NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-05-2026 11PM EST

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Officials in Venezuela are rallying around the South American country's interim leader. Delci Rodriguez took over as acting president after Nicholas Maduro and his wife were arraigned on drug, trafficking, and other charges in New York. More from NPR's Kerry Kahn. Delci Rodriguez, Maduro's longtime vice president, was sworn in by her brother, who is the head of Venezuela's National Assembly. She pledged to bring Venezuela out of what she called these terrible times that threaten the peace and stability of the country. Maduro's son also named Nicolas gave an emotional pledge of support for the new leader. The homeland is in good hands, Papa, and we will hug each other soon here in Venezuela, he said.

The younger Maduro is also a named defendant in the indictment against his father and stepmother. A group of independent journalists say seven reporters were arrested outside the National Assembly. Kerry Kahn, NPR News, Bogota, Colombia. U.S. stocks hit new highs today after President Trump announced blast to take control of Venezuela's oil industry. As NPR's Maria Aspen reports, the Dow closed up more than 1 percent. President Trump says the U.S. military action in Venezuela will allow U.S. companies to take over the country's oil production. and investors in those companies seem pretty excited about the potential payoff. Chevron is the last major U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela.

Its shares soared more than 5% and helped lift the overall market. Shares an ExxonMobil and Conoco Phillips also rose. The U.S. military's capture of Venezuela's president and his wife has stoked concerns about increased geopolitical instability. prices of gold and silver, typically seen as hedges against uncertainty, rose. So did the shares of major weapons makers and defense contractors. Maria Aspen and PR News. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he's dropping his bid for a third term in office.

The decision comes amid fallout over a viral YouTube video suggesting that publicly funded Somali-run daycare centers in Minneapolis are shell companies. Wall says that every minute he spends defending his political decisions takes time away from defending the residents of his state. We've got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into our daycares, demanding access to our children. We've got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that Minnesotans rely on. Wall says he leaves the governor's office with zero sadness or requirements. He's suggesting that being governor is about service and not about a title. You're listening to NPR. The Department of Health and Human Services is reducing the number of vaccines that it's recommending for children.

The changes affect widely recommended protection against flu, hepatitis, meningitis, NRS, and it's effectively immediately. HHS says the change will not deprive families of access to the vaccines, but medical professionals say it will calls confusion and possibly an increase in preventable diseases. Coastal cities in Northern California are recovering from weekend flooding brought on by king tides and stormy weather. As KQED's Ezra David Romero explains, the floodwater surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses north of San Francisco. A three-foot-tall line of gray sandbags and blue tarps blocks the entrance of FitnessSF in the Marin County City of Cordo-Modera. There would mostly stop several feet of water from turning the gym into a pool.

Ryan Davis is the gym's general manager. At least three feet of standing water strut in the entire building, that even with sandbags and plywood and tarps, it was still coming through. National Weather Service forecasters said the storm outperformed their forecast, resulting in additional storm surge on top of the extra high tides. Marin County officials are still calculating the extent. of the damage. For NPR news, I'm Ezra David Romero in Cora Madera. U.S. futures are flat and after hours trading on Wall Street, following today's gains, the Dow rose 594 points on Asia-Pacific markets. Shares are higher. This is NPR News.