As the U.S. military carried out a daring operation to capture Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, a second front opened up within minutes in the United States an information warfare, psychological and propaganda operation run by a hardened cell of self-described Marxist, socialist and communist leaders. For years, this cell has fomented anti-American hate in the U.S. under the cover of "anti-war" protests, rallying activists after the 9/11 attacks to condemn the U.S. response, appropriating "anti-racism" protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, marching with Antifa agitators, organizing antisemitic campus encampments after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and activating "working-class Americans" to support Maduro and his regime in a war against "U.S. imperialism."

GOP members of Congress from Florida, which has the largest Venezuelan population in the U.S., applauded President Trump's handling of the operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday. "Venezuela will be FREE!" wrote U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., on social media, adding that Maduro's capture marked the end of a "narco-terrorist dictatorship."

The US will "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper and judicious transition" can be ensured, Donald Trump has said, after US strikes led to the capture of country's President Nicolas Maduro. US oil companies would also fix Venezuela's "broken infrastructure" and "start making money for the country", the US president said. The US launched strikes on Venezuela on Saturday morning in which Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces and removed from the country.

A newly unsealed US justice department indictment accuses the captured Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, of running a "corrupt, illegitimate government" fuelled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the US with thousands of tons of cocaine. The arrest of Maduro and his wife in a stunning military operation early on Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for US prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a Manhattan courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.

Several U.S. air carriers have canceled or delayed flights across the Caribbean after American forces' operation in Venezuela on Saturday. The cancellations were spurred by the Federal Aviation Administration's closure of airspace in the Caribbean. Delta Air Lines said that it "began canceling flights early Saturday morning in compliance with FAA airspace closures" and said affected customers would be contacted through the Delta app. "We are making schedule adjustments as necessary with the safety and security of our customers and team members top of mind," American Airlines told CNBC.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled on Friday against California's ban on open carry of firearms in most counties. The San Francisco-based court's ruling declared the ban unconstitutional in counties with a population exceeding 200,000. Those counties make up 95% of the state.

Twenty-six years to the day after Manuel Noriega's surrender in Panama, US authorities executed a spectacular capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. At 2 a.m., a series of explosions were heard in the capital city of Caracas. Hours later, Maduro was in handcuffs en route to the Southern District of New York, where, similar to the Panamanian strongman, he faces charges of drug trafficking.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday following U.S. military action that deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Colombia, with backing from Russia and China, requested the emergency session of the 15-member council, according to Reuters. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has characterized the American intervention as setting "a dangerous precedent." President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Washington would run Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," though specifics of this plan remain unclear.

The impact of the Trump administration's stunning airstrikes and "capture" of Nicolás Maduro are already being felt well beyond Venezuela's borders — the most significant U.S. intervention in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told "CBS Evening News" that the United States' intervention into Venezuela and the capture of its leader, Nicolás Maduro, is the "exact opposite" of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. "We spent decades and decades and purchased in blood, and got nothing economically in return, and President Trump flips the script," Hegseth told "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil.