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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Maduro, Wife Plead Not Guilty In First U.S. Court Appearance; Trump Admin Officials Brief Key Lawmakers On Venezuela; Colombia's Petro Promises To Defend Homeland Amid Trump Threats; Maduro's VP Rodriguez Formally Sworn In as Interim Leader; Greenland and Denmark Staunchly Opposed to U.S. Takeover; HHS to Recommend Fewer Vaccines for Children. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired January 06, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Edge after that U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was happening live during our show during this time on Friday night. There are reports of a misunderstanding and confusion between different security groups near the presidential palace.

And Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information says police fired at those drones. That video you're looking at there, they said the drones were flying without permission. All in all, though, no major incident, just a lot of frayed nerves tonight.

Meanwhile, the deposed Venezuelan president and his wife pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance in New York on Monday. Both Nicolas Maduro and Celia Flores are now indicted on drug and weapons charges. Both pleaded not guilty.

Maduro declared, quote, I am still the president of my country. He spoke through a translator. His wife also referred to herself as the first lady of Venezuela.

Celia Flores' defense lawyer, says she sustained significant injuries during what they described as an abduction. She was seen with bandages on her forehead in court, and her attorney believes she may have also suffered bruised or fractured ribs.

Their lawyers did not seek Maduro or his wife's release, saying a formal bail application would be filed later. The next hearing is scheduled for March 17th.

With me now is CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig, author of "When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ's Pursuit of the President From Nixon to Trump." Elie, welcome back to The Story Is.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Great to be with you. I guess I have to amend my book's title to include foreign presidents as well as American presidents.

MICHAELSON: Exactly. Well, you just said president, right? So you have been a prosecutor. You've been in this courtroom itself many times. You've been in front of this judge yourself many times. So you're the perfect person to talk to about this case. If you were the defense attorney for Maduro, what would your case be?

HONIG: OK, little role shift here. So the first thing I would do is I would make all the big constitutional and international law arguments. I would argue that his arrest violated international law, therefore cannot be recognized in an American court.

I would argue that as the head of the state of Venezuela, he was entitled to some degree of immunity from prosecution. Now, I don't expect those arguments will ultimately prevail. Similar arguments were made in the Manuel Noriega case. They did not succeed. There is some case law out there from the Supreme Court and elsewhere saying that it doesn't really matter if somebody was arrested in a foreign country in violation of international law, that does not mean you get the indictment thrown out. But you absolutely have to make those arguments.

They're good faith arguments and we'll learn a lot about the law then if I lost that, you have to get ready for trial. And I think my argument then would be that the government's evidence is not reliable. If you look at the indictment, it doesn't look like there's any tape recordings that are incriminating of Maduro. It doesn't look like they have ever put him with the hands on drugs or guns. And it looks like the government will probably build its case around testimony from cooperating witnesses who can be attacked, their credibility can be undermined. And so that's how I would go about it at the trial eventually.

MICHAELSON: So one thing that was really interesting today is that Maduro and his wife did not ask for bail, at least not yet. Why is that?

HONIG: Right. So I think that's a smart move. And you will see this sometimes, Elex, where if you have a complicated case and a defendant's trying to put together some sort of enormous bail package, which I suspect will happen here, you're just not ready to do that on day one.

And so his defense lawyers did something that I think makes a lot of sense. They basically said, we're going to reserve and reserve our right to make a bail argument at some future date. Now, let me just cut to the bottom line. There's no way Nicolas Maduro is getting bail.

But what wouldn't surprise me at all is if his lawyers come forward a few weeks from now and propose some massive arrangement where he's under some form of house arrest, where they offer to pay for private security, where they offer to have the place surrounded and wear ankle bracelet and all that stuff. It's not going to work.

But sometimes when you have an ultra-rich defendant like that, they do propose what we sometimes derisively called private prisons. But judges are not inclined to do that. So not a surprise. I think the right move that they for today, we'll see what they do in the future. MICHAELSON: Well, you know a lot about where he is being held right

now. Take us behind the scenes on what the night is likely for Maduro right now.

HONIG: It's hellish. This is the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. I've been in there many, many times, meeting with potential witnesses. I've been in a lot of federal prisons, Elex. This one is probably the worst of the ones I've been into. I haven't been into the supermaxes.

It is overcrowded and it is unsanitary. The medical services there are lousy at best. There's violence there. There was a big indictment just this past summer of 25 inmates and a prison guard who were involved in a contraband scheme. There are people -- two people were killed there in 2024.

I imagine Maduro, for the time at least, is in isolation. He's segregated probably for his own safekeeping, but ultimately it's just a brutal place to be held.

[01:05:04]

And this is going to take a while, Elex. This is going to take certainly up to a year, maybe two years, certainly more than a year. And so he's going to have a very long stay inside the MDC.

MICHAELSON: And you think about being from going from basically a presidential palace running a country to now being there, how crazy that is. So the judge in this case, 92 years old, somebody you personally have argued in front of at least three different times. Give us some perspective about him.

HONIG: Yes, this is Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. I tried three full jury trials in front of him. I argued in front of him dozens or hundreds of times. So Judge Hellerstein was put on the bench in 1998 by President Bill Clinton. So he has close to 30 years experience.

Judge Hellerstein is in charge of his courtroom. And not every judge is great at controlling and disciplining his courtroom. And we saw some of that on display today when Nicolas Maduro tried to throw in extraneous comments and say, I am the president of Venezuela and I'm an innocent man. Judge Hellerstein said, hold on, shut it down. We're not interested in that right now.

So, this is going to be a challenge because Nicolas Maduro is not going to be demure. He's not cowed by or even particularly respectful of the American justice system.

So Judge Hellerstein is going to have to maintain control. But let me tell you, Elex, he's 92 years old, but he is tough as nails. He does not tolerate fools and he knows how to run a trial.

MICHAELSON: And lastly, because I'm out of time, but just real quickly, who's paying for Maduro's legal bills?

HONIG: Good question. What we do know is the feds have seized his assets. There is a way. It's really hard to do. But if you're a prosecutor, you can challenge that. You can say he's using criminal proceeds to pay for his lawyers. But it's really, really hard to make that showing. Alex.

MICHAELSON: Elie Honig, you are the best person to talk to probably in the country on all this. So we're so grateful that you're taking time. Talk to us here on the story is. Thank you so much.

HONIG: Thanks so much. Talk to you soon.

MICHAELSON: Elie joining us from Washington. That's a live picture right now from Washington where it's after one o'clock in the morning. The Trump administration wrapped up its classified briefing with eight key lawmakers over what happened in Venezuela. It went very late, actually, one of those eight Democrat, Jim Himes from Connecticut. Earlier, he spoke with CNN's Erin Burnett.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): There have been other Gang of Eight meetings with Marco Rubio in which he denied that any of the planning or operational steps were being taken towards what happened 48 hours ago. So I'm not sure I trust what Marco Rubio is telling the Gang of Eight because he told us that this was not a contemplated option.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: So do you think he directly lied or was he that out of the way?

HIMES: You know, if I, and I didn't have an opportunity to push him on this, but I know his answer. His answer would be, well, the Pentagon does lots of planning, and it was only at the very last minute that the President gave the authority to go ahead.

That is maybe a technically reasonable answer, but it completely flies in the face of the spirit of what a former Senator Marco Rubio should know the Congress deserves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now, while lawmakers seek more answers, a new Washington Post poll finds 45 percent of Americans oppose the U.S. taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government. Only 24 percent say they approve.

(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)

MICHAELSON: That was Stephen Miller speaking live with Jake Tapper on CNN earlier. A source now says that the Senate will likely vote later this week on a measure to limit President Trump's war powers in Venezuela. CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill with more on the mixed reaction tonight's Venezuela briefing. Manu?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Elex. Like most things on Capitol Hill, the reaction out of this briefing was along party lines. Democrats expressed their significant concern about everything that went down the run up to it. The fact that Congress was not briefed ahead of time.

Typically, the top leaders of Congress, known as the Gang of Eight, get a classified briefing ahead of time before such a mission of this magnitude would occur. That did not happen here. It happened after the fact. Democrats upset about that and the fact that this was not authorized by Congress.

Now, the administration had argued that this is a law enforcement operation to execute an arrest warrant against Nicolas Maduro and is not a military operation, which is why members did not have to get briefed. And there had to be any sort of war powers resolution authorizing the use of force in Venezuela.

[01:10:00]

That did not pass muster with the number of Democrats who raised concerns in this closed door briefing about taking additional action if the United States would go after other countries as well. We've heard the president not rule out action against Cuba and Colombia as two examples. That was a discussion in this meeting.

