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Today is Tuesday, January 6th. We're talking about the Venezuelan leader's first public comments since his capture, as well as new plans for his country's future and America's role in it. Also, a major shift in vaccine policy. The CDC has slashed the number of vaccines recommended for all American children. Plus, a big announcement from former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, what one of Elon Musk's companies is offering Venezuela now and why. You'll likely be hearing a lot about new technology this week. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome to the Newsworthy all the Days News in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. For the first time since a dramatic raid in Venezuela, the country's captured leader, Nicolas Maduro, appeared in court. He pleaded not guilty to charges including narco terrorism conspiracy, and he told the judge he was a prisoner of war who was kidnapped from his home. Maduro also claimed he was still president of Venezuela. It could be well over a year before he faces a trial, but his next hearing is set for March. For now, the direction of Maduro's country seems to be changing without him. President Trump said there won't be new elections in Venezuela for at least the next month. So the country's vice president, Delsey Rodriguez, was sworn in as acting president yesterday. In one of her first acts, she authorized police to search for and arrest anyone who supported the raid by US Commandos who captured Maduro and his wife. Reports say heavily armed security forces and pro government motorcycle gangs have been roaming the Venezuelan capital, detaining members of the press, stopping drivers and checking their phones. And the head of the Venezuelan military insists he'll keep resisting the US for now. There are still about 15,000American troops stationed around Venezuela to keep an eye on things like in the Caribbean Sea, certain Caribbean islands and territories like Puerto Rico. And that gives the US the ability to use the threat of force or actual military action to effectively control a situation there, no matter who is ultimately in power. President Trump has also said troops might be on the ground in Venezuela and that the US Is going to be, as he put it, nursing the country back to health. The president did not get into specifics about exactly how that will happen. Top lawmakers in Congress received a classified briefing last night about the raid. Now their reactions are split, with Republicans calling Maduro's capture justified and Democrats saying it led to more questions than answers. More briefings are planned for later in the week. Outside the US Some of the strongest American allies criticized the raid The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting yesterday where many members objected to the military mission that captured Maduro. For example, France's diplomat accused the US of violating international law, including the UN Charter that says countries should not violate each other's sovereignty. And that was a view shared by many diplomats. But the U.S. ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, defended the mission. As he explained it, it wasn't an act of war against Venezuela, but a law enforcement mission. Waltz says since Maduro was not a recognized head of state, he should just be considered a narcotics fugitive, in which case, action was justified. Either way, other countries are now watching the Trump administration closely, especially since back in Washington, D.C. president Trump is still threatening to take action against Colombia, Mexico, Greenland and beyond. To be continued the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule is getting an unprecedented overhaul. The new guidelines recommend all children get vaccines for 11 diseases, down from the 17 that have been on the schedule until now. The six no longer recommended are shots for meningitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus flu and rsv, and the change takes effect immediately, the Health and Human Services Department explained by saying the changes are meant to build more trust in public health and let parents just prioritize the most important shots, like those for measles, polio and whooping cough. The health department also says there needs to be more and better science on vaccines. But to be clear, there's no new evidence of shots being more dangerous, and many doctors say they expect this change to cause more confusion and lower vaccination rates and that in turn there will be a rise in diseases that used to be rare and children's health will be in danger. The change makes the new childhood vaccine schedule look more like Denmark's, but some public health experts say Denmark's minimal vaccine schedule is tailored to its universal healthcare system, which the US doesn't have. That system makes treatment, surveillance and testing more accessible, and means some of the vaccines not recommended are just too expensive for the Danish government. Denmark also has a population about 2% of that of the U.S. it's important to note if parents do want their kids to keep getting all of the vaccines previously recommended, they can, and health officials say insurance companies should continue to cover the shots. The Pentagon is now moving to demote Senator Mark Kelly, who is a retired U.S. navy captain. It comes a couple of months after a video came out featuring Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers who served in the military or intelligence community. They were reminding service members they are allowed and obligated to refuse illegal orders. Well, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called that video seditious. Yesterday, Hegseth censured him, meaning his behavior has been formally condemned. And the Defense Department started the process of reducing Kelly's retired rank, which would significantly cut his retirement pay. But already Kelly has promised to fight his punishment, and not just for himself. He says it's to send a message that the Trump administration doesn't get to decide what Americans get to say about their government. Well, Hegseth said if Kelly continues to act out, he might open himself up to criminal prosecutions. For now, the process to reduce Kelly's rank is expected to take about a month and a half. The thousands more immigration agents have been sent to Minneapolis. It comes as a fraud scandal is widening, mostly involving Somalis accused of taking government money meant for things like childcare. More than 2,000 ICE agents and officers will be in the Twin Cities area, making it one of the largest concentrations of Homeland security personnel in an American city in recent years. It's already sparked some protests, and the ICE operation is not the only way the federal government is cracking down. In Minnesota, the FBI has also surged the number of investigators it has there, and the federal health department froze $185 million in childcare payments to the state. Governor Tim Walz has warned that move, along with the heightened law enforcement presence, could risk harming legitimate businesses and families who rely on public assistance programs. Walz has also pushed back on claims the state has failed to address this problem, pointing to audits, third party reviews and the creation of a statewide fraud prevention council. But criticism has still been growing, and yesterday Walz announced he will not seek reelection to a third term. Walls gained national attention last year as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, but he's been governor of Minnesota for the last seven years, and his current term ends at the start of next year. Democrats have actually won every statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, and most forecasts rate this year's race in their favor, too. But now the question is, who will replace Walz? Many reports point to Senator Amy Klobuchar as a likely candidate, and if she does decide to run, that could create a rare midterm opening in the Senate. Klobuchar has not announced any decision just yet, so stay tuned. More news ahead in just a moment, but first, a quick break for our sponsors. I love the feeling of starting a new year with a wardrobe that actually works, pieces that I feel great in, that layer well and mix easily, and that feels polished without feeling fussy. That's why I keep reaching for Quince, my newest Mongolian cashmere boat neck sweater feels incredibly soft and luxe. 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Skims is one of those brands that is my go to for so many of my everyday essentials, from short and long sleeve tees to bras and underwear to my pajamas. If you've been listening for a while, you know I've been talking about them for a long time now. I reach for the tees time and time again for their form fitting silhouette that flatters my waist and their super soft material they feel so great on and I can wear them on their own or use them for layering. They're also versatile for a super casual look or a dressier night out, depending on what I pair them with. In fact, everything I've ever gotten from Skims is such a great material I can feel the softness and the quality right away. Skims lives up to the hype, so shop my favorite bras, underwear, tees, pajamas and more@skims.com after you place your order. Be sure to let them know we sent you select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show the Newsworthy in the dropdown menu that follows. Now back to the news. As Congress returned to Washington this week, they had to confront the next looming deadline. Lawmakers have until the end of this month to keep the government from shutting down again. But this time there's not expected to be the same kind of drama that sparked the longest shutdown in U.S. history last year. Lawmakers have already rolled out a new spending bill totaling at least $174 billion it would fund the Energy, Commerce, justice and Interior departments. 3. The end of the year, at least one other separate measure will still be needed to keep funding the rest of the government, but top lawmakers in both parties say that shouldn't be a problem. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he plans to bring the package up for a vote later this week. If it passes, it will then move on to the Senate, where it's also expected to get approval. Today marks exactly five years since a crowd of rioters stormed the US Capitol. As you know, they were acting on the belief President Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election, even though election authorities and several courts made it clear President Biden won fairly. After that came the largest criminal prosecution in American history. President Trump calls it the result of the Biden administration weaponizing the Justice Department against his supporters. So already last year, President Trump issued pardons for all 1,500 of them. Today, many of them are planning to march again in Washington, D.C. in memory of those who lost their lives on January 6th. Meanwhile, House Democrats put out two more reports yesterday documenting actions the Trump administration has taken this term to, as they see it, whitewash the history of the riot. That includes the pardons and the mass firing of Justice Department officials who prosecuted rioters. A report also examines the experiences of law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol, and it says the plaque honoring those officers has still not been displayed despite a federal law requiring it. Today, Democrats will hold another hearing to examine what they call ongoing threats to free and fair elections. They acknowledge it's unlikely anyone from the GOP will be there. Republicans now have their own special committee to uncover what Speaker Mike Johnson calls the full truth of what happened. They're planning a hearing this month. Elon Musk's satellite Internet provider is once again positioning itself as a communications lifeline during crises. Starlink announced it's offering free broadband to people in Venezuela for the next month. That could help Venezuelans stay connected in the middle of the fallout from the American attack that captured President Maduro. During that attack, reports said some areas of Venezuela had lost power and Internet connectivity. It's also noteworthy because Venezuela has a history of Internet censorship and shutdowns, especially during times of political upheaval. Of course, Venezuela is not the first conflict zone where Starlink has been deployed. It was rolled out in Ukraine in 2022 to replace Internet and communication networks damaged by Russia's invasion. And here in the US it's been used after natural disasters knocked out traditional infrastructure. The biggest tech trade show of the year kicks off today in Las Vegas, setting the stage for all kinds of trends we'll see throughout 2026. We're talking about CES, formerly called the Consumer Electronics Show. It's expected to showcase advances in technology across many industries like robotics, healthcare, vehicles, gaming and more. And as many reports point out, artificial intelligence will be anchored in nearly everything. If you're a tech junkie who can't make it to Vegas, don't worry, the event will be livestreamed. We'll also recap some of the biggest announcements here on the newsworthy CES last through Friday. Well, that's it for the main news today, but now it's time for Trivia Tuesday, when we ask a different trivia question every week. And today's trivia question, where is it illegal to own just one guinea pig? Listen again next Tuesday for the answer and explanation. As for last week's trivia question, why does one US Navy ship fly a pirate flag? The answer is because of a World War II era tradition. The ship is the USS Kidd, named after Admiral Isaac Kidd, who was the highest ranking officer killed at Pearl Harbor. But when the destroyer was commissioned, it adopted the skull and crossbones and an overall pirate theme because of a different Kidd. That's 18th century Scottish pirate captain William Kidd. The American admiral was actually nicknamed Cap because of his namesake. So after his death, the ship got the all clear from Admiral Kidd's widow to associate itself with the pirate. And that kicked off more than 80 years of tradition that's still going strong today. Well, thank you so much for joining us to get caught up on the news today. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest news to know. Until then, have a great day. Sam.