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- [00:02]
Hannah Jewell
Nicholas Maduro is expected to appear in federal court in New York today. That's where we're starting the seven. From the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Monday, January 5th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Early on Saturday, elite U.S. army commandos arrived in Venezuela by helicopter. They descended into a compound where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were sleeping. The couple were taken by helicopter to a US Ship positioned off Venezuela. From there, they were flown to New York, where they will face drug trafficking charges. The deposed Venezuelan president is expected to be arraigned in U.S. district Court in Manhattan at noon Eastern. President Donald Trump has said the US Will run Venezuela for an unspecified length of time. That plan is clouded in confusion. Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. Trump also said US Oil companies would move into the country and try and boost oil production. That plan also faces major challenges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the operation on NBC's Meet the Press yesterday.
- [01:25]
Marco Rubio
This was not an action that required congressional approval. In fact, it couldn't require congressional approval because this was not an invasion. This is not an extended military operation. This is a very precise operation that involved a couple of hours of action. It was a very delicate operation, too. It was one that required all these conditions to be in place at the right time, in the right place. You couldn't afford leaks. We couldn't afford anything out there that would have endangered the mission and gotten people killed or killed off the mission and the optionality also.
- [01:51]
Hannah Jewell
Speaking to Meet the Press, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back on that argument.
- [01:57]
Marco Rubio
So of course, this was the military action. And pursuant to the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war to authorize acts that take place.
- [02:08]
Hannah Jewell
In this regard, the US Operation has divided Venezuelans. Many world leaders and international organizations have condemned the raid, saying it was a violation of international law. Experts told the Post that while the Trump administration's capture of Maduro may violate international law, that is unlikely to affect legal proceedings against him in US Courts. We asked Americans what they thought about US Actions in Venezuela. That's number two. What do Americans think about the US Military operation that captured Nicolas Maduro? And what role should the US have in deciding how the country is governed? The Post texted more than a thousand Americans to ask. The Post poll found that Americans are almost evenly split between approval and disapproval of the US Sending forces to capture Maduro. Though most say the operation should have required congressional approval, the public is also skeptical about the US Taking control of Venezuela's government or deciding its leadership. An overwhelming majority of Americans say the Venezuelan people should decide the leadership of their country, while only 6% say the US should do so. You can find the full results from our poll in our newsletter today. Just follow the link in our show. Notes Number three Democrats appear primed to win the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections Democrats are celebrating signs that the tide is turning their way in this year's elections. Polling off year victories and voter anxiety over the economy are looking favorable to Democrats. They lead in support for control of Congress by 5 percentage points in a post average of November and December national polls. But translating dissatisfaction with President Trump into a blue electoral tsunami will be harder to achieve than in years past. Democrats will need to compete in districts that Trump won by large margins to pick up a significant number of seats. Of the 39 seats Democrats are competing for, 28 are in districts that Trump won by 5 or more percentage points. Meanwhile, a gerrymandering spree instigated by Trump has narrowed the number of truly competitive seats. That furthers a trend that was already underway in recent elections as the nation has become more polarized.
- [04:50]
Washington Post Announcer
Foreign.
- [04:59]
Hannah Jewell
The Secret Service is planning one of the most ambitious hiring efforts in its history. The Secret Service wants to hire 4,000 new employees by 2028. The plans are in place to ease strain on the current workforce. Some Secret Service employees are already facing burnout after the loss of experienced colleagues, and more will be eligible to retire before 2028. That shift comes during a key year for the agency. In 2028, the Secret Service will have the task of keeping people safe during the presidential election and the Olympic Games. Hiring is also a challenge. The agency faces a shortage of qualified candidates, and potential recruits must go through a long cleaning and vetting process. Meanwhile, ice, another big law enforcement agency, is also competing for staff. One cause of death is growing faster than all the others in America. That's number five. Something strange is happening with malnutrition. It's by far the fastest growing cause of death in America, soaring sixfold over the past decade or so. That's according to a Post analysis of death certificate data from the cdc. When you dig into the data, you see malnutrition deaths rising across the board. Every state, every education level, every race, every gender. Only one metric showed clear differences. Age Americans 85 or older die from malnutrition at around 60 times the rate of the rest of the population, and such deaths are rising about twice as fast among that group. While food insecurity has risen among older Americans from 2011 to 2023. It can't explain a 746% increase in malnutrition deaths among over that period, according to experts. A better understanding of malnutrition means it has appeared on more medical charts, and from there it occasionally makes its way onto more death certificates, helping to explain the spike. The NFL Playoffs are set. That's number six. Lovers of American football will know that the playoffs start Saturday. The Denver Broncos in the AFC and the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC are the number one seeds. They'll each have a first round bye and home field advantage through the conference championship games if they advance that far. You can find the full bracket in our newsletter Today, with the 12 other teams in action next weekend, then next month. Super Bowl 60 is on February 8th at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Puerto Rican singer and rapper Bad Bunny is scheduled to perform the halftime show. Number seven is good news for anyone who spent New Year's Eve dancing. It could cut your dementia risk. A study found that people who danced more than once a week had a 76% lower chance of dementia than those who did so rarely. That could be because dancing combines some of the most important factors that are associated with exercise creativity, balance and social connection. When you dance, you're doing several matching a rhythm, remembering steps or making them up, navigating space, and maybe even responding to a partner. While more studies are needed, it seems like the cognitive multitasking associated with getting on down may give your brain the right type of workout. So feel free to have a little dance to our outro Music today. Alright, you're all caught up. It's a new year and high time you signed up for our newsletter. It has links to all the stories I talk about here on the podcast and much, much more. It even has games. Sign up at the link in our show notes and you can get the seven Morning Briefing delivered to your inbox or early every weekday morning. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.
- [09:47]
Washington Post Announcer
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