Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, January 5, 2026

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Breaking tonight, the extraordinary moments inside a New York courtroom ousted Venezuelan leader Nikola Maduro and his wife pleading not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges. Maduro in shackles, telling a judge he was, quote, kidnapped and is still president. His wife appearing with bandages on her face. The stunning outburst in the courtroom. Plus, I speak exclusively with the Deputy Attorney General why he argues Maduro's capture was completely legal.

Also tonight, who is really in charge of Venezuela? The country's vice president sworn in as interim leader with Maduro's son by her side. President Trump just telling our Kristen Welker about the role he'll play. So what happens next? Many Venezuelans here in the U.S. elated over Maduro's capture what they told me about their relief and why they're also concerned for the future of their country. Breaking tonight new images of a person of interest in the murders of an Ohio dentist and his wife, what the video now shows. The Pentagon looking to demote Senator Mark Kelly's

military rank and pay over a video in which he tells military members, they can refuse illegal orders, how Kelly's firing back tonight. Daring Cliff rescued two hikers, trapped on a steep terrain, hundreds of feet above ground, how they were rescued. The piano man returns, Billy Joel's surprise, first performance after his shocking brain disorder diagnosis. Plus, the dramatic change to child vaccine guidance why the CDC is slashing the number of shots and recommends for kids. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with that extraordinary arrest by the U.S. that has shocked the world. In the span of just 72 hours, the president of Venezuela, captured in his nation's

capital, brought to the United States, and today shackled in a federal quarter. when facing the American justice system. This was the scene in New York City today. Nicolaas Maduro handcuffed and surrounded by federal agents, brought into court to face charges of narco-terrorism, conspiracy, cocaine importation, conspiracy and weapons offenses. The country's brutal former leader defiant in court today saying he's not guilty, that he was kidnapped

and that he is still the rightful leader of Venezuela. His arrest executed in the early hours of Saturday morning. You see it here, that raid. U.S. forces conducting targeted airstrikes and taking over Maduro's home on a military base. Now growing questions about who is in charge of that country, with President Trump telling our Kristen Welker tonight bluntly that he is. All this has Venezuela's vice president was officially sworn in today. How her relationship with the U.S. has changed in the last three days, we'll explain. We have full team coverage tonight from the courthouse where Maduro pled not

guilty today to the Columbia-Venezuela border. And in a moment, my one-on-one conversation with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. I pressed him on the legality of Maduro's arrest. But we want to begin tonight with Sam Brock, who was inside that courthouse today. Just three days ago, he was living a life of luxury as the authoritarian leader of Venezuela. But Nicholas Maduro tonight, restrained in shackles alongside his wife, Celia Flores, arraigned in New York on federal charges, including narco trafficking. Inside court, a defiant in Maduro pleading not guilty and telling the judge, I'm innocent. I'm a decent man. I'm still the president of my country. When the judge asked Maduro to confirm his identity, the deposed

leader spoke at length. I am Nicholas Maduro, the constitutional president of the Republic of Venezuela. I am a prisoner of war. Flores appearing with bandages on her face, also pleading not guilty. The U.S. case features a mountain of evidence accusing Maduro of personally overseeing a criminal enterprise flooding the U.S. with thousands of tons of. of illegal drugs, including using the Venezuelan military to protect drug shipments and handing out diplomatic passports to give traffickers immunity. Maduro and his wife were captured after President Trump approved a complex U.S. military mission involving 150 aircraft and 20 bases, all of it similar to the U.S. invasion of

Panama in 1989, when President George H.W. Bush sent U.S. troops to arrest dictator Manuel Noriega after he was indicted for narco-trafficking. In court today, Venezuelan Pedro Rojas shouting at Maduro, you will pay. He told us under his regime he was a political prisoner. Before 2019, these guys is prisoner in Venezuela, me too. You know how are president? Yeah, four months. Nikola Maduro, you know, Innoc.

Sam Brock joins us tonight from outside that courthouse. Sam, you know, Maduro was once the leader of Venezuela. His assets have been frozen. He's now going to get his day in court. So the question is, how does he pay for his defense team? Yeah, there is no doubt that the thought going into this time as that Maduro would end up with a court-appointed attorney. Instead, he gets Barry Pollock, who represented Julian Assange a few years ago

in his plea deal in 2024, also one of the Enron executives who was acquitted of criminal fraud. So as you suggest, his assets are frozen. He was under U.S. sanctions. It's not even clear what kind of relationship. he could have with American law firms. How does he end up with his high-profile attorney? And right now, no one really knows.

We should point out that his wife has different legal representation as well. And if convicted, Maduro faces life behind bars, top. Sam, I know it's still unclear, but some viewers at home may be wondering how his wife had those bandages on her face. Was that an injury from the raid? Do we have any idea what's going on there yet? This was a bit of a surprise. So when Maduro walked into the court first, obviously.

Obviously, everyone was fixated on him, but then Celia comes in, and you can notice there's something on the side of her face, but then fast forward to the end of the arraignment, and the attorneys are discussing housekeeping items, and then the defense attorneys bring up the fact that she has acute medical needs, as you can see from her face, and we all sort of looked over and noticed the bandages on the top of her face, in addition to bruising around the eyes. Her attorneys also said that she might have experienced some sort of fracture, potentially in her back. She seemed to be walking around normally, but they said that this happened during the detainment. so we are definitely awaiting more details on how that came to pass. All right, Sam, Brock, leading us off tonight here on Top Story. Sam, thank you. There are growing questions tonight over who exactly is in charge of Venezuela. The president's saying the U.S. is in control, as Venezuela's vice president is sworn in today. This says we learn more tonight on what prompted President Trump to send the U.S. military on that daring mission to arrest Maduro.

Here's Peter Alexander with some new reporting tonight. Tonight in Venezuela, Delsi Rodriguez and Nicholas, Maduro loyalist sworn in as his successor with Maduro's son in attendance. But it remains unclear who's really in charge. President Trump's adamant, it's the U.S. I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial. What does that mean? We're in charge. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier saying the U.S. will not govern the country. Well, it's not running. It's running policy. But instead will enforce its existing quarantine on Venezuelan oil to exert control over the country until an election is held. They will continue to face pressure

from the United States. Immediately after Maduro's capture, Rodriguez defiantly accused the U.S. of an illegal kidnapping. But amid this warning from President Trump, if she does not meet U.S. demands, he will face a situation probably worse than

Maduro... Now, Rodriguez with a more conciliatory tone, saying, we invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation. And President Trump says American oil companies, whose facilities were seized by Venezuela's socialist government, we'll start rebuilding them. All of it after Mr. Trump campaigned against foreign intervention.

Our current strategy of nation building and regime change is a proven absolute failure. But the president insists this is not nation building. We're in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful and where the oil is allowed to freely come out because that's good against the prices now. That's good for our country. The Trump administration, noting former President Biden had placed a $25 million bounty for Maduro's arrest. That's the difference between President Trump and everybody else. President Trump did something about it.

Still, Democrats tonight are slamming President Trump's actions as illegal and dangerous. The future of the Venezuelan people should be determined by the Venezuelan people. Not by Donald Trump, Pete Heggseth, or Steven. Miller. Are you kidding me? All right, Peter joins us tonight live from the White House. Peter, I know you have that new reporting for our viewers. It's quite interesting. You're learning one of the factors that prompted President Trump to greenlight the mission to arrest Maduro, and it's pretty unbelievable.

Thomas Senior White House official tells me that Maduro's overt arrogance in their words, including his rejection of multiple offers to surrender and his public dancing. You can see some of it here and help persuade some of the president's team that Maduro would not leave on his own. We should note the State Department on social media on its official sites has now posted the following picture as well. It's a picture of the president's face with the words in all bold, all caps that read, this is our hemisphere. But notably, the president's action was condemned at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council today, including by some of America's allies. Tom. All right, Peter Alexander there. Peter,

we thank you for that. I want to bring an NBC Kristen Welker, who just got off the phone with President Trump. But Kristen, you specifically asked him if the U.S. is now at war with Venezuela? Tom, that's right. And President Trump told me the United States is not at war with Venezuela, but instead with the people who sell drugs and empty their prisons into this country. I asked about the interim government. He said, I do get the sense that they're cooperating. They need help, saying newly sworn in President Delci Rodriguez loves her country and wants it to survive.

Now, the president also saying if she stops cooperating, Tom, that's when he'll consider more U.S. action. And he doesn't believe he needs congressional approval to do it. The president says a number of his officials will be involved with Venezuela, like the Secretary of State and the Vice President, but he's the ultimate person in charge, Tom. And then, Chris, and also you asked the president about the timeline for the U.S. involvement in Venezuela. It was really remarkable, Tom. He said that he does have an idea in his head, but he's. not ready to share that publicly. He said this notion that there could somehow be elections within 30 days. He does not think that's realistic, Tom. He acknowledges this is going to be complicated. He thinks it's going to take some time. He talked about the fact that the U.S.

oil industry will be involved in helping to rebuild the oil infrastructure in that country. Talked about the fact that people need to be, in his words, Fed again. And so he essentially laid the groundwork for this to be a potentially protracted engagement by the United States, Tom. Kristen Welker, with the latest comments from President Trump tonight. Kristen, thank you. To remind our viewers once again of the charges, Nicolas Maduro is facing, here they are, narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices,

and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. And this is not the first time the U.S. has done something like this. You'll remember in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush, the United States captured and arrested Manuel Noriega out of Panama. He was a de facto leader at the time, though the U.S. did not recognize him as a legitimate head of state. He was charged and convicted with racketeering, drug smuggling, and money laundering, and he served decades in prison. One of the documents used to justify that prosecution was something known as the Bar memo, which was written by William Barr, who at the time worked in the Office of Legal Counsel, and later, became attorney general. In that memo, Barr argued that the president has inherent constitutional power to deploy the FBI to arrest a fugitive, even if it violates international law.

