NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-04-2026 3PM EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is to appear in federal court in New York tomorrow to face drug charges. He was seized by U.S. forces early yesterday. Meanwhile, the new president in Venezuela is consolidating power. John Otis has more. Delci Rodriguez, who had been Maduro's vice president, was sworn in to replace him Saturday. Since then, Rodriguez has secured backing from key members of Maduro's authoritarian. regime, which remains largely in place. Among them is defense minister Vladimir

Padino Lopez, who, in his speech on Sunday, offered the new president his full support. But in an ominous sign for the Trump administration, which claims Venezuela's government will be a U.S. ally, Rodriguez has fiercely criticized the United States and is demanding that Maduro be returned to Venezuela. For NPR News, I'm John Otis. President Trump did not consult Congress before the attack on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro. A top Democrat on Capitol Hill is calling this illegal, but leading Republicans are backing Trump. NPR's Luke Garrett reports. Republican Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the president doesn't need to give Congress a heads up on what he called, quote, an arrest.

On CNN, Cotton defended Trump's mission to, quote, run Venezuela. When the president said the United States is going to be running Venezuela, it means that the new leaders of Venezuela, Venezuela need to meet our demand. The Arkansas senator called for new elections. But Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, told CNN the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the ensuing control of the country is illegal. The president cannot run a military operation of this size, cannot invade a foreign country without coming to Congress first, without allowing the American public to weigh in.

A Senate vote on presidential war powers is expected this week. Luke Garrett. NPR News, Washington. China is watching the U.S. seizure of Maduro. China was Venezuela's biggest customer of oil, and it still has significant oil assets in the South American country. NPR's Emily Fang reports. China still gets most of its oil and gas imports elsewhere, but one of China's major state-owned energy companies has built oil fields in Venezuela, and a private Chinese company had been exploring an expansion. But with President Trump saying the U.S. will run Venezuela for now, those investments are in question.

And Clayton Siegel, a senior fellow analyzing energy security issues at the think tank CSIS in Washington, says Beijing is likely worried about whether the U.S. could move to cut off its other energy inputs. It's what this means for the future of China's energy security and affordability that will concern decision makers in Beijing. In addition to Russia, China gets significant oil imports from the Middle East and Iran. Emily Fang and Peer News. This is NPR News in Washington. The first criminal trial concerning the police response to a mass school shooting in Uvaldi, Texas, opens tomorrow. Former officer Adrian Gonzalez is charged with multiple counts of child endangerment. Prosecutors say he was one of the first officers at the elementary school in 2022 when a gunman opened fire.

They say he failed to confront the shooter despite his training. 19 children and two teachers were killed. Avatar Fire and Ash continues to lead the box office as Hollywood heads into what it hopes will be a bright 2026. NPR's Bob Mandelo has details. One weekend in, ticket revenue is up 20% over last year thanks to holiday sequels, Avatar 3 and Zootopia 2. A single weekend doesn't mean much,

but theater owners have reason to be optimistic. The next few months, usually a slow period on the release calendar, will bring two high-profile sci-fi epics, mercy about an AI justice system run amok, and Project Hail Mary, which sends Ryan Gosling into space. I met an alien. He's kind of growing on me. At least he's not growing in me, you know,

which was a concern for a little while. There'll be an animated sports epic called Goat and Pixar's hoppers about a human consciousness hopping into an animal's body. This is like Avatar. This is nothing like Avatar. Also two major horror sequels, Scream 7, and 28 years later,

The Bone Temple, all before Easter. Bob Mandelo, NPR News. Tomorrow, Wall Street investors will kick off their first full week of trading for 2026. All the major indexes rose by double-digit percentages in 2025, partially because tech companies are investing in artificial intelligence. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.