Category: National

(NEW YORK) — Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, made their initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday following their capture by U.S. forces in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, with Maduro claiming, “I am innocent.”

The couple — who are being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn — appeared in front of Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro was escorted into the courtroom in shackles and orange jail slippers and is sitting two seats away from his wife.

Maduro and Flores wore headphones to hear the court-provided interpreter. 

When Maduro took his seat next to defense attorney Barry Pollack, he immediately began writing on a notepad. Flores sat next to her attorney, Mark Donnelly.

Maduro stood before the judge.

“Are you, sir, Nicolas Maduro Moros?” Hellerstein asked.

Maduro declared, through an interpreter, “I am the president of Venezuela.” He added, “I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” before the judge interrupted and told him there would be time later to challenge his custody.

Maduro then affirmed he is who the judge said he is.

Hellerstein read Maduro the standard rights.

Maduro said, through an interpreter, “I did not know of these rights. Your Honor is informing me of them now.”

“How do you plead to the indictment?” Hellerstein asked.

Maduro responded, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.”

“I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything mentioned here,” Maduro responded, through an interpreter, when asked to repeat his plea the charges.

Hellerstein then turned to Maduro’s wife.

“I am Cilia Flores,” she said. “I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela.”

Hellerstein interjected, saying, “The purpose today is just to ask you who you are.” The judge then explained her rights to remain silent and to be represented by an attorney.

“Yes I understand and I’ve heard it,” Flores said.

Asked how she pleaded to the three counts of the indictment she faces. Flores responded, “Not guilty — completely innocent.”

Maduro and Flores are among six defendants named in a four-count superseding indictment that accused them of conspiring with violent, dangerous drug traffickers for the last 25 years. Maduro has long denied all the allegations. 

Dueling groups of protesters have gathered across the street from the courthouse; one is holding signs urging President Donald Trump to “Free President Maduro,” and the other is supportive of his capture.

More people protesting against what they call “illegal kidnapping” are expected to arrive shortly before the court appearance.

Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officials and an alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang are the other defendants.

Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” in which Maduro and Flores were “captured and flown out of the Country.”

Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement. Members of Congress said the military, which sources said included the elite Delta Force, was in place to support that law enforcement operation.

In a move that alarmed some observers, Trump, who campaigned on “America First” and against foreign entanglements, said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “period of time.”

He said a team comprised of some of his Cabinet officials along with a local team in Venezuela would be “running the country” because there is “nobody to take over.”

“We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money, use that money in Venezuela, and the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela,” Trump said.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.” 

Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and vowed to defend Venezuela against American aggression.

On Sunday, Rodriguez posted a statement to social media in which she appeared to soften her tone, inviting “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.”

Trump told reporters on Sunday that the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela.

The president said he had not yet spoken to Rodriguez. Asked if he wanted to, Trump said, “At the right time, I will.”

ABC News’ Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

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(CINCINNATI) — A man was taken into custody after allegedly breaking windows at Vice President JD Vance’s home in Ohio, the Secret Service said on Monday.  

The suspect, 26-year-old William Defoor of Cincinnati, allegedly damaged the victim’s car and four windows at the house, according to the arrest report.

“The residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and the Vice President and his family were not in Ohio,” the Secret Service said.

The suspect was physically detained by Secret Service personnel just after midnight. He’s been charged with vandalism, obstruction of a official business and criminal trespass, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office.

Vance spoke out on social media, expressing his gratitude to the Secret Service and Cincinnati police for responding quickly.

“As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows,” Vance said.

Vance and his wife, Usha, purchased the home for about $1.4 million in 2018 in Cincinnati’s East Walnut Hills neighborhood, which sits along the Ohio River and east of downtown, according to the Hamilton County Auditor’s Office.

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(NEW YORK) — Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to make their initial appearances on Monday in a federal court in Manhattan following their capture by U.S. forces in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

The couple is expected to appear in front of Judge Alvin Hellerstein at 12 p.m. ET. Both are currently being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn.

Maduro and Flores are among six defendants named in a four-count superseding indictment that accused them of conspiring with violent, dangerous drug traffickers for the last 25 years. Maduro has long denied all the allegations. 

Texas lawyer Mark Donnelly is representing Flores, according to a notice filed Monday with the court. Donnelly is admitted to practice in Texas but applied for pro hac vice admission to represent her in New York.

Maduro has retained attorney Barry Pollack, according to a notice on the court docket posted Monday. Pollack previously represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Neither defense attorney immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

Dueling groups of protesters have gathered across the street from the courthouse; one is holding signs urging President Donald Trump to “Free President Maduro,” and the other is supportive of his capture.

More people protesting against what they call “illegal kidnapping” are expected to arrive shortly before the court appearance.

Maduro’s son, two high-ranking Venezuelan officials and an alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang are the other defendants.

Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” in which Maduro and Flores were “captured and flown out of the Country.”

Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement. Members of Congress said the military, which sources said included the elite Delta Force, was in place to support that law enforcement operation.

In a move that alarmed some observers, Trump, who campaigned on “America First” and against foreign entanglements, said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified “period of time.”

He said a team comprised of some of his Cabinet officials along with a local team in Venezuela would be “running the country” because there is “nobody to take over.”

“We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money, use that money in Venezuela, and the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela,” Trump said.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.” 

Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and vowed to defend Venezuela against American aggression.

On Sunday, Rodriguez posted a statement to social media in which she appeared to soften her tone, inviting “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.”

Trump told reporters on Sunday that the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela.

The president said he had not yet spoken to Rodriguez. Asked if he wanted to, Trump said, “At the right time, I will.”

ABC News’ Meghan Mistry and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

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(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) — Nearly four years after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a Texas elementary school, a jury is set to decide whether a police officer should be held criminally responsible in connection with one of the worst school shootings in American history.

Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales, charged with allegedly placing more than two dozen children in “imminent danger” by failing to respond to the crisis as it unfolded.

Prosecutors allege that Gonzales, one of the first of nearly 400 officers to respond to the rampage, failed to engage the shooter despite knowing his location, having time to respond and being trained to handle active shooters. It ultimately took 77 minutes for law enforcement to mount a counter-assault that would kill the gunman.

Ever since the shooting tore apart Uvalde on May 24, 2022, families of the victims have been seeking accountability and answers. Many have argued their children might have been saved had police confronted the gunman more quickly.

The trial, being staged 200 miles from Uvalde in Corpus Christi, marks an exceedingly rare instance of prosecutors seeking to convict a member of law enforcement for a response to a school shooting.

Prosecutors in June 2024 charged both Gonzales and Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo — the on-site commander on the day of the shooting — with multiple counts of endangerment and abandonment of a child.

Gonzales and Arredondo are the only officers charged. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Investigations have determined that Salvador Ramos, 18, acted alone in carrying out the massacre. He was killed on-site at Robb Elementary School.

Gonzales was charged with 29 felony counts, one for each of the 19 fourth-graders who died in the shooting and 10 students who survived in classroom 112.

According to the indictment, he “failed to engage, distract or delay the shooter” after hearing the gunshots and learning about the shooter’s location.

Arredondo was charged with 10 felony counts for allegedly endangering the 10 survivors by delaying the law enforcement response and not following active shooter protocols.

Arredondo and Gonzales were charged at the same time, but Gonzales will be facing trial first and alone.

Arredondo’s case has been delayed indefinitely by an ongoing federal lawsuit filed after the U.S. Border Patrol refused repeated efforts by Uvalde prosecutors to interview Border Patrol agents who responded to the shooting, including two who were in the tactical unit responsible for killing the gunman at the school.

Each count carries a maximum of two years in prison, though judges and juries in Texas have broad discretion in imposing sentences, according to Sandra Guerra Thompson, a criminal law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

“There’s a lot of different ways that this could go,” she said. “All the children who were so horrifically killed that would seem to motivate a longer sentence for anyone who is found to have some fault.”

Ahead of trial, prosecutors issued at least 75 subpoenas to potential witnesses, including police officers, teachers, and families of victims, according to court filings.

More than 20 members of the elite Texas Rangers, 16 members of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, and multiple physicians from nearby hospitals have received subpoenas, according to court filings.

In the attempt to make their case against Gonzales, prosecutors turned to a child endangerment law more commonly used to prosecute negligent parents or caretakers responsible for things like leaving a child in a hot car or without supervision at a beach. The law has rarely been used against police officers, experts noted, because of the difficulty in proving they had a legal obligation to the children.

“The critical issue here is whether the individual has a duty to act,” said Thompson, the law professor in Houston.

According to Houston-based defense attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube, prosecutors will need to establish that Gonzales had a legal duty — not just a moral obligation — to intervene and that he failed to follow his training for active shooter scenarios.

“The jury is going to have the nasty task of looking through some horrible things to determine if he had the duty to act,” she said, referencing evidence such as body camera footage and frantic 911 calls from the shooting.

Legal experts who spoke with ABC News noted that Gonzales’ role as a responding officer — not the commander or case agent at the scene — could make it tough to convince the jury the man’s conduct amounted to a crime.

If prosecutors can secure a conviction, it would mark the first time that a police officer has been held accountable for how they carried out their duties at a mass shooting to which they responded.

Prosecutors rarely attempt to charge police officers who have responded to mass shootings, according to Phil Stinson, a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, who maintains a database of police officers who have been arrested. Of the 25,000 arrests since 2005 included in the database, Stinson identified only two prosecutions similar to those against Gonzales and Arredondo.

Defense attorneys for Gonzales have argued he is being unfairly scapegoated for a crime he didn’t commit and that he did all he could to save and rescue children who were in imminent danger.

“Those precious souls were stolen by a monster that day, but that monster was not Adrian [Gonazales],” defense attorney Nico LaHood told ABC affiliate KSAT in San Antonio. “He was there, he was present. He was going into danger. And so the narrative of the government is something we’re going to contest highly, and that’s going to be the point of contention before this jury.”

Court filings shed little light on the case Gonzales’ lawyers will mount, though attorneys have signaled plans to use drone footage from Robb Elementary to assist them.

“The factual circumstances of this case intricately entail the timing and spatial proximity of the actors and events unfolding at Robb Elementary school on the day of the murders,” attorneys wrote in a court filing.

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(DENVER) — More than 100 firefighters battled a massive five-alarm fire Friday evening in Denver at an apartment building construction site — about the size of a city block — working for hours to keep the flames from spreading to nearby structures, officials said.

One firefighter was injured battling the fire and taken to the hospital, the Denver Fire Department told ABC News.  

There were no other injuries immediately reported.

The fire spurred evacuation orders for nearby residents.

By late evening, the fire was largely under control but not fully extinguished. Officials estimated the blaze was about 70% contained, with pockets of deep-seated fire still burning inside the structure. Firefighters were expected to remain on scene through the night to fully suppress hot spots.

The building, which was in the early to mid-stages of construction, was primarily made of wood, with some plastic materials used in wrapping and construction.

There’s no word yet on the cause of the blaze.

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(LARIMER COUNTY, Colo.) — A female hiker was killed by a mountain lion on the Crosier Mountain trail in Larimer County, Colorado, on Thursday, according to state officials.

The victim’s identity has not been revealed, but her death marks the first fatal mountain lion attack in Colorado since 1999, Colorado Parks and Wildlife noted.

A group of hikers reported throwing rocks at a mountain lion on the trail after spotting it near the body of the victim, causing the animal to flee, CPW said in a press release. Officers euthanized two mountain lions in the area, as CPW policy dictates that wildlife that attacks humans must be euthanized.

“Mountain lions are more visible in winter as they follow deer and elk to lower elevations. If lions are spotted, make noise to scare them from the area, hold objects overhead to appear bigger and start backing away from the animal. Pets should be kept on-leash and not interact with wildlife,” the release reads.

It is unknown how many animals were involved in the attack, as authorities are looking for a potential third mountain lion associated with the incident, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose told ABC News.

Kellie Mahoney, who owns a cabin near the site of the attack, said in a video shared with ABC News that she previously saw a family of four mountain lions in the area.

“I couldn’t believe it. When I saw the one big cat and then all of a sudden all you see are eyeballs coming down off the mountain and there were the four of them together, which I’ve never seen before,” Mahoney said.

The Estes Park Police Department, who responded to the scene of the attack, offered their condolences to the victim’s family on social media.

“The Town of Estes Park is deeply saddened by the tragic news of a suspected fatal mountain lion attack that occurred,” the Facebook post read. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. We offer our sincere condolences to all those grieving this heartbreaking loss.”

The trails on the mountain remain closed, according to a post from the U.S. Forest Service.

Mountain lions are also known as cougars, pumas, panthers or catamounts, and there are projected to be 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions currently in the wild in Colorado, the CPW noted.

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(WASHINGTON) — A federal magistrate judge ordered Friday that the Virginia man charged with placing pipe bombs outside of the headquarters of the RNC and DNC the night before the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol remain detained pending trial.

Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh said in the court filing Friday that the government’s evidence amassed thus far against Brian Cole established that there were no conditions he could place on him that would ensure the safety of the general public. 

Cole was arrested by federal authorities earlier last month following a massive probe that had stymied investigators for almost five years.

“Although home incarceration and a GPS monitor would provide some check against Mr. Cole’s ability to carry out any menacing or dangerous conduct in the community, the Court is simply not satisfied these conditions rise to the necessary level for the reasons explained,” Sharbaugh said.

“This is particularly true based on the severity of the potential danger Mr. Cole is alleged to pose, given his alleged persistent acquisition and retention of so-called ‘bombmaking parts’ and given his reported penchant and capacity to create explosive devices and deploy them in public settings,” the judge added.

Cole, who has not entered a plea, allegedly told investigators in a lengthy confession that he wasn’t targeting the joint session of Congress that was convening to certify former President Joe Biden’s election win, according to a previous court filing from the Department of Justice.

Sharbaugh’s ruling followed a detention hearing earlier this week, where he appeared to waver over whether he could put in place heavy restrictions on Cole and release him on bail under the supervision of his family. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones urged Sharbaugh to reject arguments made by Cole that he would pose no danger if released and remained under house arrest — noting such a setting was similar to where he had carried out his alleged planning to plant the pipe bombs in the first place.

Jones said that on the morning of his arrest, Cole allegedly wiped the memory from his phone for the 943rd time since December 2020, just days before he allegedly planted the devices. 

After Cole saw himself on the news in videos released by the FBI seeking tips on his identity, he said in the interview that he discarded all of his bomb-making materials at a nearby dump and said he never told anyone about his actions in the nearly five years since Jan. 6, according to a court filing.

Cole’s attorneys are expected to again seek his release when the case is ultimately assigned to a federal district judge, after prosecutors revealed in court that they secured a two-count indictment of Cole in D.C.’s Superior Court on Monday.

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(WASHINGTON) — The FBI said it “thwarted a potential” New Year’s Eve terror attack in North Carolina.

“The subject was directly inspired to act by ISIS,” the FBI said in a post on X.

“Thanks to our great partners for working with us and undoubtedly saving lives,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on social media.

Additional information was not immediately available. The FBI is expected to share more details at a news conference.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — After a New Year’s Day filled with heavy rain and flash flooding, more rain is heading to drenched California.

On Thursday, the rain was focused on Southern California.

The heavy rain soaked the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in 20 years, canceling the on-field pregame show. More than 2 inches of rain was recorded in San Diego, prompting flash flooding and some water rescues.

The next round of rain moves in Friday evening, concentrating on the northern half of the California coast and western Washington and Oregon.

By Saturday morning, most of the West Coast, except for Southern California, will be getting scattered rain and mountain snow. Some pockets of rain could be heavy enough to cause flash flooding in northern and central California. The rain will reach Southern California by Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night into Sunday morning, the rain and mountain snow will be focused on central and northern California up to through the Pacific Northwest.

Through Monday, rain totals of 2 to 4 inches are expected from western Washington to central California, while Southern California will see about 1 to 2 inches of rain.

Wind advisories are in effect in parts of northern and central California, including San Francisco, where gusts could reach 50 mph this weekend.

The Sierra Nevada mountains are under a winter storm warning, with 55 mph winds and 1 to 4 feet of snow expected.

Meanwhile, the lake effect snow machine continues to churn in the east.

In Buffalo, New York, the airport has already recorded 8 inches of snow this week, while Syracuse, New York, has seen more than 2 feet of snow.

That lake effect snow will continue through Saturday morning.

Syracuse is under a lake effect snow warning, with 2 to 5 inches total expected in the city and 6 to 12 inches of heavy lake effect snow expected north of Interstate 90.

Then Saturday night into early Sunday morning, a quick clipper system will slide down the Great Lakes and across the Northeast, bringing a light burst of snow to much of the region, but accumulation isn’t expected.

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(SEATTLE) — Police in Seattle have arrested a 21-year-old man armed with a shotgun, pistol, and carrying multiple rounds of ammunition near the Space Needle during Seattle’s New Year’s Eve celebration, authorities said.

On New Year’s Eve at approximately 7:20 p.m., patrol officers in Seattle responded to reports of a man sitting on a bench near the Pacific Science Center holding a partially concealed shotgun, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department.

“Witnesses saw him holding the gun by the grip, causing alarm, while facing the area where spectators were gathering for the fireworks display,” police said. “The suspect, wearing all black clothing and a red hat with “WAR” written on it, cooperated with police.”

Officers safely recovered the shotgun and the suspect, who was also armed with a handgun, had a valid concealed carry permit, police said.

Police assigned to the event center arrested the man without incident, authorities said.

Seattle Police Department’s arson bomb squad were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle and swept the car for potential weapons or explosives, though none were found and it was determined the vehicle did not pose a threat, officials confirmed.

Police subsequently booked the suspect into the King County Jail for unlawful use of weapons and detectives reviewing the case referred criminal charges to the City Attorney’s Office, authorities said.

The investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.

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