Washington’s pre-dawn assault that whisked Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores onto a U.S. warship is the most explosive use of U.S. force in Latin America since Panamá 1989. Reuters, AP and the Guardian all confirm the joint‐service raid and Trump’s pledge to “oversee the transition” — language that shreds the sovereignty norms the very UN Charter codifies. (reuters.com)

Yet the barrels keep flowing. PDVSA’s fields and upgraders escaped damage, leaving Venezuela’s output near 1.1 mb/d even as December’s tanker blockade had already cut exports in half. Brent still spiked 7 % to touch $94 before profit-taking as traders priced in protracted legal limbo over the world’s largest 303 bn-barrel reserves. (reuters.com)

The raid may cheer markets starved for heavy crude, but it normalises “pre-emptive extradition” and invites tit-for-tat by great-power rivals. As Venezuelan thinker Moisés Naím warns, “the gravest threats to democracy are now packaged as its rescue.” The world should ask whether short-term oil stability is worth a precedent that could unbolt the international order itself.

— The Gist AI Editor

Washington Intervenes in Caracas

Following a “dark and deadly” US operation, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured and removed from the country (Bloomberg), (FT). President Trump announced the US would “run Venezuela” in the interim until a transitional government can be established (Bloomberg). This direct intervention marks a significant escalation of US foreign policy, moving from economic and military pressure to overt control. From a libertarian standpoint, this raises profound questions about national sovereignty and the appropriate use of military power, even against authoritarian regimes. The long-term stability and liberty of the Venezuelan people remain the central, unanswered questions.

Markets Shrug Off Geopolitical Shock

Despite the seismic events in Venezuela, global oil markets are expected to absorb the shock with minimal disruption (Bloomberg). The reason is a well-supplied global market, demonstrating the resilience of free markets in adapting to geopolitical crises. This stability underscores how diversified supply chains and robust production can mitigate the impact of localized political turmoil, a core tenet of open trade. For consumers, this means the price at the pump is unlikely to spike significantly due to the regime change in Caracas.

The Empowered Patient vs. The Nanny State

A growing trend in personal health sees consumers bypassing traditional gatekeepers, with services from Oura and Whoop now offering direct-to-consumer blood panels (Wired). This move empowers individuals with their own health data, fostering greater personal responsibility. In a parallel debate over financial well-being, however, proposals to make annuities a default option in retirement plans are gaining traction (WSJ). This approach, while aiming for security, risks limiting individual choice and creating a one-size-fits-all solution where personal risk tolerance and preference should reign supreme.

Education as a Barrier to Entry

South Korea’s notoriously difficult English-language college-entrance exam, which led a top official to resign over its difficulty, highlights how educational systems can become barriers rather than facilitators of opportunity (WSJ). When standardized tests become so esoteric that they measure test-taking ability over actual knowledge or aptitude, they distort the meritocratic ideal. Such systems can inadvertently stifle innovation and social mobility by favoring rote memorization over critical thinking, a costly outcome for any society aiming to compete globally.

Stay ahead with The Gist—your essential briefing for a complex world.

Oil Market May Absorb Maduro Shock Amid Abundant Global Supplies
— Bloomberg

Trump Says US to ‘Run Venezuela’ in Interim After Maduro
— Bloomberg

Blood Feud: Oura’s Health Panels Versus Whoop’s Advanced Labs
— Wired

Stock Funds Rose 14.6% in 2025
— Wall Street Journal

Should It Be Easier to Buy Annuities in Retirement Plans? Readers Had Doubts
— Wall Street Journal

Trump Calls Operation to Capture Venezuela’s Maduro Dark and Deadly
— Bloomberg

Caracas Gambit

The US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro creates an acute dilemma for European capitals. While EU officials have long decried Maduro’s legitimacy, the overt military intervention by a key ally shreds the norms of international law Brussels holds dear (Politico), France and the European Commission quickly condemned the move as a breach of international rules. For years, the EU has favored sanctions and diplomacy, a strategy now decisively sidelined by Washington’s unilateral action. The immediate challenge is twofold: ensuring the safety of European citizens in a volatile Caracas and formulating a coherent policy that neither condones the intervention nor appears to defend the deposed autocrat. This forces a difficult conversation about the efficacy of soft power in a world increasingly defined by hard-nosed realpolitik. The ripple effects will test transatlantic resolve and EU foreign policy unity.

AI’s Hidden Tariff

The societal cost of the artificial intelligence boom is becoming clearer, and it is measured in megawatts. The immense energy required for AI data centers presents a formidable challenge to Europe’s climate goals (The Guardian). In the EU, data centers already account for an estimated 3% of total electricity demand, a figure projected to surge as AI integration accelerates (European Parliament). While the EU’s AI Act has been lauded for its risk-based approach to governance, it lacks binding energy-efficiency rules, creating a significant regulatory gap. This isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s an economic one. As AI developers—many of them state-subsidized—consume a growing share of the grid, they risk driving up energy prices for households and traditional industries. The innovation we celebrate carries a hidden energy tariff, one that society, not just the tech sector, will ultimately bear.

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

World leaders largely express concern, some praise, about US capture of Maduro
— Politico Europe

Iran, dieci morti nelle proteste. Khamenei: linea dura
— Il Sole 24 Ore

Al via i saldi, abbigliamento e calzature i più gettonati
— Ansa

Aktuelles zum Krieg in der Ukraine
— ZDF

Mit Monobob, Skispringen, Rodeln und Ski Alpin
— ZDF

‘Just an unbelievable amount of pollution’: how big a threat is AI to the climate?
— The Guardian