El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anunció que mantuvo este miércoles «una larga conversación» con la presidenta interina de Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, y que todo «anda muy bien» con ese país.

«Tuvimos una larga llamada, discutimos un montón de cosas, creo que todo anda muy bien con Venezuela», declaró Trump a periodistas en el Despacho Oval.

Rodríguez es «una persona formidable», añadió Trump, que prevé recibir a la líder opositora, María Corina Machado, el jueves en la Casa Blanca.

Poco después, en un mensaje en su red Truth Social, Trump dijo que abordaron diversos temas y que se están logrando «avances extraordinarios» en asuntos como petróleo, minerales, comercio y seguridad nacional.

A primera hora de la tarde, Delcy Rodríguez, que hasta la caída de Nicolás Maduro era su vicepresidenta, había afirmado que se iniciaba «un nuevo momento político» en Venezuela, y prometiera que continuará el proceso de excarcelaciones.

El líder republicano evitó una respuesta clara cuando le preguntaron sobre las posibles resistencias del «número dos» del gobierno venezolano, en alusión al poderoso ministro de Interior, Diosdado Cabello, a colaborar con Washington.

«Yo conozco a la número uno», respondió Trump a la pregunta. «Acabamos justo de tener una conversación hoy. Es alguien con quien trabajamos muy bien. (El secretario de Estado) Marco Rubio negocia con ella» añadió.

Trump dijo que controla los asuntos venezolanos tras la operación militar que derrocó al presidente Nicolás Maduro el 3 de enero.

Trump afirma que Estados Unidos mantiene una tutela sobre el gobierno venezolano y ha anunciado acuerdos para recibir millones de barriles de petróleo venezolano.

Poco después, Delcy Rodríguez confirmó su conversación con Donald Trump, para abordar una «agenda de trabajo bilateral» y los «asuntos pendientes» entre ambos gobiernos. «El día de hoy sostuve una larga, productiva y cortés conversación telefónica con el Presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, desarrollada en un marco de respeto mutuo», dijo Rodríguez en un breve mensaje en Telegram.

En una breve declaración a la prensa este miércoles, Rodríguez anunció en Caracas que Venezuela «se abre a un nuevo momento político».

Rodríguez había informado más temprano que en los últimos días han sido liberados 406 presos políticos en el país y que el proceso de exarcelación «se mantiene abierto».

Sostuve una larga y cortés conversación telefónica con el Presidente de los EEUU, Donald Trump, desarrollada en un marco de respeto mutuo, en la que abordamos una agenda de trabajo bilateral en beneficio de nuestros pueblos, así como asuntos pendientes entre nuestros gobiernos. pic.twitter.com/TPxQMo4mn0

— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) January 14, 2026

Nueva marcha chavista en Caracas

En tanto, Delcy Rodríguez, convocó este miércoles a la unión de los trabajadores del país y reiteró su compromiso con la liberación del mandatario Nicolás Maduro, que permanece detenido en Nueva York.

«Que sea toda Venezuela unida que busque un horizonte y que ese horizonte sea la paz social, sea la paz económica, que en cada familia trabajadora de Venezuela, bueno, amanezca la esperanza y esa esperanza de que los tendremos de vuelta», declaró Rodríguez durante una llamada telefónica con uno de los dirigentes que encabezaba una manifestación de trabajadores chavistas en Caracas y que fue redifundida en los altavoces instalados en la concentración.

La líder chavista confió también en la posibilidad de construir una patria que «permita la felicidad, el futuro de nuestros hijos y de nuestras hijas».

Se trata de las primeras palabras en medio de una movilización de la mandataria encargada, que no ha aparecido públicamente en este tipo de actos que convoca a diario el chavismo para pedir la libertad de Maduro y su esposa, Cilia Flores.

La presidenta encargada dijo a los trabajadores que cuentan con su lealtad y su compromiso e insistió en que tienen que «cumplir» el objetivo de regresar a Maduro, quien ya ha comparecido en tribunales en Nueva York acusado cuatro presuntos cargos federales, entre ellos conspiración de narcoterrorismo y conspiración para la importación de cocaína.

