Jan. 3, 2026
BREAKING Overnight: U.S. Snatches Venezuelan Prez and His Wife
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RSS Feed While you were sleeping, the U.S. carried out a large-scale attack inside Venezuela and captured President Maduro and his wife. We know they’ve been flown out of Venezuela, but it’s unclear where they have been taken. The reaction from Venezuela and around the region has been swift, but it’s unknown what will happen next.
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00:00:11
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks.
00:00:12
Speaker 2: It is Saturday, January third, and a breaking story overnight. The United States has gone in overnight and snatched the president of Venezuela and his wife from the capital city and taken them out of the country. Some are calling it an abduction, some calling it a prelude to war, some calling it illegal. Whatever you want to call it, we certainly have to all agree this has been an absolutely stunning development overnight. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. Look, we've been watching what was going on with Venezuela for quite some time. I don't know if we had presidential abduction on our BINGO card.
00:00:54
Speaker 3: That was never on my list of what happens next, at least I didn't think so. In fact, when President Trump was asked about the possibility of trying to take out or get Maduro out of office, he skirted around the question and didn't.
00:01:08
Speaker 4: He seemed shy about it.
00:01:10
Speaker 3: It didn't seem like it was something imminent or something he was planning. And yet it turns out that may have exactly been what was going on.
00:01:17
Speaker 2: He stayed vague a lot when he because even asked the question. A lot of whole high profile interviews, and he stayed vague. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do exactly, But did he also not leave open the possibility at least of action on land right right, at this point, it's only been on the water that he's taking any action against Venezuela. So I thought maybe we all thought that might be the next thing coming out.
00:01:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, that would to me be the next step in escalating the tensions that were already happening.
00:01:45
Speaker 4: I mean, obviously, we were.
00:01:46
Speaker 3: Already killing Venezuelan citizens on their boats based on drug trafficking exactly. That's what we've been told, and so that was already a bold move, clearly, But this is an escalation that certainly I was not expecting, and I don't think a lot of folks were expecting.
00:02:05
Speaker 2: So let's tell you now, folks, we are recording this early. Everything we are telling you now is at least up to this point, but there are going to be a lot of new developments. But let's just start with the what there first of all, and explaining robes what we have seen, at least as of our recording.
00:02:19
Speaker 1: All of this has developed in the past few.
00:02:21
Speaker 4: Hours that's right.
00:02:22
Speaker 3: President Trump announced the United States has carried out what he calls a large scale attack inside Venezuela. And yes, US forces have captured President Nicholas Maduro.
00:02:33
Speaker 4: And his wife.
00:02:34
Speaker 3: We know that they have been flown out of Venezuela, out of the country, but we do not know where they have been taken, where they are being held. And yes, the attack happened around one am Eastern time, while all of us were sleeping, and that was two am local time in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
00:02:51
Speaker 2: Now that is what we got initially, and most of the information we got has been at this point from President Trump himself in a social media post, because initially, look, there were reports and videos out there on social media, and of course news channel started covering there were pretty large scale explosions happening inside Venezuela, so obviously everyone jumped to the conclusion that the United States was taking some kind of action inside. I do not believe anybody was thinking we were going to get what we got from President Trump. His post, I think was around four o'clock in the morning Eastern time. But the President is the one who gave us the information about what was exactly going on in Crocus.
00:03:33
Speaker 3: Yes, this is what he put out on his truth social The United States of America.
00:03:38
Speaker 4: Has successfully carried out.
00:03:40
Speaker 3: A large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicholas Maduro, who has been along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country. The operation was done in conjunction with US law enforcement.
00:03:52
Speaker 4: Details to follow.
00:03:54
Speaker 3: There will be a news conference today at eleven am at mar A Lago. Thank you for this attention to this matter, President Donald J.
00:04:02
Speaker 1: Trump.
00:04:02
Speaker 2: So, as of this recording, we don't know where Nicholas Marduau and his wife are in the world. We did get, however, more updates about where they might be heading and robes. That is the United States because now a US Senator Mike Lee from Utah, he put out a tweet. This is how we're getting out information these days, tweets right social media, even from the president about strikes.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: We are looking at social media about it.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: But Senator Mike Lee put out a tweet saying that he talked to Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, who told him that the plan is to get Maduro back to the United States to face trial.
00:04:42
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, that.
00:04:45
Speaker 3: Is a spectacle like I have never seen before. Yes, he is supposed to.
