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2026-01-03 Caribbean-Latin America
President Trump: Venezuela's Maduro 'Captured' After 'Large-Scale Strike'
See the beginning of the attack here, and the people called out in the streets because of it here. Discussions under both.
[NewsMax] President Donald Trump says Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro has been captured after the US conducted a "large-scale strike" on the country early Saturday morning.

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country," Trump wrote on Truth Social at 4:21 a.m. ET.

"This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

In an overnight phone interview with The New York Times, Trump called the covert operation "brilliant."

"A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people," Trump said. "It was a brilliant operation, actually."

The Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is the next in line for the presidency, is demanding "proof of life."

"The cradle of the Liberator was attacked. In the face of this situation, we do not know the whereabouts of President Maduro," she said in a phone interview posted to X. "We demand from Donald Trump proof of life of President Maduro. People to the streets."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, announcing Maduro will be brought to justice in the U.S.

"Just got off the phone with@SecRubio," Lee posted on X. "He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.

"This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.

# id) ?>
Posted by Besoeker 2026-01-03 06:01|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1927 views ]  Top
 File under: Commies 

1 FOX News video on Maduro capture.
Posted by Besoeker 2026-01-03 06:13||   2026-01-03 06:13|| Front Page Top

2 USA Today - US conducted strike on Venezuela, captured Maduro, Trump says
Posted by Besoeker 2026-01-03 06:34||   2026-01-03 06:34|| Front Page Top

3 Thank You GOD.
This evil Socialist needed to be taken out of office years ago.

But!
How will the Liberals, Socialists and US Democrats now chose to retaliate?

Will the Liberal MSM & SM go all out to stir up Protests and Riots supporting the release of this Dictator & self-appointed KING?

Or will there be the usual (DNC & Elite) names starting up Congressional hearings and using making misquoted soundbite headlines, calling for Impeachment again.

Or are they planning something more serious?

After the July incident, I am sure Trump had his Secret Service detail re-vetted with a lint brush to be safe. But maybe it is due for a deeper re-check.
Posted by NN2N1 2026-01-03 06:58||   2026-01-03 06:58|| Front Page Top

4 captured and flown out of the Country

Vacationing in Cuba are they?
Posted by Skidmark 2026-01-03 07:18||   2026-01-03 07:18|| Front Page Top

5 No sneaky fuckin' Russians?
Posted by badanov 2026-01-03 07:30||   2026-01-03 07:30|| Front Page Top

6 Trump had his Secret Service detail re-vetted with a lint brush to be safe

nice turn of phrase.
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 07:38||   2026-01-03 07:38|| Front Page Top

7 
I strong agree Dictator/King Maduro needs to stand trial for his laundry list of crimes and murders that he ordered directly himself.

But will this be seen by the world, as the imagine of a Kangaroo court, by a country that attacks, and captures its enemy leaders? Then places them on Public display and trial with a pre-determined verdict by the world?

Should it be a Independent UNBIAS World Court action for crimes against humanity type setting instead?


Posted by NN2N1 2026-01-03 08:13||   2026-01-03 08:13|| Front Page Top

8 Any moment now some renegade federal district judge will issue orders to release Maduro.
Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2026-01-03 08:48||   2026-01-03 08:48|| Front Page Top

9 Already in the NYT: "Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise". I think that had that one pre-written.
Posted by Matt 2026-01-03 09:43||   2026-01-03 09:43|| Front Page Top

10 Not fundamentally different than Jefferson sending the Navy after the Barbary Pirates. Drugs have been killing Americans.
Posted by Procopius2k 2026-01-03 10:00||   2026-01-03 10:00|| Front Page Top

11 Bukele, Milei, Kast, and now maybe Machado; a pattern is emerging, will it continue?
Posted by Glenmore 2026-01-03 10:09||   2026-01-03 10:09|| Front Page Top

12 Re: # 10

Yeah but "Shores of Tripoli" is a good lyric, "Slums of Caracas" not so much... what rhymes with Caracas anyway?
Posted by Mercutio 2026-01-03 10:25||   2026-01-03 10:25|| Front Page Top

13 yippie kay yay?
Posted by Procopius2k 2026-01-03 10:37||   2026-01-03 10:37|| Front Page Top

