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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Set to Make His First Court Appearance Before a Federal Judge in New York; President Trump Warns Venezuela's Acting President to Cooperate; Trump Sets His Sights on Greenland After Taking Over Venezuela. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 05, 2026 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[05:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News!

RAHEL SOLOMON, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and all around the world, I'm Rahel Solomon, it is Monday, January 5th, 5:00 a.m. here in New York. And that's where ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is set to make his first court appearance before a federal judge in the coming hours.

He faces drug, weapons and narco terrorism, conspiracy charges. President Donald Trump claims the case against Maduro is strong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The case is infallible. The people are so happy with what we've done. You know, you go down to Miami, you go down to a lot of --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --

TRUMP: Places, and they're all dancing in the streets of this country. Now, he was a rough -- he was a rough man, he killed millions of people. He killed millions and millions of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Maduro and his wife were captured after the U.S. launched an operation in Venezuela early Saturday. President Trump who returned to Washington Sunday night, said aboard Air Force One that the U.S. is, quote, "in charge of Venezuela" and had this warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We were prepared to do a second strike if we needed. We were totally prepared --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But that's off the table --

TRUMP: And we're still prepared --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's off the table now. TRUMP: No, it's not. If they don't behave, we will do a second

strike.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question is that, the American troops, are they going to be on the ground there doing any kind of peacekeeping? I think Americans are very --

TRUMP: It depends -- it depends on what happens. It depends a little bit on the new administration if you want to call it that --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, he's --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: We're also hearing from Venezuela's acting President, Delcy Rodriguez, who is now striking a softer tone. She's extending an invitation to the U.S. government to collaborate on a quote, "agenda of cooperation". CNN's Julia Benbrook has more now from the White House.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Donald Trump is now back at the White House after spending a couple of weeks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. That is where he monitored the complex operation that led to the capture of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

On his trip back to Washington, Trump spoke with reporters for more than 30 minutes, and he praised the work of the U.S. service members who were involved. He said that they are all in good shape after a quote, "dangerous operation." He also reiterated a statement that he had made earlier in the weekend when he said the United States would, quote, "run Venezuela until a judicious transition can take place."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is in charge of Venezuela right now? Have you spoken to the newly sworn in President there, Rodriguez, and what are your thoughts on the entire situation? You said the U.S. would run Venezuela.

TRUMP: We're dealing with the people. We're dealing with the people that just got sworn in, and don't ask me who is in charge, because I'll give you an answer and it will be very controversial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does that mean?

TRUMP: It means we're in charge.

BENBROOK: Now, Trump did say that the United States is working with Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who is in that acting role now. But she has pushed back and has called for Maduro's immediate release, saying that she believes that he is the country's legitimate leader.

Now, in an interview Sunday with "The Atlantic", Trump delivered a stark warning for Rodriguez. He said this, quote, "if she doesn't do what's right, she's going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro". When he was pressed on what he meant by that, he said that her situation would probably be worse because Maduro, quote, "gave up immediately".

He also said that the United States needs total access to oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country. Trump has not yet spoken to Rodriguez directly. Now, Trump does say that he believes the case against Maduro is infallible. Maduro faces drugs and weapons charges, and is expected to appear in federal court soon. Julia Benbrook, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Right, let's now get to CNN's Nic Robertson who is following developments and joins us live from London. Nicholas -- Nic, how is this shakeup in Venezuela being viewed around the world, especially with allies of Venezuela and Maduro?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, allies of Venezuela and Maduro are clearly not happy with this. Allies of the United States appear to be sort of treading a cautious path. The U.N. Secretary-General, through his spokesman, has spoken about a dangerous precedent with the United States' actions and a concern for what could happen in Latin America and the Caribbean.

So, there's -- I would say, if you sort of take the world's top diplomatic, global political body, the U.N., there's concern if you look at the European Union, they're talking about the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, upholding human rights.

They're calling for calm as countries -- people's respond to the situation, respond to what's happened.