Now, tonight, there's growing debate over whether the president's actions in Venezuela were, in fact, legal, and did they violate the U.N. Charter? Joining us tonight to discuss it all is U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Mr. Blanche, thanks so much for joining our broadcast tonight. I know you're incredibly busy. I do want to start, though, with the U.N. Charter, which the U.S. has signed, saying, attack a sovereign nation. Did this arrest violate that charter? Hi, how are you? No, absolutely positively not. And any real debate around that should have been settled by what's been discussed since what happened on Friday night and Saturday morning. The United States has an absolute legal right to go and arrest people charged with horrible

crimes, including narco-terrorism, which is what these two individuals are charged with. And so this was not an invasion of a country. This was not us going in and and doing something that violates any international law. It was us going and securing the arrest of two individuals wanted for very, very serious crimes in the United States. But as you know, there are a lot of questions about the legality of all this, and Maduro himself in court said he was kidnapped. Was the Office of Legal Counsel's role in all of this? Did they have a role?

Did they offer a new opinion ahead of this operation? The Department of Justice, the Department of War, the Department of State, the White House, We, of course, did everything within the law. There's no doubt. The fact that the defendant today suggested he was kidnapped, he was handcuffed and taken into U.S. custody to face charges in a U.S. courtroom like thousands of defendants are across this country every year. And so, yes, of course, we operated within the law. We don't do things that are outside the bounds of the law. And any question to the contrary, especially now that we've seen the indictment unsealed, we've seen what happened since Saturday.

He's now appeared in federal court along with his wife, and they have counsel. They will get their day in court. But no, there's no violation of law. What we did was not only right and not only legal, but it's what the American people expect us to do when we filed charges against individuals like him. Was the Office of Legal Counsel consulted on this? Did they weigh in? Did they sign off on this?

We don't. The Office of Legal Counsel consults the Department of Justice, the Department of were on all kinds of issues. I'm not going to get into any discussions in particular that we had with OLC on this particular mission, but suffice to say, there is no doubt that what we did was legal. And there's no doubt in my mind, and there shouldn't be any doubt in any American's minds that what we did was legal. Let's talk about the details of this case. The indictment reads sort of like a movie, if all that evidence is true. In your opinion, after seeing sort of the indictment working on this case, what is the key piece of evidence?

Even if the judge upholds this, how are you going to tie Maduro to all of this? Well, when you say even if the judge upholds this, he's been indicted by a grand jury in New York for the second time. I mean, to be clear, what this 2025 indictment showed is that the conspiracy that was alleged up through 2020 when he was indicted the first time just didn't stop. He continued, as alleged, the work that he was doing, helping to orchestrate a major. international infrastructure that brought tons and tons of cocaine in the United States. And he continued doing that as alleged in the indictment up until 2025. And so this is, like I said, he'll get his day in court with a jury of his peers in New York. And as alleged, like you said, it does read a little bit like a movie.

This was an infrastructure and a very organized group of individuals from all over the world, different gangs and different terrorist organizations that work together to bring drugs into this country. And that's what I expect the evidence and trial will show. But if you can share with our viewers, what is the strongest piece of evidence? I mean, do you have cooperating witnesses that are going to walk a jury through exactly how Nicolas Maduro, who was the leader of Venezuela, was tied to this drug smuggling? Well, I'm not going to talk about the types of evidence that we have beyond what's in the indictment. But I think one thing should be obvious to folks watching tonight, which is that the original

indictment, there's already been several individuals who have pled guilty to the charges alleged in that indictment. There's no doubt that the Venezuelan government has been part of a massive, a massive effort to bring cocaine in the United States for a very, very long time. And so, yes, we'll prove this case like we prove every case in federal court. I expect there'll be witnesses. I expect they'll be cooperating witnesses. There'll be documentary evidence.

And at the end of the day, as alleged, we will prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, what's charged in the indictment, those four accounts, not only against Mr. Maduro, but against his wife as well. I want to walk you through some of the allegations in our viewers as well. Here's one section of the indictment. By in or about 2020, the State Department estimated that between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine or traffic through Venezuela annually. Airatime shipments were shipped north from Venezuela's coastline using GoFASS vessels, fishing boats, and container ships.

I know this is not a court of law, but I am curious. How do you go from there directly to the head of state of Venezuela? Look, I mean, that's a good question. You do it with evidence. You do it with the testimony of witnesses and you do it with individuals who participated or who knew about what was going on. I mean, this isn't the first drug case that the Southern District of New York has brought. I mean, they do this all the time. And any time that you're going after literally like the architects of a major criminal organization like this, obviously you're going to rely on individuals who knew what was going on and knew what the other participants were doing. And I expect that's what the Southern District of New York will do here.

