Maduro Yelps In Pain, Says ‘Good Night, Happy New Year!’ As Trump’s Men Jail Him In New York
Captured in a high-risk U.S. raid in Caracas, the Venezuelan president was flown to New York and taken inside a federal detention facility. As cameras rolled, Maduro — in sandals and handcuffs — looked up and spoke in English: “Good night. Happy New Year.” The brief remark came moments before he was taken deeper into U.S. custody to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. Online speculation intensified after footage showed Maduro yelping in pain as officials helped him out of a vehicle, raising questions about injuries during his capture. Behind the images lies a far bigger crisis. President Donald Trump says the United States is prepared to stay involved in Venezuela and is not ruling out boots on the ground. He has dismissed the opposition’s claim to power, praised Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, and openly signalled U.S. interest in Venezuela’s oil wealth. As Caracas reels from overnight air strikes, power outages, and the presence of security forces on the streets, Venezuela’s Supreme Court has named Rodríguez acting president — even as Washington presses forward with prosecutions in New York. A president in custody. A country in limbo. And a single sentence that may come to define one of the most dramatic moments in modern geopolitics.