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They are saying that Maduro was not a legitimate leader, if you will, of Venezuela. And that reflects what we've heard from the British government, from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said that, the British government doesn't shed a tear for Maduro being removed from power.

But also, you know, almost a contrary view or a strong word of caution from the British government is, you know, the Prime Minister says that international law should be respected. So, I think for allies, this is deeply troubling in their relationship with the United States, simply because they have a deep economic and security ties with the United States, and recognize that if they criticize President Trump, that there could be a backlash.

When we hear from politicians, Venezuelan politicians, particularly spokes -- thinking here of the spokesperson for the opposition leader, Machado, saying that you know, the United States, in essence, should be considering her for potential leadership inside of Venezuela. This is how he framed it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID SMOLANSKY, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: She's very capable. She's brave. She's courageous. She was in hiding for over a year, and I don't have any doubt that she's going to be with President-elect Edmundo Gonzlez. The leaders of the rebuilding of Venezuela, where obviously the U.S. is going to be our main allies, and we will have plenty of other allies in Latin America and Europe and beyond.

But Maria Corina Machado is a leader who is out of this world, and she's got the support for -- from almost every Venezuelan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: But the problem for Machado does seem that she doesn't have the support of this White House, that Trump has indicated that she doesn't have what it takes inside of Venezuela to effect the changes there that the United States wants.

And I think this is where the international community will be watching so closely. How does the White House maneuver from here? Because many countries reflecting as they do, particularly allies of the United States, reflecting as they do that Maduro was not a legitimate leader.

He has gone, but his government is still there. And that is clearly going to be a difficult diplomatic path for the United States allies, particularly as they sell it to their domestic populations as well, thinking of Italy today, where the U.S. Embassy in Rome there has warned Americans about a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Rome.

A pro-Maduro protest they're expecting outside the embassy there, outside the consulate in Florence, outside other U.S. consulates in Italy. So, there is going to be an -- a limited, perhaps time-limited effect on the streets, but it's a bigger diplomatic moves that are really going to worry these ongoing relationships with the -- with the White House.

SOLOMON: Yes, I mean, to your point, if it's an audience of one, I mean, Trump has said something to the effect of she's a very nice lady, but at least, according to him, he feels that she's ineffective inside of Venezuela. Nic, there is an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting scheduled in a few hours.

I imagine countries will want their positions on the record, but realistically, talk to us about what we can expect to come, and perhaps not come from this meeting in a few hours.

ROBERTSON: Yes, I don't think that the U.N. is going to make some decision that changes the course of what the White House is going to do. Of course, they would hope that they will, we'll certainly hear the views and concerns, and perhaps particularly of the Colombians.

We may hear from them, you know, as President Trump and has indicated that he's -- you know, he's turning his attention to Colombia and how that's led. And also, we may hear from the Danes as well. President Trump has spoken about, Greenland and how he feels it's important for U.S. national security for the U.S. to control it. We've heard from the Prime Minister of Denmark already, Mette

Frederiksen, of course, Greenland, one of the three kingdoms that makes up Denmark, saying that this is not the time to be making statements like this. This is not -- this is not necessary.

So, I think we will hear those who feel most concerned and implicated by President Trump's actions in Venezuela and the implications for other countries, we'll hear those concerns voiced about respect for international law, about respect for U.N. mandates.

But actually, the U.N. in effect is in this case will seem to some to be a talking shop and not a body with teeth to actually change what the White House is doing.

SOLOMON: All right, Nic Robertson reporting for us there in London. Nic, thank you. And sources tell CNN that the Trump administration is set to brief a select group of bipartisan lawmakers on Venezuela and a classified meeting later today.

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This comes as the U.S. Secretary of State says that approval from Congress was not needed for the operation. But the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee disagrees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): I'm a member of the gang of eight, and I have yet to get a phone call from anybody in the administration. Whether you think Congress leaks or not, the law says you must brief the Congress. So, this is just yet another example of absolute lawlessness on the part of this administration.

