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Members of the media gather outside the Metropolitan Detention Center where captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being held, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)2026-01-04T05:10:26Z NEW YORK (AP) A newly unsealed U.S. Justice Department indictmen t accuses captured Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro of running a corrupt, illegitimate government fueled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S. with thousands of tons of cocaine. The arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a stunning military operation early Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for U.S. prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a Manhattan courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and Flores will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.Heres a look at the accusations against Maduro and the charges he faces: Maduro faces drugs and weapons charges Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Maduro is facing the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment unsealed Saturday, which adds charges against Flores, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas. It was not immediately clear when Maduro and Flores would make their first appearance at the courthouse in Manhattan. A video posted Saturday night on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York by two federal agents grasping his arms. He was expected to be detained while awaiting trial at a federal jail in Brooklyn.Maduro allowed cocaine-fueled corruption to flour ish, US says The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world to allow for the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. Authorities allege powerful and violent drug-trafficking organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang, worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange. But a U.S. intelligence assessment published in April, which drew on input from the 18 agencies that comprise the intelligence community, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.Maduro allowed cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members, the indictment alleges. U.S. authorities allege that Maduro and his family provided law enforcement cover and logistical support to cartels moving drugs throughout the region, resulting in as much as 250 tons of cocaine trafficked through Venezuela annually by 2020, according to the indictment. Drugs were moved on go-fast vessels, fishing boats and container ships or on planes from clandestine airstrips, the indictment says. This cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States, the indictment says. Successive U.S. administrations have warned about Venezuelas role as a transit point for cocaine and a haven for criminal gangs, terrorist groups and drug-smuggling leftist rebels from neighboring Colombia. While reliable data is hard to ascertain, the vast majority of cocaine departs South America from Colombia and Ecuador, making its way northward through the eastern Pacific Ocean, not the Caribbean.Allegations of bribes and orders of kidnappings and murders The U.S. accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation. That includes the killing of a local drug boss in Caracas, according to the indictment. Maduros wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuelas National Anti-Drug Office. In a corrupt deal, the drug trafficker then agreed to pay a monthly bribe to the director of the anti-drug office as well as about $100,000 for each cocaine-carrying flight to ensure the flights safe passage. Some of that money then went to Maduros wife, the indictment says. Nephews of Maduros wife were heard during recorded meetings with confidential U.S. government sources in 2015 agreeing to send multi-hundred-kilogram cocaine shipments from Maduros presidential hanger at a Venezuelan airport. The nephews during the recorded meetings explained that they were at war with the United States, the indictment alleges. They were both sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for conspiring to send tons of cocaine into the U.S. before being released in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap in exchange for seven imprisoned Americans. Operation to capture Maduro was a law enforcement function, Rubio saysDuring a news conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cast the military raid that captured Maduro and his wife as an action carried out on behalf of the Department of Justice. Caine said the operation was made at the request of the Justice Department.Rubio, as he responded to a question about whether Congress had been notified, said the U.S. raid to get the couple was basically a law enforcement function, adding that it was an instance in which the Department of War supported the Department of Justice. He called Maduro a fugitive of American justice with a $50 million reward over his head.___Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed to this report. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter

President Donald Trump listens to a question during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Secretary of State Marco Rubio watches. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2026-01-04T17:32:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps military intervention in Venezuela will pose a fresh test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during a challenging election year.While most Republicans lined up behind the president in the immediate aftermath of the stunning U.S. mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicols Maduro and bring him to the United States to face criminal charges, there were signs of unease across the spectrum within the party. In particular, Trumps comments about the U.S. positioning itself to run Venezuela have raised concerns that he is abandoning the America First philosophy that has long distinguished him from more traditional Republicans and helped fuel his political rise. This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesnt serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives, outgoing GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a former Trump ally, told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. Those concerns were shared by some who are not as closely aligned with the partys far-right flank. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a moderate who is one of the most vulnerable Republicans heading into the November midterms, said in a statement that the only country that the United States of America should be running is the United States of America. Those comments reflect the sensitive dynamics between Trump and his fellow Republicans at the outset of an election year in which their party risks losing control of Congress. While the president remains the undisputed dominant force inside the GOP, the ironclad grip Trump has long held over the party has faced unusual challenges in recent months. Blocs of Republicans have come together to pressure Trump to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Others have been vocal in encouraging Trump to take concerns about affordability more seriously. Few issues, however, are as central to Trumps political brand as the idea of ensuring that the U.S. does not get entangled in seemingly endless foreign conflicts at the expense of domestic priorities. During a 2016 Republican presidential debate, for instance, he called the Iraq War a big, fat mistake.By Saturday, Trump said he was not afraid of boots on the ground if that was deemed necessary, and he framed his actions in Venezuela as steps that are grounded in prioritizing the safety and security of Americans. As he articulated an aggressive vision of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, he told reporters it was important to surround the U.S. with good neighbors. His comments about revitalizing the oil industry in Venezuela are in line with some of the earliest critiques he made of the handling of the Iraq War. During a 2013 speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said the U.S. should take oil from Iraq and pay ourselves back.Amid some of the pushback about the U.S. taking expansive responsibility for managing Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday suggested a more limited role. He said that Washington would not handle day-to-day governance of the South American country other than enforcing an existing oil quarantine on Venezuela. It is not clear that any forceful, organized opposition to Trumps Venezuela policy is emerging within the GOP. Instead, many lawmakers appear to be giving the Republican administration some room and, at most, offer some warnings. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a potentially challenging reelection campaign this year, called Maduro a narco-terrorist and international drug trafficker who should stand trial even, as she said Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who often criticizes military interventions, did not specifically oppose Trumps actions even as he wrote on X that time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has clashed with Trump and is not seeking reelection this year, said Maduro was a thug and that Trump has broad constitutional authority and long historical precedent for the limited use of military force.___AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell wipes his eye as he watches a video being displayed during a House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 27, 2021. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File)2026-01-04T12:32:35Z WASHINGTON (AP) As Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025, former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell put his phone on do not disturb and left it on his nightstand to take a break from the news. That evening, after Gonell spent time with family and took his dog on a long walk, his phone started to blow up with calls. He had messages from federal prosecutors, FBI agents and the federal Bureau of Prisons all letting him know that the new president had just pardoned about 1,500 people who had been convicted for their actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The pardons included rioters who had injured Gonell as he and other officers tried to protect the building. They told me that people I testified against were being released from prison, Gonell said. And to be mindful.Gonell was one of the officers who defended the central West Front entrance to the Capitol that day as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Bidens victory and hundreds of Trumps supporters broke into the building, echoing his false claims of a stolen election. Gonell was dragged into the crowd by his shoulder straps as he tried to fight people off. He almost suffocated. In court, he testified about injuries to his shoulder and foot that still bother him to this day. They have tried to erase what I did with the pardons and other attempts to play down the violent attack, Gonell said. I lost my career, my health, and Ive been trying to get my life back. Five years since the siege, Gonell and some of the other police officers who fought off the rioters are still coming to terms with what happened, especially