NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-03-2026 6AM EST

Episode Date: January 3, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump announced early this morning that U.S. forces have carried out what he called a large-scale strike against Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro. NPR's Franco Ordonez has more. Several explosions were reported in the capital Caracas early this morning, and President Trump soon confirmed that the U.S. had completed airstrikes in Venezuela, and were flying the Venezuelan leader and his wife out of the country. Strikes come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela after a massive buildup of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean

and the targeting of alleged drug smuggling boats and oil tankers. The Venezuelan government quickly denounced the strikes. In a social media post on telegram, Venezuela said the government, quote, rejects, condemns, and denounces before the international community, the extremely grave military aggression carried out by the current government of the United States of America, against Venezuelan territory and population. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News. President Trump is to brief reporters on the situation later this morning. Maduro's capture, meanwhile, has not been confirmed by Venezuela.

The vice president says his whereabouts are unknown, and she is demanding proof of life. The BBC's Ione Wells has the latest on the situation on the ground following those large explosions at Hick-Faracas and other cities across the country overnight. We know that some of the targets of these strikes were some of the main defence bases in Caracas, both Fueta Tuna, which is essentially the main military complex inside Caracas, is where the defence headquarters is based. There is still a lot of unknowns about this situation,

but certainly the President Nicolas Maduro has declared a national emergency in Venezuela. The BBC Zioni Wells reporting there from Venezuela. South Carolina's Department of Public Health is reporting that nine more confirmed, measles cases in its first outbreak update of the year. And that outbreak is affecting kids at a greater ratio than in other states with outbreaks. South Carolina Public Radio's Luis Alfredo Garcia reports. State health officials say the count of in-state cases related to the outbreak is up to 185, and it's in a county that borders North Carolina. The county has the lowest school vaccination rate of any county in South Carolina. Exposure spreads throughout households and schools

for the most part, but it is affecting kids at a higher rate than cases in other states with current outbreaks. South Carolina's Department of Public Health reports, about 90% of its 2025 measles cases were in children. Cases in the outbreak along the Arizona-Utah border are not as child-heavy. Sixty-five percent of Arizona's 2025 cases were in children, and it is 60 percent for Utah. Each state had more than 150 cases last year. For NPR News, I'm Louis Alfredo Garcia in Columbia, South Carolina. And from Washington, This is NPR News. The FBI says it disrupted a planned attack inspired by the Islamic State Group.

Agents in North Carolina have arrested 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant, who had allegedly pledged loyalty to the group. He is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Authorities say he shared plans with an undercover FBI employee to use knives and hammers to carry out New Year's Eve attacks. Prediction market apps are expected to surge this year ahead of midterm elections. NPR's Bobby Allen reports at the Biden administration tried to shut down election betting, but Trump officials are welcoming the services. Billions of dollars and bets are happening every week on Kalshi and Polly Market.

It's mostly sports, but politics is a growing category. The apps are regulated by the Commodity Future Trading Commission after arguing they are not gambling, but a futures contract. Carl Lockhart is a law professor who studies prediction markets at DePaul University. he says the apps are gambling under a different name. It's a combination of technology being addictive, and then on top of that, you know, these apps and the actual game of gambling being addictive, right? So you basically have this sort of addiction squared situation.

Election watchers say the apps invite rich backers and foreign actors to pour money into an election bet to change opinions, perceptions, or even how people vote. Bobby Allen and PR News. Recapping our top story, President Trump, set to brief reporters later this morning on the situation in Venezuela. In a social media post early today, Trump said that U.S. forces carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela overnight and have captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, the Venezuelan government, is demanding proof of life. This is NPR News.