The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 13:00 EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 13:00 EST

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I'm Kate McGilfrey. In New York, toppled Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro is adjusting to some very different accommodations. Good night. Happy New Year. Maduro greeted photographers before spending the night in a New York City detention center. He's expected to make a court appearance as early as tomorrow on drug, weapons, and money laundering charges. Maduro and his wife were to do. detained by U.S. forces during an early morning raid in Caracas yesterday.

It's left big questions about who will be in charge of Venezuela. U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. will run the country for now. But in Caracas, the Venezuelan Supreme Court has sworn in Vice President Delci Rodriguez as interim leader. Reporter Manuel Rueda has more on the confusing situation on the ground. It's a strange situation because the fact that Maduro has been imprisoned doesn't mean that the same regime is not around. Basically, Maduro's closest aides are now appear to be running the show. Yesterday evening, the vice president was put in charge of the country by

Venezuela's Supreme Court. And she appeared on television in the afternoon saying that they want Maduro back, that they're going to keep on fighting, that they're not going to be a U.S. colony. This was, you know, an effort by the vice president trying to give an impression, you know, these aides of Maduro that they're in charge now. Are they will have to see in the following days? There's a bit of anxiety, a bit of just trepidation, people wondering what will happen next. Manuel Reda for CBC News. Meanwhile, Democrats are increasingly angry that the Trump administration failed to consult Congress before its Venezuelan military operation. But this morning, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, defended the plan.

It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation. This was a law enforcement operation. He was arrested on the ground in Venezuela by FBI agents. Red is right and removed from the country. Rubio also denied the accusation that the Trump administration was going after Venezuela's oil reserves. We have leverage.

This leverage we are using and we intend to use. We started using already. Ultimately, this is not about securing the oil fields. This is about ensuring that no sanctioned oil can come in and out until they make changes to the governance of that entire industry. At his news conference yesterday, President Donald Trump says U.S. oil companies are going to run the industry. In the 1970s, Venezuela nationalized its oil, kicking almost all American companies out. Meanwhile, Ottawa's urging all Canadians to avoid travel to Venezuela,

while recommending that those currently in the country shelter in place and keep a supply of essential items. Anyone who needs emergency consular assistance should contact the Canadian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. In Crown Montana, Switzerland, a memorial mass is being held today for the victims of the deadly New Year's Eve fire at a bar. The painstaking process of identifying the 40 people killed in the incident continues slowed down in many cases by the extent of the burns. Among the dead, teenagers as young as 14 and 15 years old. The managers of the bar are now under criminal investigation. They're suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and causing a fire by negligence.

Britain and France carried out airstrikes in Syria yesterday. The British Defense Secretary says they were targeting an underground ISIS facility. John Healy says the facility was most likely being used to store explosives and weapons. and the chief of a Manitoba First Nation has sent an urgent letter to the Prime Minister asking for help from the military. The Pimichikamak-Kree Nation went through a four-day power outage last week. Electricity was restored on Friday, but the community's infrastructure was badly damaged. About 4,000 residents will have to remain out of their homes until the problems are fixed. And that is the world this hour.

For CBC News, I'm Kate McIllery. Thank you.