after Trump was decisively elected to a second term last year and granted those pardons. Their struggle has been compounded by statements from the Republican president and some GOP lawmakers in Congress minimizing the violence that the officers encountered. Its been a difficult year, said Officer Daniel Hodges, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who was also injured as he fought near Gonell in a tunnel on the West Front. Hodges was attacked several times, crushed by the rioters between heavy doors and beaten in the head as he screamed for help. A lot of things are getting worse, Hodges said. An evolving narrative More than 140 police officers were injured during the fighting on Jan. 6, which turned increasingly brutal as the hours wore on. Former Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger took over the department six months after the riot. He said in a recent interview that many of his officers were angry when he first arrived, not only because of injuries they suffered but also they resented the fact that they didnt have the equipment they needed, the training they needed to deal with the unexpectedly violent crowd. Several officers who fought the rioters told The Associated Press that the hardest thing to deal with has been the effort by many to play down the violence, despite a massive trove of video and photographic evidence documenting the carnage. Trump has called the rioters he pardoned, including those who were most violent toward the police, patriots and hostages. He called their convictions for harming the officers and breaking into the building a grave national injustice. I think that was wrong, Adam Eveland, a former District of Columbia police officer, said of Trumps pardons. If there were to be pardons, Eveland said, Trumps administration should have reviewed every case. Ive had a hard time processing that, said Eveland, who fought the rioters and helped to push them off the Capitol grounds. The pardons erased what little justice there was, said former Capitol Police Officer Winston Pingeon, who was part of the forces Civil Disturbance Unit on Jan. 6. He left the force several months afterward. Pushback from lawmakers and the public Hodges and Gonell have been speaking out about their experiences since July 2021, when they testified before the Democratic-led House committee that investigated Jan 6. Since then, they have received support but also backlash. At a Republican-led Senate hearing in October on political violence, Hodges testified again as a witness called by Democrats. After Hodges spoke about his experience on Jan. 6, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., asked the other witnesses whether they supported Trumps pardons of the rioters, including for those who injured Hodges. Three of the witnesses, all called by Republicans, raised their hands. I dont know how you would say it wasnt violent, says Hodges, who is still a Washington police officer.It has not just been politicians or the rioters who have doubted the police. It also is friends and family.My biggest struggle through the years has been the public perception of it, Eveland said, and navigating conversations with people close to him, including some fellow police officers, who do not think it was a big deal.Its hard for me to wrap my head around that, but ideology is a pretty powerful thing, he said. Improvements in safety and support As police officers struggled in the aftermath, Manger, the former Capitol Police chief, said the department had to figure out how to better support them. There were no wellness or counseling services when he arrived, he said, and they were put in to place. The officers who were there and were in the fight we needed to make sure that they got the help that they needed, Manger said. Manger, who retired in May, also oversaw major improvements to the departments training, equipment, operational planning and intelligence. He said the Capitol is now a great deal safer than it was when he arrived. If that exact same thing happened again, they would have never breached the building, they would have never gotten inside, they would have never disrupted the electoral count, Manger said. Pingeon, the former Capitol Police officer, said he believes the department is in many ways unrecognizable from what it was on Jan. 6 and when he left several months later. It was a wake-up call, he said.Pressing on Pingeon, who was attacked and knocked to the ground as he tried to prevent people from entering the Capitol, said Jan. 6 was part of the reason he left the department and moved home to Massachusetts. He has dealt with his experience by painting images of the Capitol and his time there, as well as advocating for nonviolence. He said he now feels ready to forgive. The real trauma and heartache and everything I endured because of these events, I want to move past it, he said.Gonell left the Capitol Police because of his injuries. He has not returned to service, though he hopes to work again. He wrote a book about his experience, and he said he still has post-traumatic stress disorder related to the attack. While many of the officers who were there have stayed quiet about their experiences, Eveland said he decided that it was important to talk publicly about Jan. 6 to try to reach people and come at it from a logical standpoint. Still, he said, Ive had to come to terms with the fact that just because something happened to me and was a major part of my world doesnt mean that everyone else has to understand that or even be sympathetic to that.He added: The only thing I can do is tell my story, and hopefully the people who respect me will eventually listen.

