State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela

The warning came amid reports of armed militias.

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife appeared in a federal court in New York City on Monday, following their capture by U.S. forces over the weekend in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Following the operation, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela for an unspecified "period of time."

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro's "kidnapping."


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Trump implies he could go after Colombia’s president next, says Cuba 'looks like it's ready to fall'

President Donald Trump, who has said the operation against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should serve as a warning to the rest of the world, doubled down on his threats, implying that Colombian President Gustavo Petro could face U.S. action soon.

“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. Let me tell you,” Trump claimed while speaking to reporters on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, Petro released a statement on the operation and Trump's previous comments about him, saying, "I deeply reject Trump speaking without knowing; my name does not appear in the judicial files on drug trafficking over 50 years, neither from before nor from the present."

"Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump. That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people’s struggle for Peace in Colombia," he added.

Reporters asked Trump if the U.S. has a similar plan to deal with Cuba as they did for Venezuela, to which he said that Cuba only survived because of Venezuela.

“Now, they won't have that money coming in. They won't have the income coming in. You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday, you know that a lot of Cubans were killed,” Trump said.

Trump said those Cubans were trying to protect Maduro.

Later, the president said that Cuba is “ready to fall.”

“Cuba looks like it's ready to fall. I don't know how they -- if they're going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income,” Trump said. “They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They're not getting any of it. And Cuba literally is ready to fall. And you have a lot of great Cuban Americans that are going to be very happy about this.”

Asked again if the U.S. is considering action in Cuba, the president said he doesn’t think there needs to be any because “it looks like it’s going down.”

-ABC News' Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie


Trump says 'we’re in charge' of Venezuela, claims VP Rodriguez is cooperating

President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday, “we’re in charge” of Venezuela, doubling down on his claim Saturday that the U.S. will “run” the country.

Trump said that he has not spoken to Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice president, who was sworn in as interim leader. Asked if he wants to speak to her, the president said, "At the right time, I will."

Trump also said that Rodriguez is cooperating with the U.S., a claim he made Saturday, which she appeared to dispute in an address to Venezuelans, when she called for Maduro’s immediate release.

Later, the president was asked about comments he made to The Atlantic, where he said that if Rodriguez "doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."

Asked what he needs from Rodriguez, Trump called for “total access” to the country’s oil reserves.

“Total access. We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country,” he said.

-ABC News' Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie


Cuban government says at least 32 Cuban nationals killed during Venezuela operation

The Cuban Communist Party released a statement on Sunday, claiming at least 32 Cuban nationals were killed during the United States' operation in Venezuela.

The party said that the citizens were killed in "combat actions" while "fulfilling missions representing the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterpart bodies of the South American country."

-ABC News' Will Gretsky


Venezuelan opposition leader calls Maduro’s removal a 'turning point'

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia released a statement on Sunday, calling the United States' capture and arrest of President Nicolas Maduro "a turning point in Venezuela's recent history."

"Venezuelans, the events of recent days have marked a turning point in Venezuela's recent history. It is natural that there are mixed feelings, which we understand and respect. This moment is an important step, but it is not enough," he said.

The opposition leader referenced the 2024 election in the country, which he claims to have won, saying those results should be respected. He went on to refer to himself as the president of Venezuela.

"As president of Venezuela, I make a calm and clear appeal to the National Armed Forces and the State Security Forces. Your duty is to comply with and enforce the sovereign mandate expressed on July 28, 2024. As Commander-in-Chief, I remind you that your loyalty is to the Constitution, to the people, and to the Republic," he said.