NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-05-2026 7PM EST

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

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This message comes from Subaru. The all-new 2026 Subaru Outback features bold new styling and standard symmetrical all-wheel drive, plus safety features like standard eyesight driver assist technology. Discover the all-new outback at Subaru.com slash outback. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife made their first appearance in U.S. federal court today. they each pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against them. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.

Nicolas Maduro faces narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons charges. His wife, Celia Flores, faces three of those same counts. At a hearing in federal court in Manhattan, both Maduro and Flores entered pleas of not guilty. During the proceedings, Maduro introduced himself as the president of Venezuela and a prisoner of war. The first court appearance comes two days. after a U.S. military operation captured the couple in the heart of Venezuela's capital, Cadacus, and took them to New York to face trial. U.S. prosecutors alleged Maduro presided over a large-scale drug trafficking operation,

working hand in hand with drug cartels to ship tons of cocaine to the United States. Ryan Lucas and PR News, Washington. Senior members of the Trump administration briefed lawmakers on Capitol Hill today about Maduro's capture. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, says the ouster sends a dangerous message to the rest of the world. The enormous precedent this sets, if suddenly we can go in and snatch a leader if they have violated our law, what would then stop Putin using that same theory of the case to take out Zelenskyy from Kiev? What would stop President Xi from taking Taiwan since Chinese law

has said that Taiwan is simply a breakaway province. The Senate will vote later this week on whether to prohibit further U.S. military involvement in the country without congressional approval. All the victims of a fire in a bar in a Swiss resort have now been identified. Most of the 40 people killed during the New Year's Eve celebration were teenagers, some of them as young as 14. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports public pressure for answers is mounting. Leaders from Pope Leo to Chinese President Xi Jinping have sent condolences

as bereaved parents of the dead and injured mourn in the resort town of Kranz Montana. The victims were from many European countries. Prosecutors say the fire was likely caused by sparkling candles igniting the ceiling of the bar's basement and authorities are investigating two people who ran the bar on suspicion of crimes that include homicide by negligence. Police have not yet arrested them. This has prompted Swiss newspaper Blick to on its front page question, why are the couple running the bar free? Italian Deputy Prime Minister Mateo Salvini is among those publicly asking what safety procedures were in place

for this basement bar. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News. U.S. flu infections are surging. Health officials say the already severe season is likely to get worse. The Trump administration said today it will no longer recommend flu shots and some other types of vaccines for all children. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Secret Service says a man who broke windows at Vice President J.D. Vance's Ohio home has been detained. Officials say the man broke a window with a hammer and tried to enter the house in one of Cincinnati's oldest neighborhoods. It was unoccupied after Vance and his family returned to Washington on Sunday.

A 26-year-old man from Kentucky faces misdemeanor charges. The NFL's 14-team team playoff field is now set, and PR's Becky Sullivan has this preview. It's a wide open postseason this year. Some playoff regulars will be watching from the couch. In the AFC, there's no Patrick Mahomes, no Joe Burrow, no Lamar Jackson. Instead, the Denver Broncos and second-year quarterback Bo Nix have the first round by, and the New England Patriots are the two-seed after an MVP quality season from their young quarterback, Drake May. Practically every playoff team this year has some flaw, including the Patriots,

who played only three games this season against winning teams and lost two of them. The NFC's top seed, the Seattle Seahawks, have a dominant defense, but under center is Sam Darnold, who last year wilted in his only career playoff appearance. So although the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills aren't top-seeds, this year, they're still among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Becky Sullivan in PR News. One of the world's rarest whales, the North Atlantic right whale, is having more babies this year, but experts say many more are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction.

There are an estimated 384 of the mammals in the wild, a gain of more than 7% of their 2020 population. The whales give birth off the southeastern United States every winter before migrating north to feed. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. This is our glass. On This American Life, one that we like is a good mystery. Sometimes about really big things, but most times, the little mysteries are the best. Our lost and found is currently filled with pants. I don't know. I've never seen this happen. Wait, this is true. This is true.

Mysteries of every size each week, This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.