Intro

The US capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday left many people wondering why? Donald Trump hinted at an answer when he claimed the Venezuelan regime had stolen US oil rights and that American oil companies would help to run Venezuela going forward. Jillian Ambrose, the Guardian energy correspondent, explains to Ian Sample the appeal of Venezuelan oil to the US, how easy it is to extract and what the latest action tells us about Trump’s energy strategy. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod