Loading summary
Transcript29 lines
- [00:05]
A
Good morning. Nicolas Maduro rejects the charges against him and says he remains Venezuela's leader. The Associated Press breaks down for us what we learned from his opening court hearing.
- [00:16]
B
The fact that he was arrested in a way that a lot of legal experts, including the defense team, believes was illegal, that's clearly going to be part of the case, but I'm not sure that that's going to work as an argument.
- [00:27]
A
Minnesota Governor Tim Walls is leaving politics barely a year after out on the vice presidency. The Minnesota Star Tribune explains the fraud scandals that led him to drop his re election bid. And Florida loses its title as the country's lightning capital. It's Tuesday, January 6th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News today. Let's start with Maduro. Crowds of onlookers were in New York outside the courthouse for his arrival, some of them there to condemn and others celebrating. As expected, Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, pled not guilty and Maduro described himself as a prisoner of war. Eric Tucker covers the Justice Department for the Associated Press and talked us through the unsealed charges.
- [01:34]
B
It effectively accuses Maduro of helping facilitate vast large shipments of cocaine into the United States and providing cover for the people who were involved in those. The indictment also accuses him of interacting with members of powerful and violent drug trafficking cartels.
- [01:53]
A
The indictment alleges that for more than two decades Venezuelan leaders have used their position of public trust to corrupt once legitimate institutions to import tons of drugs to the United States. Maduro's son and other high level Venezuelan officials are also facing charges. Maduro under law will have the same rights as any other person charged with a crime in the U.S. arraignments like the one Maduro appeared at on Monday are meant to be brief and it's rare for defendants to speak.
- [02:23]
B
Maduro took a different tack. He said in Spanish that was translated through an interpreter that he is innocent. He said he's a decent man. He said he was captured from his home in Caracas and he said that he's still president of his country.
- [02:36]
A
He's being represented by Barry Pollack, a lawyer who helped secure a deal for Julian Assange. His team presented the base of what Maduro's defense would be part of.
- [02:46]
B
The defense is going to be challenging the circumstances of his arrest and capture, making an argument that that was illegal and also saying that as a head of he enjoys immunity from prosecution. That might be a challenging argument in part because the United States, of course, does not recognize Maduro as an actual legal head of state.
- [03:04]
A
Maduro's case is being heard by US District Court Judge Alvin Hallerstein, a 92 year old Clinton appointee. Politico has a profile on him where they spoke to other lawyers who know him and describe him as old and old school. The case has drawn comparisons to that of Manuel Noriega, the former Panama ruler captured by the US in 1990. He claimed immunity as head of state but that defense failed partly because Noriega governed as a military dictator and was never technically head of state. Coincidentally, Maduro was taken into custody 36 years to the day that Noriega was also in New York. On Monday the UN Security Council met for an emergency meeting there. Venezuela's ambassador to the UN described the U. S operation as illegitimate and a flagrant violation of the UN Charter. And the UN's Under Secretary General Rosemary DeCarlo bore. I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification, the instability in the country, the potential impact on the region and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted. The US ambassador to the un, Mike Waltz defended Maduro's capture at the meeting calling it a quote surgical law enforcement operation as he pushed back on the council for criticizing U.S. efforts. Maduro's next court appearance is in March, but legal experts have warned it could be a long while before the trial begins. Maduro's helicopter arrival into New York City came just days after Zahran Mamdani's term as the new mayor. In fact, Maduro appeared in court yesterday less than a mile from where Mamdani was sworn in. Last week Mamdani addressed Maduro's capture during a press conference over the weekend.
- [05:01]
C
I called the President and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day.
- [05:24]
A
Maduro is being held in federal custody so there really isn't much Mamdani can do to influence his future. What he is turning his attention to this week is how to deliver on the promises he made to New Yorkers while campaigning and in last week's inaugural address.
- [05:41]
C
Beginning today we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try. To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this. No longer will City hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers lives.
- [06:06]
A
We caught up with Katie Honan, senior reporter at the New York based news site the City, who's been following his opening moves closely.
- [06:14]
D
After he was inaugurated, he went almost immediately to a tenant rally in Brooklyn, an apartment building in Brooklyn with a landlord with dozens of violations and the tenants have been on a rent strike. He went to sign executive orders for a tenant protection office, introduce new staff and to basically reaffirm that he is.
- [06:34]
A
Standing behind renters as well as setting up a host of housing related orders. Mamdani had to make a decision on the legacy of his predecessor, Eric Adams. He opted to revoke the executive orders Adams signed following his indictment on corruption charges, which were later dropped following intervention from President Trump. Among the orders Mamdani rolled back were additional powers for ICE officials and a new office for cryptocurrency. But it was his decision on two orders related to antisemitism that drew the most attention. Mamdani revoked one that barred city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel and another that had expanded the definition of antisemitism to include some forms of criticism toward Israel. Both drew criticism from some Jewish groups and praise from groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union. But as Honan told us, executive orders can only take Mamdani so far. The central pillars of his agenda universal childcare, affordable housing, free buses can't be done with a simple signature.
