Politics and views in the United States.

Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges. US officials debate the value and future of the Venezuela operation and MN Gov. Tim Walz drops his re-election bid.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2026 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Venezuela comes before this council today with a deep conviction that international peace can only be sustained if international law is respected without exception, without double standards, and without selective interpretations.

Speaking to the UN Security Council, Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada accused the US of kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores. in the international community warned the military operation that captured Maduro and his wife sets a bad precedent for situations like China's conflict with Taiwan or Russia's war with Ukraine.

The two were arraigned on federal drug trafficking charges in New York and pleaded not guilty.

Maduro argued he has immunity from U.S. law enforcement as Venezuela's sovereign leader, but to the Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz called the operation U.S. self-defense and a necessary enforcement of narcotics law.

The United States arrested a narcotrafficker who is now going to stand trial in the United in accordance with the rule of law for the crimes he's committed against our people for 15 years.

The White House is sending mixed messages about what lies ahead for the South American nation.

President Donald Trump says the US will run Venezuela but Walt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say the US will not put forces on land there and will in fact leave day-to-day government decisions to the regime Maduro left behind.

Some ordinary Venezuelans are celebrating the end of his dictatorship but others in the country are protesting for his return, tapping into a deep historical resentment of U.S. intervention.

Members of Congress are unsure about the operation's legality and wisdom.

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott says this won't just create opportunities for Venezuela but seizing control of the oil industry will benefit Americans.

We're going to have a new trading partner.

People we know, our friends and our family are going to be able to live their dream in Venezuela.

We're going to have lower oil and gas prices.

We're going to have a great trading partner.

This is going to be outstanding.

Critics of U.S. military intervention and nation-building in both parties are arguing it has a bad record, joint comparisons with Iraq and Panama.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says as much as Maduro was illegitimate, sending the army to remove him is unprecedented.

Maduro is a bad guy, a dictator, someone who is not the legitimate head of government or head of state in Venezuela.

We also know the future of the Venezuelan people should be determined by the Venezuelan people, not by Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth or Stephen Miller.

Meanwhile Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is dropping his re-election bid amid a scandal over widespread benefits fraud.

Anastasia Beladonna Carrera with Common Cause Minnesota says when political scorekeeping is prioritized, true reforms are at risk of falling apart.

So I always ask people to ask themselves when they see things like this coming up, who benefits from how these decisions are made or from the actual solution that they are proposing?

A Trump administration investigation of Minnesota state programs and a freezing of federal childcare payments nationwide followed a right-wing influencer's video claiming widespread fraud in Somali-led daycare centers.

Skeptics question the video content's credibility and argue the ripple effect is disproportionate.

I'm Edwin J. Viera for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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