This is John Batchel, conversation with my colleague David Shed, former acting director of the Defense

Intelligence Agency, many decades in the service of the United States intelligence community,

looking at what we know so far about the Caracas regime left behind with Maduro now in the

United States to be prosecuted with his wife for drug trafficking,

etc.

What about the regime and what is the next step?

I was outlined by Secretary of State Rubio.

What about the oil?

What about the shadow fleet?

David begins to answer without right now a resolution in Caracas dealing with the former regime's

lieutenants looks fragile. Much more of this tonight. Here's David. Well, I first have to do a shout

out to the operation that rendered Nicholas Maduro and his wife

to the Southern District of New York for prosecution for their activities ranging from drug

trafficking and a number of other criminal activities. So nine days ago, in terms of January 3rd.

From there on out, there is, as you describe, a clear messaging from the administration

that the tolerance level for outside intervention throughout the region is certainly going to be addressed.

And I think that that's the larger message from the removal of Maduro from power as the

unelected, self-declared president of Venezuela since July of 2024 when the elections were held,

and it was a clear mandate for the opposition to come in there.

As Secretary of State Rubio has clearly outlined these three phases. We're in now the phase of the engagement

of talking to the oil companies in terms of restoring the basis for wealth for the Venezuelan

people, while at the same time ensuring that the levers of power under Delci Rodriguez, Maduro's

...