Meltdown in Venezuela

When Venezuelan intelligence agents carted off Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma to jail last week, they fired shots into the air to terrorize a gathering crowd. It was nothing unusual for the Venezuelan police state, which has studied under Cuba’s dictatorship. But it did underscore the magnitude of the economic and political crisis now gripping a country with one of the largest oil reserves in the world. Mr. Ledezma is accused of plotting to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with U.S. help. The government has provided no evidence. The mayor’s real offense is signing a letter this month calling Mr. Maduro’s government “terminal” and proposing a transition back to democracy. More…