- [07:39]
D
The city's bus program is run by the state run mta. His promise of free childcare is contingent on getting money through the state. All of that requires state buy in and then in addition, if they do pass a rent freeze, which we've had a number of times over the last decade, it doesn't make the rents cheaper. And if you don't live in a rent stabilized or controlled apartment, nothing's happening to your rent.
- [08:05]
A
And while his $116 billion budget sounds like a lot to play with, Honan told us that he is constrained by fixed costs, the price of labor and a growing budget deficit as well as the White House.
- [08:19]
D
He had a very positive meeting with President Donald Trump a few weeks ago. But the city relies really heavily on federal funding and we don't know within the whims of the president how that could change based on any number of factors both in and out of Mayor Mamdani's control.
- [08:47]
A
As Mamdani enters the national political stage, another high profile Democrat has decided to call it quits. Minnesota governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz announced yesterday he would not be seeking re election amid scrutiny over his handling of massive fraud schemes in his state.
- [09:05]
E
I came to the conclusion that I can't give a political campaign my all. Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences.
- [09:24]
A
Since COVID Minnesota has endured a string of scandals and prosecutions related to people exploiting the state's welfare programs. The case that started it involved the non profit group Feeding Our Future, which in 2022 was accused of taking tens of millions of dollars intended to provide meals for children. Federal prosecutors claim that most of those meals non existent, and the business owners who claimed to run feeding sites were spending federal funds on luxury cars, houses and real estate. In the years since, major fraud cases have been linked to various state housing programs, autism services, and daycare centers.
- [10:02]
F
And what was happening here was that people in the state were creating fake companies and saying that they were providing services for those programs and then billing the state.
- [10:16]
A
That's Nathaniel Miner from the Minnesota Star Tribune, who told us about the scale of the problem.
- [10:21]
F
Over the course of this, the scope of this has really come into view and it's quite staggering. And the U.S. attorney's office here locally says he thinks the fraud is well beyond what he's proven so far in court and that he thinks there could be billions of dollars in fraudulent activities that have happened in the last five or 10 years here.
- [10:41]
A
While the investigations date back years, viral videos by a conservative influencer sparked renewed interest from the White House. Yesterday, the Trump administration announced it was freezing child care funds in Minnesota and in other blue states, citing suspicions of fraud. So far, more than 90 people have been charged with felonies and more than 60 have been convicted, most of them US citizens originating from Somalia. It's led some local prosecutors to accuse the state of failing to grip the issue because of sensitivities over race. And some Somali Americans fear a broader federal backlash against their community following the charges. In the meantime, Governor Walz has been pushing back on what he sees as a demonization of the Somali immigrant community and President Trump's numerous remarks disparaging Somali immigrants.
- [11:33]
E
I don't want to mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies in Washington and in St. Paul and online want to make our state a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.
- [11:47]
A
Multiple outlets have reported that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar met with Walz recently about her possibly running for governor in his place. Though she has yet to comment. And finally, a few other stories we're following. The number of vaccines the CDC recommends for kids has been significantly cut back following a government review. The new schedule scales back the number of vaccines for children from 17 to 11. President Trump issued an order in December asking HHS to examine how wealthy peer nations structured their vaccine recommendations, and the Health Department concluded that many peer nations recommended fewer. The change won't affect what vaccines parents can opt in for, but Stat quoted pediatricians who warn the shift in guidance could cause confusion and prevent parents from using safe shots that protect against dangerous diseases. Today marks five years since the January 6 attack on the Capitol. A plaque was made to honor the police that defended the building and members of Congress that day. It's supposed to be hanging in the Capitol, but the AP reports that it's not and that its whereabouts aren't publicly known. The plaque was approved as part of a government spending package in 2022 with a one year installation deadline attached, and two police officers who were there that day have now sued over the delay. In the Plaque's absence, about 100 members of Congress have relied on poster board type replicas as sort of makeshift remembrances outside their offices. And finally, Oklahoma has dethroned Florida as the lightning capital of the U.S. oklahoma experienced 73 lightning flashes square mile in 2025, surpassing Florida in density of lightning strikes. The lightning was so unmissable it quite literally gate crashed a local weather report last spring.
- [13:48]
C
You're in the warning for one inch hail, 60 mile power winds. I had the storm moving. Wow, that was intense. I think our tower just took a hit. Thank goodness for the generator.
- [13:59]
A
Koco 5's Jonathan Conder there improvising like a pro as the sound of thunder and a lightning crash interrupts his flow. The environmental consulting firm AEM says Oklahoma's rise to the top signals a significant shift in weather patterns compared to years past. One lightning scientist said the lack of hurricanes making landfall last year contributed to Florida losing its title, and an unusually active year for severe weather in Oklahoma helped it claim the title. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Wall Street Journal reports on the world of name, image, likeness, compensation in college sports and how the prospect of getting rich is turning young potential superstars into vulnerable assets at risk of being exploited. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.