‘What he ate’: Inside the meticulously planned operation to capture Maduro
Multiple strong explosions were heard on Saturday in Venezuelaâs capital Caracas amid rising tensions with the United States on January 3, 2026. (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided a very detailed account of how the U.S. military’s mission to apprehend Nicholas Maduro and his wife took place early Saturday morning.
Here are highlights:
The mission was called Operation “Absolute Resolve”
Caine said that more than 150 aircraft were involved, including fighter aircraft, bombers, surveillance aircraft, intelligence aircraft, and helicopters. He said the entire joint force was involved in the mission (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, intelligence agencies).
The aircraft involved were:
— Fighters: F-35s, F/A-18s, E/A-18s, F-22s
— Bombers: B-1 bombers
— Unmanned aircraft and E-2 Hawkeyes
He said the aircraft took off from 20 different bases on land at at sea and that support aircraft were involved as well.
President Donald Trump gave the order to undertake the mission at 10:46 p.m., Caine said. He said the president’s message of “Good luck and Godspeed” was communicated to the entire force.
The extraction force that captured Maduro and his wife included law enforcement.
The helicopters carrying the force flew at an altitude of 100 feet above the water as they approached Venezuela.
As they came near, air defense systems were disabled to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters to Maduro’s compound.
The helicopters arrived at the compound at 1:01 a.m. Eastern Time, 2:01 a.m. local time.
Upon arrival, they came under fire and responded in self-defense with “overwhelming force,” Caine said.
One of the helicopters was hit, but remained flyable.
Maduro and his wife were taken into custody by Justice Department officials “assisted by incredible U.S. military” forces with “no loss of life,” Caine said. He did not provide any details of any injured Americans.
When the helicopters left the compound, they were protected by fighter aircraft and drones that provided suppressive fire.
The extraction force was over water at 3:39 a.m. Eastern Time, Caine said.
Maduro and wife were then taken to the USS Iwo Jima.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, in a call to state TV Saturday morning, said that “innocent people” had died, but gave no specifics, and didn’t address during a later speech.
Caine said the mission was “meticulously planned” and was “the culmination of months of planning and rehearsals.”
“We think we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again, not to get it right, but to ensure that we cannot get it wrong. Our jobs are to integrate combat power so when the order comes, we can deliver overwhelming force at the time and the place of our choosing against any foe anywhere in the world,” he said.
The military worked closely with the U.S. intelligence agencies: CIA, NGA, NSA. “We watched, we prepared, we remained patient and professional,” said Caine.
U.S. intelligence knew Maduro’s pattern of life — where he moved, lived, traveled, ate, and worked, he said.
The mission was ready in early December waiting for the right day to maximize the element of surprise, he said.
State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, speaks during a Texas primary election night event at Emo’s Austin in Austin, Texas, US, early on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Primary voting began on Tuesday in Texas, Arkansas and North Carolina, marking the beginning of the 2026 midterm elections, which are expected to be seen in part as referenda on the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Here are a few key takeaways from the early voting.
Texas GOP Senate primary heads for a runoff
The heated Republican Senate primary heads to a runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, as neither secured over 50% of the vote Tuesday evening.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, who was also running in the race, conceded Tuesday evening and did not endorse Paxton or Cornyn.
With Trump not endorsing in the race, Paxton attempted to paint Cornyn as not aligned with the President and said that Cornyn “stabbed [Trump] in the back by trying to derail his presidential campaigns.”
“No one can name [one] accomplishment [of Cornyn’s],” Paxton said Tuesday night. “The people of Texas deserve better. That’s the message we’re taking into the runoff.”
Cornyn continued his attacks on Paxton Tuesday night, calling him a “shameless candidate” and saying there’s too much at stake in this year’s election for him to be elected to the Senate.
“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years, there is simply too much at stake in this midterm election for our state and for our country, the final two years of … President Trump’s agenda hangs in the balance,” Cornyn said.
Talarico defeats Crockett
On Tuesday morning, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett conceded to State Rep. James Talarico, the 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former teacher in the contested Texas Democratic Senate primary, giving hope to national Democrats about the possibility of flipping the state blue.
“This morning I called James and congratulated him on becoming the Senate nominee. Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” Crockett said in a statement. “This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot.”
Talarico will face off against whoever wins May’s runoff election in the state’s Senate GOP primary between Cornyn and Paxton — a race that Trump has still yet to endorse a candidate in and is expected to become uglier in the lead up to the runoff.
The last time a Democrat won a Senate race in Texas was in 1988.
Talarico told his supporters early Wednesday morning at his election party that he was confident in the movement they had built.
“Tonight, our campaign is shocking the nation. We are still waiting for an official call, but we are confident in this movement we’ve built together. Every vote must be counted, every voice must be heard,” Talarico said. “We are not we are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it’s working. “
The Trump factor
And in some down-ballot races, Trump’s endorsement continues to carry weight.
Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw became the first GOP incumbent to lose a primary this cycle when he was defeated by hardline conservative state Rep. Steve Toth, in a race that focused on which candidate aligned with Trump the most.
Trump did not endorse either candidate in the race, which left Crenshaw as the only House Republican in Texas running for re-election without the President’s support.
At multiple points during his time in Congress, Crenshaw found himself at odds with Trump, including over the President’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
In North Carolina, a Senate seat Democrats hope to flip, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley each won their primaries handily and will face off in one of the most-watched Senate races this cycle.
Whatley, who was endorsed by Trump, embraced the President and said he would stand with him if elected to the U.S. Senate during his victory speech Tuesday night.
“I will stand with President Trump to finish the job, secure the border permanently and ensure that illegal aliens are swiftly deported,” Whatley said later on his victory remarks.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner speaks after the President held a signing ceremony for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026, in Davos, Switzerland. The US-backed “Board of Peace” is intended to administer the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after the war between Israel and Hamas. The final makeup of the board has not been confirmed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a real estate developer, on Thursday unveiled some of the Trump administration’s “master plan” for rebuilding war-torn Gaza that includes waterfront developments and other luxury buildings.
Kushner, whop spoke alongside President Donald Trump at his Board of Peace signing in Davos, Switzerland, said the plans for Gaza will emulate what other newly redeveloped Middle Eastern cities will look like.
Kushner, who has been part of the Gaza peace negotiations, suggested the construction would be done in just two or three years. The Board of Peace estimates that the plan would require more than $25 billion to develop modern utilities and public services.
“We’ve developed ways to redevelop Gaza. Gaza, as President Trump’s been saying, has amazing potential, and this is for the people of Gaza,” he said.
Kushner, who showed slideshows with concept art of his “master plan” said that the plan includes development done in zones.
“In the beginning, we were toying with the idea of saying, Let’s build a free zone, and then we have a Hamas zone. And then we said, You know what? Let’s just plan for catastrophic success. We have mass signed a deal, demilitarized. That is what we are going to enforce,” he said.
Kushner displayed a “master Plan” that depicts four phases: Rafah, or “city 1”; Khan Younis or “city 2”; Center Camps or “city 3”; and Gaza City or “city 4.”
In “New Rafah,” Kushner put up a slide that claims there will be over 100,000 permanent housing units, 200 education centers, 180 cultural, religious and vocational centers and 75 medical facilities.
A section shows “coastal tourism” with 170 towers with areas for residential areas and industrial complex data centers and advanced manufacturing behind it, split up by parks, agriculture and sports facilities.
The “coastal tourism” renderings show flashy high-rises, hotels and luxury villas on shimmering waters.
Kushner said the next 100 days will be focused on sending humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, with quantities consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove the estimated 68 million tons of rubble and to open roads.
“We continue to be focused on humanitarian aid, a humanitarian shelter, but then creating the conditions to move forward,” he said.
Increasing the amount of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip is a key element of the overall ceasefire deal. While international aid organizations have reported being able to operate more freely in parts of Gaza where Israeli troops have withdrawn, it is hard to quantify how much aid has entered the strip since Oct. 10, when the first phase of the ceasefire deal went into effect.
International aid organizations still report more aid is needed across the Strip – from food to medical supplies to shelter.
Winter storms have made the situation on the ground in Gaza even more difficult, as heavy rains have caused flooding in displacement camps and lower temperatures have made living conditions even more difficult. About 1 million Palestinians currently need shelter assistance, according to the UN. Ten children have died of the cold, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health has said.
The 100 Day plan also accounts for reconstruction, suggesting improved temporary housing in transition until permanent housing is ready, a Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created, synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will “create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza,” according to Kushner.
A special economic zone would be established, with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries, he added.
Kushner said that many of the funds for this project will come from the private sector, touting “amazing investment opportunities.”
Trump, who also spoke at the conference, contended the war in Gaza “was really coming to an end” and praised the redevelopment plan.
“I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location, and I said, look at this location on the sea, look at this beautiful piece of property, what it could be for so many people,” he said.
“People that are living so poorly are going to be living so well,” he added.
Over 90% of residential buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and subsequent war that followed, according to the UN.
While the ceasefire has largely held, there have been intermittent incidents of violations from both sides. At least 483 people have been killed since the first phase of the ceasefire went into effect, the Hamas-run Gaza Government Media Office said.
Last year, Trump boasted that the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip, “level the site” and rebuild it.
When asked by a reporter during the Feb. 4, 2025, during a White House news conference with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Palestinians relocated would have the right to return, Trump responded, “Why would they want to return?”
When another reporter asked who would live in Gaza, Trump responded, “the world’s people,” saying, “the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable.”
“History, as you know, just can’t let it keep repeating itself. We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so … magnificent,” the president said during the news conference.
The president was criticized later that month over a AI generated video that he shared on social media that depicted him and Netanyahu sunbathing in a location dubbed “Trump Gaza,” which showed a luxury resort.
ICE agents leave a residence after knocking on the door on January 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues its immigration enforcement operations after two high-profile killings by federal agents in recent weeks. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — In the weeks after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota during a surge to apprehend undocumented immigrants for deportation, Americans oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics by wide margins and President Donald Trump’s approval on immigration has dipped to the lowest of his second term, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
Trump’s immigration rating hits new low for second term
Trump, who has focused much of his second term on the immigration crackdown, is now 18 percentage points underwater in how Americans rate his handling of immigration — with 58% disapproving and 40% approving — the worst ratings he has had on immigration in his second term, ticking down from his October ratings and almost exactly where he was in July 2019 when 40% approved and 57% disapproved of how he was handling the issue.
Despite his increasingly negative ratings on handling immigration since taking office, Americans don’t trust Democrats to handle the issue more. When asked who they trust to do a better job handling immigration, 38% say they trust Trump more, 34% trust congressional Democrats more and 24% trust neither.
And even though he’s underwater on handling immigration overall, Trump’s ratings on handling the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border are a bit better, albeit still slightly negative, with 47% of Americans approving of how he is handling the situation at the border and 50% disapproving.
Americans on deportations and ICE
Americans are roughly split over whether the federal government should deport all undocumented immigrants living in the United States, but a growing share oppose expanded ICE operations — and by a 2-to-1 margin, they oppose ICE’s tactics.
The results come following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 — just weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Half (50%) of Americans support the federal government deporting the about 14 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. and sending them back to their home countries while 48% oppose this.
Support was even higher for deporting all undocumented immigrants ahead of the 2024 presidential election, when 56% of Americans supported sending all undocumented immigrants to their home countries. By last February that dipped to 51%.
Most Hispanic (64%), Black (58%) and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (56%) oppose deporting all undocumented immigrants while 58% of white people support widespread deportation.
Even if many Americans want mass deportations, 58% say Trump is going “too far” in deporting undocumented immigrants, up from 50% who said the same in October. Just 12% say he is “not going far enough” and 28% say he is “handling it about right.”
Seven in 10 Americans do not think most immigrants deported since January 2025 were violent criminals, including 33% who say “hardly any” of those deported were. Only 7% of Americans say “nearly all” of the immigrants who were deported since the beginning of the Trump administration were violent criminals.
A slim majority of Americans oppose ICE’s expanded operations to detain and deport undocumented immigrants in the U.S., 53% now, up from 46% in October.
Opinion breaks down on partisan lines, with 88% of Democrats opposed to ICE’s expanded operations and 81% of Republicans in support. A 56% majority of independents oppose ICE’s expanded operations.
By a 2-to-1 margin, Americans oppose the tactics ICE is using to enforce immigration laws, 62% to 31%. Half of Americans strongly oppose ICE’s tactics, including 89% of Democrats and 53% of independents. Only 4 in 10 Republicans strongly support the tactics ICE is using to enforce immigration law, rising to over half among MAGA Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who call themselves MAGA.
By a 13-point margin, Americans oppose abolishing ICE, 50% to 37%. Opinions are polarized: 7 in 10 Democrats support abolishing ICE, while 8 in 10 Republicans oppose it. More independents oppose abolishing ICE (45%) than support abolishing ICE (35%), with 2 in 10 independents saying they have no opinion on the issue.
ICE was established in 2003 as part of the Homeland Security Act following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Previously, the Immigration and Naturalization Service under the Justice Department administered immigration laws. The Abolish ICE political movement gained national attention in 2018 during the previous Trump administration’s family-separation policy.
An ICE memo issued in May gave federal agents the authority to enter the homes of people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally without warrants signed by judges. A wide majority of Americans — including majorities across party lines — say that when federal law enforcement wants to forcibly enter someone’s home, they need to get approval from a judge; just 20% say getting approval from a federal agency is enough.
How Americans feel about Minnesota and personal impacts
Most Americans (54%) say they are either upset (17%) or angry (37%) over how immigration enforcement has gone in Minnesota, with 72% of Democrats saying they are angry. More than 4 in 10 Americans say they are “not concerned” or “concerned but not upset” over the situation in Minnesota.
Nearly half of Republicans, 47%, say they are not concerned over immigration enforcement in Minnesota, along with 32% who say they are concerned but not upset.
And while majorities of Asian and Pacific Islander (66%), Hispanic (59%) and Black Americans (61%) say they are upset or angry about how immigration enforcement has gone in Minnesota, that dips to 49% among white people.
There is a personal connection for many Americans — 42% say they are at least somewhat concerned that federal immigration enforcement agents could arrest or detain someone they know, including 33% who say they are at least somewhat concerned this could happen to a close family member or friend.
Hispanic (60%), Black (55%) and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (53%) are all more concerned that federal immigration agents could arrest and detain a close friend, family member or someone else they know than white people (32%).
Replacing Kristi Noem, sanctuary cities and the border
By almost a 2-to-1 margin, Americans support replacing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem amid the administration’s controversial immigration enforcement tactics, 44% to 23%, with 33% voicing no opinion on the matter.
Democrats are more aligned on replacing Noem than Republicans are. Three-quarters of Democrats support removing Noem, 7% oppose it and 18% have no opinion. Among Republicans, 45% oppose replacing Noem, 15% support it and a large 40% say they have no opinion on the matter. Among independents, 45% support Noem’s removal, 17% oppose it and 38% have no opinion.
By an 8-point margin, Americans oppose denying federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities that limit their cooperation with ICE, 46% to 38%. Eight in 10 Democrats oppose this, over 7 in 10 Republicans support it.
Methodology — This ABC News-Washington Post-Ipsos poll was conducted via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel, Feb. 12-17, 2026, among 2,589 U.S. adults and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. The error margins are larger among partisan group subsamples.
