The U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Maduro
Up First from NPR
NPR
4.5 • 52.8K Ratings
🗓️ 3 January 2026
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The U.S. bombed the Venezuelan capital Caracas and other areas of the country, and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Maduro is being flown to the U.S. and Attorney General Pam Bondi says he will be indicted in the Southern District of New York. The events come after months of escalating U.S. pressure, sending troops and warships to the Carribean.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The United States has struck Venezuela and President Trump says captured its leader. |
| 0:07.5 | Trump says President Nicholas Maduro has been flown out of the country. |
| 0:12.4 | Our reporters will have the latest on this extraordinary development. |
| 0:16.0 | I'm Daniel Estrin. |
| 0:17.1 | I'm Ayesha Roscoe, and this is up first from NPR News. |
| 0:23.2 | After a month's long campaign to oust the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, President Trump says he's come through with his threats. |
| 0:30.6 | The White House called the strikes on the capital Caracas large scale. |
| 0:34.6 | The U.S. military has been expanding its presence in the Caribbean over the last few |
| 0:38.3 | months, but what does it mean to capture a world leader and when has it happened before? |
| 0:43.7 | We'll also hear what Venezuelans on the ground have to say. Stay with us. We have the news |
| 0:48.6 | you need to start your weekend. This message comes from Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. |
| 1:05.0 | You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get Wise. Download the Wise app |
| 1:13.7 | today or visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply. Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and |
| 1:21.3 | Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, |
| 1:27.2 | secure world for all. On the web at |
| 1:30.0 | theschmidt.org. This message comes from Subaru. The all-new 26 Subaru Outback features bold |
| 1:37.7 | new styling and standard symmetrical all-wheel drive, plus safety features like standard |
| 1:43.1 | eyesight driver assist technology. Discover the all-new drive plus safety features like standard eyesight driver assist technology. |
| 1:45.7 | Discover the all-new outback at Subaru.com slash outback. |
| 1:52.8 | The U.S. has bombed Caracas in other areas of Venezuela, and President Trump says the |
| 1:58.3 | country's leader has been captured. |
| 2:00.1 | It comes after months of escalating U.S. pressure, sending troops and warships to the Caribbean. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 11 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.