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

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. While President Trump says the U.S. suffered no lethal losses in Saturday's military operation in Venezuela. The Attorney General of the South American country, Tarek William Saab, alleges dozens of officials and civilians were killed. According to the Associated Press, he did not specifically refer to Venezuelans. But Saab used the words war crime to describe the encounter. Meanwhile, Cuba says it is observing two. days of mourning for 32 Cuban military and police officers who the island nation says also died during the raid. Venezuela's main opposition leader is praising President Trump for seizing

the country's former leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores. As NPR's Kerry Con reports, Maria Corina Machado, the newest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is publicly endorsing Trump, even though he appears to have sidelined her in any future plans for the country. Machado has posted little publicly since U.S. Special Forces removed Maduro and his wife. Speaking on Fox News, Machado said she wants to share her Nobel Peace Prize with President Trump. After spending most of the interview exalting Trump, Machado said her opposition party will come to power. In free and fair elections, we will win with over 90% of the votes. I have no doubt about it.

Trump broke with Machado following the U.S. military action, backing Maduro's vice president, who has since been appointed Venezuela's new interim leader. U.S. officials say elections in Venezuela are not possible at this time. Trump insists the country's oil industry must be rebuilt first. Kerry Kahn, NPR News, Bogota, Colombia. As lawmakers race for control of the U.S. House in this year's midterms, this morning they paused to pay tribute to Representative Doug Lamatha. GOP officials say the Republican from California experienced a medical emergency yesterday. the cause of death has not been disclosed.

Amalfa was 65 years old. California is drafting some of the toughest wildfire rules in the country one year after the Los Angeles area battled extreme fires. And P.R. Lawrence Summer reports some homeowners are resisting new rules. A wildfire is largely spread by embers, tiny bits of burning debris carried by the wind. So wildfire experts say it matters if something flammable is next to your house, which puts it at risk. California regulators are now drafting new rules for the vegetation that's within five feet of homes. Property owners would be required to clear some or all of it in areas at risk of wildfires. Some homeowners are pushing back, even in the Los Angeles neighborhoods that recently burned.

They're concerned about losing greenery and that houses need to be made fire resistant too. With all the debate, California regulators will be working on the rules through April. Lauren Summer, NPR News. The Dow has risen more than 1%. It's NPR News. Health officials say the flu season in the United States is likely to get worse before it gets better. NPR's Jocelyn-R reports on new government data reflecting a recent surge in flu cases. Public health experts say holiday travel likely contributed to the surge over the Christmas holiday,

also low vaccination rates and a partial vaccine mismatch. 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. That's NPR's John Snyder reporting. The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed changes to Biden-era rules around federal child care funding. Less than a week ago, the Department froze funding for the program that affects 1.4 million children. NPR's Caden Mills has an update. The new rules are for the federal Child Care and Development Fund. one of the largest federal funding sources meant to help low-income families pay for child care.

Current rules require states to base funding for providers on enrollment rather than verified attendance. Under the new rules, funding will be attendance-based, and states will be allowed to reimburse providers rather than pay them in advance for their services. The administration also moved to prioritize parent vouchers, moving away from grants paid to providers. A cap on family co-payments will also be scrapped. Child care advocates say the proposed changes would roll back rules designed to encourage a more stable and affordable child care industry. Kaden Mills and PR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh in PR News in Washington.