Colombia Increases Military Presence Along Venezuela Border

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24:19Stephen, thanks so much for joining us. So a source briefed on the Venezuelan operation told me that a handful of American troops sustained bullet and shrapnel wounds, but none are life-threatening. Can you share with us how serious any injuries to American service members might be and also any information you can tell us about any Venezuelan civilian casualties? Yes. Well, let me take the second part first, which is that the overwhelming share of casualties and fatalities that were inflicted were against the Cuban guard that had exerted control over the people of Venezuela. So what many don't realize is that for years, Maduro stayed in power through an illicit deal with Cuban communists to provide his security because he didn't trust his own people to keep him safe.

25:11That is how much he was hated inside of Venezuela. So what our special forces encountered when they did that daring midnight assault into Caracas were armed Cuban guards and they sustained massive numbers of casualties. I can't give you an exact number. The numbers that you've seen in terms of the Cuban guards publicly reported are probably lower than the actual number that were killed. To your first question, no, none of the, at least as I've been briefed, none of the injuries are life-threatening. Everybody is stable. And it just underscores the remarkable skill, precision, courage, and capability of our special forces.

25:51And I wanted to set the table one more time for your audience. I'm sure you've talked about it at length already. But the United States of America launched an assault force into Venezuelan territory, which has sophisticated air defense systems, which has sophisticated surveillance systems, which has weaponry that they've received that can take out planes and helicopters from our foreign adversaries that they've been stockpiling for years in anticipation of the possibility of such an action. Maduro was staying in a military fortress. In other words, since the United States had started amassing this armada under President Trump's leadership and direction, he'd increasingly narrowed the scope of his own movement, and he was sleeping in a fortress.

26:41And so we flew into Caracas, these special forces, engaged in direct gunfire with elite Cuban guards, and every single kill, every single kill was an enemy kill. So there were no civilian casualties? Well, I didn't see any reports of any civilian casualties, but my point is that in this raging gunfire battle that took place, the point that I make to you is no Americans were killed. Because of the planning, skill, and preparation, the enemy sustained massive losses. Not one of our assets was lost, not one of our people was lost. So let's talk about what next. Delcey Rodriguez was formally sworn as Venezuela's acting president this afternoon.

27:23She was the vice president, she described the U.S. intervention as, quote, without a doubt, Zionist in character, unquote. Is acting president Rodriguez someone that the U.S. can work with? So the acting president put out a statement. I want to say, Jake, it was last night pledging cooperation with the United States, pledging full and complete cooperation. But they also just passed a law saying that if you supported the operation, outlawing individuals or threatening with criminal penalties, individuals, if they supported the operation against Maduro, I think they did that today. Well, the good news there, Jake, is that nobody inside of Venezuela supported the operation.

28:06So it's a law without meaning or effect. Look, Jake, there's going to be some posturing that occurs when a nation has been so thoroughly defeated in this way. The United States of America, think about this, Jake. The United States of America has encircled this nation for months. One of the largest naval armadas in history has been stationed off its coast. Fighter jets have been encircling the island. We've been engaging in kinetic lethal strikes against Maduro's drug boats and trained airwag with gang members leaving the island. We have launched a complete oil embargo of the ghost fleet, the dark ships.

28:48And now on top of all that, Maduro is sitting in a jail cell in New York, as is his wife. So of course there's going to be, this is very important though, of course there's going to be some posturing. Without giving anything away, I want to be very clear. Very clear. The government has sent messages, this is such an important point, Jake, to the Secretary of State, to our senior U.S. government official negotiators. They have sent message after message making clear that they will meet the terms, demands, conditions, and requirements of the United States. Okay. And I want to be very clear about that, Jake.

29:23So let's the question about who is now running Venezuela is one that even members of Congress who are big Trump supporters say they're not quite sure about. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN's Manarajou that he doesn't know what President Trump meant by his assertion that the U.S. is running Venezuela. And he said he needs more information. Can you tell us what the president means when he says this is acting President Delce Rodriguez in charge? Is she running Venezuela or not? Well, what the president said is true. The United States of America is running Venezuela. By definition, that's true.

29:59Jake, we live in a law, or sorry, we live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else. But we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world. that have existed since the beginning of time. But in terms of day-to-day operations in Venezuela, that is acting President Rodriguez, right? It's not some sort of American emissary. No, what I'm saying is, and we'll keep going here, Jake, so I want to say what I'm saying and then you'll follow up, but what I'm saying is just one level above that, which is that by definition, we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country.

30:49We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So the United States is in charge. The United States is running the country during this transition period. If that's true, obviously that doesn't mean that President Trump is setting the bus fare schedule inside the country. It doesn't mean that President Trump is assigning the key to total curriculum in the country. The indictment that the president and the military were acting on from 2020 was of six people.

31:24Two of them were seized on Saturday by our special operators. There are four other individuals indicted who remain in Venezuela. Is the U.S. demanding that they be turned over? One of them is Maduro's son. One of them is a former governor official. One is a current governor official. And one of them is the head of Tren de Aragua, as I'm sure you know. So are they going to be turned over if President Trump is, in fact, running Venezuela in the way you describe? Well, I don't want to. Obviously, you know what we have to balance here, Jake, which I think you more than most understand. We have to balance between, of course, what I can say to you publicly versus very close hold conversations that might be happening privately.

32:07And I know you understand and respect that. But I'll answer the question in this way. There might be individuals who are fugitives from American justice that could become part of a future conversation. But it's also true that for government leaders inside of Venezuela, as the president has said, right, we want an interim government that will respect the interests of the people of Venezuela, that wants a good, peaceful, secure future for Venezuela. So I would say it this way. For those who may be indicted, the best choice they can possibly make is to be part of a constructive decision-making process for the future of Venezuela.

32:44The best decision they can make is to cooperate fully and completely with the United States to be part of building this brighter future for Venezuela during this interim period. On another important topic, the premier of Greenland and the premier of Denmark and other Danish officials are responding to a Twitter post from your wife, Katie Miller, herself a former Trump White House official, showing Greenland covered with an American flag, saying soon after that was posted, President Trump repeated the claim that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security reasons. The Danish prime minister responded to this in an interview earlier today, as reported by Bloomberg, quote, I believe one should take the American president seriously when he says that he wants Greenland.

33:25But I will also make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, including NATO. And that's the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War. Can you rule out that the U.S. is ever going to try to take Greenland by force? Well, let me let me go back a step. The president has been clear for months now. So I know you're treating this as breaking news. The president has been clear for months now that the United States should be the nation that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus. But your wife posted that like hours after the Venezuela operation.

34:06That's why it's newly relevant. that. No, and I'll talk with you about it for an hour. I think it's a really important conversation. I just wanted to reset, Jake, by making clear that it has been the formal position of the U.S. government since the beginning of this administration, frankly, going back into the previous Trump administration, that Greenland should be part of the United States. The president has been very clear about that. That is the formal position of the U.S. government. Right, but can you say that military action against Greenland is off the table? What would you mean military action against Greenland?

34:38Greenland has a population of 30 ,000 people, Jake. The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark? The United States is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the United States. And so that's a conversation that we're going to have as a country. That's a process we're going to have as a community of nations. So you can't take it off the table that the U.S.

35:12would use military force to seize Greenland. You can't take it off the table. Jake, I understand you're trying very hard to, which, again, is your job. I respect it. It's great to get exactly the headline, right, that catchy headline. I'm just trying to get an answer. That says Miller refuses to rule out. The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States. There's no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you're asking of a military operation. Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. One last question, Stephen. The question just doesn't make any sense.

35:48One last question. The president was very quick to say that the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, opposition leader Machado in Venezuela, doesn't have the support in Venezuela to become the next president or the interim leader. And I wonder where he got that from, given that her basically her cutout, Gonzalez, won the election last year over or two years ago to overwhelmingly 70 percent of the vote or something like that. Why does the president think that Machado should not be the next leader? Why does he think she's weak? First of all, all Venezuela experts agree, all Venezuela experts agree, that it would be absurd and preposterous for us to suddenly fly her into the country and to put her in charge.

36:34And the military would follow her and the security forces would follow her. This is not a serious, it's not even a serious question. So should there be an election? Let me, if you give me the floor for 30 seconds, let me tell you what we are doing here, Jake. The United States, this is sort of foundational. The United States is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere. We're a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower. It is absurd that we would allow a nation in our own backyard to become the supplier of resources to our adversaries, but not to us.

37:13to hoard weapons from our adversaries, to be able to be positioned as an asset against the United States rather than on behalf of the United States. Sovereign countries shouldn't be able to do what they want to do. The Monroe Doctrine and the Trump Doctrine is all about securing the national interests of America. For years, we sent our soldiers to die in deserts in the Middle East to try to build them parliaments, to try to build them democracies, to try to give them more oil, to try to give them more resources. the future of the free world, Jake, depends on America being able to assert ourselves and our interests without apology.

37:49This whole period that happened after World War II, where the West began apologizing and groveling and begging and engaging these fast reparations schemes. What I'm talking about, Jake, is the idea. By the way, you do. I know you love doing that smarmy thing, Jake, and I was hoping to be better than that this time. I asked you about if there should There should be an election. Exactly. I asked you if there would be an election in Venezuela. That's what I asked. I said, why was the president so quick to dismiss Machado? You answered that question. And then I said, the objective, Jake, is security and stability for the people of Venezuela.

38:23With our help and leadership, that country will become more prosperous than it has ever been in its whole history. Venezuelans will be richer and safer and safer and more secure and better off. There will be conversations, Jake, about all of these guy posts along the way. The reason why I was giving you that speech, which I know you didn't want to hear, is because you're approaching this from the wrong frame. This neoliberal frame that the United States' job is to go around the world and demanding immediate elections be held everywhere immediately, all the time, right away. No. That's not what I think, but you invaded the country.

38:55We went into the country and we seized the leader of Venezuela. Damn straight we did. And I'm saying, so is the U.S. going to have new elections? is that we're not going to let timpot communist dictators send rapists into our country, send drugs into our country, send weapons into our country, and we're not going to let a country fall into the hands of our adversaries. The future of Venezuela, working with America, is going to be so bright and so incredible and so positive, and we'll have a conversation about everything that you raised. But the priority right now, as the president has made clear, is a judicious, thoughtful, careful transition process to secure a great future for Venezuela and to secure a great future for America.

39:37All right. Let's just take a moment and just acknowledge, Jake, that what we've witnessed under President Trump's leadership this last week is one of the greatest foreign policy and military victories this country has ever had. Stephen Miller, thank you so much. Appreciate your time. Thank you. A lot there to discuss. The panel's here. We're going to get their thoughts on what you just heard next. Thank you. months of a grow or scale plan.

40:54delivery fees may apply. Our politics lead, we're getting new insight into how Americans are feeling about the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and what that could mean for the president politically. Here in studio is our panel. First, Mo, you just heard Stephen Miller talking. What was your reaction? I mean, I'm not a lawyer, but if I was in the White House counsel's office right now, I would not have loved that interview. The administration has gone to great lengths explaining the fact that it didn't notify Congress in advance because this wasn't a military operation. This was a law enforcement operation.

41:35Hearing the Deputy White House Chief of Staff's comments just now, it sounded nothing like just a law enforcement operation. He was talking about defeating a nation, about how the United States defeated a nation. So that's - And also about having control of our hemisphere. Of the government. Of our government, of the hemisphere, all of it. What's also clear, though, is that there was no clearly thought out plan for what comes next. Maduro being gone, I think everybody's in agreement that Maduro being gone is a good thing for Venezuela and it's a good thing for the world. But, man, there doesn't seem to be a lot of forethought into the next steps.

42:12And that's going to come back and bite us in terms of oil, in terms of the economy. in terms of the geopolitical landscape, not just in the hemisphere, vis-a-vis Russia and China, there's a lot of issues at play. Scott, I'm sure you disagree. I disagree. Look, they've allowed this vice president to be sworn in. She may be worse than Maduro, but she does see what happens when you get out of line. And so she has, and the rest of the government has, incentives. Another law enforcement operation? That's what happens. Well, I mean, there's other people down there that are under law enforcement indictment, I think, in the United States.