It's worth reminding everybody, this, again, is just a continuation of the charges filed against Mr. Medoro. in 2020. So it's just all, what we're doing here is we're showing up the evidence. There's some more cooperating witnesses that are that are described in the superseding indictment. And we're showing that that conspiracy that lasted for a very, very long time didn't stop in 2020 when the first indictment was filed that continued all the way up until 2025. I'm going to ask you about one more section because this is sort of stunning if this is true. Between approximately 2006 and 2008, while acting as Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maduro sold Venice. Venezuelan diplomatic passports to individuals that Maduro knew were drug traffickers

in order to assist traffickers seeking to move drug proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela under diplomatic cover. Now here, Mr. Deputy Attorney General, you have a direct link where you're accusing Maduro of essentially making fake passports and giving them to drug dealers. How do you prove that? Again, look, and it's not just, that's not me saying that. That's an indictment that's brought by a grand jury sitting in the Southern District of New York. And the way you prove that is exactly as you can imagine. I expect there will be testimony from witnesses who either participated in that event or were aware of those passports and of that conduct being conducted. That's what I expect the grand jury had to hear about when they were considering whether to vote on that

indictment. And that's exactly what a jury will hear about if there's a trial in this case. You are right. This does read a little bit like a movie, and the idea that this conduct was able to happen for so long. It shows while we've had such a massive drug problem in this country. It's not just what happens inside these are borders. It's also what happens all over South America and all over the world. And as alleged in this indictment, Mr. Maduro was a big part of the success of that effort for the past 20 years. In the indictment, one of the main characters, one of the main co-conspirators, is Maduro's son. And yet today we saw Maduro's son still there in Venezuela, overseeing the swearing in of the new president, Delci Rodriguez, who was the former vice president under his father. He was there. He spoke. Why is he still in Venezuela if he's just as bad as his father? Well, he hasn't been arrested. So look, you saw what we did on the early morning on Saturday morning.

to get Mr. Maduro and his wife, and we don't, his son is not in custody, but his son is wanted. He knows he's wanted. There's an arrest warrant that seeks his arrest, and as alleged in the indictment, he had a very important role in the conspiracy that we've talked about. And so we certainly hope that he, too, will be brought to the United States to face justice at some point. Two more questions for you. Can Maduro strike a plea deal? Would the U.S. government be interested in that? I'm not going to get into the types of deals that Jay Clayton, our U.S. attorney in the Southern District would talk about. We're way, way, way far away from that. I mean, the judge today

has folks coming back in 60 days. I think there'll be a lot of discovery review after that. So that's a decision that is, if it's one to even be considered, we've made a long time from now. What's your understanding of how Maduro pays for his defense team? I mean, will his funds be frozen? How is he getting money to pay for these lawyers? I have no understanding of that right now. I'm sure that his lawyers are working that out with the government and the federal prosecutors and the court in the Southern District to make sure that the funds that are being used are legitimate funds and not funds from his narco terrorism that the indictment lays out pretty

clearly. But I don't have any visibility into the funds that he has to pay his lawyer, Tom. Finally, Mr. Blanche, why are you so confident that the U.S. government will be able to convict Mikolas Maduro? Well, I don't... The government doesn't bring charters that we don't believe we can get a conviction on. Full stop. And so while I certainly respect Mr. Maduro and his wife to respect their right to a vigorous defense, and I expect they will mount one, And I similarly respect the work that's been put in this case by the DEA and HSI, FBI, all the agents that have worked on this case and the prosecutors that have built this case. And this is a case that, as you can see from the indictment, which is public and we can all read,

contains very, very serious charges. But he'll get a day in court, a jury of his peers, and my confidence is in the system of justice and in the administration of justice, and nothing more than that. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche tonight on top story. We thank him first time. We do move on now. As all of this plays out in the U.S. in Venezuela, we are hearing from people who are fearful about their futures.

NBC's Gabe Gutierrez spoke with men and women crossing the Columbia-Venezuela border and has their stories tonight. Tonight, with stepped-up security at Colombia's border with Venezuela, this region is bracing for the unknown. This family just came over the border crossing. That man clearly emotional did not want. to speak on camera. I asked him what he thought of this weekend's events and he seemed to be overwhelmed. It's a very emotional time. Didn't want to talk politics at all because he still has family members inside the country. On the streets of Caracas, a cautious calm. Some stores

opening armed security agents on patrol. We're looking for peace in Venezuela and tranquility, this man says, and for the U.S. to respect our constitution. There is massive uncertainty, not just in Venezuela, but here in Colombia. Overnight, President Trump ramping up his criticism of this country's president. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long. And as for a potential U.S. operation inside Colombia... It sounds good to me.

President Gustavo Petro has repeatedly denied drug trafficking allegations. His government responding that Trump's actions were contrary to the norms of international law. Across Latin America, both condemnation. of the U.S.'s actions in gratitude in places like Argentina and Chile. These women who live in Venezuela told us they're planning to stay and hoping for calm. What do you think of President Trump? What do you think of President Trump? He's very determined, she says, and he knows what he's doing.