One point that was made, we're told by these members, is that they said that the administration would not rule out going into other countries if there were arrest warrants that against other heads of states. So that is something to watch as this plays out.

Now the question all along here is what is the United States planning to do here in sort of running this country, being in charge of Venezuela as the President has said the United States would do? What does that mean?

How much will that cost in terms of troops on the ground, in terms of cost to American taxpayers? That's a question that I put to the speaker of the House.

The use of the United States does not occupy Venezuela. So how is the United States going to run Venezuela like the president said, repeatedly saying that the United States charges Venezuela and how much is this going to cost United States taxpayers in terms of dollars and troops?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA) U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: The way that this is being described I think is accurate. This is not a regime change. This is a demand for change of behavior by a regime. We don't expect troops on the ground. We don't expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new the interim government to get that going.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries. Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying.

RAJU: Now Elex, the full House and the Senate will get their briefing on Wednesday because remember this briefing that happened today for more than two hours, really just the subset of members, a small group of members of leadership known as the Gang of Eight, the key committee chairman and ranking members of in the House and the Senate, Democrats, Republican, a small number of members.

Now the full membership of the Senate and the House will get their own briefings on Wednesday. And there are just so many questions that still remain here about the long term plans, how this is executed, what's going to happen with Nicolas Maduro, whether this can hold up on court, what else does the administration have planned?

So expected that briefing on Wednesday to get very fiery as members have a lot of questions and so far not many answers. Elex.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Manu Raju reporting from Capitol Hill. Thank you, Manu. Venezuela's exiled opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she will return to her home country, quote, as soon as possible.

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Monday, the Nobel laureate revealed she last spoke with President Trump in October when her peace prize win was announced despite President Trump doubting her ability to lead a post-Maduro, Venezuela. Machado had nothing but praise for the U.S. president one of his favorite shows.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Actually, I spoke with President Trump on October 10, the same day the prize 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)

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, in Venezuela's capital, hundreds of protesters came out in support of captured President Nicolas Maduro. Demonstrators could be seen holding banners and signs in favor of the former president. Remember, dissent not exactly welcomed there.

The outpouring of support comes as Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez was formally sworn in as the country's interim leader on Monday. Here's what we know about her. She's 56 years old. She served as Maduro's vice president since 20 -- pretty important. Petroleum since 2024. So she knows all about the oil.

Alongside her brother Jorge Rodriguez, the current National Assembly president, she has held various positions of power since Hugo Chavez ran the country. The ambassadors of China, Russia and Iran, key allies of Venezuela, not the best friends of the United States, were among the first to congratulate Rodriguez after she took the oath office.

All three countries have denounced the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. Raid is also being met with some sharp rebukes from Venezuela's parliament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO SOTO ROJAS, VENEZUELAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (through translator): The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, has been kidnapped by the government of the United States in a barbaric, treacherous and cowardly attack.

[01:15:02]

The President of the United States. Mr. Trump intends to be prosecutor, judge and policeman of the world. From Bolivarian Venezuela, we say to him, you will not succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Just ahead, we'll see how Colombia is reacting to the U.S. operation in neighboring Venezuela and what Colombia's leader is saying to President Trump. David Culver reports from there. We check in with him when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Colombian President Gustavo Petro is pushing back against President Trump's threat of military action. On Monday, Petro warned that he would, quote, take up arms if the U.S. Decides to attack him or his country after the U.S. captured ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Colombia increased security along its border with Venezuela.

CNN's David Culver traveled there and spoke with some Venezuelans about their country's uncertain future. David joins us now. David, what are you seeing from your perspective?

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Elex, this is the international bridge, Simon Bolivar Bridge. That takes you from where we are, Colombia to Venezuela. Just over my shoulder and you can see cars and people go back and forth. It happens at all hours of the day. It seems normal.

[01:20:03]

What's not normal, though, is what's happening on the other side of the border where those vehicles are headed right now. Let's get in here. Got it.

CULVER (voice-over): This is the show of force Colombian commanders want the world, and perhaps mostly Washington, to witness.

CULVER: And so here it is now, evening going into late in the night, and we're about to see some of the many patrols that have sprawled out across the 1,300 plus miles of border between Colombia and Venezuela.

CULVER (voice-over): The government says it's now deployed some 30,000 Colombian troops to its eastern border.

CULVER: Military commanders stress that their priority is security and stability more than anything else. It may look like an escalation, but they say this is about being prepared for whatever situation might unfold. But you can't look past the timing, and that is all of this happening as scrutiny from Washington intensifies.

