NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-04-2026 12PM EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro is being held in a detention center in Brooklyn. After being seized in a U.S. military operation yesterday, he and his wife will face federal drug and weapons charges. What happens next in Venezuela? NPR's Greg Mirey reports, President Trump appears less reluctant than in his first term to send in the troops. He said, quote,

were not afraid of boots on the ground. And he said that the U.S. can't just leave Venezuela or the country would never recover. And then in the remark that really grabbed everyone's attention, Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela. And he said he'd do it with people that were with him at the news conference. He was referring to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon Chief Pete Hagseth, along with Venezuelans as well. NPR's Greg Mirey reporting, Hundreds of San Francisco's rallied yesterday afternoon in opposition to the U.S. bombing of Venezuela and the capture of Maduro from member station KQED in San Francisco.

Juan Carlos Lera reports. Richard Becker with the anti-war answer coalition says the Trump administration's attack is a blatant scheme to take natural resources. They want the wealth of Venezuela. They want its oil. They want its gold. They want its bauxite. But about two months.

miles away, small groups of Venezuelans gathered in an Arepa restaurant to celebrate the ousting of Maduro, who they called a corrupt dictator. Ruby Nino, who grew up in Venezuela, says she's optimistic about the country's future without Maduro and hopes the involvement of U.S. officials will help. She says the people have already suffered too much for things to go bad now. For NPR news, I'm Juan Carlos Lara in San Francisco. British and French warplanes carried out an airstrike in central Syria last night. The British government says it was targeting an underground facility suspected of storing weapons for the Islamic State.

NPR's Lauren Freire reports from London. British Royal Air Force jets have been flying patrols over Syria since the Islamic State's defeat in 2019. Intelligence gleaned from those flyovers apparently revealed what the British military calls a weapons and explosives facility. in the mountains north of Palmyra, an ancient city that's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British military says its typhoon fighter jets joined French aircraft in this joint operation, dropping guided bombs on the site which was occupied by ISIS. There was no risk posed to civilians, the military says. Britain and France are both part of a U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS.

The U.S. conducted its own airstrikes near Palmyra weeks ago, following an ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian an interpreter there. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. This is NPR News in Washington. A silent procession was held today at the Swiss ski resort where 40 people died in a fire early on New Year's Day. Police have now identified 24 of them but are not providing names. BBC's Sarah Rainsford reports.

There is a mass at St Christopher's Church this morning. The normal Sunday Mass has become a mass for the very much. victims of the tragedy on New Year's Eve here. And people here, of course, gathering to remember the many victims of this horrific fire. And so, of course, for the families who had been hoping against hope that perhaps their relatives, their children in many cases, were in hospitals somewhere unidentified yet. They're getting the worst possible news. They're now beginning the grieving process, knowing that their children have in fact died. The BBC, Sarah Rainsford. During his Sunday prayer at St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo said he is following development

in Venezuela with a soul full of concern. Heard here, through an interpreter, the Pope said Venezuela's sovereignty should be guaranteed, and the welfare of Venezuelans must prevail over all other considerations. The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over any other consideration and lead to overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the country. ensuring the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution,

respecting the human and civil rights of each and every person. Pope Leo has criticized some of President Trump's policies. Last month, he urged him not to use force to oust Maduro. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.