NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-07-2026 9AM EST

Episode Date: January 7, 2026

NPR News: 01-07-2026 9AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington on Corva Coleman, President Trump is urging major oil companies to make large investments in Venezuela, following the ouster of the country's president, Nicholas Maduro, by the U.S. military. NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports it would cost billions of dollars to boost oil production in Venezuela. Getting Venezuela's oil out of the ground is not simple. Kevin Book is with Clearview energy partners. It's not just a geologic problem or an engineering problem, but a math problem. Would companies make back the money they put in? Is the country stable enough to invest? And thanks to an oversupply of oil, global crude prices are comparatively low right now. So these investments might not be profitable at all without subsidies. On the other hand, there is a lot of oil in Venezuela, making it a good opportunity for future growth.

And the kind of crude that is abundant there, heavy crude, would be welcomed by the U.S. refineries that have specialized equipment perfect for handling it. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News. Trump administration officials are supposed to brief the full House and the Senate this morning on the U.S. military raid in Venezuela. Most Republican lawmakers have supported Trump's action, saying it was legal and justified. Trump spoke to House Republicans yesterday morning. He did touch on Venezuela. But NPR's Domenico Montanaro says the meeting was supposed to be about strategy for the upcoming midterm elections. Right at the beginning of his speech yesterday, Trump acknowledged the vulnerable position that he and his party are in,

simply because of history. But they say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm. And it's true that midterms are hard on a president's party. You know, on average, they lose more than two dozen seats. And it's worse when a president's approval rating is below 50%. NPR's Domenicoe Montanaro reporting. NPR polling suggests that many Americans are saying that Trump administration is not solving problems of the cost of living in the U.S.

Authorities still have no motive for last month's campus shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, nor is there one for the subsequent killing of an MIT professor near Boston. But the suspect made recordings after the shootings, and prosecutors say they shed some light on his state of mind. From Ocean State Media, David Wright, reports. Transcripts released by the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office come from videos Claudio Nevis Valente recorded in his Salem, New Hampshire storage locker after the shootings. His right eye wounded by one of his own shell casings, Valente says he'd been planning the attack at Brown University for some time. Six months, he says, or six semesters. He claims to have roamed the campus many

times before December 13th. I had plenty of opportunities, he says, but I always chickened out. He says he has no hatred towards America, and that, quote, this was an issue of opportunity. For NPR News, I'm David Wright in Providence, Roald. Island. You're listening to NPR. Texas is now the first day to cut ties with the American Bar Association at its severing its oversight of the state's law schools. The Texas Supreme Court says the ABA should no longer be able to decide which law school graduates can take the bar exam. Applicants are required to pass it in order to practice law. The change means that law school graduates who want to practice in Texas do not need to attend an ABA accredited.

school. The Texas court did not give a reason for the change, but this comes after the Trump administration has sparred with the American Bar Association for months. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, is framing the war in Ukraine as a holy mission to defend his country. The comments came as the Kremlin leader marked the Orthodox Christmas holiday, and Pierce Charles Mains reports from Moscow. In a televised appearance with Russian officers and their families at a church outside Moscow. Putin hailed his troops as warriors blessed by God to defend the motherland throughout the millennia. Separately, Putin thanked the Orthodox Church for its role in strengthening society and Russia's cultural heritage, church leaders, and most notably the

Moscow patriarch, have been active supporters of the war in Ukraine now near the end of its fourth year. Despite months of efforts by the Trump administration to negotiate an end to the conflict, the Russian leader has maintained maximalist demands and repeatedly insisted a Russian victory is close at hand. Charles Maines, NPR News, Moscow. There are winter storm cautions scattered across the western U.S. The National Weather Service says heavy mountain snow will continue today across the northern Rockies. This is NPR.