U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell wipes his eye as he watches a video being displayed during a House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 27, 2021. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File)2026-01-04T13:29:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) The economy in 2025 was filled with contradictions, as growth was healthy while hiring slowed, inflation stayed elevated and unemployment rose. Last years odd outcomes raise a host of questions for the upcoming year: Will a growing economy eventually boost the sluggish job market? Or are last years weak job gains a sign of a stumbling economy that could get worse? There is another uncomfortable possibility: The economy could keep growing without much hiring, as technology particularly artificial intelligence enables more companies to step up their production of goods and services without adding more workers, leading to a jobless expansion. Adding to the complications, the six-week government shutdown last fall disrupted the collection and publication of economic data, leaving policymakers at the Federal Reserve with a cloudier view of the economy that will only slowly clear up this year. 2026 begins at a time when it is hard to say how 2025 ended, Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Santander, an investment bank, said in a note to clients. Sharp inequality has also meant that wealthier U.S. households account for a rising share of spending, so that even healthy growth figures mask underlying weaknesses among lower-income families what many economists refer to as the K-shaped economy. Still, Stanley, like many economists, is somewhat optimistic: He expects that hiring will pick up on the back of stronger growth fueled by large tax refunds early this year, a result of President Donald Trumps tax cut legislation. Companies may also step up hiring because they face much less uncertainty this year from tariffs. This year could turn out to be a better year, said Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller last month. Now whether that pulls the labor market along with it, I certainly hope it does.Here are five charts that illustrate the economy in 2025, and where it may be headed. Growth accelerated after a weak startSurveys suggest Americans have a gloomy outlook on the economy, but that hasnt kept many of them from spending at a healthy clip. Solid consumer spending likely fueled mostly by higher-income Americans boosted growth to a 4.3% annual pace in the July-September quarter, a much better than expected showing and the biggest increase in two years. The healthy gain followed two quarters where Trumps tariffs distorted the economy. A surge in imports in the first three months of the year caused the economy to shrink as businesses sought to bring in products from overseas ahead of the duties. Growth likely continued in the final three months of the year, but the government shutdown almost certainly weighed on output, reducing growth by one percentage point, economists forecast. Hiring stayed weak and unemployment roseEven as the economy picked up, hiring did not in fact job gains weakened after Trumps announcement of sweeping tariffs in early April, which he dubbed Liberation Day. The economy even shed jobs in June, August, and October. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, rose from 4% in January to 4.6% in November, highest in four years. Decembers figures will be released Jan. 9. There were several reasons hiring likely slowed: The uncertainty around tariffs, which Trump imposed, then in some cases lowered or removed, or delayed, led many companies to put hiring on hold. Still, layoffs remain low, in what has been a low-hire, low-fire job market. At the same time, the ongoing adoption of artificial intelligence may have led many firms to hold off on adding workers, as they sort out what the new technology can do for them. AI, AI, AI, AI -- that is all I have heard since this summer, Waller said last month, referring to comments he has heard from business executives explaining why they are reluctant to add jobs. Still, there are signs of improvement: Employers cut 105,000 jobs in October, but that was mostly because of a large drop in federal government jobs stemming from the Trump administrations purge of government workers, which didnt formally take effect until that month. Excluding government, businesses added an average of 75,000 jobs a month in the three months ended in November, a significant increase from just 13,000 in the three months ending in August. However, most of the hiring this year has been heavily concentrated in just a few sectors health care, restaurants and hotels, and government (outside of October). Most large private industries have shed jobs. Inflation remained stubbornly highEven though inflation fell sharply in 2023 and 2024 from a four-decade high, there was little improvement last year. Annual inflation, according to the Federal Reserves preferred measure, actually ticked higher to 2.8% in September the latest data available from 2.7% in December 2024. Elevated costs became a potent political issue in races as diverse as governors contests in Virginia and New Jersey and New York Citys mayoral race. All were won by Democrats as Trump found himself grappling with issues of affordability, which he referred to as a hoax.Inflation cooled in November, according to the more widely-followed consumer price index, though economists said the figures were distorted by the government shutdown. Prices were mostly collected in the second half of November, after the shutdown ended, when holiday discounts were more likely to be in effect. Some economists worry inflation will worsen in early 2026, as companies implement annual price changes and pass through more tariff costs. But most expect inflation will continue to slowly cool in 2026 and move closer to the Feds 2% target. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2026-01-04T05:11:28Z DALTON, Ga. (AP) President Donald Trump says Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a traitor. But for Jackie Harling, who chairs the local Republican Party in Greenes northwestern corner of Georgia, shes still mama bear.Every thought that we had in our minds, she seemed to be very good at verbalizing, Harling said.Saying things that no one else would say may be Greenes most durable legacy as she steps down on Monday, resigning halfway through her third term in Congress. First, it was her embrace of conspiracy theories and incendiary rhetoric, turning her into a national symbol of a political culture without guardrails. Then it was her willingness to criticize Trump, a schism that made her position in Washington untenable.In interviews in Greenes district, constituents described her over and over as a fighter. For Republicans like Harling, that was enough. We got a lot of satisfaction, Harling said. She was our voice.It was less satisfying for an independent like Heath Patterson, who struggled to think of ways that Greenes fame and notoriety made a difference for her district during her time in the U.S. Capitol.I dont know of anything that she did do here except, certainly, got her voice heard. But where did we, how did we benefit from that? he said. I dont think we did. From MAGA warrior to exileGreene began clashing with Trump last year, criticizing his focus on foreign policy and his reluctance to release documents involving the Jeffrey Epstein case. The president eventually had enough, saying he would support a primary challenge against her. Greene announced a week later that she would resign.She has kept up the criticism since then, including over Trumps decision to strike Venezuela this weekend. This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesnt serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives, she told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. The split was surprising because, until that point, Greenes trajectory had mirrored Trumps own rise to power. She didnt become politically involved until his presidential campaign in 2016 and first ran for Congress in 2020. Greene considered trying to represent Georgias 6th Congressional District, which includes the Atlanta suburbs, before relocating to the 14th District, where the Republican incumbent was retiring. She remained loyal to Trump after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, promoting Trumps falsehoods about a stolen election. When Trump ran again in 2024, she toured the country with him and spoke at his rallies while wearing a red Make America Great Again hat. Her Georgia district is one of the most Republican-leaning in the state, although it wasnt always that way. The region once backed Democrats like Zell Miller, a governor and U.S. senator who spearheaded Georgias lottery program that still bankrolls college scholarships and early childhood education programs.But residents have felt left behind by years of change, said Jan Pourquoi, a Belgian native who emigrated in 1987, became a U.S. citizen and later won local office in Whitfield County. His countys population has grown by roughly by 32% since 1990, which pales in comparison with statewide growth of 74%. As the U.S. becomes more urban, secular, and diverse, Pourquoi said residents believe theyre culturally oppressed.They see themselves as great Americans, proud Americans, Christian Americans, and that doesnt fit the American model anymore as they see it, said Pourquoi, who said he left the Republican Party because of Trump. Greene exemplified the political backlash, which he summarized as stick it to them any possible way you can.Georgia leaders, like those in many other states, have spent years drawing congressional districts to pack like-minded voters together. That means in red areas, whoever wins the Republican primary is virtually guaranteed to come out on top in the general election, incentivizing candidates like Greene with more hard-line views. The political landscape means former Republicans suc as Pourquoi or independents like Patterson say they have no shot at helping a centrist win.Im kind of square in the middle, said Patterson, adding that it sometimes feels like hes the only one around here whos that way.Republicans plan their path forwardWhitfield County Republicans gathered at a local restaurant last month for their annual Christmas party, where seasonal decor and a visit from Santa Claus were intermingled with the red, white and blue regalia and a smattering of MAGA paraphernalia. There was still deep affection for Greene and plenty of talk about the cultural issues she championed. I think its just the fact that she was unwavering in America First, said Gavin Swafford, who worked on Greenes initial campaign.Swafford called her an accountability representative because of her clashes with Republican leaders. Lisa Adams, a party volunteer, called Greene our stand-up person.Look at her stance on transgenderism. Thats a big one, she said. Abortion. Thats a big one.None of Greenes inconsistencies real or perceived were a problem, they said.For example, Greene has praised the Korean-owned solar panel factories in the district even after voting against Biden-era policies intended to boost production. She broke with Republicans, Trump included, and sided with Democrats who wanted to extend premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance customers. None of the Republicans at the Christmas party expressed any interest in taking sides