Delcy Rodríguez and Venezuela's regime leadership are negotiating a power transition with the United States between 4:15 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. UTC on January 4, 2026, because U.S. officials assess opposition leader María Corina Machado lacks capacity to seize and retain control, according to an X post by FranciscoPoleoR; simultaneously, images showed captured Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores flying past the Statue of Liberty moments ago, per Fox News. The negotiations, managed through U.S. Senator Marco Rubio with asymmetric U.S. leverage, envision Rodríguez stabilizing Venezuela with American backing ahead of general elections, the post stated. Rodríguez's recent public rhetoric targeted the chavista base domestically, not the U.S., according to the report shared in the past 29 minutes. U.S. officials had sought proof from Machado's team of military alignment, institutional control and governance plans following the 2024 election but received evasive responses, per FranciscoPoleoR. This builds on Maduro's capture and escort to the New York DEA office by DEA SRT operators earlier on January 4, as previously reported.
