When the Bombs Fell on Caracas

On January 3, 2026, the United States invaded Venezuela and kidnapped president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. It was the first U.S. invasion of a Latin American country since the 1989 invasion of Panama. <br /><br />The United States fired missiles and bombs that blew out windows and hit residential apartment blocks. Helicopters. Explosions. Firebombs. They cut electricity. They destroyed a medical supplies warehouse. Testimonies say helicopters fired on innocent people. They traumatized thousands, if not, millions of Venezuelans.<br /><br />The aftermath for everyday Venezuelans has been completely ignored. The voices of those on the ground — the voices of the victims — have been largely silenced in the international press and then forgotten as the news cycle hurtles on and our attention shifts elsewhere — to Greenland, Minneapolis, Iran, Gaza, or whatever Trump happens to be blustering about on social media.<br /><br />So today, we’re heading to Caracas to speak to people who experienced the invasion first hand, whether sheltered in place in their homes or running for their lives in the streets of their city. We’ll hear their stories of Trump’s “impressive” attack, their messages for the U.S., and how they’ve promised to resist the ongoing attack on their sovereignty.<br /><br /><a href="https://therealnews.com/under-the-shadow" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Under the Shadow</a> is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America.<br /><br />This podcast is produced in partnership between <a href="https://therealnews.com/under-the-shadow" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Real News Network</a> and <a href="https://nacla.org/under-shadow" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">NACLA</a>.<br /><br />Theme music by Michael Fox’s band, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nexDyQCZI89JH8zsYu5wa" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Monte Perdido</a>. Monte Perdido's 2024 album Ofrenda is available on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1THq4wHHqkY8yydUMJRmWj" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.deezer.com/pt/album/587476202" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Deezer</a>, <a href="https://music.apple.com/za/album/ofrenda/1746696244" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Apple Music</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n1lCcdFJEQczm-VSiraOuUpGcbzLxnRXs" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">YouTube</a> or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions. All of the ambient sound of the invasion in this episode was taken from cell phone videos filmed and posted on social media or shared over WhatsApp on January 3rd, during the pre-dawn U.S. invasion.<br /><br />Script editing by <a href="https://www.heathergies.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Heather Gies.</a><br />Hosted, written, produced, mixed and edited by Latin America-based journalist <a href="https://www.patreon.com/mfox" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Michael Fox</a>.<br />Translator and freelance journalist Coromoto Jaraba Pineda helped with reporting for this episode. You can find her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/coromotojp/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coritoj/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<br />Many thanks to Ricardo Vaz and Jessica dos Santos.<br /><br /><b>Resources: </b><br /><br />Today’s episode features filmmaker Angel Palacios. Below are some links to his documentary films:<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ9jE1c0XPE" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Puente Llaguno: Claves de Una Massacre</a> (en Español)</li><li><a href="https://vimeo.com/40502430" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Llaguno Bridge: Keys to a Massacre</a> (in English)</li><li>Angel’s film series<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq5QeLqAy31fJpDSLBoHYvehSKpw_vX5_" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> InjerenCIA: The Silent Invasion </a>(en Español)</li></ul><br />Check out the previous Under the Shadow episodes on the U.S. invasion of Venezuela:<br /><ul><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/us-trump-invasion-of-venezuela" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Episode 2: The Americas will never be the same</a></li><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/hands-off-latin-america" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Episode 3: Hands Off Latin America</a></li><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/debunking-the-us-narrative-on-venezuela" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Episode 4: Debunking the US narrative on Venezuela</a></li></ul><br />Under the Shadow<br /><ul><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/under-the-shadow" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">You can check out the first season of Under the Shadow by clicking here</a></li><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/the-beginning-monroe-and-migration-under-the-shadow-episode-1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Beginning: Monroe And Migration | Under The Shadow, Episode 1</a></li><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/panama-us-invasion-under-the-shadow-episode-13" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Panama. Us Invasion. | Under The Shadow, Episode 13</a></li><li><a href="https://therealnews.com/he-legacy-of-monroe-under-the-shadow-bonus-episode-4" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Legacy Of Monroe | Under The Shadow, bonus Episode 4 </a></li><li>Michael Fox’s recent reporting on the boat strikes and the ramp-up for war in Venezuela: <ul><li><a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/venezuela-trump-air-strike-monroe-doctrine/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">With the Strike on a “Drug-Carrying Boat,” Trump Returns to a Dangerous US Policy for Latin America</a></li><li><a href="https://truthout.org/articles/caribbean-leaders-call-for-unified-latin-american-resistance-to-us-attacks/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Caribbean Leaders Call for Unified Latin American Resistance to US Attacks</a></li><li><a href="https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-monroe-doctrine-2-0-outlines-imperial-intentions-for-latin-america/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Trump’s Monroe Doctrine 2.0 Outlines Imperial Intentions for Latin America</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul><li>NACLA’s <a href="https://nacla.org/a-curated-guide-to-the-us-attack-on-venezuela/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Curated Guide to the US Attack on Venezuela </a></li><li>Truthout’s ongoing reporting on <a href="https://truthout.org/section/war-and-peace/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">War and Peace</a> and the US invasion of Venezuela</li><li>Visit <a href="https://therealnews.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">TRNN</a> for all of The Real News’s coverage on this and so much more</li></ul><br />Support Under the ShadowPlease consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: <a href="http://patreon.com/mfox" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">patreon.com/mfox</a>. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.<br /><br />You can check out Michael’s <a href="https://therealnews.com/thousands-march-against-trump-war-venezuela" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">recent episode of Stories of Resistance</a> about the protests against US intervention in Venezuela.<br /><br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=rss">https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.</a><br /><b></b><br /><b>Follow us on:</b><br /><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/therealnews.com" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Bluesky: @therealnews.com</a><b><br /></b><a href="https://facebook.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook: The Real News Network</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter: @TheRealNews</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/therealnews" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">YouTube: @therealnews</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/therealnewsnetwork/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork</a><br /><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b></b></a><br /><b></b><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b>Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!</b></a>