00:04:50
Speaker 4: Stand trial on criminal charges in the US. Is that something that any of us know what to do with?
00:05:00
Speaker 2: I mean, look, the guy is. If we don't look, look a lot of been going on with Venezuela. This guy is regarded by many as a narco terrorist who runs not one, but maybe a couple to a few terrorism organizations around the world. So they've been after him for a long long time. He has faced an indictment in the United States back in twenty twenty. But I mean he wasn't here. Okay, what are you going to do? He's not actionable, has a good work, but if you're facing a criminal trial or criminal indictment, they don't send the military to come pick you up.
00:05:33
Speaker 1: No other ways to do it.
00:05:35
Speaker 3: Usually, and Maduro this most recent election, I believe was in twenty twenty four.
00:05:39
Speaker 4: He did not win, and yet he stayed in.
00:05:41
Speaker 3: Office correct allegedly, I mean, well, is he even in office?
00:05:47
Speaker 2: Leagal legitimately the world will tell you that this was not a legitimate election, but within their sovereign walls, he is and has been their president. He is for whatever, Yes, he is the president of another country. We just snatched him from his home and took him out and don't know where he is. This is just not how things are done on an international basis.
00:06:11
Speaker 1: They are already in.
00:06:13
Speaker 2: Venezuela calling for the UN to immediately have a meeting about this. They say they are getting their defense forces ready, and so there's a big vacuum there.
00:06:23
Speaker 1: Who's in charge of a place that's very.
00:06:25
Speaker 2: Influential, powerful and possibly has a lot of criminal activity. Who's in charge of that country and who are they connected to?
00:06:31
Speaker 3: Well, we know who they're connected to in terms of big countries around the world, including Russia, so this will be interesting. But in terms of the defense of our actions, we got this as well from Mike Lee, Senator Mike Lee who spoke to Rubio. This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article two of the Constitution to protect US personnel from an actual or imminent attack. So we have to prove that we felt like Venezuela was about to do harm to US personnel or attack us.
00:07:04
Speaker 4: And can they make that argument saying.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: By bringing all of the drugs into our country, that is in a sense an attack on our people.
00:07:11
Speaker 2: That's been described as a stretch so far this morning by men of the experts who are on television trying to find a justification for what they have done.
00:07:18
Speaker 3: Here.
00:07:18
Speaker 2: There's been a state of emergency issued in that country, but we don't know. I mean, I guess this is the question I should have started with this. If we wake up in the morning, a lot of people are knowing that the United States just launched an attack inside another country and snatched its president. Your question is are we at war? Yes, we don't know, because we don't know what Venezuela is going to do. Obviously they're no match for the United States military, but what where are we I actually don't know that answer.
00:07:48
Speaker 4: There's no match. There's obviously there's no match for the US military.
00:07:52
Speaker 3: However, they have their ways and certainly they are going to want to retaliate. So there is a deep concern and again with their allies around the world world, what does this mean? Many people have already condemned our actions. So this is a little This is not a little. This is a lot concerning. And you said war. An act of war we know has to come from the United States Congress.
00:08:13
Speaker 2: So that is another issue that you bring up there. It is unclear whether or not they gave any certainly they didn't get congressional approval, but that they give them a heads up of any kind, we don't know if that is the case. Let's go back here if I can, if I don't want to skip over, a couple of things for folks to realize what happened in the middle of the night. Look, this was about one o'clock while a lot of us were sleeping. It was close to two o'clock in Kracas. But explosions started going off, and at the time, nobody knew what was going on exactly because we weren't getting official word from the president. Power gets knocked out, ports had been taken out, there are military facilities that had been hit, and there were videos and now I believe confirmed that showed military helicopters in the area. Now, all this stuff was out robes before we knew what was going on, and I think we were probably waiting on an answer of okay, the US has hit certain targets within the country. Maduro, even at the time when this video was coming out and these strikes were going on, he was acting as president. He actually put out and issued a state of emergency and getting defense plans in place, so he seemed to be actively involved in what was happening. And then we get word he got snatched out of the country. I've seen so many movies where this has taking place. This is not supposed to happen a president of another country. I know we're good here, our military. I think they said Delta Force was in charge of this one. I know they're good, But it's an extraordinary thing.
00:09:36
Speaker 3: That they were able to do that, to get through the military, to get through the security that obviously had to be in place. Considering that all of Venezuela was aware they were under attack, all of Venezuela, even the president himself by being presidential and leading his folks to shelter in place to put military plans in action.
