Venezuelan Political Scientist Jesus Rodriguez:

Constitutionally talking, soon Vice President Delcy Rodriguez should be appointed as acting President or President of Venezuela.

One scenario is that the U.S. might also try to kidnap and assassinate Delcy Rodriguez, who is a hardcore Chavista supporter.

Another scenario is that the U.S. government will show President Maduro as a trophy and claim victory against narco-terrorism to ease the tension.

Venezuelan Political Scientist Jesus Rodriguez:

The kidnapping of President Maduro does not mean regime change in Venezuela.

It is going to be hard for the U.S. to really provoke a regime change in Venezuela.

If you understand regime change simply as changing the president, they have forced that situation, but the movement remains.

There is a possibility they will try to negotiate or avoid more escalation if Delcy Rodriguez is in power; that is a scenario we have to see.

NYT Editorial Board:

Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise.

Venezuelan Political Scientist Jesus Rodriguez:

Our biggest mistake in Venezuela is that we do not submit to U.S. mandates.

There is hope that some countries in the region will demand answers and explanations in international forums like the United Nations, even though the UN is not expected to do much to solve the situation.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.

It’s about oil and regime change.

And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.

VERY RARE: Footage shows a U.S. RQ-170 stealth drone returning to Puerto Rico after reportedly supporting last night’s U.S. strikes on Venezuela.

The RQ-170 Sentinel is a stealthy, high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works.

The CIA secretly deployed officers in Venezuela starting in August to track Maduro’s movements and daily routines, aiding U.S. intelligence efforts.

Source: NYT

Another footage of U.S. RQ-170 stealth drone returning to Puerto Rico from Venezuela.

Venezuela has asked the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting and condemn U.S. military strikes.

U.S. F-35 jets returning to Puerto Rico this morning after overnight U.S. strikes on Venezuela.

Trump will hold a press conference shortly on Maduro’s capture.

Stay tuned!

Maduro is expected to arrive at Guantánamo Bay before flying to New York on an FBI plane.

Source: ABC News

BREAKING: Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.

Trump posts a “Fortunate Son” edit on Truth Social featuring footage from the attacks in Venezuela.

A CIA source inside Maduro’s inner circle helped U.S. forces track him until his capture.

People briefed on the operation said elements of the Venezuelan military cooperated in the arrest.

One person close to the opposition described Maduro’s removal as an “inside job.”

Source: Reuters

Trump in 2023:

When I left, Venezuela was ready to collapse. We would have taken it over.

We would have gotten all that oil. It would have been right next door.

But now we’re buying oil from Venezuela, so we’re making a dictator very rich. Can you believe this?

Nobody can believe it. You know their oil is garbage. It’s horrible—the worst you can get. It’s like tar.

Trump on Maduro’s capture:

It was an assault like people have not seen since World War II.

It was a force directed against a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas, to bring outlaw dictator Nicolás Maduro to justice.

Trump:

No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday.

All Venezuelan military capabilities were rendered powerless as the men and women of our military, working with U.S. law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night.

It was dark. The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to certain expertise that we have. It was dark and it was deadly—but he was captured.

Trump:

These highly trained warriors, operating in collaboration with U.S. law enforcement, caught them in a very ready position. They were waiting for us.

They knew we had many ships out at sea, just sort of waiting. They knew we were coming.

They were completely overwhelmed—very quickly incapacitated.