42:44The bottom line is they need to play ball with the United States or they're going to suffer the same or a worse fate. So I think they're going to allow this to unspool for a while. They'll probably have an election. I don't know how soon. But there's a functioning government down there to the extent that they're smart people and want to listen to what our position on things is. They should do that. If they do, it'd probably turn out OK for them. So a recent Washington Post poll finds Americans pretty evenly split on the operation over the weekend. 40 % approve, 42 % disapprove, 18 % are unsure.

43:15When it comes to who should decide the future leadership of Venezuela, 94 % say the Venezuelan people, 6 % say the United States. One thing I have to say is, like, this was a very successful military operation. The idea that 42 % disapprove is a higher number than I would think. It says to me that the American people are thinking not just about this operation, but maybe more about also, well, what comes next? Well, also, it's Trump. I mean, 42 % of the American people would oppose it if he cured cancer personally in the Oval Office tonight. I mean, there is a reflexive opposition to Trump. It is the entire platform of the Democratic Party.

43:53And to the extent that that's how their leadership tells them to act, that's how the Democratic grassroots are going to see it. You see Democrats today who long came on this network and others and called for Maduro's ouster, demanded it, now saying they oppose the fact that Donald Trump just arrested Maduro? This reflexive opposition to everything Trump does is corrosive of the Democratic Party, and you shouldn't look at these things through that lens. You should look at it and say, highly competent military and law enforcement operation. We got rid of a bad guy. There's a better future for Venezuela, and it's going to anew to the United States benefit.

44:25But, you know, it's Trump, so everything must be opposed if he's for it. Well, it's not just Democrats, though, because it is some of these Republicans who are, you know, MAGA before Trump was MAGA. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massey, etc. Taylor Greene called it a betrayal of Trump's America First pledge. What happened? Thomas Massey said, wake up, MAGA. Venezuela is not about drugs. It's about oil and regime change. Massey opposed Trump, by the way, just for the record. This is not what we voted for. No, I just mean like they were conservative. Well, back when Trump was a Democrat, Thomas Massey was a conservative Republican.

44:53He was for DeSantis in 20, though. I mean, look. Look, my point is that do you think this is going to cause any fracture, any actual fractures in the Republican Party? Or is it just like a few members of God? I've given up trying to understand the Republican Party long ago. I'll leave that to Scott to answer. But what I will say is I think maybe there's an alternate explanation for that 42 percent opposition. Americans remember Iraq. They remember Libya. They remember how badly it has gone in our not-so-recent past when we go in for regime change without a solid plan for what comes next. What comes next with the drug cartels who thrive in instability, right?

45:31Maduro being pulled out doesn't create more stability if we don't have a plan. What happens with those oil reserves, which we are apparently laying claim to, even though U.S. oil companies are saying we don't have the infrastructure and we don't want to pay for an infrastructure to refine those oil reserves. All of these questions that are hanging out there that we don't know. Maybe there is a plan, but we don't know the plan right now. You think there's a plan? Well, look, the current plan, if you did nothing, would be to continue to let Maduro run a narco-terrorist state and to have Russia and China running wild on the oil down there.

46:09That's not a great plan. The new plan is America asserts its dominance. these people that just got sworn in understand who they're dealing with. We kick our enemies out of our hemisphere, and we dramatically crack down on the amount of drugs flowing out of there and all over the world. That's a better point. Or we just invited more enemies in because you know Russia and China are picking up the phone and calling every Latin American capital saying, do business with us. We won't invade you. China saw firsthand. They were in the capital when we went in and got Maduro. I think they got a taste of what the American position is in the Western.

46:42So quote the Zen master, we'll see. Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. This is CNN Breaking News. And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Taffer. We're going to start with the breaking news in our world lead. Right now on Capitol Hill, the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the Senate and House Foreign Relations, Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, along with the leaders of the House and Senate and the Democratic and Republican parties, are getting a classified briefing from members of the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others. The briefing comes after President Trump ordered the U.S.

47:13military to conduct unprecedented strikes on Venezuela and capture its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife. This afternoon, Maduro and his wife, a co-defendant, appeared in a New York City courthouse and entered not guilty pleas. The ousted leader faces drugs and weapons charges and is not seeking bail for now. CNN's Manu Raju is right outside the classified briefing. Manu? Yeah, this has been going on, Jake, for now about 30 minutes. top briefers from the administration walking in behind closed doors with a small subset of the larger members of Congress. This is just the leaders of both the House and the Senate, Republican and Democrat, people who sit on key committees and also people who ordinarily would have been briefed ahead of time, members of the so-called Gang of Eight who are part of this briefing.

47:56Typically, before a mission of this magnitude, the Gang of Eight would have at least been notified that this strike was happening. That did not happen this time. In fact, it happened after the fact. That has rankled a lot of Democrats' feathers, Democrats in particular, so that this was a violation of the law and the way that this was carried out. Republicans, on the other hand, have defended the administration's decision not to brief members of Congress, including Senator John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader, who told me earlier today that he had no issue about not getting briefed, saying he was perfectly content about the notification that he did receive, which was when the admission was ongoing, he was fine with it.

48:34But he also had questions about the objectives and everything that was going on here. I asked him about Donald Trump saying that the United States would run Venezuela if he was okay with that. He said, we need to get answers to that. I said, do you know what the president meant about that? He said, I need to get more answers about that. And that's a Senate majority leader, unclear about what the president means about such a significant action if the United States were, in fact, to run Venezuela. In fact, Jake, I've talked to so many Republican senators today, people who have also not been briefed, about Trump saying they should run Venezuela.

49:05They are all offering different interpretations about what Donald Trump precisely meant, which underscores the reason why this briefing is happening, because people want answers to what happened in Venezuela and what is next. Right before this briefing, Speaker Mike Johnson spoke to reporters. He seemed content about the level of information he has gotten so far, even though he also was not notified ahead of time before this strike occurred. This is an operation that only required notice to Congress and not prior authorization. Marco Rubio called me at 4 a.m. They did their duty. They notified Congress, the top officials, and as many as they could.

49:41And as they have said, they've been on the phone constantly with members in the Senate and the House. They're doing exactly what they should do. But the question is, how much information will these members get behind closed doors? Because there are so many questions, Jake. Will U.S. troops be needed? How much will this cost taxpayers? What exactly is the objective? How do they plan to deal with the oil that Donald Trump says that the United States plans to seize and extract? And what about the government that is now in place in Venezuela? How will the United States handle that? All hugely significant questions.

50:11Will they get the answers there? That's the big question. But we do expect to hear from at least some of the members and potentially some of the briefers who are coming to the mics behind me to talk about this briefing once it wraps up here in a matter of minutes. Manu Raju on Capitol Hill. Thank you. Let's go to CNN's Kaitlin Collins at the White House. Kaitlin, President Trump seems pretty pleased with the success of the operation, so much so he's even suggesting threats to other countries. Yeah, Jake, we haven't actually seen the president here at the White House today. He hasn't appeared before cameras.

50:40He's obviously been inside the West Wing. But that remarkable gaggle last night that he held with reporters as he flew back to Washington from Palm Beach, of course, his Mar-a-Lago club, where he oversaw this entire operation to go in and capture Maduro, take place. The president was hinting to reporters very strongly, Jake, that there could be a lot more to come on this front when it comes to Colombia, where the president was saying that asked essentially basically if we could see something similar to what happened in Venezuela playing out there. The president said that sounds good to him. He suggested that there could be that Cuba could fall without intervention actually happening.

51:14He also said, Jake, in recent days that something would have to be done about Mexico as well. And when asked about Greenland, you know, given the comments that you just heard from Stephen Miller to you there, Jake, the president told reporters basically yesterday to ask him about that again in the next 20 days to two months, certainly suggesting that action could be taken there. And so, Jake, really, you know, the president is hinting at what he his view of the Don Road Doctrine, as he has now renamed the Monroe Doctrine in recent days, could potentially look like while he's in office. There are also still real immediate questions that we don't have answers to about Venezuela, including who is running it right now, Jake, because, yes, the vice president, the acting vice president was sworn in today.

51:54And when the White House has been asked about her and whether or not they do believe she's cooperating with their vision of what should happen next in Venezuela, it was the president himself last night, Jake, who defended his comments that she could pay a bigger price than Maduro should she not get in line with what this administration thinks. And he was basically arguing last night to reporters, Jake, saying she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, he said, because Maduro gave up immediately. All right, Caitlin Collins at the White House. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. And don't miss Caitlin on her show, The Source with Caitlin Collins.

52:28Her guest tonight, outgoing Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton. That's tonight at nine only on CNN. Joining us now is Brian Nichols, who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere under President Biden. Brian, thanks so much for being here. So you're an expert on U.S. policy when it comes to Venezuela. What do you think comes next for the Venezuelan people with the vice president now sworn in as the acting president and Trump saying that the U.S. is basically going to be in charge of the country? You heard Stephen Miller earlier saying that that basically means that the U.S.

53:04is the armada is outside Venezuela and they can't do anything without the U.S. signing off on it. Well, today they published a decree declaring a state of emergency, further restricting the rights of the Venezuelan people, mobilizing the military, calling upon people to turn in anyone who cooperated with the United States operation to detain Maduro. So if we are in fact telling Delce Rodriguez, the new acting president, what to do, we should tell her to respect the fundamental freedoms of the Venezuelan people. And we should tell that government to make way for the people who were elected in 2024 to serve as a democratically governing leadership, Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Karina Machado.

53:52So yeah, you heard me ask about Machado and why President Trump so quickly dismissed her, saying that she's weak. And I said her cutout, Gonzalez, won 70 % of the vote. Why do you think she's weak? And he said every Venezuela expert agrees. Do you agree? No. And I think almost every Venezuela expert would disagree with the way that he phrased that. She enjoys enormous support within Venezuela. She's a national hero. She's put her own life at risk for years fighting the Maduro regime and before that Chavez. and her worldview as pro-free markets, pro-democracy. What do you think, I was trying to get Stephen Miller to say when they could count on, when they would bring in elections.

54:41And he basically said, you know, all in due time, which is not dissimilar from what Secretary Rubio said, like it just happened. How important do you think it is for the U.S. to push for elections? Because that wasn't, he didn't talk about bringing democracy to Venezuela. They talked about bringing security to Venezuela. Well, our security and our international standing depends on handing this off to a democratic government in Venezuela. Small D Democrat out there, people. Just small D Democratic. Yes. A government that respects fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. Edmundo Gonzalez, who was elected in 2024, which we recognized and the international community recognized, He's a perfect person to serve as a transitional figure while you prepare for elections.

55:31Again, if we are telling Delce Rodriguez what to do, tell her to let them come back to Venezuela, tell the military of Venezuela, which has proved it is no match for the United States, that they need to respect the freedoms of ordinary citizens, they need to release political prisoners, and they need to move toward a transitional process. We had a U.N. Security Council meeting today where the United States was roundly criticized for our actions. We've set a horrible precedent for the rest of the world. And you're going to see other great powers, and this has already been discussed by many people, so I won't repeat those arguments.

56:08But if we want to get out from under that problem, we need to put this on a democratic path. So Maduro obviously was a horrible guy, or is a horrible guy, repressive ruler. he was a disaster for the people of Venezuela. Did the Biden administration, did Secretary of State Blinken, did you ever talk about removing him with military force? You know, he was subject to an indictment. And if he had been within our power, we would have taken some action to exercise that indictment. But at least I was never part of a discussion to carry out a covert operation. in the manner that carried out over this weekend.

56:53You see a lot of Venezuelan exiles cheering, really happy. They hate Maduro. Do you think ultimately it's a good thing that he's not there, or we have to see what comes next? Well, it's a good thing that he's not there, and his crimes against humanity, human rights violations, drug trafficking, money laundering, those are all well-documented. But why would you remove this one guy who is just the face of a regime and then leave the brains and the muscle of that regime all in their jobs? That part seems very inexplicable to me. Well, you heard me say, I mean, there's six people were in that indictment and the U.S.

