US attacks Venezuela, Maduro kidnapped: Control unclear, 1 name dominates backchannels after strikes

With Nicolas Maduro captured after U.S. strikes, Venezuela faces a dangerous power vacuum. As a state of emergency grips Caracas, attention shifts to who truly controls the country now. Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado is emerging as a frontrunner, backed by Trump’s pressure campaign long before the Delta Force raid. Yet warnings are growing that Maduro’s exit does not guarantee a smooth transfer of power.