The former leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro has been appearing in court in New York in pre-trial hearings. Maduro was arrested by the US military forces in January. In court, he pleaded not guilty to charges of abusing his position of public trust and corrupting once-legitimate institutions in Venezuela, as well as to exporting tons of cocaine to the United States. Maduro insists he is the legitimate president of Venezuela, despite strong evidence presented by the Carter Center that his 2024 election was fraudulent.