57:35grabbed two. Those other four are still there, including the head of Truendillo, Aragua. Yeah. Well, I mean, Diosdalo Cabello being there, the head of their security forces, senior military guy, crucial to drug trafficking through Venezuela. Why would you leave him there? That was another question I asked. If the U.S. controls is running Venezuela now, are those four coming back? Are they going to be captured too? Didn't really get an answer on that. Brian Nichols, thank you so much. It's great to have you and your expertise here. We're continuing to follow the breaking news out of Capitol Hill.

58:10Our teams are positioned right outside of the room of tonight's Venezuela briefing. We're going to bring you live updates as they happen. Plus, we've got a minute-by-minute look at exactly how the U.S. operation inside Venezuela unfolded from the moment President Trump gave the order until Maduro was brought aboard a U.S. warship.

58:32And we're back with the world leader waiting updates from the briefing on Capitol Hill on Venezuela. This is a briefing between Trump administration officials and top Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate. They were not notified ahead of time about the plans to capture President Maduro and his wife. CNN's Nick Payton Walsh breaks down now how this operation unfolded.

58:57With Nicolau Maduro unbowed, President Trump gave the order at 1046 p.m. Eastern time. Later, U.S. forces flew into Venezuela from the sea. 150 aircraft, drones, jets, the helicopters visible over Caracas, where blackouts from U.S. electronic warfare and blasts eased their path. As the night began, the helicopters took off with the extraction force, which included law enforcement officers, and began their flight into Venezuela at 100 feet above the water. As they approached Venezuelan shores, the United States began layering different effects provided by Spacecom, Cybercom, and other members of the interagency to create a pathway.

59:42Multiple locations were hit in and around the capital, including what appeared to be an air defense missile system east of Caracas in Jigarote, and La Carlota Air Base in the capital, and the port of La Guaira. Fire was otherwise concentrated on the Fuerte Tiuna military stronghold and at 1.01am US forces landed at Maduro's location. It was a force against a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas. Images from outside Fortress Tiuna show troops and people fleeing in the dead of night. It lasted 30 minutes, said General Dan Kane, and tore apart Venezuela's defences and the regional order, leaving a gap of two hours and many clashes, he said, until they were over the sea.

1:00:34And the force was over the water at 3.29am Eastern Standard Time. The multi-million dollar alleged narco-terrorist on the USS Iwo Jima in a$120 jogging suit. Jake, so some holes there potentially in that timeline of what was otherwise a remarkably efficient and it seems well-planned operation. Civilian casualty numbers still being questioned at the moment as well. And indeed, too, the Trump administration's plan for the day after. Exactly how they will continue to influence the decisions of Maduro's successors in Venezuela. A well-planned military operation. But still, it seems them struggling to assert their strategic goals after Saturday night.

1:01:20All right. Our thanks to Nick Payton Walsh for that report. Venezuela's uncertain future is already impacting other parts of Latin America, including neighboring Colombia. CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is in Colombia's capital, Bogota. Clarissa, how are Colombian officials reacting to President Trump's suggestion that he might take military action there?

1:01:44Not well in a nutshell, Jake. The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, wrote a lengthy screed, very sharply worded on X earlier today, in which he said in no uncertain terms that for the U.S. to even consider military action in Colombia would be potentially disastrous. The former guerrilla said that even though he had vowed not to touch a weapon again, He would take up arms to defend his homeland. And he also went on to say, and I quote, if you arrest a president when a good part of my people want, who a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular Jaguar. So really making it very clear to President Trump that U.S.

1:02:32military intervention is not welcome here in Colombia. I should say, though, Jake, that we have spoken to others in the presidential office, CNN also spoke to the defense minister, Pedro Sanchez, who have tried to kind of tamp down the rhetoric here and say, you know, the U.S. is not the enemy. Colombia is not the enemy of the U.S. We are allies in the U.S.'s counter-narcotics strategy. also emphasizing that all of the various layers of law enforcement cooperation that continue as part of that four-decade-long relationship in terms of countering drugs and drug lords is still continuing to run its course as usual.

1:03:13So clearly an effort to kind of balance out these ratcheting up tensions. And I should say, though, Jake, it wasn't just Colombia, right? We also heard President Trump give warnings and threats to Greenland, to Iran, to Cuba, to Mexico. But after the sort of stunning and audacious events of the last few days, I think particularly in Latin America, people are really taking a minute before just brushing off Trump's comments as bluster. And they are being forced to take them seriously and at face value, or at least the possibility of that as well, Jake. There are nearly 3 million Venezuelans who have fled Venezuela and settled in Colombia in recent years.

1:03:51How are they reacting to the news?

1:03:55Yeah, I mean, this is literally the largest exodus in recent history in Latin America. 8 million Venezuelans left the country. That's nearly a quarter of the population. Nearly 3 million of them have ended up here in Colombia. We have seen the images and the videos of people celebrating in the streets at the news of Maduro's ouster. But in the conversations that we've been having with Venezuelans here, there is still a lot of anxiety and a lot of uncertainty. Because while Maduro is gone, the regime is still very much in place. And if you look at the events of today, Jake, it appears to be kind of business as usual.

1:04:33Particularly, we have seen on the streets of Caracas, these colectivos, as they're known, these armed gangs, stopping cars, searching cars. The National Assembly, which today swore in, now interim president Delcy Rodriguez, issued a decree as well saying that anybody who supports the U.S. attacks on Venezuela will essentially be rounded up. So people here are not yet preparing to leave. And for many as well, Jake, it's important to remind our viewers that they've been here for over 10 years. They have built lives here for themselves. So while many may dream about going home once again, they're certainly not ready to make that commitment just yet, Jake.

1:05:17All right, Clarissa Ward in Colombia's capital, Bogota. Thank you so much. Crowds took through the streets in South Florida to celebrate the capture of Nicolas Maduro. We're going to get more reaction from Doral, which is home to more Venezuelan immigrants than any other city in the United States.