00:09:55
Speaker 4: The fact that he knew they were.
00:09:56
Speaker 3: Under attack and he was still grabbed by the US military is pretty remarkable.
00:10:02
Speaker 2: Look, you agree or disagree or the move and legal and illegal when these things happen. How impressed are you always with our military?
00:10:10
Speaker 4: How do they do what they do?
00:10:11
Speaker 2: Mean they are they can do anything, it seems. So this is the details. I don't know how many we're going to get from the president. He's now at mor Lago, but eleven am Eastern time is when he said he's going to speak.
00:10:22
Speaker 3: And we also have heard and look, there's nothing been confirmed, but we have heard reports coming out of Venezuela. They are claiming that civilians, that there were casualties in some of these bombings. And we haven't heard any word or anyone recognized that, at least on our side, and certainly we don't have any specific numbers coming from Venezuela, but they are saying that there were casualties, there were what sadly is referred to as collateral damage with some of these explosions.
00:10:46
Speaker 2: Awful to hear that. I even hate saying, but I know everybody knows what you mean. That's a common term. That's you, the vice president of Venezuela as well that government and Robot. I'm not sure if I've heard this before. They're asking for proof of life of their president.
00:11:04
Speaker 4: That it does sound like a movie.
00:11:07
Speaker 3: It sounds like we woke up and are watching a movie, and yet this is happening and we don't we weren't prepared for it, and we don't know what happens next.
00:11:15
Speaker 1: Venezuela is demanding that the United States prove that their president.
00:11:20
Speaker 2: Is alive and his wife. We are in some extraordinary times right about now. Now you mentioned ropes. We have heard from a few countries, I mean, Columbia are on okay. We haven't heard from France and Italy and Great Britain on this thing yet. And again, some of the neighbors there and some of the folks who do business maybe with who are closely allied with Venezuela, we've heard some typical stuff maybe you could expect from them. But Maduro, to your point robes about not being seen as legitimate.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: This is his third term as president. He's had a stronghold down there for quite some time.
00:11:54
Speaker 2: But that twenty twenty four election, as you mentioned, has been disputed it and that election is one where your current Nobel Peace fries laureate certainly made a name for herself at the time. Haven't heard I don't know if you saw it yet. I have heard anything from her.
00:12:12
Speaker 4: No, I have not heard anything from her yet.
00:12:14
Speaker 1: She's back in hiding, we do assume.
00:12:17
Speaker 2: But the United States has not recognized this guy as legitimate president of Venezuela. He has been a thorn in the side of the United States and particularly President Trump and roads. We're up to three dozen by some counts at least boat strikes. US has been taking boats out from Venezuela that they say are drug boats headed to and from the United States and been taking them out. So this and the assets we built up in the region, we were getting ready for something.
00:12:47
Speaker 3: Everyone week, every day it seemed like there was another Venezuelan headline. And yes, by I guess the most recent accounts, fifteen one hundred and fifteen people we have.
00:12:56
Speaker 4: Killed on those boats. That's not that's not in signs.
00:13:00
Speaker 3: And we also have banned all US aircraft or sorry aircraft from their airspace. The FAA has banned Venezuelan aircraft from US airspace. So yes, we were already we were beefing up security, we were striking their boats, we were condemning their president, and clearly the signs were pointing to this. But I don't think anyone expected the snatch and grab, the snatch and grab that, and then weird to say that is, oh, this is remart.
00:13:29
Speaker 1: Look, we watch a lot of movies.
00:13:31
Speaker 2: Everybody has seen something in the movies like this before to think that this just took.
00:13:35
Speaker 4: Place while we were sleeping.
00:13:37
Speaker 1: They went in and got.
00:13:38
Speaker 2: A guy from his kap Can you imagine somebody coming into the White House from a foreign country and snatching president.
00:13:43
Speaker 4: No, it's surreal to think about it.
00:13:45
Speaker 3: Do you think they wear body cameras like that they actually have video of this going on.
00:13:49
Speaker 4: They probably do.
00:13:50
Speaker 3: Just to verify how they did it, how well it went, maybe even review their tactics. But can you imagine seeing That's what I was seeing in my head their body cameras as they were going in to get the president and his wife.
00:14:02
Speaker 2: So many details to come, we expect to get them from the president President. But stay here some of the key immediate and most important questions now that the United States has taken this action. Stay here, all right? We continue here on Amy and TJ. I'll try to I'll try to slow down a little bit.
