NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, January 3, 2026

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

Maduro captured and in U.S. custody; Inside U.S. military operation to capture Maduro; Maduro’s mounting legal case; and more on tonight’s broadcast.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Breaking news tonight, Venezuela's leader captured by American forces arriving in New York just moments ago after a daring raid inside the country's capital. And now, President Trump says the U.S. will run the South American nation for now. The massive assault inside Venezuela, new images of U.S. forces attacking. Explosions lighting up the night sky. American helicopters in a daring mission over the nation's capital. That country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, captured by U.S. forces, the images of him in custody, and late today landing in New York.

President Trump saying the U.S. will oversee the country indefinitely. We're going to run the country until such time. The images from inside the war room as the strikes went down. And it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II. What we're learning about the charges Maduro will face in the U.S. He is a fugitive of American justice. While Venezuelans in America celebrate in the streets, why they tell me they're happy, the brutal dictator is gone.

What does today mean for you? Freedom. And across the Caribbean, the airspace closed due to the attack, creating travel chaos on this busy holiday weekend. Tonight, new details inside the American operation. An extraction so precise, it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere. New questions and new criticism about the justification for the attack. And what happens now to the South American country?

We're not afraid of Brutson and the ground. After a military mission with huge consequences for the U.S., South America, and the world. This is a special edition of NBC. nightly news. Venezuela's leader captured. Reporting tonight, Tom Yamas. Hey, good evening. We begin tonight with an extraordinary moment on the world stage.

For the first time in decades, the United States went into another country to remove its leader from power. This was the scene overnight in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. Explosions lighting up the night sky. Look at them there. As American troops struck military targets inside of Venezuela, and captured that country's authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, Celia Flores. President Trump later sharing this photo of Maduro aboard the USS Iwojima, and late today,

the plane carrying him landing in New York, where he'll stay in custody to face criminal charges. You see him there in blue, surrounded by federal agents. We have new details tonight about the military raid planned for months that resulted in no American fatalities. But there are also big questions tonight about what's next for Venezuela. President Trump's saying today that the U.S. will run that country until a transfer of power can happen. A country, the size of Texas and Colorado, combined. There is little doubt of the horrors of the Maduro regime, and there is new hope for Venezuelans around the world

that a turning point has come for their nation. But there are also new concerns that the U.S. has embarked on another military mission with no clear endgame in sight. Our team is covering every angle tonight, but we start with that overnight attack in Venezuela. Tonight, Venezuela's authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, arriving in New York to stand trial. After that daring secret U.S. mission to capture him,

video showing explosions over downtown Caracas and choppers flying over the city as the U.S. captured Maduro and his wife. This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history. These images showing the commander-in-chief watching the operation as it was happening from Mar-a-Lago, and the president posting this image of Maduro in U.S. custody. But perhaps just as surprising as that secret mission, President Trump's declaration today that the U.S. will now run Venezuela. Venezuela during this transition period. We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.

So we don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. The president saying the U.S. will take back American oil facilities that Venezuela nationalized. And he was pressed. Does that mean U.S. boots on the country? ground. We're not afraid of boots in the ground if we have to have. We had boots in the ground last night at a very high level, actually. Are you saying that Secretary Hegseth and Rubio are going to be running Venezuela? They're going to be a team that's working with the people of Venezuela. You have a vice president who's been appointed by Maduro. And right now she's the vice president

and she's, I guess, the president. She had a long conversation with Marco and she said, we'll do whatever you need. President Trump later telling the New York Post, U.S. troops won't go to Venezuela, saying if the vice president does what we want, we won't have to do that. And tonight, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs revealing new details of what he called the audacious operation to capture Maduro. 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases, President Trump giving the go-ahead at 1046 p.m. last night. General Dan Cain saying they had been watching Maduro for months. To find Maduro and understand how we He moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets.

President Trump describing what happened when U.S. forces cornered Maduro inside his compound just after 2 a.m. local time that Maduro tried to run to a fortified safe room. He was trying to get into a safe place. You know, the safe place is all steel. But he was unable to get to that door. He made it to the door. He was unable to close it. The operation comes after a federal grand jury indicted Maduro and his wife on charges of narco-terrorism and importing cocaine. Maduro was previously indicted in 2020. Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil. The president also revealing he spoke to Maduro twice. I said, you got to surrender. And I actually thought he was.

was pretty close to doing so, but now he wished he did. All of it echoes the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. President George H.W. Bush sent the military to capture dictator Manuel Noriega, who had been indicted for drug trafficking. He was later convicted in the U.S. That operation, like this one, carried out with no congressional authorization. Today, the administration defending that move. This was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice. It's just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission. The U.S. and many other countries across the globe viewed Maduro as an illegitimate president who stole an election. His government accused by the U.N. of crimes against humanity.

