Protests, killings on tense election day in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is predicting a "big victory" Sunday in an election to form a new constituent assembly, with the goal of adopting a new constitution. The opposition has boycotted the election, which has been condemned internationally as a sham and a power grab by the embattled Maduro.

• Two people have reportedly been killed, a pro-government candidate and an opposition youth secretary, per the BBC. At least three others may have been killed in protests.
• The government has banned protests, but demonstrators have nonetheless blocked streets in Caracas.
• Some voting machines have been attacked and burned.

The stakes: The Washington Post's Anthony Faiola writes that the election is "a critical new stage in a long-simmering crisis that could mint the Western Hemisphere's newest dictatorship."