El ataque militar de Estados Unidos dejó al menos 100 muertos entre civiles y militares, según informó el ministro de Interior y Justicia, Diosdado Cabello.

Rodríguez, quien ejercía como vicepresidenta de Maduro, fue juramentada como presidenta encargada dos días después de la captura de Maduro ante la Asamblea Nacional (AN, Parlamento), luego de que fuera convocada por el Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ).

The House of Representatives passed a roughly $80 billion spending package on Wednesday evening, taking a significant step toward averting a government shutdown at the end of this month.

The package combines two of Congress’ 12 annual appropriations bills in what’s called a «minibus.» It covers funding for the State Department and related national security, as well as federal financial services and general government operations.

Glaring questions still remain, however, over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as progressives threaten to withhold support from any such bill unless it’s paired with significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The push comes from the left in response to an ICE agent shooting 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who was driving her car when it made physical contact with a law enforcement official who then fatally shot her.

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Partisan divisions have erupted over the narrative, with GOP officials like DHS Secretary Kristi Noem saying the agent acted in self-defense, while Democrats on Capitol Hill have called for criminal investigations.

DHS funding was initially expected to be part of this minibus, but House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters earlier this week that he would like to see the bill as part of the final package that’s also expected to include funding for the Department of War, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, Education Department and Health and Human Services, among others.

But the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told reporters on Tuesday that she wanted to see DHS funding as a separate bill.

«It’s got to be by itself,» DeLauro said. «It’s got to be separate.»

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Meanwhile, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is formally threatening to oppose any DHS funding that does not change immigration enforcement policy, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., announced.

«Our caucus members will oppose all funding for immigration enforcement in any appropriation bills until meaningful reforms are enacted to end militarized policing practices. We cannot, and we should not continue to fund agencies that operate with impunity,» she told reporters.

House Speaker Mike Johnson in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Dec. 2, 2025 (Yuri Gripas/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But the bill that passed on Wednesday did so with wide bipartisan support, as expected.

All federal spending bills in the wake of last year’s government shutdown are a product of bipartisan discussions between the House and Senate.

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The recent package totals just over $76 billion in federal funds, and is now headed to the Senate for its approval before getting to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The State Department and national security bill includes $850 million for an «America First Opportunity Fund,» aimed at giving the Secretary of State funding to respond to potential unforeseen circumstances.

Both Republicans and Democrats touted different victories in the legislation, with a summary by House Appropriations Committee Republicans stating that the bill supports «President Trump’s America First foreign policy by eliminating wasteful spending on DEI or woke programming, climate change mandates, and divisive gender ideologies.»

Democrats said the bill «supports women globally» by «protecting funding for bilateral family planning and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)» and pointed to $6.8 billion for a new account «that supports the activities previously funded under Development Assistance.» 

The bill also provides millions in security assistance for Israel and Taiwan, among other global partners across the world.

The latter bill provides just over $13 billion for the U.S. Treasury for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, while also including a provision that stops the IRS «from targeting individuals or groups for exercising their First Amendment rights or ideological beliefs,» according to Republicans.

It also provides $872 million for the Executive Office of the President and $9.69 billion in discretionary funding for the Federal Judiciary.

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Meanwhile, across the Capitol, the Senate is expected to vote on and pass the previous three-bill funding package on Thursday before leaving Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess.

Neither side appears willing to thrust the government into another shutdown, with Senate Democrats in particular viewing the package as an opportunity to fund several of their priorities. But, there is a growing consensus that a short-term funding patch will be needed to allow lawmakers to finish work on the thornier DHS bill.

«Homeland is obviously the hardest one, and it’s possible that, if we can’t get agreement, that there could be some sort of CR that funds some of these bills into next year,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

Still, bipartisan funding talks are still happening — a stark departure from the last government funding deadline in October. But lawmakers in the upper chamber won’t be able to tackle the two-bill package until they return toward the end of the month.