All right, Gabe joins us tonight from near the Colombia-Venezuela border. Gabe, the reports we've been getting from Venezuela, the images we've been seen. seen. People aren't noticing any major changes there, and there's a good reason why. Yeah, that's right, Tom. Look, it first started out as a sense of shock, at least over the weekend. And today, we saw that swearing-in ceremony that you reported on. But the government of Venezuela, Tom, has issued a decree ordering police to arrest anyone involved in supporting the U.S. attack. So that means no anti-Moduro demonstrations. Gabe Gutierrez and his team on the border there in Venezuela with Colombia.

Gabe, thank you. Ahead tonight on the broadcast, more coverage of Nicolas Maduro's capture, including how Venezuelan Americans are reacting here at home and what it all means for oil prices. Also breaking tonight, the new video just in, of a person of interest in the murders of that Ohio dentist and his wife inside of their home. Plus, the Arizona Supreme Court evacuated after a package

tested positive for explosives, what we're learning tonight. And the dramatic helicopter rescue, look at this after two hikers. They got stranded hundreds of feet up at the top of an Oceanside cliff. We'll show you that rescue. Stay with us. We're back now with a major update in the stunning murders of an Ohio dentist and his wife. The two found dead in their home last week while their children were in another room. Tonight, police in Columbus releasing this surveillance video, take a close look. They say that shows a person of interest in the same.

the case. I want to get right over to NBC's George's release who's been following this one for us tonight. George, what more do we know about what police say this video shows? And we're also hearing from the coroner in this case? Yeah, that's right, Tom. Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, just releasing this surveillance video of an individual they described as a person of interest in the murder of Spencer and Monique Tepe. Now, police says the video shows this person of interest walking in an alley near the Tepe residents around the same time frame the couple was murdered back on December 30th between 2 and 5 a.m. That's important. because that window was narrowed down from the original midnight to 9 a.m. time frame.

Now, according to investigators, the couple was found shot to death in their home during a welfare check after Spencer's co-workers said he didn't show up for work. The family confirming to NBC news, their one and four-year-old was found unharmed in another room in the home. Now, according to NBC Chicago tonight, the coroner's office said the pair died from an apparent homicide but gunshot wounds, but that a final determination has not been made. Authorities say they found three. spent nine millimeter cases at the scene and no signs of forced entry. Now this new video, Tom, comes as police has urged the community for any information, including video. And with little details to go on, the case has been a deepening and disturbing mystery. The couple who had been married at the same home described as great people and amazing parents. The memorial of flowers

has also been growing outside the couple's home. Tom. Okay, George, we thank you for that. Now, to a developing situation across the country in Arizona. The state Supreme Court building in Phoenix, forced to evacuate after a suspicious package was found inside. Authorities saying that package tested positive for homemade explosives. I want to bring in Morgan Chesky, who's been following this one for us tonight out west. Morgan, what more do we know about what happened there? Yeah, Tom, ATF is calling this very much an active investigation. A frightening discovery took place around 10.30 this morning.

That's when this package arrived or was discovered inside the mailroom of the Arizona State Supreme Court. authorities have since confirmed that it contained a series of vials inside. Two of those were confirmed to be a flammable or an explosive material, and that map you just saw shows how close that the state Supreme Court building is to the Arizona State Capitol, to the Department of Education, their Department of Administration. That is why hundreds of state employees were evacuated. We followed up with a spokesman for the state just a short time ago. They're not able to confirm if those employees will be returning to work tomorrow. Again, we have had an active scene kind of play out for the better part of the afternoon. As you can see, streets were closed there as they tried to gather more information. No word, Tom, tonight, on if this package inside the mayor room was addressed to anyone specifically. But we do know that it arrived inside the state Supreme Court building, and the ATF is still actively gathering information and evidence at that scene. Tom?

Morgan Chesky for us tonight. Morgan, thank you. Still to come here on Top Story, struggling to return home. How Maduro's capture has left thousands of American tourists stranded in the Caribbean, we'll explain. Plus, the new weight loss pill hitting the market here in the U.S. had to get it and what it will cost. But first, Top Story's top moment, and Mom Christy has been doing Jazzercise for 25 years. But just when she thought she was going to have a fun activity with the family, her kids and husband decided to bust out move, and she wasn't expecting. Take a look. We all taking jazzercise

quiz together? Yeah. Are we really? Yeah. Wait, are we really? We're jazz exercising? Do they know we're coming? Yeah, everyone but you.

All right, this was the first time her whole family got in on the action, but not everyone as coordinated as mom. Yeah, mom looks like she can do it pretty good there. All right, high fives for everybody. Stay with us. story on the way. We're back now with our coverage of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's capture. Just today, Maduro and his wife pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges in a New York courtroom.

But roughly 72 hours ago, the U.S. carrying out strikes under the dark of night to remove Maduro from his compound. The stunning military operation forcing airspace in the Caribbean to shut down for hours. Americans vacationing for the holidays left stranded and forced to scramble at airports. Our Tom Costello has the details for us. Across the Caribbean. Literally, no flights out. I am stuck here indefinitely. Thousands of Americans remain stuck in paradise.

