NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-04-2026 11AM EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Nicholas Maduro is expected in federal court in New York as soon as tomorrow. The U.S. military seized the former Venezuelan president and his wife in an early morning raid yesterday. They face drug and weapons charges. President Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela until there can be a proper transition. He says U.S. oil companies will operate the country's oil reserves. President Trump's military intervention. in Venezuela is a big departure from his promise to supporters

not to get the U.S. involved in foreign conflicts. NPR's Mara Liason reports. The big political question that Venezuela may answer is whether the MAGA movement stands for anything Donald Trump decides to do or for principles, such as non-interventionism, that transcend Trump. Most Republicans in Congress have been supportive so far, but a few, like Representative Marjorie Taylor Green, who's leaving Congress this week after a falling out with Trump,

says the president has broken his America first promise with his plan to, quote, run Venezuela. She says the president should be focused on domestic problems like the price of food and health care. And it's not clear what Trump means by, quote, running Venezuela, whether it's a full-fledged occupation like Iraq or something different. Mara Liason, NPR News. Early congressional reaction has fallen largely along party lines. Democrats are calling it an illegal strike on Venezuela. Florida Republican Maria O'Vira Salazar says the U.S. is liberating the country. It proves that we are not an occupying power, like some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle,

we're not an occupying power. We are a liberating power, and we restore power, and then we give it back to those who are in that country. We are a very benevolent country. European leaders are trying to navigate their discomfort with the U.S. takeover of Venezuela, concerns about provoking the Trump administration. Terry Schultz reports, many say they didn't consider Maduro a legitimate leader after disputed elections in 2024. European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union is following the situation very closely and supports a peaceful and democratic transition. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, however, says while Spain didn't recognize Maduro, quote, neither will it

recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence. Social media posts suggesting Trump may now enact previous threats to invade Greenland, prompted the Danish ambassador to the U.S. to state Denmark expects full respect for its territorial integrity. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. The Danish ambassador was responding to a post by the wife of Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. It showed an image of Greenland in red, white, and blue with the word soon. This is NPR News in Washington. Hundreds of people marched in silence today at a Swiss ski resort

the site of a deadly bar fire in the early hours of New Year's Day. At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured. Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers. They suspect that sparkling candles atop champagne bottles were carried too close to the ceiling, identifying the dead as difficult because many were badly burned, requiring the use of DNA samples. Wall Street is hoping for another blockbuster year, despite mounting worries about the economy and fears of an AI bubble.

As NPR's Maria Aspen reports, tomorrow kicks off the first full week of trading for 2026. U.S. markets have rallied for three straight years as investors pin more and more hopes on the artificial intelligence frenzy. Tech companies are pouring money into AI, while investors have sent tech stocks soaring on the hopes of of an eventual payoff. The major U.S. indices all rose by double-digit percentages in 2025. An analysts are largely predicting that they'll do it again this year, despite some fears that tech stocks are too hot, and that the overall economy is weakening. Investors will get more clues about U.S. hiring and unemployment on Friday when the federal government releases its December jobs report. Maria Aspen and PR News.

This is the first movie weekend of the new year, which Hollywood is hoping will be a bright one. Avatar Fire and Ash continues to lead in ticket sales. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.