I pressed him in an interview seven years ago. The U.N. and human rights groups estimate hundreds of people have died because of your administration. They think hundreds of people have died also since you came into power. Why are people who protest you end up either? dead or in jail. No human rights organizations have made me responsible for any deaths. You're lying, Tom, he said. And now chaotic conditions in Venezuela, local journalist Anna Vanessa Herrero is outside

a supermarket. It's a large line, obviously filled with people trying to get whatever they can to survive what's coming next. While in the U.S., Venezuelans told us they're thrilled. people here so excited. We are celebrating freedom and liberty. Thanks to President Trump, we were able to gain our freedom back. My wife hasn't been able to go home since she was a kid. My kids have never gone to Venezuela, so this is huge. And this whole operation shrouded in secrecy. I want to bring in Courtney Kuby now because Courtney, most of the Pentagon, which you cover,

didn't even know about this until last night. Yeah, that's right, Tom. Two U.S. officials tell NBC news that many senior Pentagon officials weren't brought into the exact timing of this operation until last night because the details were so close hold. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Cain, today saying Operation Absolute Resolve was the culmination of months of planning in rehearsal, including building a mock Maduro safe house to practice on. The CIA had a small team on the ground in Venezuela starting in August, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, and those months of work paying off with about a four and a half hour operation today. Tom? All right, Courtney Cuby for us.

To those questions now about what's next for Venezuela, and what it means that President Trump says the U.S. will run the country for the time being. Peter Alexander has that part already. Tonight, hours after that stunning raid capturing Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicholas Maduro, there are growing questions about President Trump's declaration that the U.S. will now run the country. We're going to be running it with a group and we're going to make sure it's run properly. But offering few details.

And when pressed who will make up that, group. The people that are standing right behind me were going to be running it. Saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Maduro's vice president, who he says was cooperative. But tonight, Vice President Del C. Rodriguez appeared defiant, denouncing the U.S. operation as an illegal kidnapping, calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets. President Trump notably dismissed that country's opposition leader Maria Karina Machado as Venezuela's next president. Machado recently won the Nobel Peace Prize and had been in hiding in fear of the Maduro regime.

Today's dramatic developments ordered by a president who previously campaigned against U.S. nation building. Our current strategy of nation building and regime change is a proven absolute failure. President Trump was asked about that today. Why is running a country in South America

first? I think it is because we want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We want to surround ourselves with stability. We want to surround ourselves with energy. And Venezuela's oil is central to the U.S.'s future plans there. We're going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars. It'll be paid for by the oil companies directly. The president's saying once American oil companies take back their facilities, they'll start pumping more oil.

I would expect oil prices on Sunday night when they start trading ahead of the new week here to be down a couple of dollars a barrel. Still tonight, the mission ousting Maduro is sparking divided opinions. Republicans praising it. If you're a bad guy anywhere in the world, you're waking up this morning and you're realizing that we have a military and a president who is strong and resolute in defense of our interests. Democrats sharply criticizing it. This is an illegal war. There is zero legal rationale for waging war within or against Venezuela without a vote of Congress. And Peter, let's pick it up right there. More Democrats tonight are pushing back on the president's actions.

Tom, that's right. The top two Democrats in Congress. Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries say that they want an immediate briefing for leading lawmakers and then the rest of Congress to be brief. President Trump said Congress was not briefed ahead of time ahead of the operation because lawmakers have, in his words, a tendency to leak. Tom. Peter Alexander for us, Peter, we thank you for that. The U.S. has been building its case against Maduro for years and the Department of Justice is now prepared to make its case in court. Halle Jackson has that part of the story. Maduro, now in New York, set to face prosecution, accused of leading a, quote, corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity,

including drug trafficking. He is a fugitive of American justice. The indictment detailing Maduro's alleged narco-terrorism, accusing him of partnering with cartels in a massive cocaine trafficking operation, claiming he and his wife ordered kidnappings, beatings and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermine them. Now, Attorney General Pam Bondi says Maduro will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts, the case against him to be brought in the Southern District of New York, where Maduro was first indicted in 2020, and where Barrett Berger

formerly worked as a federal prosecutor. My guess is this is a case that is based largely on cooperator information. You can't really bring charges like this against somebody so high up, like the president, unless you have insiders. Maduro became president of Venezuela following the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013, holding on to power despite multiple elections in which he was accused of manipulating and ignoring results. His tenure marked by widespread poverty, massive protests in the streets, and drug gang violence. He personally oversaw the vicious cartel known as Cartel de la Solis, which flooded our nation with lethal poison responsible for the deaths of countless Americans. His capture and removal now potentially to become a central point of any trial against him.

The bigger question is, are we allowed to basically invade other countries in order to capture people who have been indicted under U.S. law? And I think the answer to that is quite clearly no. And with that, Halley joins us now live from our Washington Bureau. Hallie, viewers are going to be watching our coverage and watching tonight wondering why was Maduro's wife also indicted. Yeah, she is seen Tom as an influential political figure in her own right, the foreword. attorney general there. And in this indictment, she's accused of accepting bribes and helping to maintain state-sponsored gangs as part of this alleged drug trafficking operation. We could see Nicholas Maduro's first court appearance as soon as Monday. Tom? All right, Halley, thank you. The Trump

