Maduro's Capture and Venezuela's Future: What to Know

The United States launched a large-scale operation in Caracas, Venezuela, between Friday night and early morning Saturday, and captured the South American country's president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. Maduro is en route to the United States, and the Justice Department, DOJ, has unveiled the charges against him, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States. According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Cain, the Operation Absolute Resolve started at 1.01 a.m. EST and ended at 3.29 a.m. EST, with over 150 aircraft from 20 bases joining it. Here are several things you need to know about the future of Venezuela without Maduro. Who will run Venezuela? President Donald Trump said that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's presumptive successor, had been sworn in as president, and suggested that officials from his administration will run Venezuela along with the Venezuelan people, without elaborating. He said he's not afraid to have boots on the ground. Trump claimed that Rodríguez is cooperative and has no other choice. However, shortly after Trump's statement, Rodríguez demanded the release of Maduro, and said Venezuela will never be a colony of any nation. Plan for Venezuela's oil. Trump planned to ask U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela, rebuild its oil infrastructure, and export its oil to other countries. The money from the oil will be used in Venezuela, he added. Warning for other countries. Trump and officials from his administration warned several other South American countries after the operation in Venezuela. During an interview with Fox & Friends, the president said that something's going to have to be done with Mexico, because the cartels are running Mexico. He also warned during a press conference after the strikes that Colombian President Gustavo Petro does have to watch his ass. When asked about Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned.