WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela will pose a fresh test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during a challenging election year.

While most Republicans lined up behind the president in the immediate aftermath of the stunning U.S. mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and bring him to the United States to face criminal charges, there were signs of unease across the spectrum within the party. In particular, Trump’s comments about the U.S. positioning itself to “run” Venezuela have raised concerns that he is abandoning the “America First” philosophy that has long distinguished him from more traditional Republicans and helped fuel his political rise.

“This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives,” outgoing GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a former Trump ally, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Those concerns were shared by some who are not as closely aligned with the party’s far-right flank.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a moderate who is one of the most vulnerable Republicans heading into the November midterms, said in a statement that “the only country that the United States of America should be ‘running’ is the United States of America.”

Those comments reflect the sensitive dynamics between Trump and his fellow Republicans at the outset of an election year in which their party risks losing control of Congress. While the president remains the undisputed dominant force inside the GOP, the ironclad grip Trump has long held over the party has faced unusual challenges in recent months. Blocs of Republicans have come together to pressure Trump to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Others have been vocal in encouraging Trump to take concerns about affordability more seriously.

Few issues, however, are as central to Trump’s political brand as the idea of ensuring that the U.S. does not get entangled in seemingly endless foreign conflicts at the expense of domestic priorities. During a 2016 Republican presidential debate, for instance, he called the Iraq War a “big, fat mistake.”

By Saturday, Trump said he was “not afraid of boots on the ground” if that was deemed necessary, and he framed his actions in Venezuela as steps that are grounded in prioritizing the safety and security of Americans. As he articulated an aggressive vision of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, he told reporters it was important to “surround” the U.S. with “good neighbors.”

His comments about revitalizing the oil industry in Venezuela are in line with some of the earliest critiques he made of the handling of the Iraq War. During a 2013 speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said the U.S. should “take” oil from Iraq and “pay ourselves back.”

Amid some of the pushback about the U.S. taking expansive responsibility for managing Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday suggested a more limited role. He said that Washington would not handle day-to-day governance of the South American country other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on Venezuela.

It is not clear that any forceful, organized opposition to Trump’s Venezuela policy is emerging within the GOP. Instead, many lawmakers appear to be giving the Republican administration some room and, at most, offer some warnings.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a potentially challenging reelection campaign this year, called Maduro a “narco-terrorist and international drug trafficker” who should stand trial even, as she said “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who often criticizes military interventions, did not specifically oppose Trump’s actions even as he wrote on X that “time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has clashed with Trump and is not seeking reelection this year, said Maduro was a “thug” and that Trump has “broad constitutional authority and long historical precedent for the limited use of military force.”

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — About the fourth or fifth time that A.J. Dybantsa crashed to the floor, and he looked up at an official in both shock and vain, one of the most talented freshmen in college basketball must have finally figured out that he wasn’t going to get a call.

Welcome to life in the Big 12 Conference.

Dybantsa still poured in 24 points while leading No. 10 BYU to an 83-73 victory over Kansas State on Saturday, the first true road game for the Cougars all season. But he did it while committing seven turnovers and showing visible frustration throughout much of the first half, a learning experience if ever there was one for the potential No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft.

“Definitely,” Dybantsa said, “coach was telling me it was going to be more physical than our nonconference games.”

Few leagues are as rough-and-tumble as the Big 12, but it’s also worth pointing out that Dybantsa doesn’t even turn 19 until later this month, and the swingman could just as well be playing his senior season of high school; he reclassified to this year’s freshman class a couple of years ago, when it already was clear that Dybantsa’s game — if not his physique — was ready for the big time.

Even Dybantsa acknowledged Saturday the need to spend some more time in the weight room.

Kansas State did everything it could to muddy up the game, rotating an exhausting number of bodies onto the 6-foot-9 forward, who found himself in a bit of foul trouble because of it. BYU coach Kevin Young wound up sitting Dybantsa for a few minutes — a move that he typically does not make — not only to keep him from picking up another foul but to give him a chance to reset.

“I trust all our guys in that situation,” Young said, “but him in particular, I trust him in terms of his IQ for the game.”

The nation’s second-leading scorer, Dybantsa was coming off perhaps the best performance of his young career, when he scored 33 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Eastern Washington. It was only the second 30-10-10 triple-double in the history of the Big 12, and it was a performance that underscored that the McDonald’s All-American is much more than just a scorer.

Against the Wildcats, Dybantsa complemented his 24 points with eight rebounds and three assists.

The Cougars needed all of them, too, because P.J. Haggerty answered Dybantsa nearly bucket for bucket for Kansas State. The nation’s No. 3 scorer, Haggerty scored 24 points with seven rebounds and six assists.

But while Dybantsa was doing his work with a fluid inside-outside game that has been making pro scouts drool, the Wildcats guard was putting up points by driving through contact to the basket. And that highlighted the difference between a first-year player and a fourth-year junior, both in terms of their physicality and high-level college experience.

“Those are two really good players out there,” said Kansas State coach Jerome Tang, who recruited Dybantsa heavily before losing out on him to BYU. “I thought they matched their stat lines. It was just one of those things.”

The difference in the game itself was their supporting casts. Dybantsa got 18 points from Robert Wright III and big games from Richie Saunders and Keba Keita, while Haggerty’s best wingman — Abdi Bashir Jr. — was largely shut out in the second half.

“You know, I’ve been watching A.J. since he was in the seventh grade. Loved him and his family. Had a great time recruiting him,” Tang said. “I’ve watched his games this season, and he’s been one of the most efficient players. He was very efficient again.”

So efficient that Dybantsa scored those 24 points on just 15 shots.

The Cougars have hung around 10th in the AP Top 25 all season — they were eighth in the preseason poll — but could be on the rise as they begin churning through Big 12 play. They’ve won 10 straight since their only loss, a nip-and-tuck two-point setback against No. 4 UConn back in November, their longest winning streak since Jimmer Fredette’s senior season in 2010.

That year, BYU rose as high as No. 3 in the poll in late February.

If the Cougars are going to reach those heights, Dybantsa will be a big reason for it.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the U.S. would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolás Maduro.

Rubio’s statements seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation.

Meanwhile, a tense calm hangs over Venezuela after the U.S. military operation that deposed Maduro, who was brought to New York to face criminal charges.

Maduro and his wife landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York. The couple face U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Here’s the latest:

Spain, 5 Latin American countries criticize U.S. involvement in Venezuela

The governments of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay said in a statement that U.S. involvement in Venezuela is “an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and puts the civilian population at risk.”

In a statement released jointly by the governments, they expressed their “concern about any attempt at government control, administration, or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources.”

These actions are “incompatible with international law and threaten the political, economic, and social stability of the region,” they added.

Besides expressing their “deep concern and rejection” of the U.S. operation that ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, they called for dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people to resolve the situation, “without external interference and in accordance with international law.”

Iran warns the US against military action

Associated Press video on Sunday shows a banner now on display in Iran’s capital warning the United States and Israel that their soldiers could be killed if they take action in the country.

Trump’s recent comment that the U.S. “will come to their rescue” if Iran kills peaceful protesters has taken on a new meaning after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the “illegal U.S. attack against Venezuela.” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said adversaries of the U.S. should note that “America can project our will anywhere, anytime.”

Protests against Trump’s plans in Venezuela pop up across the US

From California to Missouri and Texas, protestors are planning demonstrations Sunday and through the week against President Donald Trump’s military operation and capture of Maduro, which one protest description called “the illegal, unconstitutional invasion of Venezuela.”

Dozens appear to be organized by chapters of Indivisible, a left-leaning group, and many take umbrage with Trump’s plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it.

What congressional leaders and governors say about the Venezuela operation

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa who serves as Senate president pro tempore, posted on X Saturday that Maduro is a narco-terrorist and his drug trafficking resulted in the deaths of too many Americans. He likened the Trump operation to then-President George Bush’s decision in 1989 to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega following his indictment for drug trafficking.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat and one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics, posted that U.S. military action in Venezuela is unconstitutional and is putting troops in harm’s way with no long-term strategy. “The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable,” Pritzker wrote.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, posted a statement on X calling the strikes illegal and criticizing Trump for taking action without congressional approval. “The President does not have the unilateral authority to invade foreign countries, oust their governments, and seize their resources,” she wrote.