The ripple effect after Caribbean airspace was temporarily shut down Saturday. San Juan Center airspace is closed for the next 24 hours for military operations. While flights resumed on Sunday, airports from Miami to Curacao had been packed with passengers trying to rebook after their flights were canceled. New Yorkers Ben Shear, his wife and kids, trying to get back for school and work. They were able to get us a flight on Friday for my wife and one son and Saturday for me and my other son. For others, a missed flight means a missed cruise. Had to call rural Caribbean and let them know, listen, we can't even get there. 1100 flights canceled Saturday, 500 on Sunday, though not all due to military operations.

Today, airlines continue to add flights and bigger planes, though it could still take days to get everyone where they need to be. Meanwhile, oil prices moved higher today with U.S. oil companies hoping to rebuild Venezuela's dilapidated infrastructure, but not quickly. It will take tens of billions of dollars per year over the next 10 years to make a material difference in the of oil coming out of Venezuela. So while gas prices may go up a few cents now, experts say it could take years before Venezuelan oil brings prices down at the pump. Tom? All right, Tom, Costello for us.

And for those with ties to Venezuela living in this country, Maduro's capture prompting celebrations, but also uncertainty. Some of the strongest reactions coming from Doral, Florida, home to the largest concentrations of Venezuelans in the U.S. Here's what they told me. As Nicolas Maduro sits in U.S. custody in New York City, Venezuelan Americans across

the country reacting to the news of his capture, a mix of joy, celebration, and uncertainty. Everybody's happy, musing, celebration, but it's a lot of questions. Why are people here so excited? We are celebrating freedom and liberty. Thanks to President Trump, we were able to gain her freedom back. My wife hasn't been able to go home since she was a kid. My kids have never gone to Venezuela, so this is huge. For so many in South Florida, the first place they called home was Venezuela.

For me, it means maybe the possibility of going back to my country, seeing the oceans that I never got to see in, that I haven't gotten to play in since I was young, seeing my family that I haven't gotten to hug in such a long time. At Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Doral, a special hour of prayer. Some parishioners showing up draped in flags from their country hundreds of miles away. What did you pray for? I pray for the freedom of Venezuela, my country, my home country. I live here from 26 years.

My family is still there. And you're hopeful that this could be the beginning of a new era for Venezuela? Yeah, of course, yeah. I think, probably, this is the new era from Venezuela. Leading that service, Father Israel Mago, who was born in Caracas. Talk to me about what the feeling is here for Venezuela. Well, it's a feeling of joy and especially of hope. Hope amid uncertainty in an unprecedented moment.

I have to keep praying because God is the one who has the last word in everything. And that community watching the news both here and event. as well, a closely hoping for more signs of change. Okay, we turned out of Top Stories News Feed. We're going to start in Ohio where authorities have arrested a man. Accused of damaging Vice President J.D. Vance's personal home with a hammer. His press secretary says the Vance family was in Washington when it happened. According to two Secret Service sources, the 26-year-old William DeFour, you see him here,

vandalized the property and hit a Secret Service vehicle. In a post on social media, Vice President Vance thanked authorities for their quick response If you're wondering what he did, he hit those windows with a hammer. Investigators in California are looking into two separate robberies where thieves allegedly made off with a total of $350,000 in sports and Pokemon cards. Security video, here it is, shows the burglar smashing glass cases at a card shop in Simi Valley. The owner says they stole around 50 grand in merchandise, and then in West L.A., last night a customer at a different store reportedly had about $300,000 in Pokemon cards. stolen. Police say they're looking into whether the heists are connected. A new weight loss

pill is now available here in the U.S. Danish drug maker Nova Nordisk launching its once daily Wagovi pill today. It's an alternative to the injectable form of the medication. A starter dose costs just under $150 a month and the company says people can buy it at CVS and Costco as well as through telehealth providers. All right, in a daring helicopter rescue in Marin County, California, after two hikers got stuck hundreds of feet up on a steep cliff above the beach. You can see them waving for help before a paramedic was sent to move them to a safer spot so they could be rescued. Once the helicopter landed along the cliff, the two female hikers were loaded on board

and flown to an ambulance on the ground. Glad they're safe. Okay, we're also following major news out of Minnesota. Governor Tim Wall saying he will not seek a third term as he faces mounting scrutiny over the alleged child care fraud scandal in his state. Orion Noble says the details. Tonight, a stunning announcement for Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walls, the party's last nominee for vice president.

I've decided to step out of this race. His decision to not seek a third term as governor comes as his administration is facing scrutiny around fraud allegations related to federal child care funding, a reality the governor acknowledged. We'll win the fight against the fraudsters. But the political gamesmanship we're seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder. The Trump administration froze all federal child care payments to the state in the wake of a viral video by right-wing influencer Nick Shirley. Shirley claimed 10 facilities

run by Somalis were fraudulently receiving funds, but the state agency in charge of the programs visited the centers last week and determined they were operating as expected. Now, immigration and customs enforcement plans to send more than 2,000 agents to Minnesota to investigate, according to two senior DHS officials. Surely, who Wals has called a conspiracy theorist, took credit for his exit, posting, I Ended Tim Wals. Walls was tapped to be Kamala Harris's running mate. Democrats were hoping his background as a Midwest school teacher and football coach would appeal to blue-collar voters. Now Democrats will have to find a new candidate for governor.

