3AM ET 01/05/2026 Newscast

Summary

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Fox News Hourly Update – 3AM ET 01/05/2026 Newscast

Host: Fox News Podcasts | Date: January 5, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode provides a concise update on breaking U.S. and international news, focusing on the legal proceedings against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, fallout from U.S. military action in Venezuela, domestic flooding in California, and allied strikes on ISIS targets in Syria.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Nicolas Maduro's U.S. Court Arraignment

[00:03–01:05]

• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is set to be arraigned in New York City on Monday, facing charges including drug trafficking.
• The DOJ’s superseding indictment alleges that Maduro turned Venezuela into a drug pipeline, trafficking “thousands of tons of cocaine.”
• Political responses have fallen along party lines:
  • NYC Mayor Zorram Doni (Democratic Socialist) called President Trump to criticize Venezuelan strikes.
  • NY State Attorney General Letitia James posted on X:

    “…Maduro was a brutal dictator who caused pain and suffering while adding that she also believes in the Constitution. And as such, ‘I am deeply concerned with the administration's continued abuse of the rule of law.’”
    (00:30, Letitia James)

• The case is federal; opposition is unlikely to affect court proceedings.

Notable Quote

• “I am deeply concerned with the administration's continued abuse of the rule of law.”
  — Letitia James, NY State Attorney General, [00:30]

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2. Airspace Closures and Airline Disruptions

[01:05–01:45]

• In Florida, Venezuelan Americans are celebrating Maduro’s arraignment, but Caribbean airspace faces difficulties.
• U.S. military actions led to widespread flight cancellations by American, Delta, United, Frontier, Spirit, and JetBlue.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Caribbean airspace is reopening, but full normalization will take days due to significant backlogs.
• FlightAware reported hundreds of delays and even more cancellations.

Notable Moment

• “Hundreds of flights had to be canceled by major carriers because of Saturday's US Military action in Venezuela.”
  — [01:15, Paul Stevens]

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3. Northern California Flood Concerns

[02:40–03:33]

• Marin County, CA, is battling floodwaters, with local businesses like Morning SF Fitness surrounded by tarps and sandbags.
• A sandbag wall failed, leading to manageable water damage in the gym’s lobby.
• Employee and community volunteer efforts highlighted:
  • "We had the sandbag wall break yesterday and that got water into the lobby so we'd have to refortify that, get some more sandbags… We got a lot of help. A lot of great people.”
    (02:56, Gym Representative)
• King tides broke records dating back to 1998, with some locations seeing their highest tides ever.
• Rain is expected to continue into Monday.

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4. British and French Airstrikes on ISIS

[03:33–04:19]

• UK and French militaries struck ISIS positions in Syria, targeting an underground facility for weapons and explosives near Palmyra.
• The operation was meticulously planned to avoid civilian casualties; all aircraft returned safely.
• France stresses commitment to preventing ISIS resurgence; both countries are part of the U.S.-led coalition.

Memorable Recap

• “Allied strikes come after American action in Syria last month as the international effort against ISIS continues.”
  — [04:19, Stephanie Bennett]

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5. Swiss Memorial March for Bar Fire Victims

[04:19–04:34]

• Hundreds in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, marched in silence to honor 40 people killed in a New Year's Eve bar fire.

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Memorable Quotes

• “I am deeply concerned with the administration's continued abuse of the rule of law.”
  — Letitia James, [00:30]
• “We had the sandbag wall break yesterday and that got water into the lobby so we'd have to refortify… We got a lot of help. A lot of great people.”
  — Local Gym Representative, [02:56]

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Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Maduro to Face Charges in NYC: 00:03–01:05
• Airspace Closures/Flight Disruptions: 01:05–01:45
• California Flood Response & Volunteerism: 02:40–03:33
• British & French Strikes on ISIS in Syria: 03:33–04:19
• Swiss Memorial March: 04:19–04:34

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This episode delivers a fast-paced round-up of key global and national events, marked by detailed reporting and a focus on impacts to ordinary citizens as well as high-level political dynamics.

Transcript

[A]

Maduro gets his day in court. I'm Darielle Albinger, Fox News. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will answer to drug and other charges when he's arraigned on Monday in New York City.

[B]

The support for the US Military action has largely fallen along party lines. And we know New York City Democratic Socialist Mayor Zorram Doni said he directly called President Trump yesterday to criticize the Venezuelan strikes. New York State Attorney General Letitia James wrote on X yesterday, maduro was a brutal dictator who caused pain and suffering while adding that she also believes in the Constitution. And as such, quote, I am deeply concerned with the administration's continued abuse of the rule of law. It's unlikely that any of this opposition will have any impact because this is a federal case against Maduro. The DOJ's four count superseding indictment accuses him and his allies of turning Venezuela into a drug pipeline to flood the with, quote, thousands of tons of cocaine.

[A]

That's fox's CB Cotton in New York City. In Florida, Venezuelans celebrate and Caribbean airspace is hard to get through.

[C]

After the operation, hundreds of flights had to be canceled by major carriers because of Saturday's US Military action in Venezuela. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announcing a reopening of that airspace. But it could take a few days for many carriers to get back on schedule. Regarding numerous flights and a full day's worth of passengers. American Airlines, Delta, United, Frontier Airlines, spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways all observed airspace closures. Paul Stevens, Fox News FlightAware says there.

[A]

Were hundreds of flights that were delayed and even more that were canceled due to the situation in Venezuela. America's listening to Fox News.

[D]

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[A]

In Northern California, residents in Marin county are trying to keep a step ahead of floodwaters that are approaching their businesses and homes. Fox TV affiliate KTVU 2 San Francisco's.

[E]

Devin Trubias Morning SF Fitness surrounded their business with tarps and dozens of sandbags.

[F]

We had the sandbag wall break yesterday and that got water into the lobby so we'd have to refortify that, get some more sandbags. You know, we have a lot of great employees, employees that came in and worked on their day off, members that came in, volunteered. So we got a lot of help. A lot of great people.

[E]

The gym says they have just some water damage in the lobby, but it's manageable. The king tides on Saturday, breaking many records set back in 1998. According to the National Weather Service, tides were supposed to be two and a half feet above high tide. And Point Reyes, San Francisco, Alameda reporting their highest tide since 1998. Redwood City, Martinez Richmond reporting their highest on record.

[A]

And that rain is expected to continue through Monday. British and French forces are carrying out airstrikes in Syria on ISIS targets. Fox's Stephanie Bennett in London.

[G]

The UK Ministry of Defense says careful intelligence analysis identified an underground facility in the mountains north of Palmyra. Officials believe it was storing weapons and explosives and the area surrounding it was away from civilians using guided bombs to target several access tunnels down to the facility. The Ministry of Defense says initial indications show it was a successful mission and all aircraft returned safely. The French military said the strikes were aimed at preventing the resurgence of the ISIS group as the fight against terrorism remains a priority for France and its partners. Britain and France are part of the U. S led coalition that has been fighting ISIS militants for more than a decade.

[A]

The strikes taking place after American strikes in Syria last month. Hundreds marched in silence in the Swiss resort town of Kranz, Montana to honor the victims of the New Year's Eve bar fire that killed 40 people. I'm Daria Albinger.

[E]

This is Fox News.

[G]

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[F]

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