The United States' claimed capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro creates a leadership vacuum that risks leading to potentially violent instability and unrest in the coming weeks, while also keeping future U.S. strikes on Venezuela and other countries in the region on the table. On Jan. 3, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in an early morning social media post that the United States had captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them out of the country. Trump said the operation occurred with U.S. law enforcement and took place alongside U.S. military operations against Venezuela. The Venezuelan government said attacks had occurred in the capital, Caracas, as well as the surrounding states of Aragua, Miranda and La Guaira. The Venezuelan government also declared a state of emergency and called for popular armed mobilization to resist U.S. forces. President Trump announced a press conference at 11:00 a.m. EST to discuss...
