The deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to drugs, weapons and “narco-terrorism” charges on Monday, two days after his capture by US special forces in an operation ordered by Donald Trump that sent shockwaves around the world.
As Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, addressed the court in lower Manhattan, the UN security council held an emergency meeting just a few miles to the north, where a dozen countries condemned the US “crime of aggression” and the secretary general, António Guterres, suggested the operation constituted a breach of international law.
Maduro, 63, insisted to federal judge Alvin Hellerstein that he was “still president of my country”, had been illegally “captured” at his Caracas home and was “a prisoner of war”.
The criminal indictment unveiled on Saturday by the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, echoed Trump’s claims that his unilateral military intervention in Venezuela was necessary to stem a flow of drugs into the US.
But Trump has also justified Maduro’s abduction as a way for the US to seize “stolen” oil from Venezuela, and promised that the US would “run” Venezuela for the foreseeable future while US energy companies take control of the country’s rich oil reserves.
Maduro pleads not guilty at arraignment in New York
The brevity and formality of the arraignment hearing in federal court in Manhattan – barely 30 minutes, during which Maduro was asked to confirm his name and that he understood the four charges against him – belied the far-reaching consequences of the US action.
Trump’s moves have sparked a global wave of revulsion, and fears that the bombing in Caracas – which he has threatened to repeat if Venezuela does not cooperate – could extend to action in other countries with which he is at odds, notably Colombia, Cuba and Iran. That would mark a return to past “naked imperialism” by the US in Latin America, Alan McPherson, a history professor at Temple University, told the Guardian.
Trump must give up ‘fantasies about annexation’, says Greenland’s PM
Greenland has urged Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” after the US president, fresh from his military operation in Venezuela, again threatened to take over the Arctic territory. In a bracingly direct statement, the Greenlandic prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, accused the US of “completely and utterly unacceptable” rhetoric, declaring: “Enough is enough.”
US to slash routine vaccine recommendations for children in major change
The Trump administration will slash routine vaccine recommendations during childhood from 17 to 11 jabs – the biggest change to vaccines yet under the purview of longtime vaccine critic Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The changes, which US health officials announced on Monday afternoon and are effective immediately, will erode trust and reduce access to vaccines while allowing infectious diseases to spread, experts said.
US foes and allies denounce Trump’s ‘crime of aggression’ in Venezuela at UN meeting
The US has faced widespread condemnation for a “crime of aggression” in Venezuela at an emergency meeting of the United Nations security council.
Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Spain were among countries that on Monday denounced Trump’s decision to launch deadly strikes on Venezuela and snatch Maduro and his wife to stand trial in the US.
Person in custody after attack on JD Vance’s Ohio home
One person is in custody after an overnight attack on the home of JD Vance in which windows were broken, authorities in Ohio said on Monday. The US vice-president was not at his Cincinnati residence at the time, according to a statement from the US Secret Service.
Hegseth issues formal censure to Democratic senator Mark Kelly
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said on Monday that he had issued a formal censure to Democratic senator Mark Kelly and initiated proceedings that could strip the Arizona lawmaker of his retired military rank and cut his pension, escalating a dispute that began when Kelly urged service members to resist unlawful orders.
Colombian president says ‘I will take up arms again’ if US invades
Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions between the two countries after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove Maduro from power.
What else happened today:
Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota who ran for vice-president in 2024, announced on Monday that he is abandoning his quest for a third term in office.
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday said a Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota, where the Trump administration has deployed officers after allegations of fraud against Somali immigrants.
Trump’s administration has doubled down on its recent criticism of Europe, saying last month’s US national security strategy was an attempt to “jolt” an ally back to economic life.
The non-profit charged by Congress with allocating funds to NPR, PBS and other US public radio and television stations announced its dissolution after massive federal funding cuts under Donald Trump.
Dozens of demonstrators of various stripes gathered outside the federal courthouse in freezing temperatures in New York on Monday to express their views on the US criminal charges against Venezuela’s forcibly removed president, Nicolás Maduro.
Arizona’s supreme court building was evacuated on Monday morning after multiple vials that tested positive for a homemade explosive substance were sent to the building, according to the state officials.
A hastily reflagged oil tanker 250 miles off the coast of Ireland is under US military surveillance after it evaded capture in the Caribbean Sea in December, changed its name and switched course towards northern Russia.
Catching up? Here’s what happened Sunday 4 December.