00:14:28
Speaker 1: Rose.
00:14:28
Speaker 2: This is such big breaking news on a Saturday morning. I didn't expect to be up and functioning this much. I feel myself my mouth is going faster than my brain is right now.
00:14:39
Speaker 1: I'm trying to talk. But this is just a stunning development. Overnight I woke up.
00:14:43
Speaker 4: At five am.
00:14:44
Speaker 3: I believe, and you were already sitting up with your laptop and your lap and you were. And I looked and I saw breaking news and looked at the headlines, and I was like, oh, wow, this is going to be a busy day. This isn't going to be your average Saturday at our household.
00:14:59
Speaker 2: And you know what, I don't know what day this would have taken place right robe, This would have not been your average day because the United States has gone in and taken the I don't know if we should go as far as democratically elected, but certainly the elected president of Venezuela and taken him and his wife out of that country. We do not know where they are right now as of this recording, but Robes, we did get word where they think he at least is going to end up, and that's right back here in the United States.
00:15:29
Speaker 3: Yes, and he will be facing charges. He will be He's obviously been called an arco terras so trafficking guns and weapons in the United States. So there are a multiple number of charges that he will be facing. There are charges for him and his wife as well, and I believe a dozen or so others that I don't know if we're now going to go in and try to capture them as well and bring them to justice here. So we've got a whole gaggle of Venezuelan leaders who we are accusing of pretty horrific crimes.
00:15:58
Speaker 1: But do we have what is that legal battle? Do we have the right?
00:16:02
Speaker 2: Is someone somewhere else going to challenge what the US has done? Are you allowed to do? What was taking place? Again, this was a criminal This was a criminal charge. He's facing facing a criminal charge. And when you have a criminal, you send in what US marshalls somewhere, you send in law enforcement somewhere. This was a military operation. I cannot wait to hear the details of this Venezuela. I have never been to that country. I thought about it in years past, going to Caracas. I can imagine now this is what people think and and so we're viewing this country, but I've never visited, but considered, have you been down there?
00:16:38
Speaker 4: I have never been to Venezuela.
00:16:40
Speaker 3: I guess the closest I've no, I have not maybe a Caribbean island near Venezuela, but that's as close as I have gotten.
00:16:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, most can we pick it out on a map folks. It's down that the very northern tip of South America, Columbia to its west, I think Brazil to the south, yes, and a couple island nations. Trinidad Tobago is sitting right there. Aruba is as close as I've been to Venezuela. But that's the area we're talking about. We're talking about a country of thirty million plus people perhaps down there, and this has taking place. The question there robes this is a significant and strategic spot, and it has access, and it has Columbia right now, right, there's just a region there that can fall off if somebody is not in charge and tending to it. The question there now, well, if he's not in charge, he had such a stronghold, and your vice president, there's a woman there, Drcy Rodriguez, right, all right, she's there. Are those military generals going to follow her? Are all the business leaders who Maduro had a strong hold on, are they're going to follow her? If you end up with a vacuum there, Now, what happens over in Columbia and those narco terrorists who were doing business with Madure? What happens and you kind of destabilize the region that needs some hmm kind of stabilization.
00:18:01
Speaker 3: Yes, I mean there are a million questions. Obviously, Venezuela is rich in oil and that's their lifeblood. But this drug trafficking, this drug trade, when money like that, the numbers that are behind their drug traffic and trade, when that is stripped away, or at least that we see the United States going in and dismantling something that is so financially sound for this region, not just this country. Talk about destabilization and just some bad folks who do bad things to make sure that their operations continue the way they need them to. It's really unsettling to think about what is going to happen next in that region.
00:18:43
Speaker 1: That is the big question today.
00:18:46
Speaker 2: At least as we sit here Robes, there is no real indication that the Venezuela is getting ready for or the United States is preparing necessarily for retaliation. Like we're not expecting a whole lot necessarily from Venezuela at this point in terms of what their military options could be. But right now they're demanding unn meeting, they're demanding a proof of life and saying this was an aggression and an illegal war. Now that's being started there in Venezuela.
00:19:15
Speaker 4: My goodness.
00:19:16
Speaker 2: So folks, this is when we will keep an eye on throughout the day. We wanted to hop on and update you because a lot of people turn on the TV or seeing a breaking news alert and thinking what the hell is going on? President today, eleven o'clock Eastern Time, speaking for mar A Lago. We will hop on if we need to, and it sounds like we might road so we'll be talking to you all again here soon for my dear Amy Robot.