CULVER (voice-over): At all hours, the Colombian military increasingly present here.

CULVER: What is the priority right now?

CULVER (voice-over): Pushing back on claims from the Trump administration that they're not doing enough to stop criminal organizations and drugs from crossing the border. Adamant they're focused on guaranteeing and defending Colombia's sovereignty and primarily its citizens.

And yet, despite the show of force, life here, pretty normal for the moment.

CULVER: You can see steady traffic coming in from Venezuela into Colombia. This is the Simon Bolivar Bridge. Takes you right into Venezuela.

CULVER (voice-over): Or out of Venezuela in Maria's case, if only for a couple of hours. She's got a doctor's appointment in Colombia.

CULVER: She says everything's calm.

CULVER (voice-over): She's among those still living in Venezuela willing to tell us on camera she's happier with Maduro gone.

CULVER: She says as soon as Maduro became president, everything just went downhill from there. So she's hoping it can revert back to the way it was as she says before.

CULVER (voice-over): In a seemingly forgotten tucked away mountain community here in Cucuta, Colombia, many we meet, dream bigger for Venezuela's future.

CULVER: And this is a community that's basically a migrant settlement. She thinks there are more Venezuelans in this community than Colombians. Mind you, we're in Colombia.

CULVER (voice-over): This family left Venezuela two years ago, intentionally keeping close to their homeland.

CULVER: Do you want to go back? She would love to go back. That's where the bedroom is. And they're running water and electricity. The neighbor has internet, and so they share it. So this is their kitchen. They had one bedroom there.

CULVER (voice-over): Incredibly modest, but better still, she insists, than life on the other side of the border.

CULVER: She said life in Venezuela was incredibly difficult. Even working, she said, you had to make choices. Do you buy clothes? Do you buy food?

CULVER (voice-over): She's among the nearly 3 million who've left Venezuela to settle in Colombia in recent years, believed to be the largest Venezuelan diaspora outside of Venezuela.

CULVER: She said her husband wanted to stay close to their homeland. So they're just over the border. Secondly, she was worried about the journey to the US.

CULVER (voice-over): And yet before returning, she, like most here, want to see lasting changes take shape.

CULVER: Do you think the U,S, can change things in Venezuela? Not all. She does think the U.S. actually can contribute, not to do everything, but to at least make a better Venezuela as she sees it.

CULVER (voice-over): Until then, they've made this home.

CULVER: She says go back three years ago, and this was a mess. It didn't look anything like this. But the community came together, and now it's a place where a lot of the kids gather and they play.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: And for that community, the many migrants that live there, more than 2,000 altogether, they say that this is for them a hopeful moment, but there's a lot of skepticism. They don't believe that things are going to change overnight, and they have good reason for that.

Delcy Rodriguez, the vice president, currently now the interim president.

[01:25:00]

She's been placed in the leadership role. Questions remain about her real authority. That aside, all the institutions, Elex, all the individuals who run those institutions are still in place as Maduro had him. The only person not there is Maduro himself.

MICHAELSON: Yes, David, doesn't seem like there's much of a speed limit on the -- for the motorcycles coming back and forth. They're really flying. What if people want to see that you talk to that are from Venezuela that want to go home, what do they need to see before they feel safe going back home?

CULVER: Well, I think they want to see for one, as you mentioned, the speed limit. Fewer focuses on cracking down on the population. And by that I mean you go where we are this direction and let's say you want to go to the nearest city, it's San Cristobal, about 15, 16 miles. Every two miles, there's now a checkpoint in place.

Now, we're told that those checkpoints were there in the past, but they are now heavily guarded. And even one motorcyclist was telling us that as he saw a woman take a phone out to just do a selfie in the area, guards immediately took her into custody and detained her. Gives you a sense of the paranoia that they're starting to feel there.

At the same time, when you talk to the individuals who are here and this in Colombia is the largest Venezuelan diaspora outside of that country, they really want to see this turn into a lasting change that they can feel confident will allow them to then return, reestablish their lives and be with their loved ones again and find opportunities economically with anything else. Elex.

MICHAELSON: David Culver on a hot, humid and clearly busy night in Colombia. Thanks so much for reporting for us. We really appreciate your perspective. Be back with more of The Story Is right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:36]

MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORYY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro claimed that he still is the president of Venezuela during his New York court appearance. Both he and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges. Their lawyers confirmed a formal bail application will be presented at a later date. The next hearing, by the way, is set for March 17th.

