[Gorani:] If you're in Venezuela and trying to watch our partner network CNN en Espanol today, well, you can't. Not on T.V., anyway, because the Venezuelan government has pulled it off the air. It comes, this move, just days after the network aired an investigation into the alleged fraudulent issuing of passports and visas by authorities in Venezuela, possibly to people with ties to terrorism, which would not be a good thing. Venezuela's foreign minister accused CNN of conducting a, quote, "imperialistic media operation" against her country. CNN en Espanol is now instead being streamed live on YouTube, if you'd like to catch it there. Let's bring in Paula Newton. She spent a lot of time reporting from Venezuela. Let's first talk, what more are we learning or hearing about the government's plans with regards to CNN en Espanol?
[Paula Newton, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, Nicolas Maduro, the President there, had said, I want CNN out, and he certainly got what he wanted when it comes to cable. Now, they have threatened this very many times, calling CNN en Espanol a puppet of the United States. At this point, though, it's been really interesting to see on social media, people posting pictures of them being able to get it on the internet, and that's been quite heartening for many people. This is so crucial, Hala, because, you know, opposition newspapers, radio stations, and T.V. stations have been shut down systemically by the Maduro regime over the last few years. CNN en Espanol did a lot in terms of coverage not just in Venezuela, but in the region to also analyze what was going on in places like Colombia, when the border was open or closed, and I think a lot of people in Venezuela turned to it. I mean, for CNN's part, they say, we believe in the statement that we believe in the vital role that freedom of the press plays in a healthy democracy, and CNN stands by our network's reporting and our commitment to truth and transparency.
[Gorani:] And what's been the relationship? Has there been any contact between the Venezuelan government and the Trump administration in its early days?
[Newton:] This has been so interesting. There wasn't a lot of contact until just the other day. Secretary Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, one of his first acts was to put the Vice President of the country on a so-called name him a so-called narcotics kingpin. And they sanctioned him, froze tens of millions of dollars for his accounts, and that's not all. What was so interesting was, the other night, Donald Trump tweeted this picture of himself with Marco Rubio and Lilian Tintori. Lilian Tintori is the wife of Leopoldo Lopez. This is an opposition leader who's been in prison now for nearly three years, and there has been a concerted effort on the part of many to try and get him out in prison. The government said he was inciting violence during protests. The opposition says no such thing, that these are trumped up charges. What is so interesting here, though, Hala, and you know we'll continue to watch it, is the fact that this actually gives the Maduro regime a lot more ammunition. And they will use that for their own purposes against Trump to say, see, they want to invade us, and they want to interfere in the business of Venezuela.
[Gorani:] Thanks very much, Paula Newton. Tweet us, by the way, @halagorani or check us out on Facebook and tell us, especially if you're in Venezuela, what the situation is like there or from anywhere else in the world, your reaction, comments, and questions on our top story today. And that is the Donald Trump news conference in Washington.