administration today, also threatening other countries in the region. One of those countries, Colombia. And our Gabe Gutierrez is there live for us tonight. And Gabe, there are demonstrations, as we can see, all across the Capitol there? Yeah, that's right, Tom. This crowd supports what President Trump did. According to the U.N., some 8 million Venezuelans have been displaced over the last 12 years. About 3 million of those that ended up right here in Colombia. And for many of them, this is a historic night, even as President Trump,

has some harsh words for this country's president. Tonight, after the U.S. capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration is warning other countries, hinting their leaders could be. next if they cooperate with drug cartels, including President Gustavo Petro in neighboring Colombia. He's making cocaine, they're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his ass. Tanks seen lining up near Colombia's border with Venezuela amid heightened security. Petro has strongly denied any drug trafficking allegations and today rejected any unilateral

military action. President Trump's hardline supporters see this as an opening for more potential U.S. involvement in Latin America. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham posting with Maduro's capture, the drug caliphate is moving toward collapse, free Cuba. The administration also calling out Cuba, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban American who's railed against its communist government throughout his political career, today accused the country of propping up the Maduro regime. Look, I lived in Havana and I was in the government. I'd be concerned, at least. Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel responding to American strikes in Venezuela today.

Cuba condemns the actions as an act of state terrorism. And in Mexico, where President Trump again threatened to go after drug cartels, something's going to have to be done with Mexico. The government, they are also slamming the strikes, urging the U.N. to de-escalate tensions, adding Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace. Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News, Bogota. And our coverage continues in just 60 seconds with how the U.S. military strikes have caused travel chaos here at home. Airspace closed down across the Caribbean.

Americans stuck on the islands. That's next. We're back now with the chaos in the Caribbean after those U.S. military strikes in Venezuela. The airspace over the Caribbean shut down, leaving American tourists stranded. Jesse Kerrish has the latest. From an hour's long line in Miami to stranded crowds in Puerto Rico, tonight the U.S. attacks inside Venezuela are creating travel chaos in the final stretch of the holiday rush. The communication and the uncertainty of the whole situation has been tough. Max Blum says he and more than 20 family members were supposed to fly home from St. Lucia today. Then their flights were canceled.

You can't find any flight on your airline back to the U.S. for a week. Yes, and the issue really becomes with a lot of family members who have young kids who need medications who need diapers and formula. They're not the only ones in limbo. Today alone, hundreds of Caribbean flights were canceled, according to Flight Aware. Overnight, the FAA issued emergency orders closing airspace over Venezuela and other parts of the Caribbean, warning of a potentially hazardous situation and ongoing military activity. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, writing the closures were to ensure the safety of the flying public. When appropriate, these airspace restrictions will be lifted. In Puerto Rico, more than half of today's flights in and out

of San Juan have been canceled, according to Flight Aware. And look at these lines in Miami. Some travelers say they've waited over four hours for help rebooking. We were supposed to go to the Barbados for our honeymoon, but we are no longer. Tonight, some people struggling to reach Paradise, where many more are apparently trapped. And most U.S. air carriers say they're offering Travelers added flexibility. Tom. Jesse Kirsch from MIA tonight, and we're back in a moment with President Trump's plans for Venezuela's oil. Could it impact gas prices here at home? That's next.

We're back now with President Trump saying U.S. oil companies will soon move in to rebuild Venezuela's dilapidated oil industry. So just how much oil are we talking about, and what will it mean for gas prices here at home? For that, we turn to Tom Costello. Tom, good evening. Yeah, Tom, most experts say it will take years and billions of dollars for U.S. oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's decaying oil infrastructure. Venezuela actually holds the largest oil reserves anywhere in the world. 303 billion barrels, more than Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Russia. Venezuela's vice president today said the real U.S. goal was to capture Venezuela's oil and natural resources.

It now produces less than a million. barrels a day compared to 11 million by Saudi Arabia, 22 million in the U.S., because it's producing so little, most experts don't expect a global supply disruption, but in a few years, more oil supply could mean lower gas prices here at home and worldwide. Tom? All right, Tom Costello for us, Tom, we thank you. When we come back tonight here on nightly news, the hope and the uncertainty as the world watches for what comes next in Venezuela. Welcome back. It's been a stunning 24 hours. Just asked Nicolas Maduro. He went to sleep as the leader of Venezuela. He woke up to U.S. special forces capturing him as assault helicopters obliterated his military installations. Right now, Maduro is on U.S. soil, in custody, accused of being a narco terrorist. The U.N. has accused him of killing hundreds. When I asked Maduro about that in an interview, he said they were lies. Tell that to the U.S. families who have never seen their loved ones again after speaking out against Maduro.

It was something I heard time and time again today, the ousting leading to celebrations breaking out from Madrid to Miami, Venezuelan immigrant community celebrating the end of Maduro's brutal regime. But there are mounting questions about the legality of this operation, the criminal case against Maduro and his wife and what happens in the region. The president explaining today marks a new chapter in his America First policy. It now includes our neighbors. A dramatic shift in a region now changed forever. We hope to learn more in the coming days and weeks as the millions who have left Venezuela and those still there wonder what this all means for them. That's nightly news for this Saturday. I'm Tom Yamas reporting tonight from Miami. We thank you

so much for watching. Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night. Thank you. Thank you.