The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 15:00 EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 15:00 EST

All right, what are we talking about? A new year means a fresh start. Okay, make a list for the year and take charge of your life in 2026. Look, I'm not talking about your to-do list. I'm talking about your watch list. Cross off Family Feud Canada, St. Pierre, and this hour has 22 minutes. There's no excuses. Dream big people. Enjoy all your favorite shows on CBC TV or stream anytime on CBC Gem. Mike drop. From CBC News, the world this hour. 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 and his wife were detained by U.S. forces during an early morning raid in Caracas yesterday.

It's all 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. And the Venezuelan Supreme Court has sworn in Maduro's vice president, Delci Rodriguez, as interim leader. Reporter Manuel Rueda has more on what's happening 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 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 get. 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.

In the U.S., Democrats are picking apart Trump's justification for the Venezuelan attack, one of which is drugs. Senator Chris Murphy says Venezuela traffics drugs to Europe, not the U.S., and doesn't produce fentanyl. the drug that's killing Americans. Donald Trump's entire foreign policy is corrupt. Russia, the Middle East, and now Venezuela is all about making money for his friends. And Wall Street, the oil industry, they can make a lot of money off of Venezuela.

If they run it, this president's foreign policy is about making his crowd filthy rich. It has nothing to do with American national security. Congressional Republicans are taking a different line. Here's Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. What we want is a future Venezuelan government that will be pro-American that will contribute to stability, order, and prosperity, not only in Venezuela and in our own backyard, that probably needs to include new elections that are legitimate, that are fair and free, that include leaders of the opposition who are currently in exile around the world. Maduro is expected to make a court appearance in New York as early as tomorrow on drug, weapons, and money laundering charges. In Switzerland, authorities have identified more of. of the victims of the New Year's Day bar fire that killed 40 people.

Police say a number were teenagers, some of them as young as 14 years old. As Michelle Allen tells us, the community gathered today to mourn. Chappelle St. Krasov in Cranz, Montana, Switzerland. Overflowing with mourners today, many stood outside in the cold. They sang and prayed for the victims of the deadly New Year's Day fire. Today, police in Valé identified 16 more of the victims. Fernando Raboulogne is a Swiss citizen living near Cranz, Montana. He says,

I just learned two minutes ago that one of my son's friends died. Another one is going to the hospital with burns. Most of the bodies identified on Sunday were teenagers, the youngest, 14 and 15 years old. So far, police have identified 24 of the people killed, but many families are still anxiously waiting for word. Authorities say it will be a challenge to determine who the injured and dead are,

because their burns were so severe. Michelle Allen, CBC News, Toronto. And the fallout from the American military operation in Venezuela remains our top story today. And cross-country checkup will be covering the latest developments. We're asking listeners, what is your reaction to the U.S. strike on Venezuela? What questions do you have? Send those questions to cbc.ca.ca.air slash aircheck.

Check up airs on CBC radio starting at 4 p.m. Eastern. That's your world this hour. I'm Kate McGilfrey. Thank you.