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: Well, we will seek congressional approval for actions that require congressional approval. But otherwise --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK --

RUBIO: They will get congressional notification, that -- and this is not an operation that required congressional approval. In fact, this is an operation akin to what virtually every single president for the last 40 years has conducted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the --

RUBIO: The difference is that when it's Donald Trump, you know -- you know, all these Democrats go bonkers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Sources also say that White House officials are justifying the Venezuela operation with a legal opinion from 1989, which was used to invade Panama and captured then military dictator Manuel Noriega. But there was one key difference. Panama had declared war on the U.S. prior to American intervention. Meantime, a "CBS" YouGov poll from November shows that the majority of

Americans are largely opposed to military action in Venezuela, and notably, 3 in 4 Americans polled also said that the President should have congressional approval before taking military action there.

We now turn to Venezuela's capital, Caracas, where massive crowds turned out Sunday to show their support for captured leader Nicolas Maduro. They were carrying Venezuelan flags and chanting Venezuela with Nicolas. But after President Trump's claim that the U.S. is running Venezuela, some say that they're concerned about the future of their country.

Journalist Mary Triny Mena is on the ground for CNN in Caracas with the details.

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MARY TRINY MENA, JOURNALIST (on camera): We are moving around the city of Caracas to get the sense of what is in the mind of Venezuelans after events when U.S. Security Forces entered Venezuelan soil. We've been talking to some of them. They say they are concerned about what could happen in the coming days.

Some of them are getting ready, bracing for new developments. So, that is why they are approaching to stores like this one to buy some food, to buy some medicine. And this is a constant across the city, but we need to say that there is no scarcity. There are products, but we need to remember that it is Sunday, and not all establishments are open today.

So, that is why there's a line, people in line waiting for food. As I said, there is no scarcity right now. But there are -- we have witnessed police in the streets trying to guarantee that everybody that wants to buy is able to go in. Also, we have reports from gas stations that are open, the borders in Venezuela remain open, and the main airport in Venezuela announced that domestic flights are still working in the country.

So, it is a country that despite the shocking events of yesterday, it is trying to continue its daily routine. For CNN, this is Mary Triny Mena, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Still ahead for us, a closer look at the timeline of the U.S. operation in Venezuela, and the covert Intel that led to the military's pinpoint accuracy. Plus, more details on what we can expect when Nicolas Maduro appears in a U.S. courtroom later today. We'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. U.S. officials are now offering a clearer picture of the operation to capture Nicolas Maduro. Sources tell CNN, that the CIA had secretly been tracking his every move since August. CNN's Natasha Bertrand lays out a detailed timeline of how the assault unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The U.S. military conducted a highly complex operation that had been months in the making to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a night-time raid on a compound that he had been hiding in, in Caracas.

Now, according to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, that operation commenced at 10:46 p.m. on Friday night when President Trump gave the go ahead for the U.S. military to commence this operation. At that point, from roughly 20 bases on land and at sea, aircraft took off, roughly 150 aircraft moving towards Venezuela.

Now, included in that was helicopters that were carrying an extraction force, which included Delta Force, a highly specialized elite unit within the U.S. military as well as FBI agents who were going to help in the capture and arrest of Maduro.

Now, they began their flight into Venezuela and over Caracas, and they were flying extremely low at about 100 feet above the sea. They were protected overhead by a lot of air power, and that included air power from the marines, the Navy, the Air Force, as well as the Air National Guard.

And it included F-22s, F-35s, F-18s, E-2s and B-1 Bombers and drones. So, just a massive presence protecting these helicopters that had this extraction force. Now, as the force approached Caracas, the U.S. military's joint force actually began dismantling Venezuela's air defense systems so that those helicopters would have a clear path towards that compound that Maduro was hiding in, according to General Caine.

Now, as that helicopter force moved towards the compound at around 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time, those helicopters did come under fire according to Caine, and one of those helicopters was in fact hit. It was not downed, however, and it was able to continue flying and continue the mission.