French foreign minister calls for return to democracy in Venezuela

France’s foreign minister says the departure of President Nicolás Maduro “is good news for the Venezuelans” and called for a peaceful and democratic transition of power.

Jean-Noël Barrot said “Maduro was an unscrupulous dictator who confiscated Venezuelans’ freedom and stole their elections.”

“Then, yes, we pointed out that the method used infringes the principles of international law,” Barrot said about the U.S. military operation on France 2 national television.

Schumer says Maduro was ‘horrible’ but criticizes regime change

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, called Maduro “a horrible, horrible person” but added, “You don’t treat lawlessness with other lawlessness. And that’s what’s happened.”

“We have learned through the years that, when America tries to regime change and nation-building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and results,” Schumer told ABC’s “This Week.”

Trump wants the Venezuelan VP to lead or get out of the way, Noem says

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says President Donald Trump’s conversations with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez now are ”very matter-of-fact and very clear: You can lead or you can get out of the way, because we’re not going to allow you to continue to subvert American influence and our need to have a free country like Venezuela to work with rather than to have dictators in place who perpetuate crimes and drug trafficking.”

Noem tells “Fox News Sunday” that the United States wants a leader in Venezuela who will be “a partner that understands that we’re going to protect America” when it comes to stopping drug trafficking and “terrorists from coming into our country.”

She says that “we’re looking for a leader that will stand up beside us and embrace those freedoms and liberties for the Venezuelan people but also ensure that they’re not perpetuating crimes around the globe like they’ve had in the past.”

Rubio says US will use control of Venezuela’s oil to influence policy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to back off Trump’s assertions that the U.S. was running Venezuela, insisting instead that Washington will use control of the South American country’s oil industry to force policy changes and, “We expect that it’s going to lead to results here.”

“We’re hopeful, hopeful, that it does positive results for the people for Venezuela,” Rubio told ABC’s “This Week.” “But, ultimately, most importantly, in the national interest of the United States.”

Asked about Trump suggesting that Rubio would be among the U.S. officials helping to run Venezuela, Rubio offered no details but said, “I’m obviously very intricately involved in the policy” going forward.

He said of Venezuela’s interim leader: “We don’t believe this regime in place is legitimate” because the country never held free and fair elections.

A tense calm prevails on mostly empty streets of Caracas

Venezuela’s capital Caracas was unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around. Convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses were mostly closed.

The presence of police and members of the military across the city was notable for its smaller size compared with an average day and even more so with the days when people protested against Maduro’s government in previous years.

Meanwhile, soldiers attempted to clear an area of an air base that had been on fire along with at least three passenger buses following Saturday’s U.S. attack.

After capture and removal, Venezuela’s Maduro is being held at notorious Brooklyn jail

The Brooklyn jail holding Nicolás Maduro is a facility so troubled that some judges have refused to send people there even as it has housed such famous inmates as music stars R. Kelly and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Opened in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC Brooklyn, currently houses about 1,300 inmates.

It’s the routine landing spot for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, holding alleged gangsters and drug traffickers alongside some people accused of white collar crimes.

Maduro is not the first president of a country to be locked up there.

Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, was imprisoned at MDC Brooklyn while he was on trial for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S. Hernández was pardoned and freed by President Donald Trump in December.

▶ Read more about MDC Brooklyn

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Harrison Reed scored a spectacular goal in stoppage time to earn Fulham a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

The substitute let fly from around 25 meters (yards) to beat Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson in the seventh minute of time added on at Craven Cottage.

Liverpool fans were still celebrating after Cody Gakpo had scored what looked like a late winner in the 94th. But they were left stunned by Reed’s near instant response once play resumed.

Fulham led 1-0 at halftime through Harry Wilson, who burst through and fired low into the far corner. Florian Wirtz leveled in the 57th.