A source close to current Senator Amy Klobuchar says that she's considering a run. Ryan Nobles joins us tonight from Washington, D.C. And Ryan, you mentioned there, Senator Amy Klobuchar, is considering a run. The other senator from Minnesota, Tina Smith, has already said she'll retire at the end of this year. This would be quite a shake-up for Democrats in that state. It certainly would, Tom. And while Minnesota has been a pretty reliably blue state, Republicans have won there before. And usually when Democrats win statewide, it's by pretty thin margins.

Now they're going to be forced to contend with two open seats. and the possibility that Klobuchar would leave a safe seat in the Senate. But, Tom, think of this. If Klobuchar does decide to run for governor, she doesn't need to resign her Senate seat until after she wins that election. And if she does win an election as governor of Minnesota, she would be the person that would pick her replacement in the Senate. Tom.

All right, a lot could happen there. Ryan, we thank you for that. Okay, we're going to stick in Washington where Defense Secretary Pete Higgseth announced he's censuring Senator Mark Kelly over a social media video. In the video, the former Navy pilot told U.S. service members, they can stand up to the Trump administration. Now, Hegset threatening to demote Kelly's retired rank and dock his pay. NBC's Julie Serkin has this one. Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth tonight announcing the Pentagon is working to slash Senator Mark Kelly's military retirement rank and pay because of, quote, seditious statements.

We want to speak directly to members of the military. Hexeth referring to this video posted by a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Kelly, in November. This administration is pitting our uniform military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. The lawmakers telling U.S. service members they can stand up to illegal orders, pointing to the Trump administration's use of the military in American cities. Laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.

Pete Hickseth citing U.S. Code, saying his department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings with a reduction in Kelly's retired grade, resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay. Senator Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain, firing back, writing in his own post, I will fight this with everything I've got. Not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hexeth and Donald Trump don't get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government. Hexeth is using an armed forces law that says a retired grade of any officer may be reopened if the applicable secretary determines pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense that good cause exists. To bring something like that against a retiree

for something he said, much less a U.S. senator, that's pretty unprecedented. Joseph Moreno worked as an Army lawyer for more than 25 years. So you cannot engage in certain kinds of activities that could result in a reduction, and one of them is sedition. And that seems like where the Defense Department is going with this. Do you think that the Defense Department will have success ultimately? If I were Senator Kelly's defense lawyer, I'd have a field day with this. And you talk about sedition, you almost always talk about violence, right? The violent overthrow of the U.S. government is not what happened here, obviously. This recently resurfaced video from 2016 shows Hexeth himself addressing the military's right to refuse unlawful orders. If you're doing

something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that. That's why the military said it won't follow unlawful orders from their commander-in-chief. The White House telling NBC news that Hexeth has been consistent. As he said, the military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. The Pentagon's move setting up a rare fight, pitting the Defense Department against a sitting senator. Okay, let's pick it up there. Julie joins us live from Capitol Hill. So, Julie, what's the timeline here?

Where does this go for Senator Kelly? Well, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth, essentially Kelly has 30 days. to submit a response and appeal. And Hexset says this entire process will be wrapped up in 45 days, meaning they'll determine where to drop Mark Kelly's retirement rank. Here's the thing, though, Tom, that lawyer that I talked to, that Army lawyer with so many years of experience, he said not only is this unprecedented, but this process could actually totally drag out to several months to several years.

And then if another administration comes in, they could just reverse all of this because that's really where this process is taking place in the executive branch. nowhere else. Tom? Okay, Julie, sir. And for us, Julie, we thank you for joining us. Also today, the criminal trial against a former police officer charged in the deadly Uvaldi school shooting now underway in Texas. Jury selection beginning in the trial of former Uvaldi school officer Adrian Gonzalez. He was one of the first officers to respond to the 2022 mass shooting at Rob Elementary that killed 19 children and two cheechers. Body camp video from that day shows Gonzalez at the scene. He was one of nearly 400 officers involved in

the response, taking more than an hour to confront and kill the 18-year-old gunmen. Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst, Misty Maris. This is somewhat of a strange case, right? Not unprecedented, but I want you to walk us through it. The case has already moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, because of the notoriety. How hard is it going to be to sit a jury? It's really, really difficult.

And the emotions were running high, even right now during the voir dire process. Many prospective jurors saying that they could not go into this unbiased, saying that they were not going to be able to sit on that jury because they'd already formulated an opinion on what happened. Some saying, I'm a teacher. I would have done anything to protect the students. So there was a lot of jurors who were eliminated. The judge was committed, actually, though, to seating the jury today and we're waiting to see whether or not that in fact happened. Prosecutors are alleging essentially that this officer, and he wasn't in charge, but that he was a responding officer. he didn't do anything for an hour and whatever it was, hour and a half, and these children were slaughtered. He didn't do his job, and so he's being charged with the crime. We saw a similar charge in the Parkland shooting as well, and I believe the man in charge there was acquitted.