14 Set as today’s headline. Good find for us to wake up to this morning, Besoeker — thank you.

From the Times of Israel blogs, posted from Venezuela, posted at 2:44 p.m. Israel times, which I believe is 8:44 a.m. ET:

Here in Venezuela, we are all in shock
With local news silent, citizens are sharing videos of explosions in Caracas and learning from sources abroad that their president was taken away by plane
Posted by trailing wife 2026-01-03 10:46||   2026-01-03 10:46|| Front Page Top

15 Head of the military's home was blown to shit too.
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 10:59||   2026-01-03 10:59|| Front Page Top

16 5th anniversary of Solamani's death.
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 11:19||   2026-01-03 11:19|| Front Page Top

17 Columbia's prez declared a state of emergency
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 11:21||   2026-01-03 11:21|| Front Page Top

18 Moving fast:


and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.
Last edited
7:25 AM · Jan 3, 2026
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11.1M
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Posted by trailing wife 2026-01-03 11:32||   2026-01-03 11:32|| Front Page Top

19 what rhymes with Caracas anyway?

Democracy?
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 11:33||   2026-01-03 11:33|| Front Page Top

20 Manuel Noriega could not be reached for comment.
Posted by Abu Uluque 2026-01-03 11:34||   2026-01-03 11:34|| Front Page Top

21 what rhymes with Caracas anyway?

The maracas of Caracas...

Watching the TV news coverage (BBC, Sky News, Fox), I am impressed by how they all can stretch a couple video clips and some talking head commentary into a half-hour show.
Posted by SteveS 2026-01-03 11:35||   2026-01-03 11:35|| Front Page Top

22 Drugs have been killing Americans.

Maduro, along with his counterparts in Colombia and Mexico have been at war with America for decades. It's about damn time we started fighting back. I would include China but it won't be as easy to capture Xi as it was Maduro.
Posted by Abu Uluque 2026-01-03 11:38||   2026-01-03 11:38|| Front Page Top

23 Thirty minutes of action, then away — and not a hint beforehand.

Here’s hoping the real winner of the last election down there takes over and returns Venezuela to its traditional vigorous prosperity, so all the migrants can return home.
Posted by trailing wife 2026-01-03 11:41||   2026-01-03 11:41|| Front Page Top

24 #17 Columbia's prez declared a state of emergency

And the price of cocaine just went wayyyy up
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 12:00||   2026-01-03 12:00|| Front Page Top

25 So has P.Trump traded Ukraine to Putin for the Western hemisphere?
Posted by Skidmark 2026-01-03 12:06||   2026-01-03 12:06|| Front Page Top

26 Democrats declare Trump’s capture of Maduro illegal despite past presidents' similar actions

"Congress must act to rein him in. Immediately," Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., says of Trump


So, in a week, Democrats go from defending Somali fraud and theft of taxpayer $ to defending Commie drug-dealing dictators. Well done
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 12:17||   2026-01-03 12:17|| Front Page Top

27 The late Vladimir Zhirinovsky wanted the US to abide by Russian interests on it side of the planet, and they would abide by the Monroe Doctrine...
Posted by badanov 2026-01-03 12:17||   2026-01-03 12:17|| Front Page Top

28 Onliest flaw in the process is the indictment against Maduro is in the Southern District of New York.
Want odds on the Trump DOJ getting a conviction there?
Posted by ed in texas 2026-01-03 12:25||   2026-01-03 12:25|| Front Page Top

29 What are the odds of Mamdani ordering NYPD to free Maduro from kidnappers?
Posted by Grom the Affective 2026-01-03 12:26||   2026-01-03 12:26|| Front Page Top

30 Somebody find the rationale for that venue; I have to go to lunch...
Posted by Bobby 2026-01-03 13:09||   2026-01-03 13:09|| Front Page Top

31 Delta 9250 sends.
Posted by Besoeker 2026-01-03 13:21||   2026-01-03 13:21|| Front Page Top

32 This is what leadership means.
Posted by Regular joe 2026-01-03 13:24||   2026-01-03 13:24|| Front Page Top

33 Reaction in Caracas

https://x.com/RyanAFournier/status/2007487659460178055
Posted by NoMoreBS 2026-01-03 13:26||   2026-01-03 13:26|| Front Page Top