The U.N. Secretary General says U.S. Military action in Caracas has left him, quote, "deeply concerned" that rules of international law have not been respected. The U.N. Security Council discussed the situation in an emergency meeting on Monday. Russia, China and Colombia all condemned the U.S. military operation as quote, "illegal". Another Security Council member stressed the importance of following international law.

Nicolas Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was formally sworn in as the Venezuelan interim leader on Monday. President Trump says he believes Rodriguez is willing to do what the U.S. thinks is necessary to, quote, "make Venezuela great again". However, Trump once again suggested the U.S. could launch a second military operation if Rodriguez stops cooperating.

CNN's Paula Newton has more on the landmark day in Venezuela's national assembly. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a bold statement that the old guard in Venezuela is still in charge. Lawmakers in the National Assembly gathered to open a new session, an unprecedented one, as a loyal operative of the regime of Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as acting president.

Even in taking the oath, Delcy Rodriguez denounced Maduro and his wife's capture, saying she was in pain for the kidnaping of two heroes.

While Maduro was shackled and on his way to his first appearance in a New York courtroom --

(CROWD PROTESTING)

NEWTON: -- his inner circle returned to a familiar playbook, calling on Venezuelans to hit the streets and protest Maduro's incarceration. Even his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, was installed once again in parliament, emotionally pledging his allegiance to Rodriguez.

Adding, "The homeland is in good hands, dad."

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): We seem to have swapped one head of the snake for another, and we absolutely have to make sure that what the result, the result from the arrest and removal of Maduro, who was illegally holding office and who violated U.S. And international law, that we move towards a transition.

NEWTON: On the streets of Caracas The shock of the last few days is giving way to a return to business as usual, and a regime that is all too familiar.

Hundreds of political prisoners remain in custody, and citizens have been warned the regime is aggressively hunting down U.S. collaborators. Government media parrots the line that the entire country stands with Maduro even though Rodriguez is herself now vowing to engage in a cooperative agenda with the U.S.

The regime though, its guardians still in place, returned emboldened to this performative display. In fact, the events of the last few days seem to vindicate the revolutionary ideals among Maduro loyalists that the U.S. posed a clear and present danger to the country, and only a dogmatic, zealous devotion to the regime could fight it.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Joining us now is Alejandro Velasco, a historian and professor at NYU. Welcome back to THE STORY IS.

ALEJANDRO VELASCO, HISTORIAN AND PROFESSOR, NYU: Thanks so much. Appreciate it. MICHAELSON: At the end of the day, how did Maduro's vice president end

up in charge? What do you think was really going on behind the scenes where we ended up with her?

VELASCO: Absolutely. It's one of these remarkable, surprise turn of events that not a lot of people expected. Certainly not -- not me. In part because for so long, the upper echelons of the Chavista government -- for so long, I mean, like over ten years had really cohered around Maduro. He really seemed to have been able to cement control.

[01:34:50]

VELASCO: And to see kind of a very seamless transition from Maduro to Delcy Rodriguez with the seeming support of the Trump administration, to me at least, powerfully suggests that there must have been some back-channel communications going on between Delcy Rodriguez and others close to her and the Trump administration to engineer this transition.

And in part, I think that the major thing that they could give the Trump administration, that the opposition people like Maria Corina Machado are unable to is to guarantee some sort of stability as long as you're willing to play ball on the major question that Trump said he's concerned about, which is securing access to Venezuela's oil reserves.

So to the extent that they were able to say, hey, at least with us, you're not going to get chaos in the streets that might lead to a full-scale invasion by the United States, as opposed to Maria Cornia Machado, in which case there would be a lot of chaos, we're willing to play ball with you.

MICHAELSON: And Maduro's VP was in charge of the oil, so she knows a whole lot about all of that going into this beforehand.

Are you suggesting that maybe she helped turn over Maduro as a way to get her own power, or this all happened afterwards?

VELASCO: No, I suspect, obviously, I don't know for certainty, but given just the speed with which this has happened over the past few days I suspect that there were prior conversations back-channel going on between Delcy Rodriguez, Marco Rubio and others to have precisely this outcome.

MICHAELSON: Right.

VELASCO: Now, of course, the question is to what extent, you know, this seems, Delcy Rodriguez and then felt like they were coerced into this position versus something that they'd been thinking about for a long time. On that point, I'm a little bit less, you know, less certain.

