NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-06-2026 3AM EST

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Al-Sid Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores have pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and other U.S. charges. Maduro told a judge in New York that he is a kidnapped prisoner of war. A crowd of protesters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse, as NPR's Jasmine Garst reports. So by the time Maludo appeared in court, there was a sizable crowd. side. Protesters and counter protesters. On the one hand, you had this contingent protesting American intervention in Venezuela. I met one young man, Abtasham Ahmed, who said,

this should alarm all Americans. None of these wars go to benefit the people of the United States. They take away funding for health care, funding for education, funding for other social services, and direct it to buying new weapons, to buying bombs. And we've seen this story played in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Libya. And the U.S., it seems like, is on track to do it again in Venezuela. NPR's Jasmine Garz reporting, meanwhile Cuba is on alert after President Trump said that nation is ready to fail. The U.N. Security Council was divided over the U.S. intervention of Venezuela during an emergency session on Monday. More from NPR's Jackie Northam.

The emergency meeting was requested by Colombia, with the support of Russia and China. All three said the U.S. action in Venezuela was against international law. The U.S. ambassador, Mike Waltz, rejected claims that the U.S. intervention could destabilize the entire region. There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country. This was a law enforcement operation.

Venezuela's U.N. ambassador said the U.S. had no legal justification to arrest Maduro. Cuba and Colombia, which President Trump has threatened, also condemn the raid. As did Denmark, Trump has threatened to seize its semi-autonomous territory of Greenland. Jackie Northam, NPR News. The CDC says flu cases are surging across the U.S. The tales from NPR's Giles Snyder. The latest data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 45 states reported high or very high flu activity during the final week of December, up from 30 states. a week before. CDC estimates there have been at least 11 million illnesses so far this season

well above what was reported during the same time period last year. Hospitalizations are up. The CDC says the flu has hospitalized at least 120,000 people since the start of the season and there have been 5,000 deaths. Public health experts say holiday travel likely contributed to the surge over the Christmas holiday, also low vaccination rates and a partial vaccine mismatch. Giles Snyder reporting. This is NPR. Houston-based chemicals manufacturing company, Third Coast, has been ordered to pay a nearly $10 million fine. The penalty stands from a 2023 incident in which more than a million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf off Louisiana. The National Transportation Safety Board says the spill was the result of systemic failures and Third Coast's inability to implement safety regulations.

Third Coast has a stake in some 1900 miles of pipeline. A jury in Texas has been seated in the trial of a former Yuvalde police officer charged with failing to protect children during the 2022 school shooting. Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday morning, as Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies explains. Adrian Gonzalez was one of the first officers to respond to the Rob Elementary attack that killed 19 students and two teachers. He's charged with 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment

in a rare prosecution of an officer accused of not doing more to save lives. On Monday, over 400 potential jurors were questioned about their knowledge of the failed police response to one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Twelve jurors and four alternates were selected for the trial that's expected to take about two weeks. I'm David Martin Davies in San Antonio. A court in Paris has convicted eight men and two women of bullying France's first lady Brigitte McCrall. The defendants were accused of spreading. lies about Mrs. Macron's gender and sexuality online. One of the ten has been sentenced to six

months, while the others will spend four to eight months behind bars. All ten must undergo cyber bullying awareness training. This is NPR.