00:19:37
Speaker 1: I'm TJ. Holmes. Talk to Y'allson
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks.
00:00:12
Speaker 2: It is Saturday, January third, and a breaking story overnight. The United States has gone in overnight and snatched the president of Venezuela and his wife from the capital city and taken them out of the country. Some are calling it an abduction, some calling it a prelude to war, some calling it illegal. Whatever you want to call it, we certainly have to all agree this has been an absolutely stunning development overnight. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. Look, we've been watching what was going on with Venezuela for quite some time. I don't know if we had presidential abduction on our BINGO card.
00:00:54
Speaker 3: That was never on my list of what happens next, at least I didn't think so. In fact, when President Trump was asked about the possibility of trying to take out or get Maduro out of office, he skirted around the question and didn't.
00:01:08
Speaker 4: He seemed shy about it.
00:01:10
Speaker 3: It didn't seem like it was something imminent or something he was planning. And yet it turns out that may have exactly been what was going on.
00:01:17
Speaker 2: He stayed vague a lot when he because even asked the question. A lot of whole high profile interviews, and he stayed vague. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do exactly, But did he also not leave open the possibility at least of action on land right right, at this point, it's only been on the water that he's taking any action against Venezuela. So I thought maybe we all thought that might be the next thing coming out.
00:01:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, that would to me be the next step in escalating the tensions that were already happening.
00:01:45
Speaker 4: I mean, obviously, we were.
00:01:46
Speaker 3: Already killing Venezuelan citizens on their boats based on drug trafficking exactly. That's what we've been told, and so that was already a bold move, clearly, But this is an escalation that certainly I was not expecting, and I don't think a lot of folks were expecting.
00:02:05
Speaker 2: So let's tell you now, folks, we are recording this early. Everything we are telling you now is at least up to this point, but there are going to be a lot of new developments. But let's just start with the what there first of all, and explaining robes what we have seen, at least as of our recording.
00:02:19
Speaker 1: All of this has developed in the past few.
00:02:21
Speaker 4: Hours that's right.
00:02:22
Speaker 3: President Trump announced the United States has carried out what he calls a large scale attack inside Venezuela. And yes, US forces have captured President Nicholas Maduro.
00:02:33
Speaker 4: And his wife.
00:02:34
Speaker 3: We know that they have been flown out of Venezuela, out of the country, but we do not know where they have been taken, where they are being held. And yes, the attack happened around one am Eastern time, while all of us were sleeping, and that was two am local time in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
00:02:51
Speaker 2: Now that is what we got initially, and most of the information we got has been at this point from President Trump himself in a social media post, because initially, look, there were reports and videos out there on social media, and of course news channel started covering there were pretty large scale explosions happening inside Venezuela, so obviously everyone jumped to the conclusion that the United States was taking some kind of action inside. I do not believe anybody was thinking we were going to get what we got from President Trump. His post, I think was around four o'clock in the morning Eastern time. But the President is the one who gave us the information about what was exactly going on in Crocus.
00:03:33
Speaker 3: Yes, this is what he put out on his truth social The United States of America.
00:03:38
Speaker 4: Has successfully carried out.
00:03:40
Speaker 3: A large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicholas Maduro, who has been along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country. The operation was done in conjunction with US law enforcement.
00:03:52
Speaker 4: Details to follow.
00:03:54
Speaker 3: There will be a news conference today at eleven am at mar A Lago. Thank you for this attention to this matter, President Donald J.
00:04:02
Speaker 1: Trump.
00:04:02
Speaker 2: So, as of this recording, we don't know where Nicholas Marduau and his wife are in the world. We did get, however, more updates about where they might be heading and robes. That is the United States because now a US Senator Mike Lee from Utah, he put out a tweet. This is how we're getting out information these days, tweets right social media, even from the president about strikes.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: We are looking at social media about it.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: But Senator Mike Lee put out a tweet saying that he talked to Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, who told him that the plan is to get Maduro back to the United States to face trial.
00:04:42
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, that.
00:04:45
Speaker 3: Is a spectacle like I have never seen before. Yes, he is supposed to.
00:04:50
Speaker 4: Stand trial on criminal charges in the US. Is that something that any of us know what to do with?