1:05:37And we're back with our world lead. A lot of mixed emotions for Venezuelans living in the United States. Now that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is in an American prison facing drugs and weapon charges. Some view this as justice. Others cautiously optimistic for what comes next. CNN's Randy Kay is in Doral, Florida. Hope there are more Venezuelan immigrants than any other city in the United States. Randy, how is the Venezuelan community in the U.S. reacting to this sudden regime change? Well, Jake, half the population here in Doral, Florida is Venezuelan. In fact, they refer to this community as Duralzuela because of so many Venezuelans living here.

1:06:14But a lot of them have very strong opinions about Maduro's arrest. But the word that I heard most often today, Jake, is justice. I am happy to see justice being served. Maduro is guilty of crimes against humanity, of overstaying his welcome after being democratically defeated in 2024. There are hundreds of political prisoners still behind bars in Venezuela, and he's also extremely corrupt. So obviously, much of the Maduro regime remains in power. Maduro's vice president, Delce Rodriguez is now the acting president. How do they feel about her? Yeah, I talked to the people here about that. They're angry.

1:06:58They're disappointed. They feel like sidelining the opposition leader and leaving Maduro's vice president in place feels like a slap in the face to them. They said that she is just part of that same corrupt regime and that nothing is going to change. The criminal gang is still there and they are in power. And sadly, especially Delce Rodriguez, who is pretty evil, she's very smart. And if she complied with everything that the Trump administration is asking them for, I am terrified to think that there is not going to be any transition to democracy.

1:07:40And Jake, those we spoke with told us they really don't want any part of the U.S. running Venezuela. They think that the U.S. and the international community should support and help Venezuelans decide their own future. What concerns them the most right now is that they don't see any timeline or any timetable for a transition to democracy, Jake. Randy Kaye in Daryl, Florida, thanks so much. What comes next for Nicolas Maduro and his wife after their not guilty pleas today? How might their lawyers try to get the cases thrown out? What are their odds of being successful? We're going to talk to two legal experts next.

1:08:20And we're back with the breaking news. We're told that 200 U.S. personnel were on the ground in Caracas during the operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. That's according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty in their first federal court appearance in New York earlier today. CNN anchor and chief legal analyst Laura Coates was inside the courtroom. And Laura, what struck you the most about Maduro's demeanor in court today? This was absolutely stunning to watch, the self-proclaimed president of Venezuela and the self-proclaimed first lady of Venezuela inside this Manhattan courtroom for a case years in the making.

1:08:53Jake, what was so stunning, first of all, he's a very large man. His stature is very, very imposing. He's in the courtroom. He has on sort of tan pants. He's got two shirts on. He's shuffling in. He is unshackled. His wife is just one lawyer apart from him. He has headsets on to have an interpreter discuss and tell what the judge is saying to him. At his very first opportunity to speak, after writing copious notes for about 10 minutes straight, the judge asks him about whether his name, in fact, is Nicolas Maduro Moro. At that instance, he stands up and begins to talk about being a prisoner of war, having been abducted from his home and captured.

1:09:32The judge interrupts him and says, we'll have time to talk about the legality and any motions you might have. All I want to know right now is if you are Nicolas Maduro Muro, to which he says, soy Nicolas Maduro Muro. At that point, he also describes having the indictment in his hands, the visual of having this indictment years in the making in his hand, waving the ability to have everything right in detail and just saying he wants to look at it personally. He also had trouble sitting at different points. He was really labored in gripping both sides of his chair as he lowered his body. As you'll notice him walking out of that helicopter, his left leg appears to be limping behind him.

1:10:12It seemed when he was in the courtroom as well, he was trying to extend his legs out. His lawyers mentioned, along with her lawyer as well, injuries or medical issues to discuss. And in fact, on her face, she had bandages. She seemed to have a little bit of bruising as well. The lawyer described severe bruising on her ribs. Now, counter to this very assertive voice of Nicolas Maduro was a more soft-spoken, more demure, proclaimed first lady who often would look towards her husband. They would exchange glances, and he was literally turning his body to see what she was going to say as he called over her attorney and tapped him on the shoulder.

1:10:51Interestingly enough, there was no mention of bail being set. They didn't even move for bail, meaning they'd be released pending a trial. There was plenty of time to get to that. Two words came to mind. Voluminous, complex. Both used to describe what is ahead in terms of the motion practice to assert immunity, to assert any international laws they believe haven't been broken. It was really, really stunning to see them in court. The next court date is set for March 17th. That's more than two months away. What questions do you have about what we're going to see in this case before then? Well, what will the protective order be in this case?

1:11:26because the prosecution, there were five AUSAs, by the way, they made clear that they wanted to release what's called Rule 16 discovery. Fancy way of talking about all the documents and evidence I got to hand over to you if I'm going to prove you're actually guilty, including anything that might be exculpatory, they're required to hand over as well. They were willing to do so only after a protective order was in place, a discussion was had, and voluminous motions about potential head of state immunity and international laws being broken. And so all that's coming up and why the very reason Nicolas Maduro and his wife did not move to have their speedy trial rights initially asserted.

1:12:06They waived that saying, we'll wait until March 17th to get all that done. And instead, they asked to speak to the consulate, presumably because, Jake, you and I both know the MDC where they're being held is notoriously problematic. Don't take my word for it. The inspector general of DOJ talks about it as well. There have been complaints from coast to coast for anyone who has been in that particular facility. Very famous people, including people who are laymen as well. And they are probably going to look to negotiate their conditions in there, whether they have any leverage whatsoever. Anyone's guess.

1:12:41All right, Laura Coates, thanks so much. Joining us now to discuss the former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ellie Honig, and former Trump White House lawyer, Jim Schultz. Ellie, Maduro attempted to elaborate on the circumstance of his arrest in court today. The judge told him there will be a time and a place to go into all of this. What's your reaction to hearing about how he seemed confident in court today? Well, so you're not going to resolve or win a motion at your initial appearance. So it's appropriate that the judge said that. Not surprising that Nicolas Maduro went in there defiant, right?

1:13:10And I think this points up that Judge Hellerstein, I appeared in front of him many times. He's going to have a courtroom discipline issue to deal with throughout this case. This is not a demure defendant. This is not someone who respects the authority of the United States. We already saw borderline outbursts today. He was asked for his name and he said, I am the president of Venezuela. Not something our country agrees with. Judge Hellerstein can control his courtroom. I've tried cases in front of him. He's not going to put up with that stuff. Maduro's going to have his rights. He can make his motions, but he's not going to turn this into a circus.