But for sure, it seems to me that there must have been some kind of back-channel negotiation to engineer this particular very unexpected outcome. MICHAELSON: And obviously, that's a big allegation. And obviously, we

do not have any sort of official confirmation from that. The United States government says on the record that all of this was a surprise, not only to Venezuela, but clearly surprised a lot of folks in Congress as well.

But let's talk about Marco Rubio for a second, who is currently the Secretary of State, the national security advisor now clearly has a role in running Venezuela.

You reposted something on X reminding us of what you wrote back on November 12th, right, when Marco Rubio was named as secretary of state. You wrote back then, "Marco Rubio is secretary of state. Brace yourself, Latin Americanists. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

And you recently said, "Not that it required a lot of clairvoyance, but on this one at least, it's played out."

What did you mean by that? And what is Marco Rubio's end goal with all this?

VELASCO: Absolutely. I think as soon as Donald Trump announced that Marco Rubio would be the secretary of state, at the very least, we could anticipate that Latin America would be front and center of whatever Trump administration policies would be in place, in part because, of course, as he has said, even just yesterday in the talk shows, he has said his primary interest is Latin America's sphere of influence.

But specifically, his interest is Cuba, as a Cuban American with long standing animosity to Cuba's communist government. What he's seeking is regime change in Cuba.

The issue, of course, is that Cuba, unlike Venezuela, has no significant resources that would attract the attention of Donald Trump. Venezuela does, in terms of oil. But Rubio needs some sort of proof of concept that we can affect a very low intensity regime change to get what we want as a way to convince Trump that, you know what? Cuba is an easy target after Venezuela.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk for a moment about the Venezuelan people, so much has been talked about the power players here. It does not seem like the White House is eager to talk about elections anytime soon, which means that this sort of temporary status quo could be in place for a while. What does that actually mean for people who live in Venezuela?

VELASCO: You know, for family and friends that I'm in contact with, you know, almost constantly over the past 48 hours, they're in a kind of state of shock, of course, for the events over the weekend.

But also they are wondering what actually changed with all the same players seem to be in power. The inner circle of Maduro seems to still be institutions have not changed hands, what actually has changed.

And so for them and for, you know, other Venezuelans who were bearing the brunt of this situation, it seems much more status quo, which of course, suggests that, you know, the best that they can hope for at this time is some improvement in the economy.

[01:39:46]

VELASCO: Now that's, of course, going to be contingent on whether or not Venezuela does play ball with the United States in a way that the United States wants them to do. But, you know, in terms of a prospect for democratic transition, that does not seem to be on anybody's radar right now.

MICHAELSON: But it does certainly seem that U.S. companies are more involved in Venezuelan oil than they were just a few days ago.

Alejandro Velasco -- historian, professor at NYU, you spoke with us about this issue before all this happened. A lot of what you said turned out to be right. And we appreciate you once again joining us here on THE STORY IS.

VELASCO: Thanks so much.

MICHAELSON: Wall Street kicked off the first full week of trading in 2026 on a high note. The Dow closed up about 1.5 percent, but the big story was that it briefly passed the 49,000 mark for the first time.

Chevron was one of the winners, soaring on the prospect of U.S. companies working in Venezuela's oil industry.

The U.S. President is clearly coveting Greenland, and that's troubling some leaders in Europe. Their message to the Trump administration, just ahead.

[01:40:50]

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MICHAELSON: Donald Trump recently repeated his claim that the U.S. needs Greenland for its national security. And that's not going over well in Europe, especially not in Denmark and its territory of Greenland. Many European leaders are denouncing the prospect of a U.S. takeover.

The White House has refused to rule out military force, including with Jake Tapper tonight, Stephen Miller.

A Danish lawmaker told CNN's Erin Burnett that it would be appalling for a NATO member to capture another NATO country. And he rejected comparisons between Greenland and Venezuela.

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ANDERS VISTISEN, DANISH MEMBER OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: When you're talking about Greenland, you're not talking about a (INAUDIBLE) dictatorship. We are talking about a NATO allied country, a NATO territory, and that belongs to a friendly nation that is a very close ally to the --0 to the U.S.A., and have been so for more than 70 years.

So of course, it is appalling and it is very, frankly, stupid to continue to talk about capturing NATO country. But we don't see it as very realistic that we have U.S. troops entering into the capital of Nuuk anytime soon, though.

