NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-05-2026 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

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On Ye Gods with Scott Carter, hear from The Faithful. I told my very Catholic mother that she needs to meet Jesus. The faithless. I just so don't believe in God. And the fearless. Serve people, connect with people. That's how we thrive. If life's a mystery, we investigate, who'd done it?

I pray that the humor God. Listen religiously to Ye gods with Scott Carter, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. After U.S. forces captured Venezuela's president on Saturday, President Trump said his administration will now run Venezuela. But on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a more nuanced response. He said the U.S. will instead manage the country through the use of sanctions. But the purpose of the sanctions, he said, will be clear. The goal of the policy is to see changes in Venezuela that are beneficial to the United States, first and foremost, because that's who we work for.

But also, we believe, beneficial for the people of Venezuela. who have suffered tremendously. We want a better future for Venezuela, and we think a better future for the people of Venezuela also is stabilizing for the region and makes the neighborhood we live in a much better and safer place. Rubio was speaking Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. President Trump has made clear that the U.S. operation in Venezuela

is about, at least in part, control of that country's oil. But experts say it's not just about Venezuelan oil, as NPR's Julius Simon tells us. Venezuela has massive oil resources and U.S. oil companies first started drilling there a century ago. But around 2007, then President Hugo Chavez forcibly renegotiated oil contracts. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhill Phillips left and took Venezuela to court. The courts ordered Venezuela pay the companies over $11 billion combined. Oil experts tell NPR that for some oil companies coming back could be a way to recoup money owed. Next door to Venezuela is Guyana, a key emerging oil player with a big ExxonMobil presence.

For years, Guyana and Venezuela have had territorial disputes, also related to oil. Oil experts tell NPR with President Maduro gone, U.S. oil investments in Guyana are more secure. Julia Simon, NPR News. More storms are expected in California over the next 24 hours. That's where the risk of flooding continues for areas along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. A coastal flood advisory for San Francisco is, in effect, through Monday afternoon. KQED's Billy Cruz has more on that story. After historic king tides and storm surge inundated low-lying places across the San Francisco region,

tides are still higher than normal, according to meteorologists. There is a possibility of water up to two feet above ground level, and widespread rain across the region is only making matters worse. Lainey Hendricks is a spokesperson for Morrill, County in the Bay Area. We are still seeing fairly high tides. Looking ahead while the rain is tapering off, we still have, you know, moderate to high tides in the forecast again for tomorrow.

So we may not necessarily be in the clear on flooding. The National Weather Service has issued floodwatches across the state. For NPR News, I'm Billy Cruz in San Francisco. And you're listening to NPR News. A mass and silent procession was held Sunday at the Swiss ski resort where 40 people died in the fire earlier on New Year's Eve and many others were injured. Officials now say all those who died have been identified,

but they're not providing names yet. The BBC's Sarah Rainsford has a report. There is a mass at St Christopher's Church this morning. The normal Sunday mass has become a mass for the 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's Sarah Rainsford with our story. Gunmen raided a village in northern Nigeria this weekend and killed at least 30 villagers. A number of other people remain missing following that attack. State police say the gunmen fired on the village and also burned down the local market and a number of houses. A spokesman for the Catholic Church in the area where the attack occurred said several children were abducted, several people were inducted including children. City officials in Berlin say a fire set this weekend. It was a politically motivated attack by left-wing extremists.

The fire broke out on the cable bridge over the Teltoc Canal. It knocked out electricity to more than 45,000 homes and 2,200 businesses in southwest Berlin, while most of the power was restored by Sunday, snowy weather, and freezing temperatures or slowing restoration efforts. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.