1:13:39We should note he's 92 years old. So it's still tough, though. I'm sure he's tough. But anyway, Jim, Maduro's defense team, as anticipated, was quick to raise the issues of how he was abducted. obviously Maduro says he was kidnapped. How will the means by which Maduro was taken into custody ultimately factor into the case against him, do you think? Well, they're going to file a motion to dismiss relative to those issues, right? Arguing that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. There was a 1989 memo authored by Bill Barr during the first Bush administration that basically opined that it's okay to violate the UN authority on this, that it's okay to extract a criminal out of a foreign country, that it's within the president's power, by and through those of the attorney general, to take someone out of their country when they violated laws in the United States.

1:14:31That memo is going to be put to the test in this, and I expect that's going to be the first motion out of the gate. And, Ellie, could the legal discrepancies here be a hindrance at all to the government's case? Well, it's going to be tough. I mean, these are novel motions. Jim's right, there is that memo from DOJ. It was used against Noriega and Panama, right? Exactly. And it held up in the Noriega case. And the Supreme Court has actually ruled, I think people might be surprised, that even if a person is taken out of their country contrary to international law, that does not mean that a federal United States indictment gets dismissed.

1:15:02There's Supreme Court opinions on that. There's other lower federal court opinions on that. So to a large extent, we can get away with that type of conduct in our own courts. So he's going to make these motions, Maduro, and I think we're going to learn a lot more about how this international law actually plays. On this Noriega issue, this is the closest, most similar case. Although I do think about, I mean, the U.S. went into Pakistan and killed bin Laden, which is not completely irrelevant, although that was not a capture. That was just an assassination, an execution. But Noriega, 1989, drug trafficking charges.

1:15:35He was convicted in a Miami federal court, sentenced to 40 years in prison. And he was not successful in asserting head of state immunity. Do you think that that's going to be a similar fate for Maduro? I do believe it's going to be the similar fate for Maduro because I think the recognition is whether they're head of the state determines what the United States says it is in that case. That's the argument that's going to be made. And I think in that case, there was a distinction in that he had been, I think he'd been removed from office or the authority there had removed him from office. So it was slightly different, but I think it's the distinctions without a difference in this case.

1:16:11So, and obviously, as always, he has a right to an attorney and who was going to represent him and his wife or whether it was going to be separate lawyers, all that. That began on Saturday. Today, Maduro was represented by Barry Pollack, who once represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. What do we know about this process? Yeah. So, of course, a person has a right to hire whoever they want to hire. I think he's going to end up with a team. I think Nicolas Maduro is going to end up with more than just one lawyer, more than just Mr. Pollack. We've seen this. We've seen mega defense teams. If you think to Sean Combs, for example.

1:16:43He had eight or nine lawyers. And I think what he's going to be looking for, Maduro, is someone who's an expert on these international law issues we were discussing. You want a couple people who can handle a trial in New York City. You want local practitioners. You're going to want appellate experts. You're going to want jury selection experts. And he can use the money that he has, even through drug trafficking or whatever the allegations are against Maduro. He can use that money? It's a great question. We, the United States, froze whatever accounts we know about. There is a way. It's really hard to do in the federal system, there is a way for prosecutors to challenge, to say he's using illicit proceeds to pay for his lawyer, to pay for his experts.

1:17:18But it's rarely done in federal court, but that is an avenue that's available to challenge. And usually in a high-profile case like this, high-profile defense attorneys will do it pro bono even. Yeah, I think you're going to see some of that here. I think you're going to see some of the associations and support groups and And, you know, civil liberties groups step up here and defend Maduro and provide counsel for that. And I think you're going to see folks who want publicity, right, who are defense lawyers to take that publicity. And that's enough for them. All right, Jim Schultz and Ellie Honig, thanks so much.

1:17:50Interesting stuff. Senator Bernie Sanders called President Trump's actions in Venezuela illegal. Is there anything Congress can do about it now? Or if President Trump decides to do something similar in, say, Colombia, we're going to talk to Senator Sanders live in moments.

1:18:09We are back with our world lead. The big question tonight, who is running Venezuela right now? Who's in charge? It's a question President Trump was just asked in a phone interview with Kristen Welker, who asked, quote, Rubio, Hegseth, Stephen Miller, are those three people going to be in charge of Venezuela? Are those the top three people you would say, sir? President Trump replies, quote, yes, yeah, among the top people. JD will be involved also, a reference to the vice president. asked, quote, who will be the top person if there is one? President Trump replied, quote, me. Here now is independent Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

1:18:45Senator Sanders, what's your reaction to President Trump saying he is the top person in charge of Venezuela? Well, you know, during his campaign, Jake, as we all recall, Trump said America first. Well, last I heard, 60 % of the people in this country, in America, are living paycheck to paycheck. People can't afford housing or groceries. Our health care system is collapsing right now. So maybe instead of trying to run Venezuela, the president might try to do a better job running the United States of America. That's number one. Number two, very importantly, I think what Trump has done is made the world significantly less safe.

1:19:31If the United States can attack and kidnap the president of Venezuela, who clearly is corrupt, clearly is a bad news guy, but he's the president there. If we can do that, what is stopping any other country on earth for whatever reason or terrorist organizations from launching military attacks? Trump has violated international law, and that is going to make all of us, I think, less safe. So just to play devil's advocate, Maduro ran a corrupt regime. He denied, he repressed his people. He was elected president, but that was a long time ago. And since then, he's canceled elections. There's been fraud.

1:20:15He's been ignoring elections. Opposition has had to flee, etc., etc. He was indicted in the U.S. What should the U.S. have done? I mean, sanctions weren't working. Let me give you an example. You're quite right about your description of Maduro. This is, you know, a corrupt dictator, anti-democratic guy. But you know what? You know who's also a corrupt dictator and an anti-democratic guy? MBS, the guy who leads Saudi Arabia, he was, according to the American intelligence agencies, involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post correspondent. He runs a dictatorship. He owns the whole country.