EXCLUSIVE: France’s ambassador to the United Nations said Paris has strongly condemned Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests, as the French government weighs possible satellite communications support to help Iranians circumvent a near-total internet blackout.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Jerome Bonnafont described what he said was an escalation in repression by Iranian authorities and outlined France’s response, including sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

«We have condemned very, very strongly, at the highest level, the repression against the popular movement in Iran,» Bonnafont said. «This time it seems to me that the repression is even more violent than it used to be.»

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His remarks come as France’s foreign minister confirmed Paris is studying the possible transfer of satellite terminals operated by Eutelsat to Iran, following a sweeping internet shutdown imposed by Iranian authorities during the unrest, and as the G7 issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests. 

The foreign ministers of France, the United States and other G7 nations warned they were prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to violate international human rights obligations.

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Earlier Tuesday, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, urged France to support designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization at the EU level during a call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Asked whether France would back such a move, Bonnafont did not address the IRGC designation directly, instead emphasizing existing sanctions and international pressure.

«There are sanctions against the police of the regime. And there are sanctions also against several individuals, more than 200 people in Iran for these reasons,» he said.

«What we have to do is to condemn and to address the right message to the people in Iran and to the regime, so that the regime stops with this massive repression.»

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NATO leaders pose in this shot taken in June. (Claudia Greco/Reuters)

NATO and Europe’s defense responsibility

Bonnafont also addressed repeated calls from President Donald Trump for European allies to shoulder more of NATO’s defense burden, arguing that Europe is already moving in that direction.

«There is a will by the Europeans to take the full responsibility of the protection of its own continent,» he said.

He stressed that the approach reflects a long-standing French position. «It is a very old theme for the French governments that there has to be within NATO an autonomous, self-capable entity for European defense,» Bonnafont said, referring to France’s long-standing advocacy for European strategic autonomy, a position repeatedly emphasized by President Emmanuel Macron.

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron meet at Lancaster House in London, March 2, 2025. (Justin Tallis/Pool via Reuters)

Ukraine as a test case

Bonnafont pointed to Europe’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine as evidence that European governments are prepared to act collectively when core security interests are threatened.

«Ukraine has been attacked by Russia four years ago. Now it has been invaded by Russia, and it has decided to resist and to fight for its independence, its territorial integrity, its sovereignty,» he said.

He described European backing for Kyiv as both unified and extensive. «And Europeans are going in support of Ukraine. And what we are doing in terms of financial support is massive. What we are doing in terms of political support is unanimous,» Bonnafont said.

According to the ambassador, France and the United Kingdom are working to organize what he described as a «coalition of volunteers» to provide Ukraine with long-term security guarantees once negotiations with Russia become possible.

«When Ukraine enters into discussion with Russia, and when Russia accepts to enter into discussion with Ukraine, and when the elements of a peace, sustainable peace, are put on paper, Ukraine can have security guarantees,» he said.

Bonnafont also pointed to France’s domestic budget decisions as evidence that Europe is backing rhetoric with resources. «There is presently the negotiation of the next budget for France for 2026,» he said. «It includes a strong increase in our defense budget, and it is the only budget that is going to be increased in our whole budget this year.»

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The Security Council meets at United Nations headquarters on June 13, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

UN reform and budget cuts

Beyond NATO and Europe’s defense posture, Bonnafont said France is pushing for institutional reform at the United Nations, where member states recently approved significant budget reductions. «The institution has to reform. It always has to reform,» he said.

«We decided by consensus with the American government and all the others a budget which presents a reduction of 20% of manpower and a reduction of 15% of the funds allocated to the U.N.,» Bonnafont added. «Give me another example of a public structure that is capable of such an effort in such a short time,» he said.

Despite the cuts, he defended the U.N.’s relevance. «Yes, we are serious about reform. Yes, we want it to be streamlined,» Bonnafont said. «But yes, we need the U.N. for the world.»

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A Palestinian boy walks near an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, July 5, 2025. (Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)

UNRWA dispute and U.S. funding cuts

Asked about the U.S. decision to halt funding for several U.N. agencies, including UNRWA, Bonnafont defended the agencies, saying, «Organizations are more efficient when they are universal,» adding that participation remains a sovereign decision for the United States.