Today Explained

The US used “technical expertise” (allegedly a cyberattack) to shut off power to much of Caracas in order to disable air defense systems and provide the element of surprise. Helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers), including an MH-47G Chinook and an MH-60M Black Hawk, landed at the Fuerte Tiuna compound at approximately 2:01 a.m. local time. Delta Force personnel stormed Maduro's residence just as he was attempting to enter a steel safe.

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Elizabeth Neumann (Former Assistant Secretary of DHS): Neumann raised concerns about the legality of the operation to capture the foreign leader. She questioned the legitimacy of the military action under international law and the potential long-term risks to US personnel abroad.


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On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a large-scale military offensive in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, resulting in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores
US forces conducted a nighttime raid and took Maduro and Flores out of Venezuela. Maduro is currently in US custody and is scheduled to face drug and terrorism charges in a New York

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On January 2, 2026, President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to the Iranian government, stating that the United States is "locked and loaded and ready to go" if authorities continue to use deadly force against peaceful protesters. Trump vowed on Truth Social that if Iran "violently kills peaceful protesters," the U.S. will "come to their rescue".  The unrest began on December 28, 2025, sparked by a dramatic collapse of the Iranian rial (now roughly 1.4 million per US$1) and soaring food inflation, which reached 64.2% in late 2025.

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In late December 2025, the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement has faced significant internal strain, described by observers as "cracks in the dam," primarily due to the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files. Despite intense pressure from his base for full transparency, President Trump recently dismissed the Epstein story as a "hoax" and a "witch hunt". He further expressed sympathy for individuals mentioned in the files, such as Bill Clinton, and complained the investigation was a "distraction" from Republican successes.

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In late December 2025, Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, criticized Donald Trump for what he described as "siding with the imperial dictator" (Vladimir Putin) over the democratic nation of Ukraine.  On December 28, 2025, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the meeting, Trump claimed that "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed," a statement McFaul argued showed a fundamental misunderstanding of Putin's motives.

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In late December 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented a new 20-point peace plan that signaled a major shift by offering specific concessions to end the nearly four-year war with Russia. By outlining these compromises, Zelensky has effectively "put the ball in Putin's court," forcing the Kremlin to choose between negotiation or continued conflict.  Zelensky proposed pulling Ukrainian troops back from areas of the eastern Donetsk region still under Kyiv's control to create a demilitarized buffer zone. A similar arrangement was suggested for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

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On Christmas Day 2025, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military launched "powerful and deadly" airstrikes against ISIS (ISIL) targets in northwestern Nigeria. Target Locations: The strikes hit two camps in Sokoto State, specifically near the village of Jabo and the town of Offa, targeting militants linked to the Islamic State-Sahel Province (ISSP), also known as Lakurawa.

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Ukrainian draft evaders are dying in the Carpathian Mountains primarily due to extreme environmental conditions and a lack of preparedness while attempting to flee mobilization. Many men attempt to cross the 400-mile border into Romania through steep ravines and knee-deep snow during subzero temperatures. Sudden blizzards can reduce visibility to less than a meter, leading many to become lost.

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He noted that in areas with high migrant populations, the administration's aggressive rhetoric and random deportations have created significant "fear and uncertainty".

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