1:20:54Well, are we going to invade Saudi Arabia, or do we pick and choose the bad guys that we want to punish? Bottom line is, it's a tough world out there. And you, Maduro is a bad news guy. And we've got to support democratic forces in Venezuela and all over this country to fight for democracy. But that is not Trump's goal. Trump has made it clear he wants to take Venezuela's oil. last I heard this is what imperialism is all about. And I suspect that people all over the world are saying, wow, we're going back to where we were a hundred years ago, or 50 years ago, where the big powerful countries were exploiting poorer countries for their natural resources.

1:21:36Last point I would make, Jake. In countries like China and other countries around the world, they are moving aggressively away from fossil fuel, not only for climate, but because solar and other sustainable energies are cheaper. Why Trump wants to prop up the fossil fuel industry is something he will have to explain to the American people. It's bad for our climate, and it's going to cost us a lot more money than moving to sustainable energies. So earlier in the show, we had on White House advisor Stephen Miller, and he characterized the U.S. involvement in Venezuela as a, quote, ongoing military operation.

1:22:12And then when I asked, well, who's running Venezuela, who's in charge? He said this. Take a listen. By definition, we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So the United States is in charge. The United States is running the country during this transition period. What's your response, sir? Well, that's the definition.

1:22:50Mr. Miller gave a very good definition of imperialism. And that's not new. I mean, England did it. France did it. Countries all over the world historically have done it. The United States has done it. We are powerful. We have the strongest military on Earth. We can run any country we want. Is that really the kind of America that our people want? I don't think so. I think they would rather us pay attention to improving our broken health care system, making sure that workers have decent wages, dealing with the housing crisis, which is so significant virtually every state in this country. But Mr.

1:23:29Miller did a very good job in describing what imperialism is all about. Today, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, said he doesn't believe the White House needed congressional authorization for the operation. You have called on Congress to pass a War Powers Resolution to end this military operation that you call illegal. Would that War Powers Resolution have the support of any of your Republican colleagues who obviously control the majority of the Senate? Well, I think it will. But you've got to ask them how many. Look, we have in so many ways a president who ignores the Constitution and the rule of law.

1:24:06The Constitution is quite clear. It is Congress that determines issues of war and peace. This was not a national emergency. This was not 9-11. This was not, you know, Pearl Harbor. This was a premeditated attack. Congress should have been informed that I strongly support a war powers resolution. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, thank you, sir. Appreciate it as always. Thank you. Coming up next, new reporting about a meeting planned for oil executives this week, just days after Maduro's removal.

1:24:41And we're back with our world lead. We're watching live pictures right now from Capitol Hill, where top Trump administration officials are briefing top lawmakers about the latest on the situation in Venezuela. White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller telling us in the last hour that the U.S. is in charge in Venezuela. We're going to keep an eye out for any reaction from lawmakers after this briefing. Just in, Energy Secretary Chris Wright will meet with oil executives this week in Miami to discuss drilling for oil in Venezuela following the U.S. operation this past weekend. CNN previously reported that in the weeks leading up to the operation to capture Maduro, the White House engaged with U.S.

1:25:16oil companies to gauge their interest in returning to Venezuela. Sources say that many of the oil companies have been privately rather wary of committing to any such efforts. CNN's Brian Todd takes a closer look now at Venezuela's wealth of oil.

1:25:33Following the dramatic capture of Nicolas Maduro, President Trump put it bluntly. America was taking over the running of an underperforming oil power. It's been horribly run. The oil is just flowing at a very low level. Why are Venezuela's oil reserves so important to the U.S.? Analysts say it's not just that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, sitting on over 300 billion barrels of crude, but it now has the potential to eventually reclaim its status as one of the world's top oil producers with a type of oil that fits America's needs and capabilities to a T. Venezuela's particular kind of crude oil, which we call extra heavy, is a perfect match for the sophisticated oil refineries that the U.S.

1:26:18energy companies have invested in and built in the Gulf Coast. In the hours after Maduro's capture, President Trump made this claim about Venezuela's oil trading history with America. It was the greatest theft in the history of America. Nobody has ever stolen our property like they have. They took our oil away from us. They took the infrastructure away. Experts say it's not true that Venezuela stole America's oil. The oil itself, they say, was always Venezuela's. But one analyst says part of Trump's claim is correct, that Venezuela did expropriate some of the assets and infrastructure of American oil companies in Venezuela.

1:26:57There were two major rounds of expropriations. One of them was in the 70s, and another one was in the early to mid-2000s under Chavez, the former strongman. It was under Hugo Chavez, analysts say, that Venezuela's status as an oil power began to spiral. A communist dictator came in, nationalized the resources, kicked out most of the U.S. companies, and then invited the Russians and the Chinese to come in. And then he didn't organize and plan and run the Wells Wells, so he ran the system into the ground. Then Maduro ran it further into the ground, to the point where now Venezuela produces less than 1 % of the world's crude oil.

1:27:40How long will it take to revitalize that decaying operation, as President Trump has promised to do? Well, despite Trump's promise that U.S. oil companies are ready to race back into Venezuela, CNN has learned that they've been hesitant to commit to that. Experts say those companies are going to want to see some real political stability there first, and that could take years, if not decades. Jake? All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, threads X and on the TikTok at Chick Tapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram at The Lead CNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app.

1:28:12Erin Burnett out front starts now. Take it away, Erin.

1:28:24I'm Eva Longoria, and I'm setting out to really experience France, to savor its world-celebrated cuisine and explore the country's rich history. Eva Longoria, Searching for France, premieres April 12th on CNN and next day on the CNN app. I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast Terms of Service, there's a growing category of products aimed specifically at addressing women's unique health needs. These tools and services are sometimes known as femtech, and they can provide big opportunities and benefits, but they can also come with some risks. To walk us through all of this, I spoke with Bethany Corbin.

1:29:01Bethany is an attorney and CEO of Fem Innovation, where she advises startups, clinicians, and healthcare organizations. In my opinion, what it really does is gives us a collective language to talk about women's healthcare innovation and the tools that are out there so that we can take control of our healthcare experiences and know how to advocate for ourselves in a system that's probably not been designed to advocate for us. Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.