How hard of a case is it going to be for prosecutors? It is a challenge for prosecutors, and one reason is that this is an endangerment in abandonment statute that's usually used for a parent or guardian. Think about a hot car case, something to that effect. So it's being used quite differently. And we're going to see a very similar defense raised as in Parkland. And the focus from the defense perspective is going to be there's one person who is criminally culpable for this. And it is the evil person that went into that school with the intent to kill cutting off causation.

And Tom, there's other facts in here. Is there a crime? Is there a dereliction of duty crime against police officers? Right here, what the legal theory is this abandonment, leaving these children in an imminent threat of grave bodily injury or death. So that's the legal theory. And I think what you're going to see is the defense pointing to other things like there were 400 other officers, federal, state, local. There were two reports that were done after the fact at the federal and state level investigating what happened. They found failures, failures in training, failures in communication, failures in technology. All of that's going to be used by the defense to undercut why this one individual should be held criminally culpable for a failure to act.

So it's a challenging case. Mitsumaris, great to always have you on the broadcast. Thank you for that. Coming up, flu cases soaring across the U.S., how hospitals are keeping up with the influx of patients. Plus, a look at some of the headlines we're following overseas, including the massive tuna. Just sold at auction. Look at that. For a record-setting price tag, you won't believe it. Stay with us. We're back now with Top Stories Health Check and the CDC reporting some of the highest-ever flu numbers across the country. New York recording the most flu cases in a single week since it began tracking them.

And the concerning trend comes as the CDC releases new vaccine recommendations for children. Maggie Vespa has this one for us. Tonight, America's record-smashing flu season getting even worse. We fill up these hallway spaces with patients. The hallways. We run out of rooms and beds. In Chicago, cases at Rush University hospitals up 50% from this time last year. I remember working a few nights.

to go right around New Year's, and I would check the waiting room and every patient said flu positive, flu positive, flu positive. New CDC data shows flu cases spiked more than 7% in a one week period with severe cases rising to. Forty-five states now reporting high or very high flu activity and the number of outpatient doctor visits for flu-like illnesses hitting record levels. The biggest things we get concerned about is the shortness of breath and low oxygen. You think we could be like a couple weeks away from the peak? I do. With flu vaccination rates at their lowest levels since 2019, tonight the Trump administration announcing major changes to childhood vaccine recommendations, no longer recommending all kids get flu shots in addition to RSV, COVID, hepatitis, and others. Three-year-old Naya Kessler got the flu shot and is still in the hospital. I can't even imagine how much worse it might be for her if we didn't. Admitted to the ER on New Year's Day, her mom

Cat says her fever spiked again last night to almost 105. It's terrifying. It's very scary. And you just feel so hopeless. Experts say it is still well worth getting the flu shot, noting full immunity takes about two weeks. But in most cases, it'll keep you from having to show up at places like this severely ill. Tom. Now at Top Stories Global Watch, and we start in Nigeria, where at least 30 people were killed and several others abducted after police say gunmen attacked a local market. Here you can see the aftermath.

The police spokesperson says the gunman stormed in over the weekend, stealing food and burning stalls. Witnesses telling Reuters they showed up on motorcycles and opened fire. The Nigerian president says authorities are working to track down those suspects. And a court in Paris finding 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady Bridget McCrone. They're accused of spreading false claims online about her gender and sexuality. One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, which under French law could be served at home. Eight others were handed suspended sentences up to eight months. All of them also ordered to take cyberbullying awareness training.

And a more than 500-pound bluefin tuna auctioned off at a Tokyo fish market today for a record-setting amount. Get this, that big fish sold for $3.2 million. A popular sushi chain bought the fish that were told was caught off the coast of northern Japan, Hundreds of tuna are sold every day at that auction, but prices tend to be much higher around the celebratory new year. Okay, still ahead tonight here on Top Story, the surprise comeback for Billy Joel, returning to the stage for the first time since opening up about being diagnosed with a brain disorder. We'll show you his impromptu performance. Next. Finally, tonight, music fans were treated to something special this weekend.

Billy Joel performing live for the first time since sharing, he was diagnosed with a brain condition. The music legend surprising a Florida audience with two of his hits. Here's a look at that special performance. The crowd thought they were there to see a Billy Joel tribute band. When the legend himself surprised them all, taking the stage, sitting down at those iconic keys. Frashing the show with his class. big shot. The impromptu set marking the first time the piano man has performed publicly since

sharing he was diagnosed with a brain disorder, a type of condition that can affect balance and memory and that caused him to cancel concerts last year. Joel having to walk out with a cane. performing two songs. All drop around the crowd. Einstein, James Dean, Wolfens got a winning team, including one of his most lyrically complex hits.

Proving, that fire never went out for one of music's biggest proving that fire never went out for one of music's biggest legends. That does it for us tonight. Thanks so much for watching Top Story Tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.