Venezuela's ousted leader Maduro back in U.S. court

Nicolas Maduro, the ousted Venezuelan president, appeared in a New York court on July 22, 2026, for his third public hearing since being captured by U.S. military commandos in a January 3 raid on his Caracas compound. Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores are held in a Brooklyn jail facing charges including narcoterrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons possession. Prosecutors and defense lawyers proposed a June 2027 trial date. The U.S. has allowed Venezuela to fund Maduro's legal defense, previously blocked by sanctions. Maduro has pleaded not guilty and declared himself a 'prisoner of war.' Venezuela is now led by his former vice president Delcy Rodriguez, while the U.S. controls the country's oil exports.