00:05:00
Speaker 2: I mean, look, the guy is. If we don't look, look a lot of been going on with Venezuela. This guy is regarded by many as a narco terrorist who runs not one, but maybe a couple to a few terrorism organizations around the world. So they've been after him for a long long time. He has faced an indictment in the United States back in twenty twenty. But I mean he wasn't here. Okay, what are you going to do? He's not actionable, has a good work, but if you're facing a criminal trial or criminal indictment, they don't send the military to come pick you up.
00:05:33
Speaker 1: No other ways to do it.
00:05:35
Speaker 3: Usually, and Maduro this most recent election, I believe was in twenty twenty four.
00:05:39
Speaker 4: He did not win, and yet he stayed in.
00:05:41
Speaker 3: Office correct allegedly, I mean, well, is he even in office?
00:05:47
Speaker 2: Leagal legitimately the world will tell you that this was not a legitimate election, but within their sovereign walls, he is and has been their president. He is for whatever, Yes, he is the president of another country. We just snatched him from his home and took him out and don't know where he is. This is just not how things are done on an international basis.
00:06:11
Speaker 1: They are already in.
00:06:13
Speaker 2: Venezuela calling for the UN to immediately have a meeting about this. They say they are getting their defense forces ready, and so there's a big vacuum there.
00:06:23
Speaker 1: Who's in charge of a place that's very.
00:06:25
Speaker 2: Influential, powerful and possibly has a lot of criminal activity. Who's in charge of that country and who are they connected to?
00:06:31
Speaker 3: Well, we know who they're connected to in terms of big countries around the world, including Russia, so this will be interesting. But in terms of the defense of our actions, we got this as well from Mike Lee, Senator Mike Lee who spoke to Rubio. This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article two of the Constitution to protect US personnel from an actual or imminent attack. So we have to prove that we felt like Venezuela was about to do harm to US personnel or attack us.
00:07:04
Speaker 4: And can they make that argument saying.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: By bringing all of the drugs into our country, that is in a sense an attack on our people.
00:07:11
Speaker 2: That's been described as a stretch so far this morning by men of the experts who are on television trying to find a justification for what they have done.
00:07:18
Speaker 3: Here.
00:07:18
Speaker 2: There's been a state of emergency issued in that country, but we don't know. I mean, I guess this is the question I should have started with this. If we wake up in the morning, a lot of people are knowing that the United States just launched an attack inside another country and snatched its president. Your question is are we at war? Yes, we don't know, because we don't know what Venezuela is going to do. Obviously they're no match for the United States military, but what where are we I actually don't know that answer.
00:07:48
Speaker 4: There's no match. There's obviously there's no match for the US military.
00:07:52
Speaker 3: However, they have their ways and certainly they are going to want to retaliate. So there is a deep concern and again with their allies around the world world, what does this mean? Many people have already condemned our actions. So this is a little This is not a little. This is a lot concerning. And you said war. An act of war we know has to come from the United States Congress.
00:08:13
Speaker 2: So that is another issue that you bring up there. It is unclear whether or not they gave any certainly they didn't get congressional approval, but that they give them a heads up of any kind, we don't know if that is the case. Let's go back here if I can, if I don't want to skip over, a couple of things for folks to realize what happened in the middle of the night. Look, this was about one o'clock while a lot of us were sleeping. It was close to two o'clock in Kracas. But explosions started going off, and at the time, nobody knew what was going on exactly because we weren't getting official word from the president. Power gets knocked out, ports had been taken out, there are military facilities that had been hit, and there were videos and now I believe confirmed that showed military helicopters in the area. Now, all this stuff was out robes before we knew what was going on, and I think we were probably waiting on an answer of okay, the US has hit certain targets within the country. Maduro, even at the time when this video was coming out and these strikes were going on, he was acting as president. He actually put out and issued a state of emergency and getting defense plans in place, so he seemed to be actively involved in what was happening. And then we get word he got snatched out of the country. I've seen so many movies where this has taking place. This is not supposed to happen a president of another country. I know we're good here, our military. I think they said Delta Force was in charge of this one. I know they're good, But it's an extraordinary thing.
00:09:36
Speaker 3: That they were able to do that, to get through the military, to get through the security that obviously had to be in place. Considering that all of Venezuela was aware they were under attack, all of Venezuela, even the president himself by being presidential and leading his folks to shelter in place to put military plans in action.
00:09:55
Speaker 4: The fact that he knew they were.
00:09:56
Speaker 3: Under attack and he was still grabbed by the US military is pretty remarkable.
