NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-05-2026 5PM EST

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Venezuela's ousted president, Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges during a hearing in New York City today. Meanwhile, the country's vice president was sworn in as interim president, NPR's Kerry Kahn has more. Delci Rodriguez was actually sworn in as what they're calling the acting or interim president. She was sworn in by her brother, who is the longtime head of the assembly, and here she is. She pledged to bring Venezuela out of these terrible times that she says is threatening the stability and peace of our country. She really has toned down her rhetoric, though, since President Trump threatened her directly if she didn't come in line with U.S. demands. And so clearly what we saw today, though, was the old guard is still in charge of Venezuela.

There has been no big shakeup after the U.S. attack. NPR's Kerry Kahn reporting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will discuss the Venezuela situation this evening with the gang. of eight congressional leaders, including top members of the intelligence committees. Democrats called for the briefing after Congress was largely kept in the dark about the surprise operation. And President Trump is now threatening military action against Colombia. NPR's Franco Ordonez has more. President Trump told reporters Sunday that a military operation in Colombia, quote, sounded good to him.

Columbia is very sick, too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he's not going to be doing it very long. The threat is just the latest in a running war of words between Trump and the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, which has been escalating since the Trump administration's military campaign, striking alleged drugboats in the Caribbean. Petro responded to Trump's threat in a long social media post, warning that arresting a president would, quote, unleash a popular jaguar. He added that he's asked the Colombian people to defend their president from any violence against him. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is taking administrative action against Senator Mark Kelly.

NPR's Quill Lawrence reports it comes after the Democrats spoke out against President Trump. Senator Kelly served 25 years as a Navy pilot and retired with full military benefits, so he's still subject to military code. Secretary Hegseth claims that Kelly's statements, including a message telling troops not to follow illegal orders, amount to sedition. Heggseth says on social media that he has initiated a formal 45-day process to reduce Kelly's rank and retirement pay. Senator Kelly replied in a statement that he earned his rank in combat and as an astronaut, and that Hexeth and the Trump administration are trying to stifle free speech and dissent among retired military officers. Kelly called that outrageous and un-American.

Quill Lawrence NPR News. Wall Street gained ground today led by a mix of energy companies and banks. This is NPR News from Washington. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls has ended his re-election campaign after being dogged by reports of fraud in state-run social service programs. The 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate says he has stepped up efforts to detect fraud, but the allegations consumed political discussion. Potential contenders to replace him as the Democratic nominee include U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Some new coins begin circulating this week to mark the 250. 50th anniversary of the nation's founding. NPR's Scott Horsley reports, designs of some of the

coins were altered by the Trump administration. Congress authorized the anniversary coins back in 2021. And after years of polling and focus groups, a citizen's advisory committee recommended five anniversary quarter designs, including coins marking the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, and women's suffrage. But when the Trump administration recently unveiled the new coins, those designs had been replaced with quarters featuring pilgrims, the Revolutionary War and the Gettysburg Address. Donald Scorincy, who served on the advisory committee, was disappointed. They stopped history at the Civil War. They just kind of said, okay, this series of quarters doesn't really reflect where we are 250 years later. A spokeswoman for the Mint says

some of the rejected designs could be revived later. Scott Horsley and Pear News, Washington. A 535 pound bluefin tuna sold for a record $3.2 million at the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market. The top bid broke the previous record set in 2019. The pricey fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan. You were listening to NPR News from Washington.