NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-06-2026 5AM EST

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. Venezuela's deposed President Nicholas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores have pleaded not guilty to federal charges brought against them in New York City. The counts against Maduro include narco-terrorism conspiracy and weapons charges. The two appeared in court yesterday at a hearing that lasted less than an hour. During the proceeding, Maduro said he'd been kidnapped by the U.S. military and declared himself to be a prisoner of war. He said he was an innocent and decent man. If convicted Maduro and his wife could face life in prison, the U.S. military seized the couple early

Saturday in an operation in Caracas. South Florida is home to the largest population of Venezuelans in the U.S. As NPR's Greg Allen reports from Miami, the community of expatriates is celebrating the arrest and prosecution of Maduro. President Trump says with Maduro's ouster, His administration now supports another member of the Maduro regime, the newly sworn in interim president, Delcei Rodriguez. Especially troubling to Venezuelan expatriates were Trump's comments about opposition leader Maria Karina Machado. Trump said he believes she doesn't have the support and respect to be able to lead Venezuela. Since then, top Republicans, including Florida, Senator Rick Scott, have tried to walk back those comments. And I think it's going to happen, but it's going to take time to make that happen.

Maria Karina Machado will be part of leadership of Venezuela. and I think she's well respected by Venezuelans. Karina Machado is a Nobel Prize winner. His political coalition, according to the U.S., won the 2024 election before it was stolen by the Maduro regime. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami. Venezuela's interim president is pledging to help bring peace and stability to the country following the ouster of Nicholas Maduro.

NPR's Carrie Khan has more. Delci Rodriguez, Maduro's longtime vice president, was sworn in by her brother, who is the head of, Venezuela's National Assembly. She pledged to bring Venezuela out of what she called these terrible times that threaten the peace and stability of the country. Maduro San also named Nicholas gave an emotional pledge of support for the new leader. The homeland is in good hands, Papa, and we will hug each other soon here in Venezuela, he said. The younger Maduro is also a named defendant in the indictment against his father and stepmother.

A group of independent journalists say seven reporters were arrested outside the National Assembly. Kerry Kahn, NPR News, Bogota, Colombia. Minnesota Governor Tim Wall says verbal attacks from President Trump and other Republicans are making it too difficult to run for re-election while continuing to serve. The former Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee says he won't seek a third term amid a fraud investigation into child care programs in the state and its Somalia community. This is NPR News. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the number of vaccines recommended for all children in the U.S.

and shifting several vaccines that had been previously recommended universally. This follows a presidential memorandum issued last month. It directed the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC to review the list of vaccines recommended for the nation's children. That memo came out the same day, vaccine advisors voted to drop the recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine the day they're born. Some coastal communities in Northern California are still drying out from weekend flooding. Ezra David Romero with member station KQED says stormy weather led to many homes and businesses being surrounded by high water north of San Francisco.

A three-foot-tall line of gray sandbags and blue tar. parks blocks the entrance of FitnessSF in the Marin County City of Cordo-Modera. There would mostly stop several feet of water from turning the gym into a pool. Ryan Davis is the gym's general manager. At least three feet of standing water strut in the entire building, that even with sandbags and plywood and tarps, it was still coming through. National Weather Service forecasters said the storm outperformed their forecast, resulting in additional storm surge on top of the extra high tides.

Marin County officials are still calculating the extent of the damage. For NPR News, I'm Ezra David Romero in Cora Madera. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News, in Washington.