34 RLTW
Posted by Besoeker 2026-01-03 13:27||   2026-01-03 13:27|| Front Page Top

35 Finland captures Russian "Shadow Fleet" ship intentionally dragging a heavy anchor.

And War Criminals in Moscow being blown up with shaped charges in their cars by Ukraine sabotage agents.
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 13:46||   2026-01-03 13:46|| Front Page Top

36 And Musk on Somali Amb here
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 13:53||   2026-01-03 13:53|| Front Page Top

37 Maduro is in a Jail Cell on the USS Iwo Jima
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 13:55||   2026-01-03 13:55|| Front Page Top

38 Venezuelan VP flees to Russia — as dictator’s son also charged in drug trafficking operation
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 13:58||   2026-01-03 13:58|| Front Page Top

39 Cuba will fall also. Their kite string just went slack.
Posted by Super Hose 2026-01-03 14:43||   2026-01-03 14:43|| Front Page Top

40 -plugs back in after vacation-

-checks news-

Posted by swksvolFF 2026-01-03 14:45||   2026-01-03 14:45|| Front Page Top

41  #36 And Musk on Somali Amb here

A Somali dude is the head of the UN Security Coucil? Jeez. Can it be that the UN is even more useless than we thought?
Posted by SteveS 2026-01-03 14:58||   2026-01-03 14:58|| Front Page Top

42 PJ Media:

U.S. Will Run Venezuela For Now, Second Military Wave Stands Ready

The president added another detail that will enrage Democrats and America’s enemies: “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping, and what could have taken place. We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”

As a warning, Trump said, “And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so, so we were prepared to do a second wave.” That will happen if necessary. “The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of the criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States. As alleged in the indictment, he personally oversaw the vicious cartel known as Cartel de los Soles, which flooded our nation with lethal poison, responsible for the deaths of countless Americans,” Trump said.
Posted by trailing wife 2026-01-03 15:01||   2026-01-03 15:01|| Front Page Top

43 RE: who chose the venue - my wife saw the news conference, said the indictment is from SDNY and was issued in 2021.

"Oh, different administration!" says I. Now she thinks 'maybe late Trump or early Biden'.

I figger it was the Autopen, as a virtue signal.
Posted by Bobby 2026-01-03 15:21||   2026-01-03 15:21|| Front Page Top

44 Nothing new here:

Posted by Besoeker 2026-01-03 16:44||   2026-01-03 16:44|| Front Page Top

45 I suspect a number of sphincters are really tight in narco compounds just south of the border.
Posted by Procopius2k 2026-01-03 16:56||   2026-01-03 16:56|| Front Page Top

46 Bobby, this document ( https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl ) on page 18, references actions on 2025.
Posted by James the lesser  2026-01-03 17:00|| https://idontknowbut.blogspot.com  2026-01-03 17:00|| Front Page Top

47 a number of sphincters are really tight in ... compounds

What is Delta Force and what do they do? Inside the elite US Army unit that captured Maduro

That's gonna leave a mark.
Posted by Skidmark 2026-01-03 17:04||   2026-01-03 17:04|| Front Page Top

48 @27 Russia officially wants to take over Europe and finlandize/neuter the US.

This seems to be the Trump admin's response to at least the second demand.

Since 1979 the respect for even basic Western interests traditionally protected by international law, like basic territorial sovereignty protecting human and civil rights and the basic security of Western civilians has eroded dramatically.

The notion that, in 2026, there is a moral obligation by Western nations to respect or recognize the "sovereignty" of Iran or her allies is absurd.

Is this lawless world unstable and dangerous?

Yes!

Sinve 1979 Iran and her allies have been dismantling the system of laws and conventions that gave the world a modicum of stability. All this to wage a convenient asymmetrical war on the West.

Now they are receiving a small dose of the danger and instability they created.
Posted by Elmerert Hupens2660 2026-01-03 17:24||   2026-01-03 17:24|| Front Page Top

49 re #12 - got it!

Macacas!
Posted by Mercutio 2026-01-03 17:31||   2026-01-03 17:31|| Front Page Top

50 #28 indictment against Maduro is in the Southern District of New York.