00:10:02
Speaker 2: Look, you agree or disagree or the move and legal and illegal when these things happen. How impressed are you always with our military?
00:10:10
Speaker 4: How do they do what they do?
00:10:11
Speaker 2: Mean they are they can do anything, it seems. So this is the details. I don't know how many we're going to get from the president. He's now at mor Lago, but eleven am Eastern time is when he said he's going to speak.
00:10:22
Speaker 3: And we also have heard and look, there's nothing been confirmed, but we have heard reports coming out of Venezuela. They are claiming that civilians, that there were casualties in some of these bombings. And we haven't heard any word or anyone recognized that, at least on our side, and certainly we don't have any specific numbers coming from Venezuela, but they are saying that there were casualties, there were what sadly is referred to as collateral damage with some of these explosions.
00:10:46
Speaker 2: Awful to hear that. I even hate saying, but I know everybody knows what you mean. That's a common term. That's you, the vice president of Venezuela as well that government and Robot. I'm not sure if I've heard this before. They're asking for proof of life of their president.
00:11:04
Speaker 4: That it does sound like a movie.
00:11:07
Speaker 3: It sounds like we woke up and are watching a movie, and yet this is happening and we don't we weren't prepared for it, and we don't know what happens next.
00:11:15
Speaker 1: Venezuela is demanding that the United States prove that their president.
00:11:20
Speaker 2: Is alive and his wife. We are in some extraordinary times right about now. Now you mentioned ropes. We have heard from a few countries, I mean, Columbia are on okay. We haven't heard from France and Italy and Great Britain on this thing yet. And again, some of the neighbors there and some of the folks who do business maybe with who are closely allied with Venezuela, we've heard some typical stuff maybe you could expect from them. But Maduro, to your point robes about not being seen as legitimate.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: This is his third term as president. He's had a stronghold down there for quite some time.
00:11:54
Speaker 2: But that twenty twenty four election, as you mentioned, has been disputed it and that election is one where your current Nobel Peace fries laureate certainly made a name for herself at the time. Haven't heard I don't know if you saw it yet. I have heard anything from her.
00:12:12
Speaker 4: No, I have not heard anything from her yet.
00:12:14
Speaker 1: She's back in hiding, we do assume.
00:12:17
Speaker 2: But the United States has not recognized this guy as legitimate president of Venezuela. He has been a thorn in the side of the United States and particularly President Trump and roads. We're up to three dozen by some counts at least boat strikes. US has been taking boats out from Venezuela that they say are drug boats headed to and from the United States and been taking them out. So this and the assets we built up in the region, we were getting ready for something.
00:12:47
Speaker 3: Everyone week, every day it seemed like there was another Venezuelan headline. And yes, by I guess the most recent accounts, fifteen one hundred and fifteen people we have.
00:12:56
Speaker 4: Killed on those boats. That's not that's not in signs.
00:13:00
Speaker 3: And we also have banned all US aircraft or sorry aircraft from their airspace. The FAA has banned Venezuelan aircraft from US airspace. So yes, we were already we were beefing up security, we were striking their boats, we were condemning their president, and clearly the signs were pointing to this. But I don't think anyone expected the snatch and grab, the snatch and grab that, and then weird to say that is, oh, this is remart.
00:13:29
Speaker 1: Look, we watch a lot of movies.
00:13:31
Speaker 2: Everybody has seen something in the movies like this before to think that this just took.
00:13:35
Speaker 4: Place while we were sleeping.
00:13:37
Speaker 1: They went in and got.
00:13:38
Speaker 2: A guy from his kap Can you imagine somebody coming into the White House from a foreign country and snatching president.
00:13:43
Speaker 4: No, it's surreal to think about it.
00:13:45
Speaker 3: Do you think they wear body cameras like that they actually have video of this going on.
00:13:49
Speaker 4: They probably do.
00:13:50
Speaker 3: Just to verify how they did it, how well it went, maybe even review their tactics. But can you imagine seeing That's what I was seeing in my head their body cameras as they were going in to get the president and his wife.
00:14:02
Speaker 2: So many details to come, we expect to get them from the president President. But stay here some of the key immediate and most important questions now that the United States has taken this action. Stay here, all right? We continue here on Amy and TJ. I'll try to I'll try to slow down a little bit.
00:14:28
Speaker 1: Rose.
00:14:28
Speaker 2: This is such big breaking news on a Saturday morning. I didn't expect to be up and functioning this much. I feel myself my mouth is going faster than my brain is right now.
