Welcome to the News Hour. Nikolaas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela,

appeared alongside his wife before a federal judge in New York today, saying, quote,

I'm innocent, I am not guilty, I am a decent man, the president of my country.

Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were taken by American forces early Saturday

on orders of President Trump and flown to the U.S.

Withero also told the judge he was, quote, kidnapped from his home in Caracas.

His lawyers are expected to argue he was illegally arrested and is immune from prosecution.

Tonight in Washington, Trump administration officials are briefing members of Congress

who were not notified before the Saturday operation on what will come next.

Nick Schifrin has more.

Today, the dictator turned detainee became the defendant.

Osted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared in federal court, facing charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.

Back in the country he led for more than a decade, where the U.N. says 80 percent of the population

lives in poverty, his handpicked successor seemed to hand over control to the United States.

Newly inaugurated President Delci Rodriguez wrote last night, we invite the U.S. government

to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within

the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.

Rodriguez is under explicit threat from President Trump.

I just say that he will face a situation probably worse than Bredyork.

And she is also navigating internal pressures from the leaders of the military and intelligence

service, all of them, still considered proud inheritors of anti-American nationalism.

We're dealing with the people.

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