The result saw defending champion Liverpool drop yet more points in what has been a difficult second campaign for coach Arne Slot.

The Merseyside club is fourth in the standings – 14 points behind first-placed Arsenal.

Cunha earns point for United

Matheus Cunha rescued a point for Manchester United in a 1-1 draw at Leeds.

The Brazil forward equalized for United after U.S. international Brenden Aaronson put Leeds in front in the second half at Elland Road.

Aaronson opened the scoring in the 62nd, but Cunha leveled three minutes later. Cunha was close to firing a winner late in the match with a curling shot from outside the box that struck the outside of the post.

United has lost just two of its last 14 games in the league, but six draws during that run have seen Ruben Amorim’s team struggle to keep pace with the top three in the standings.

“This year I think we are in control of the games more often than last year,” Amorim told TNT Sports. “So it was a good game, but of course (I am) a little bit frustrated not to win.”

Leeds is unbeaten in seven games and went ahead when Aaronson raced past United defender Ayden Heaven to shoot low into the far corner.

Cunha scored his third goal in his last five games when latching onto a pass from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and sliding a shot past Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

United has had to cope without injured inspirational captain Bruno Fernandes over the festive period as well as key forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who are playing at the Africa Cup of Nations. Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are also out with injuries.

But Amorim suggested Fernandes and Mount could be close to returning.

Thiago hat trick

Igor Thiago hit a hat trick in Brentford’s 4-2 win at Everton.

The Brazilian forward has scored 14 goals in the league this season, behind only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 2-0 and Tottenham was denied victory at home to Sunderland when Brian Brobbey scored an 80th-minute equalizer for a 1-1 draw.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans on Sunday remained shell-shocked a day after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a U.S. military operation, with an uncertain future ahead in the South American nation.

A tense calm settled over the capital, Caracas, which was unusually quiet. Many stores, gas stations and churches remained closed and people patiently lined up outside others, staring at their phones or into the distance.

“People are still shaken,” said 77-year-old David Leal, who arrived to work as a parking attendant but realized he likely would not have customers. He pointed to the deserted street.

While Maduro was in custody in New York, the officials who had surrounded him remained in power and demanded his release. Venezuela’s presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and members of the military.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday asserted that his administration would “run” Venezuela with the help of Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president and now the interim president after a high court’s order.

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday appeared to back off Trump’s assertion. In interviews with CBS and ABC, he insisted instead that Washington will use control of Venezuela’s oil industry to force policy changes. He said the government currently in place was illegitimate but a step toward where the U.S. wanted Venezuela to be.

“We want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today. But obviously, we don’t have the expectation that’s going to happen in the next 15 hours,” Rubio said. “There has to be a little realism here.”

While Venezuelans in the U.S. and Latin America broke out in celebration or protest, there were no signs of celebration within the country. A number of government supporters rallied over the weekend, some burning U.S. flags and holding signs reading “gringo go home”.

In a low-income neighborhood in eastern Caracas, construction worker Daniel Medalla sat on the steps outside a Catholic church and told a few parishioners that there would be no morning Mass.

Medalla said he believed the streets remained mostly empty because people fear government repression if they dare celebrate.

“We were longing for it,” Medalla, 66, said of Maduro’s exit.

There are fresh memories of a government crackdown during 2024’s fraught elections, which Maduro was widely accused of stealing. Street protests left 28 people dead, 220 injured and at least 2,000 detained, according to official figures.

In the coastal state of La Guaira, families with houses damaged in blasts during the overnight operation that captured Maduro and his wife were cleaning up debris.

Wilman González, who was left with a black eye from a blast, picked through rubble on his floors, surrounded by broken furniture. One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.

A number of people were killed by the U.S. strikes, though Venezuelan officials did not confirm how many.

Among those killed was González’s aunt.

“This is it, what we are left with: ruins,” he said.

González spoke with anger at the wreckage but also at the compounding economic and political crises that Venezuela has endured for decades.

“We are civilians, we are not with the government or anyone else,” he said.

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Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Arraez reported from La Guaira, Venezuela.