The aftermath of the ICE shooting of an anti-ICE activist in Minnesota has quickly exploded into a national story that sucks the oxygen out of anything else trying to elbow its way into the news cycle . This includes Venezuela, where the NBC Nightly News was the sole evening network newscast to chronicle a major development: the Chavista regime’s release of an indeterminate number of political prisoners.
Here is the Venezuela roundup that has the prisoner release at the top, in its entirety and as aired on NBC Nightly News on Thursday, January 8th, 2026:
NBC Nightly News was the only network newscast to mention the release of political prisoners in Venezuela (1/8/26). pic.twitter.com/wowfhFZAg0
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) January 9, 2026
TOM LLAMAS: To Venezuela now where the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to control the country's oil. Gabe Gutierrez is in neighboring Colombia for us, and Gabe, today there was a surprising move by the Venezuelan government releasing political prisoners?
GABE GUTIERREZ: Yes, Tom. Less than a week after the capture of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro in that dramatic raid, the remaining members of the regime today began to release those political prisoners. Spain says at least five have already been released and also, in an interview with The New York Times, President Trump was asked whether the U.S. would oversee Venezuela and its oil for months or a year or longer. The president replied, “I would say much longer.”
Still, in a rare rebuke today five Republicans joined Democrats who advanced a resolution to block Trump from using military force in Venezuela without congressional approval. It is unlikely to become law since it would need to pass the House, but it sends a message. Tom.
LLAMAS: Gabe Gutierrez for us. Gabe, we thank you.
There are over 800 listed political prisoners in Venezuela, over 100 of which are women and minors, held for the mortal sin of opposing the Chavista regime. Most of them are held in the notorious Helicoide, which is also the headquarters for the SEBIN- the national intelligence service.
The Helicoide stands as a sad reflection of what Venezuela has become under socialism. A former architectural marvel built to delight and serve the people but unable to sustain its original purpose, plucked from oblivion by the dictatorship and transformed into an instrument of evil.
The prisoner release was announced earlier in the day and, as of this writing, seems to have paused after a handful of excarcerations. Releasing the prisoners is a condition imposed upon the regime by the United States, and whoever is playing games with compliance could personally find themselves on the business end of a Reaper drone.
This is a hugely important story that warrants coverage. ABC World News Tonight did nothing on the prisoner release but made time for nonlethal traffic accident coverage, specifically: a couple of New Jersey car thieves that flipped a stolen BMW on the road. The CBS Evening News did only two non-Minneapolis stories tonight: Iran protests and NASA picking the International Space Station crew up early due to a medical issue.This is a developing angle within a critical story. We’ll see how it develops and what coverage looks like going forward.