00:14:39
Speaker 1: I'm trying to talk. But this is just a stunning development. Overnight I woke up.
00:14:43
Speaker 4: At five am.
00:14:44
Speaker 3: I believe, and you were already sitting up with your laptop and your lap and you were. And I looked and I saw breaking news and looked at the headlines, and I was like, oh, wow, this is going to be a busy day. This isn't going to be your average Saturday at our household.
00:14:59
Speaker 2: And you know what, I don't know what day this would have taken place right robe, This would have not been your average day because the United States has gone in and taken the I don't know if we should go as far as democratically elected, but certainly the elected president of Venezuela and taken him and his wife out of that country. We do not know where they are right now as of this recording, but Robes, we did get word where they think he at least is going to end up, and that's right back here in the United States.
00:15:29
Speaker 3: Yes, and he will be facing charges. He will be He's obviously been called an arco terras so trafficking guns and weapons in the United States. So there are a multiple number of charges that he will be facing. There are charges for him and his wife as well, and I believe a dozen or so others that I don't know if we're now going to go in and try to capture them as well and bring them to justice here. So we've got a whole gaggle of Venezuelan leaders who we are accusing of pretty horrific crimes.
00:15:58
Speaker 1: But do we have what is that legal battle? Do we have the right?
00:16:02
Speaker 2: Is someone somewhere else going to challenge what the US has done? Are you allowed to do? What was taking place? Again, this was a criminal This was a criminal charge. He's facing facing a criminal charge. And when you have a criminal, you send in what US marshalls somewhere, you send in law enforcement somewhere. This was a military operation. I cannot wait to hear the details of this Venezuela. I have never been to that country. I thought about it in years past, going to Caracas. I can imagine now this is what people think and and so we're viewing this country, but I've never visited, but considered, have you been down there?
00:16:38
Speaker 4: I have never been to Venezuela.
00:16:40
Speaker 3: I guess the closest I've no, I have not maybe a Caribbean island near Venezuela, but that's as close as I have gotten.
00:16:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, most can we pick it out on a map folks. It's down that the very northern tip of South America, Columbia to its west, I think Brazil to the south, yes, and a couple island nations. Trinidad Tobago is sitting right there. Aruba is as close as I've been to Venezuela. But that's the area we're talking about. We're talking about a country of thirty million plus people perhaps down there, and this has taking place. The question there robes this is a significant and strategic spot, and it has access, and it has Columbia right now, right, there's just a region there that can fall off if somebody is not in charge and tending to it. The question there now, well, if he's not in charge, he had such a stronghold, and your vice president, there's a woman there, Drcy Rodriguez, right, all right, she's there. Are those military generals going to follow her? Are all the business leaders who Maduro had a strong hold on, are they're going to follow her? If you end up with a vacuum there, Now, what happens over in Columbia and those narco terrorists who were doing business with Madure? What happens and you kind of destabilize the region that needs some hmm kind of stabilization.
00:18:01
Speaker 3: Yes, I mean there are a million questions. Obviously, Venezuela is rich in oil and that's their lifeblood. But this drug trafficking, this drug trade, when money like that, the numbers that are behind their drug traffic and trade, when that is stripped away, or at least that we see the United States going in and dismantling something that is so financially sound for this region, not just this country. Talk about destabilization and just some bad folks who do bad things to make sure that their operations continue the way they need them to. It's really unsettling to think about what is going to happen next in that region.
00:18:43
Speaker 1: That is the big question today.
00:18:46
Speaker 2: At least as we sit here Robes, there is no real indication that the Venezuela is getting ready for or the United States is preparing necessarily for retaliation. Like we're not expecting a whole lot necessarily from Venezuela at this point in terms of what their military options could be. But right now they're demanding unn meeting, they're demanding a proof of life and saying this was an aggression and an illegal war. Now that's being started there in Venezuela.
00:19:15
Speaker 4: My goodness.
00:19:16
Speaker 2: So folks, this is when we will keep an eye on throughout the day. We wanted to hop on and update you because a lot of people turn on the TV or seeing a breaking news alert and thinking what the hell is going on? President today, eleven o'clock Eastern Time, speaking for mar A Lago. We will hop on if we need to, and it sounds like we might road so we'll be talking to you all again here soon for my dear Amy Robot.
00:19:37
Speaker 1: I'm TJ. Holmes. Talk to Y'allson