JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
It was a stunning scene in a federal courtroom today in New York City. The deposed leader of Venezuela and his wife were brought before a U.S. judge to face multiple charges, including allegedly facilitating the trafficking of thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States. Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were both wearing prison uniforms, and both entered not guilty pleas. In Venezuela, a new leader was sworn in as interim president, and residents are now attempting to resume life after the U.S. military action over the weekend. For more, let's go now to NPR South America correspondent Carrie Kahn. Hi there.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi.
SUMMERS: So, Carrie, today, we were able to hear directly from Maduro and his wife in federal court. What did they have to say to the judge?
KAHN: Maduro tried several times to speak directly to the judge who was explaining to him how this initial court appearance would work. He didn't get to give a speech, but Maduro did say in Spanish that was translated to the judge, I was captured. And when asked for his plea, he said, I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country. The former first lady also said, too, she was not guilty. And she had a bandage on her forehead and what reporters in the courtroom were describing as bruising over one eye. Her lawyer says she was injured during the U.S. Special Forces raid on their home in Caracas Saturday when they were both captured.
SUMMERS: And, Carrie, what have you been hearing from Venezuelans at home watching this, seeing their former leader in court in prison garb?
KAHN: State TV has not showed any of these images of Maduro in custody, nothing. There was very little about the court appearance, just shots of the group of supporters in front of the courthouse in New York. Nothing of the other protesters there also celebrating his capture. Plenty of Venezuelans, though, have social media, and they can see these images. But on the streets, the mood is still very subdued. Talking with people, many are still in shock over the U.S. attack. Public transportation, though, is back up and running, and some people have returned to jobs. But plenty of shops and churches and schools are still closed.
SUMMERS: And officials in Venezuela - what have they had to say?
KAHN: This was the first day of the new National Assembly for the year, and members were sworn in, including Maduro's son. He's known as Nicolasito, or The Prince. He gave an emotional, defiant speech pledging support to the acting leader Delcy Rodriguez. Here he is.
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NICOLAS MADURO JR: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "The homeland is in good hands, Papa, and we will hug each other soon here in Venezuela," he told everybody, holding back tears. And just to note, Nicolas Maduro Jr. is also listed as a defendant on the U.S. indictment against his father and stepmother.
And then later, Delcy Rodriguez was actually sworn in as what they're calling the acting or interim president. She was sworn in by her brother, who is the longtime head of the assembly, and here she is.
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PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: She pledged to bring Venezuela out of these terrible times that she says is threatening the stability and peace of our country. She really has toned down her rhetoric, though, since President Trump threatened her directly if she didn't come in line with U.S. demands. And so, clearly, what we saw today, though, was the old guard is still in charge of Venezuela. There has been no big shakeup after the U.S. attack.
SUMMERS: No big shakeup. OK. So where is the opposition during all of this? What have you been hearing?
KAHN: We have already heard reports today that there's a crackdown on journalists in the country. A union of independent journalists said that there were seven arrests this afternoon around that National Assembly meeting. One opposition lawmaker stood up during the assembly swearing in and demanded release of all political prisoners. From abroad, we did hear last night in a video statement from Edmundo Gonzalez, who's widely believed to have beaten Maduro in the 2024 presidential election. He called himself the president and demanded, also, a release of political prisoners.
SUMMERS: NPR's Carrie Kahn in Bogota, Colombia. Thank you.
KAHN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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