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MICHAELSON: Denmark's prime minister warned that a U.S. attack on Greenland would end the NATO military alliance.

CNN's Matthew Chance picks up the story from there.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the issue of Greenland seems to be reemerging as a serious point of contention between the U.S. and its traditional European allies. Most of all Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the vast arctic territory.

We were actually there back in October when the Danes staged a show of military force, which they officially said was meant to deter Russian and Chinese military threats but which Danish military officials privately told me were designed to show President Trump just how seriously they took Greenland's security just after his repeated threats to take it over.

But now, after the extraordinary events in Venezuela and yet more incendiary remarks about Greenland, the Danish prime minister has appeared on national television saying she had already, quote, "made it very clear" where the kingdom of Denmark stands, and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it doesn't want to be part of the United States.

She also warned of the consequences of U.S. military action to seize Greenland, something President Trump has not ruled out.

METTE FREDERIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): First of all, I think you have to take the U.S. President seriously when he says he wants Greenland. But I also want to make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II.

CHANCE: Well, that is a clear warning about the potential of this issue of Greenland, which is in a strategic location and does have significant natural resources, to fracture the western military alliance if this pressure from Washington escalates further.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Thank you Matthew.

Still to come, U.S. officials are recommending fewer vaccines for kids. We'll tell you about those policy changes just ahead.

[01:48:13]

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MICHAELSON: One person is in custody after an incident at the Ohio home of U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday. Authorities say the individual was detained for causing property damage and breaking windows on that home. They don't believe that person entered it.

White House officials tell CNN the Vance family had already left town before the incident happened. Police are now investigating whether the Vances were specifically targeted.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will not seek a third term in office. This comes after Trump-aligned Republicans launched a blitz of attacks, blaming him for a welfare fraud scandal in the state. He has not been criminally charged for that.

The governor says he is ending his campaign to give his full attention to fight what he calls, quote, "an organized group of criminals" defrauding taxpayers, as well as those seeking to take advantage of a crisis.

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GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Donald Trump and his allies in Washington and in Saint Paul and online want to make our state a colder, meaner place. We've got conspiracy theorists, right-wing YouTubers breaking into our daycares, demanding access to our children.

We've got the president of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that Minnesotans rely on. It's disgusting, and it's dangerous.

Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity, and the cynics who want to prey on our differences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon will cut Senator Mark Kelly's retirement pay. Kelly and six Democratic lawmakers took part in a video reminding U.S. service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. The Democrats were accused by both Hegseth and President Trump of, quote, "seditious behavior".

Kelly is a retired navy captain who served during Operation Desert Storm, and then he served as an astronaut. Hegseth wants to cut his pay and reduce his retirement rank, but Kelly says he plans to fight the action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Donald Trump, he deferred the draft five times because he had bone spurs for generations of service to this country. Earns me the right to speak. Five deferments earns nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: U.S. officials have changed the recommendations for childhood vaccines. The Department of Health and Human Services will now suggest fewer vaccines for children. The changes are similar to vaccine schedules in nations like Denmark.

[01:54:48]

MICHAELSON: Shots to fight measles, mumps and rubella, as well as polio, chicken pox and others will still be pushed to parents. But those for RSV, Hepatitis a and b and others will be recommended for those at a higher risk of infection.

Under the new changes, vaccines for the flu and coronavirus will only be given after consulting with a healthcare provider.

Several public health experts who spoke to CNN warn that the changes could fuel outbreaks of preventable diseases. The CDC has reported nine pediatric flu deaths so far this season.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been publicly skeptical of vaccines.

The popular weight loss drug Wegovy is now available as a daily pill. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk says the starter dose costs $149 a month for people paying cash and buying straight from the manufacturer.

That is $200 cheaper than the injectable version, making the pill a more affordable option for people whose insurance plans don't cover the drug. Stronger doses will soon be available in pill form, as well.

Thank you so much for joining us here on THE STORY IS -- a lot of heavy news we've had tonight.

Tomorrow night we prepare to mark one year since the L.A. wildfires. L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, businessman Rick Caruso will both be here live. Both of them could be candidates for other races. We could make news here on "The Issue Is".

Plus talk some entertainment. Legendary songwriter Diane Warren, who is a 16-time Oscar nominee, could she be a winner this year. We'll play her new song. We'll hear her incredible backstory.

All that and more tomorrow night here on THE STORY IS.

Thanks for watching. We'll see you tomorrow.

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