Nicolás Maduro is still the "legitimate president" of Venezuela, the country's acting president Delcy Rodríguez said in an exclusive interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker.

President Donald Trump is heading to North Carolina on Friday to celebrate members of the special forces who stormed into Venezuela on the third day of the New Year and whisked away that country's leader,

The government is tolerating small protests and public criticism as Venezuelan leaders try to appease the U.S.

Five weeks post-Operation Absolute Resolve and Venezuela is no closer to democratic elections. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary CHRIS WRIGHT is touring the country’s oil fields with acting President DELCY RODRIGUEZ today, as the White House maintains that its relationship with the interim leadership is going swimmingly.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is one of the highest ranking American officials to visit Venezuela in nearly 30 years, marking warmer ties between Washington and Caracas.

President Donald Trump has publicly disavowed any formal role for Florida energy magnate Harry Sargeant III in U.S. policy toward Venezuela, drawing a sharp line between official diplomacy and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of a well-connected Republican donor with deep business interests in the country's oil sector.

President Trump has insisted that a Florida oil magnate has no influence over US policy toward Venezuela. “There is a story about a man named Harry Sargeant III in The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.

In a social media post, DHS listed Cuba and Venezuela among the models for certain law enforcement practices used by ICE.

The U.S. is cooperating with a regime in Venezuela it does not recognize, and it's unclear what role the opposition will play in the future.