Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores plead not guilty

What to Know

• Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made his first court appearance Monday since his stunning capture, pleading not guilty to the numerous charges he faces in the United States.
• Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the U.S. for alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses. Flores also pleaded not guilty.
• Maduro, who called himself the president of Venezuela, said he was “kidnapped” and “captured” from his home in Caracas, Venezuela. “I am a prisoner of war,” he added in Spanish. Flores also described herself as the first lady of Venezuela in court.
• Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center to decry U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Meanwhile, in South Florida over the weekend, Venezuelans celebrated Maduro’s capture by American forces.
• The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he remains “deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected” and worried that the U.S. raid could set a precedent for how future relations between states are conducted.
• Interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president under Maduro, was sworn in as acting president Monday. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela and warned its interim leader to cooperate or pay a “very big price.”