January 5th 2026 In a dramatic overnight operation in Caracas, US special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him, along with First Lady Cilia Flores, to New York. Maduro is now being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn and will face US charges for narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, which he denies. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will “run Venezuela” temporarily until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can take place. While the White House has offered few operational details on what this governance role entails, Trump has made clear that oil is central to the US approach, vowing to deploy major American energy companies to rebuild Venezuela’s decaying oil infrastructure and “get the oil flowing” again. Read our overview For an in-depth analysis download our full report here!