The Grand Jury was empaneled in said District, yes? It seems the Grand Jury worked during Trump the First.
Posted by Bobby 2026-01-03 18:40||   2026-01-03 18:40|| Front Page Top

51 Japan Defense forces report Kimmy shot a ballistic missile
Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 19:01||   2026-01-03 19:01|| Front Page Top

52 ^ Maybe he got excited? Prolly the high-dose V1agra
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 19:07||   2026-01-03 19:07|| Front Page Top

53 Kimmy shot a ballistic missile

North Korea doesn’t like it when somewhere else gets all the attention. And right now Iran and Venezuela are splitting the world’s attention, with Israel/Gaza sucking up the rest.
Posted by trailing wife 2026-01-03 19:14||   2026-01-03 19:14|| Front Page Top

54 Maduro is in a Jail Cell on the USS Iwo Jima

Is the Trump administration sending a subtle warning message to China by associating the Maduro capture with a war in the Pacific that the US won?
Posted by Elmerert Hupens2660 2026-01-03 19:58||   2026-01-03 19:58|| Front Page Top

55 North Korea doesn’t like it when somewhere else gets all the attention.

I shot a missile into the air,
It fell to earth I know not where.
Or maybe it splashed into the sea.
Will someone please pay attention to me?
-- from The Ballad of Pudgy Kim
Posted by SteveS 2026-01-03 20:13||   2026-01-03 20:13|| Front Page Top

56 Wretchard T. Cat

Venezuela had a Russian-supplied integrated system focused on protecting Caracas and strategic sites. This included long-range, medium-range, short-range, and point-defense systems, supplemented by anti-aircraft guns and fighter interceptors.
They had around 12 batteries of S-300VM (approximately 1–2 divisions sapid effective against aircraft, cruise missiles, and some ballistic threats up to 200–250 km. Medium-range: Buk-M2E (SA-17 Grizzly) systems, with 9–12 batteries up to 45–50 km. Medium/short-range: S-125 Pechora-2M with dozens of units for low-to-medium altitude threats. Short-range/point defense: Tor-M1/Tor-M2E (up to 10 systems in some reports) and possible Pantsir systems. They had 5,000 MANPADS Russian Igla-S for low-flying threats like helicopters and cruise missiles.
Anti-aircraft artillery: Over 400 pieces, including 200+ ZU-23-2 23mm twins and 114+ 40mm Bofors L/70 (some modernized).
Aerial component: Su-30MK2 Flanker fighters (around 20–21 operational) for interception, with limited F-16s (few airworthy due to maintenance issues).
All that proved useless or was neutralized on January 3, 2026 practically instantaneously.
Posted by Frank G 2026-01-03 20:13||   2026-01-03 20:13|| Front Page Top

57 
Posted by badanov 2026-01-03 20:54||   2026-01-03 20:54|| Front Page Top

58 All that proved useless or was neutralized on January 3, 2026 practically instantaneously

Just like Iran when the IAF flew through. Still, that kind of thing might be useful if it’s anyone other than the IAF or the USAF. And in the meantime it keeps the lads busy shining the brightwork.

from The Ballad of Pudgy Kim

Charming, SteveS. :-)

Posted by trailing wife 2026-01-03 21:46||   2026-01-03 21:46|| Front Page Top

59 The Ukraine war, Iran strikes and now Venezuela have proven that Russia's SAM and AAA offerings just plain suck and don't work worth a damn.

One more source of hard cash that Russia has lost.
Posted by DarthVader 2026-01-03 22:42||   2026-01-03 22:42|| Front Page Top

60 Way back in the time of Dukakis
One man fought for gelt. [cue maracas]
"I might not be Delta
But I got my own smelter!"
Tonight, it's Black Gold of Caracas.
Posted by Groluque Gloling9250 2026-01-03 22:58||   2026-01-03 22:58|| Front Page Top

61 and look where SOAR is: here

Posted by 3dc 2026-01-03 23:08||   2026-01-03 23:08|| Front Page Top

07:43 Grom the Reflective
07:32 NN2N1
05:15 Mercutio
04:59 NN2N1
04:57 NN2N1
04:53 NN2N1
04:51 Grom the Reflective
04:49 Grom the Reflective
04:42 Grom the Reflective
03:11 NN2N1
03:08 NN2N1
02:40 Grom the Reflective
01:08 Frank G
00:32 Frank G
00:30 DarthVader
00:28 Skidmark
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