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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is at a federal courthouse in New York City. He was captured over the weekend in a US military operation in Caracas. In NPR's Jasmine Garz reports from New York. Maduro faces US charges, including drug trafficking.
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Dozens of protesters gathered outside the courthouse ahead of deposed President Nicolas Maduro's indictment. Tensions escalated quickly between those who expressed outrage over the US Incursion in Venezuela and those who support it. Maria Su from Venezuela was visibly emotional. She said, quote, I'm happy. I'm happy to see him enter court today and pay for everything. The deposed Venezuelan president is expected to appear before a judge for a brief hearing that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, New York.
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President Trump is saying the US Will run Venezuela, and he indicated that could include with the help of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump also says US Oil companies will return to Venezuela to take charge of its enormous oil resources. Trump is further musing about US Military action in other countries. He specified the president of Colombia, whose country neighbors Venezuela. He's talked about Cuba, and he's demanding control of Greenland. Defense Secretary Hegseth says he is sending a letter of censure to Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly. Hegseth is citing Kelly's participation. In a short video released last year, Kelly and five other lawmakers called on US Troops to resist illegal orders and uphold the Constitution. Peg Seth he's taking a necessary process step that could lead to a demotion in rank for Kelly. The Arizona senator is a retired Navy captain. Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz has announced today he is ending his bid for re election. Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson has more.
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The second term governor said in a statement that he will not pursue a third term in office. Walz launched a reelection campaign in September. He said he wants to spend the last year of his term rooting out fraud in state programs, and he said another campaign could pull focus from that. The move comes after the Walz administration faced increasing scrutiny over that issue. The Trump administration has placed a national spotlight on misuse of government funds in recent weeks. Walz was first elected governor in 2018 and previously represented southern Minnesota in Congress. He ran unsuccessfully for vice president on the Democratic ticket in 2024. He says he's confident a Democrat can win the governor's office in November. For NPR News, I'm Dana Ferguson in St. Paul.
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A judge in Wisconsin has resigned. Hannah Dugan was convicted last month of obstructing justice after she helped a migrant who appeared in her courtroom earlier last year evade federal immigration officials. On Wall street, the dow is up 650 points. This is NPR. Police in Switzerland say they have identified all of the injured victims from last week's deadly bar fire that kill people. Swiss police say 83 of the injured are still in the hospital. President Trump has warned India that it will face higher tariffs if it continues to buy Russian oil. As NPR's Omkar Khandekar reports, Trump earlier accused India of helping fund Moscow's invasion of Ukraine by importing cheap Russian crude oil.
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India emerged as one of Russia's biggest oil importers after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but it reduced purchases after the US doubled import tariffs on Indian goods to 50% last year. India also began buying more American oil, which analysts say was a conciliatory move to help seal a trade deal. That deal still hasn't happened. Now Indian newspaper the Hindu cites government data to report that New Delhi appears to have resumed bulk imports of Russian oil. President Trump recently reiterated that India reducing imports from Russia was India important to make me happy. But if that trade continues, he said, the US could boost tariffs on India very quickly. Omkar Khandekar, NPR News, Mumbai.
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The National Weather Service says the west coast is getting a lot of precipitation today. That includes winter weather warnings in the eastern mountains of California with a lot of snow. There are flood watches posted for Northern California. A weekend of heavy rain left some flooding in the San Francisco Bay Area, and up to 3 inches of rain are expected in the same areas today. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News, in Washington.
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Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now +@ +npr.org. that's +npr.org.
Host: Korva Coleman
Date: January 5, 2026
Duration: ~5 minutes
This edition of NPR News Now provides a rapid roundup of top national and international headlines. The segment primarily covers developments regarding Venezuela and its former leader, updates on the Trump administration’s foreign and domestic policy moves, US political news, a resignation of a Wisconsin judge, global business, US-India trade frictions, and weather warnings affecting the US West Coast.
"I'm happy. I'm happy to see him enter court today and pay for everything." ([00:45])"India reducing imports from Russia was important to make me happy. But if that trade continues, the US could boost tariffs on India very quickly." ([04:15])"I'm happy. I'm happy to see him enter court today and pay for everything." – Maria Su ([00:45])"India reducing imports from Russia was important to make me happy. But if that trade continues, the US could boost tariffs on India very quickly." – President Trump ([04:15])NPR’s concise, objective reporting prevails, with emotional color added through brief interviews (notably during the Venezuela coverage). The language remains direct, impartial, and focused on facts, with underlying tensions highlighted through contextual background on several stories—such as the polarized reaction to US intervention in Venezuela and heightened US-India economic friction.
This summary provides a comprehensive and engaging snapshot of key international and US political developments, legal news, economic tensions, and environmental concerns as covered in this NPR News Now episode.