be more amenable to dialog. President Pezeshkian has offered to mediate and engage his
acknowledged responsibility.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): But as the president offers dialog, the security forces are cracking down. Attacking protesters holed up in this hospital in
Ilam. Social media footage shows forces inside looking for injured protesters and those trying to hide.
[09:50:00]
The U.S. State Department said, quote, the assault on the injured with tear gas and live ammunition is a blatant crime against humanity. The U.S.
President has already threatened to step in if protesters are killed.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I
think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): A move against the Iranian regime that Israel's Prime Minister has been encouraging.
ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Actions or statements raised by figures such as the Prime Minister of the Zionist regime or some
radical American officials regarding Iran's Internal Affairs amount under international norms to nothing more than incitement to violence, incitement
to terrorism and incitement to killing.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): U.S. military attacks on Venezuela over the weekend and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro will be watched closely in
Tehran.
VAKIL: I think Venezuela adds icing to a really clearly baked cake for Iran. The Islamic Republic has learned the hard way that President Trump is
unpredictable.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Although the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei does still have some support. There are increasing calls for his removal,
both inside and outside the country. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well ahead on "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, Nvidia bill as the poster child for the AI boom. And now the world's most valuable
company is unveiling what is next for its AI tech. Details on that, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the world's most valuable company is offering a closer look at its next generation, AI super chip platform, which is called Vera Rubin.
Nvidia says it's due to arrive later this year, and the company has previously announced some details about it, but decided to lay out how the
system will work during the CES tech conference underway in Vegas.
And that is where we find CNN's Lisa Eadicicco, she joins us live. Good to have you from there. Nvidia says it's kick started the next generation of
AI with this platform. So, explain what's involved and what sort of start in Nvidia's made in 2026?
LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: So, the big thing we're seeing with Vera Rubin is a big focus on inference. And inference is the process
that AI models go through when they're actually answering a request, when these models are thinking, if you will.
And the reason why Nvidia is arguing that we need a lot more compute power through Vera Rubin for inference is because AI models are now capable of
handling more complex requests. Instead of just answering a question, these models in the future will be and even currently are starting to be able to
do things on our behalf.
And that's kind of where this push is really coming from here. And Nvidia says that Vera Rubin will be able to answer context heavy requests more
quickly, more capably and more efficiently. So, it kind of laid out this vision during its keynote yesterday of a future where there's a lot of
robots being used in different industries and self-driving cars.
And Nvidia is making this case that this tech is going to be really critical to that future, but also as more people are embracing AI agents
for work as well.
[09:55:00]
And that's something I think --
ANDERSON: So, one assumes that the CEO of Nvidia didn't take -- Yeah, he doesn't have any truck with these worries about an AI bubble. You wouldn't
expect him to have any sort of support for those arguments. Can the launch of Nvidia very specifically for this of the Rubin, sorry for this company,
allay the fears about Nvidia being overblown at this point?
EADICICCO: I think that's one of the big things that a lot of analysts in Wall Street will certainly be watching. So, I do think it does tie into
those bubble fears pretty heavily, because the argument here is that a lot of this computing power is required because people are going to be using AI
agents more.
And right now, agents are out there. And again, these agents can kind of string together multiple requests to do things for you instead of just
answering questions. So that's out there, but it's really just happening in niche industries right now, like the tech industry, for example, a lot of
AI coding agents have become really popular in software engineering fields, but I think this is a bet that we're going to see that on a bigger scale.
And Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang even kind of addressed some of those bubble fears right out of the gate during the press conference yesterday, and
talked about how a lot of the funding for AI infrastructure is coming from existing R&D budgets that were being put towards other computing resources
in the past.
So, it's definitely a question that I'm sure he gets a lot and that, you know, he's prepared to be thinking about at this point.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Yeah. Well, he's taking it on like I say it doesn't have any truck with the argument, but he's taking on the questions, which is a
good thing. Lisa, thank you so much. And "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, continues after this short break. So do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