Now, at that point, the special operators who were inside one of the helicopters, they descended into the compound. They were able to locate Maduro and his wife, who themselves tried to hide behind a steel door inside that compound, but they were unable to close that door before U.S. forces reached them.

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That's according to President Trump. Now, ultimately, Maduro and his wife did give up. The whole thing took about five minutes, according to U.S. military officials. He was then extracted from the compound and flown back to the USS Iwo Jima, where he was detained by U.S. military forces before, of course, then being transferred to New York, where he is now awaiting a court date on Monday morning. Now, throughout all of this, no U.S. military forces were killed,

however, several were injured. They have bullet wounds, shrapnel wounds. However, we're told that they are in stable condition and they're expected to recover. Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And still to come for us, President Trump has a warning for Colombia's President. We'll tell you how President Gustavo Petro is responding. Plus, President Trump and Iran's supreme leader exchanging threats as the protests in Iran turned deadly in the wake of the operation in Venezuela. We'll have all that and more straight ahead.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. And President Trump now taking aim at Colombian President Gustavo Petro. He's accusing the leader of heading up the country's drug dealings and hinted at a potential U.S. operation involving the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long. He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He's not going to be doing it very long --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, there will be an operation by the U.S. in Colombia?

TRUMP: It sounds good to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Meantime, the Colombian President is defending his government's track record of combating drug trafficking. The President saying that his administration was responsible for what he called the largest cocaine seizure in the world's history.

He also said that he will respond to President Trump's comments once he has seen the translation and, quote, "knows the true meaning". And as our Nic Robertson mentioned a short time ago, another territory on the U.S. President's mind is Greenland.

Denmark's Prime Minister pushing back after President Donald Trump said Sunday that the U.S. needs Greenland.

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TRUMP: We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not going to be able to do it. I can tell you. The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: After the U.S. operation in Venezuela, the wife of Trump official Stephen Miller posted to social media an image of Greenland with an American flag overlaid and the word, "soon". Talk of the U.S. annexing Greenland has existed throughout Trump's second presidency.

And in the Middle East, President Trump has sent a strong warning to Iran as protests there turned violent. Here's what he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: 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 --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Iran's supreme leader firing back, saying that it won't give in, and will, quote, "bring the enemy to its knees". At least, 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, according to rights groups. Shopkeepers, merchants and students across the country took to the streets over worsening economic conditions after the currency hit record lows.

The protests are the largest since the 2022 Women Life Freedom Movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. Let's go to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who is following this story for us from Abu Dhabi. Paula, good morning to you. Trump threatening to step in, saying on Friday that the U.S. is locked and loaded and ready to go if Iran violently kills peaceful protesters. How serious is the regime taking these comments?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIOINAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, we did see at the end of last week a very swift response from Tehran. So, they were taking them fairly seriously even before the weekend's events in Venezuela.

We did hear from one Iranian official saying that Iran's national security was a red line, others saying that U.S. assets in the Middle East would be targeted if the U.S. decided to get involved in these protests. Now, we are seeing no sign that these protests are dwindling in any way.

In fact, what we are seeing is a number of different towns and cities across Iran. Protesters are still coming out onto the street, largely students, shopkeepers, traders. It doesn't appear to have significantly expanded up until that point. But that could change very quickly.

Now, we heard from human rights groups that close to 600 protesters have been arrested. You mentioned there, the death toll as well. They are warning, though, that they believe the number of people that have been arrested could be a lot higher. So, we are hearing some very strong words from President Trump and

also from those within his administration. We heard from the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, when talking about what happened with Venezuela, linking the country to both Iran and Hezbollah operating out of Lebanon.

So, certainly, there are some connections being made there. We know that Venezuela and Iran are long-time allies. But Iran is reacting very strongly. We heard --

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HANCOCKS: Excuse me, from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader as well, saying that the enemy will be brought to its knees if it does decide to intervene. Now, separately, of course, we are hearing from Israel that they are supportive of the U.S. becoming involved in Iran.

We did see just a week ago, the Israeli Prime Minister in Washington, and he was trying to coerce the U.S. President into confirming that there would be --