NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-05-2026 2AM EST

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. There are both clarifications and contradictions right now about President Trump's remark that the U.S. will, quote, run Venezuela. NPR's Quill-Lorenz reports. After the lightning raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, President Trump said the United States will run Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio walked that back on Sunday news programs, saying the U.S. would use its leverage to run Venezuela's government policy.

But Trump had said he wasn't afraid. of U.S. boots on the ground. Ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, told NPR Congress hasn't been briefed. What he hasn't put forward is, okay, what's the plan? Where are those boots going to go? How are they going to secure the country? The president has not presented a plan for that. There don't appear to be U.S. ground troops in Venezuela right now, but Trump said they could be used to secure the country's oil production. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. President Trump Sunday praised the troops who captured Maduro on Saturday and speaking with reporters on Air Force One. He clarified what he said that the U.S. is going to use oil to change that country's

future. So we're going to have the big oil companies go in and they're going to fix the infrastructure and they're going to invest money. We're not going to invest anything. We're going to just take care of the country. We're going to cherish the country. We're going to take care of more importantly of the people, including Venezuelans that are living in our country that were forced to leave their country. Venezuela's interim leader, meanwhile, is inviting Trump to collaborate with her and Delsi Rodriguez says she's looking for respectful relations between the two countries. China is watching the U.S.'s seizure of Venezuela and President Maduro. China was Venezuela's biggest oil customer, and as NPR's Emily Fang reports,

it still has significant oil assets in that South American country. 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 import.

from the Middle East and Iran. Emily Fang and Pierre News. One day after the ouster of Venezuela's president, President Trump now says Greenland could be next. In an interview with the Atlantic magazine that was released on Sunday, Trump renewed his calls for an American takeover of that Danish-controlled island. He said Greenland is strategic to U.S. interest. Secretary of State Mark Rubio, meanwhile, said in a Sunday news show that Cuba is also in a lot of trouble. You're listening to NPR News.

Hundreds of people marched in silence on Sunday to honor the victims of the New Year's Eve fire in Switzerland that killed at least 40 people and injured many others. The mourners attended a mass before marching to the site of the fire. Swiss officials, meanwhile, say they have now identified all of those who died. A criminal investigation of the bar owners is also now underway. 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 Mondello has more. 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 Mandello, NPR News. The K-pop sensation, BTS, is back. The entertainment company Big Music says the band will release a new album on March 20th. The band has taken an almost four-year hiatus as the band members fulfilled their mandatory military service in South Korea. The album will mark their first since the release of proof in 2022. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.