between Trump and Greene. I think its inevitable when you have two firebrands that are both stubborn, Swafford said.Asked whether the district missed having a more traditional lawmaker, the kind who might cut bipartisan deals and bring as much federal money as possible back home, Swafford was unconcerned. The biggest thing that Marjorie contributed wasnt even in legislation, he said. Still, there was also a sense among some that Greene, for all her bareknuckle politics, could have gone further. Star Black, a Republican who is running to replace Greene, was already planning a primary challenge before she announced her resignation.You had a great representative who was a fighter. Well, you know what? I want to take it one step further, Black said.Not only do you need a fighter, Black said, you need someone who is going to listen. You need someone who is going to represent you. BILL BARROW Barrow covers U.S. politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

Welcome back to the Abstract, and Happy New Year! Here are the studies this week that stoked the flames, cooled off, then went feral and rogue.First, the ashy remains of a cremation pyre reveal a rare glimpse of an ancient ritual. Then: Uranus is chilling, ham on the lam, and a Saturn without a Sun. As always, for more of my work, check out my book First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens or subscribe to my personal newsletter the BeX Files.An ancient cremation comes to lightCerezo-Romn, Jessica I. et al. Earliest Evidence for Intentional Cremation of Human Remains in Africa. Science Advances.Some 9,500 years ago, a community of hunter-gatherers assembled to cremate a small woman in a ceremonial pyre at a rock shelter near Mount Hora in Malawi.Millennia passed. Many things happened. And now, at the dawn of the year 2026, scientists report the unearthing of the ashy remains of this ritual at a site, called HOR-1, which is "the oldest known cremation in Africa and one of the oldest in the world, according to their study.Archaeological evidence for cremation amongst African hunter-gatherers is extremely rare, with no reported cases south of the Sahara, said researchers led by Jessica I. Cerezo-Romn of the University of Oklahoma. Open pyre cremations such as that at HOR-1 demand substantial social and labor-intensive investment on behalf of the deceased. Thus, cremation is rarely practiced amongst small-scale hunter-gatherer societies.Indeed, before reading this study, I did not fully appreciate the work that goes into cremating a corpse from scratch. For a body to be properly reduced to ash in this prehistoric era, a community had to collect tinder, build the pyre, ignite it, and then keep the flames stoked at high temperatures for around seven to nine hours by continually adding more fuel.The process would have been long and arduous, suggesting that it held a significant meaning to these prehistoric attendees. This ancient rock shelter was clearly used for mortuary practices over millennia, which reflect a deep-rooted tradition of repeatedly using and revisiting the site, intricately linked to memory-making, the researchers said.The oldest known pyre, located in Alaska, dates back 11,500 years and contains the created remains of a 3-year-old child. But HOR-1 is the oldest example of adult cremated remains found in a pyre. We will likely never know the identity of this woman, or why her death inspired such a carefully coordinated ritual. But it seems safe to assume that the cremation was a significant event for the community that expended so much forethought and labor to perform it.While this cremation is highly unusual in the African archaeological record, it contributes to growing evidence of complex social worldviews among tropical African hunter-gatherers, they added. These practices emphasize complex mortuary and ritual activities with origins predating the advent of food production.In other newsThe inexplicable Uranian chilloutJasinski, Jamie M. et al. Uranus' Long-Term Thermospheric Cooling Is Unlikely to Be Primarily Driven by the Solar Wind. Geophysical Research Letters.Uranus is so cool. I mean this in the flattering vernacular senseUranus is genuinely niftybut its also literally true. Not only is this ice giant the coldest planet in the solar system, its upper atmosphere (the thermosphere) has been getting steadily cooler for the past 40 yearsand nobody really knows why.Scientists now think they have ruled out a hypothesis that linked this long-term thermospheric cooling to a weakening of the solar wind, which is a stream of energetic radiation and particles emitted by the Sun. A new analysis suggests that this weakening effect has reversed over the past 15 years, hinting that it is not the cause of the cooldown.We determine that the solar wind kinetic power at Uranus has increased by 28% since the start of solar cycle 24 (at the end of 2008), said researchers led by Jamie M. Jasinski at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.If the solar wind is a driver of Uranus' thermospheric temperature, then one would have expected a gradual increase in the temperature since then. However, the temperature has continued to consistently decline over the same time period. Thereforewe argue that the solar wind kinetic power is unlikely to be the primary driver of thermospheric temperature at Uranus.As for the real cause, the truth is still out there. May this mystery inspire a new generation of Uranian scientists.When pigs sailStanton, David W. G. et al. Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific. Science.Now, for the incredible adventures of ancient seafaring pigs. Today, many domestic and feral pig lineages are scattered across the Pacific islands of Wallacea, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; their ancestors were schlepped over the oceans by early mariners in several migratory waves.To learn more about how these boats brought home the bacon, scientists sequenced 117 modern, historical, and ancient pig genomes spanning nearly 3,000 years. The results revealed that pigs from Indonesia to Hawaii are mostly descended from a group of domestic pigs that voyaged with Austronesian-speaking groups from Southeast China and Taiwan about 4,000 years ago.Transporting these animals between islands resulted in a distinctive evolutionary history characterized by serial founder effects, gene flow from divergent lineages, and likely selection for specific traits that facilitated the establishment of feral populations, said researchers led by David W.G. Stanton of Queen Mary University of London and Cardiff University.In other words, some of the most significant Pacific voyages also doubled as piggyback rides.A glimpse of a sunless SaturnDong, Subo et al. A free-floating-planet microlensing event caused by a Saturn-mass object. Science.I dont mean to cause alarm, but theres a rogue Saturn on the loose in the galaxy.Astronomers spotted this world drifting through interstellar space, untethered to any star, with a trippy technique known as microlensing. When a distant planet passes in front of a star from our perspective on Earth, its gravitational field warps the background starlight, creating a distinctive light signature that exposes its presence (for more on microlensing, heres a short feature I wrote).Concept art of a freefloating planet. Image: J. Skowron, K. Ulaczyk / OGLENow, a team has captured a microlensing event with telescopes located on both the ground and in space, a combination that allowed them to calculate the foreground planets mass (Saturn-ish) and its distance from Earth, which is about 10,000 light years. Based on its mass and its very quick pace through space, this gas giant was probably born around a star, but was flung out of its home system by gravitational interactions between neighboring stars or planets.We conclude that violent dynamical processes shape the demographics of planetary-mass objects, both those that remain bound to their host stars and those that are expelled to become free floating, said researchers led by Subo Dong of Peking University.Its a reminder that as bad as things seem sometimes here on Earth, at least our planet hasnt been violently ejected from the solar system to drift endlessly in the dark. Small wins!Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Residents look at a damaged apartment complex that neighbors say was hit during U.S. strikes to capture Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro, in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)2026-01-04T14:10:49Z CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Venezuelans on Sunday remained shell-shocked a day after President Nicols Maduro was deposed and captured in a U.S. military operation, with an uncertain future ahead in the South American nation.A tense calm settled over the capital, Caracas, which was unusually quiet. Many stores, gas stations and churches remained closed and people patiently lined up outside others, staring at their phones or into the distance.People are still shaken, said 77-year-old David Leal, who arrived to work as a parking attendant but realized he likely would not have customers. He pointed to the deserted street.While Maduro was in custody in New York, the officials who had surrounded him remained in power and demanded his release. Venezuelas presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and members of the military.U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday asserted that his administration would run Venezuela with the help of Delcy Rodrguez, Maduros vice president and now the interim president after a high courts order. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday appeared to back off Trumps assertion. In interviews with CBS and ABC, he insisted instead that Washington will use control of Venezuelas oil industry to force policy changes. He said the government currently in place was illegitimate but a step toward where the U.S. wanted Venezuela to be. We want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today. But obviously, we dont have the expectation thats going to happen in the next 15 hours, Rubio said. There has to be a little realism here. While Venezuelans in the U.S. and Latin America broke out in celebration or protest, there were no signs of celebration within the country. A number of government supporters rallied over the weekend, some burning U.S. flags and holding signs reading gringo go home. In a low-income neighborhood in eastern Caracas, construction worker Daniel Medalla sat on the steps outside a Catholic church and told a few parishioners that there would be no morning Mass.Medalla said he believed the streets remained mostly empty because people fear government repression if they dare celebrate.We were longing for it, Medalla, 66, said of Maduros exit.There are fresh memories of a government crackdown during 2024s fraught elections, which Maduro was widely accused of stealing. Street protests left 28 people dead, 220 injured and at least 2,000 detained, according to official figures.In the coastal state of La Guaira, families with houses damaged in blasts during the overnight operation that captured Maduro and his wife were cleaning up debris.Wilman Gonzlez, who was left with a black eye from a blast, picked through rubble on his floors, surrounded by broken furniture. One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.A number of people were killed by the U.S. strikes, though Venezuelan officials did not confirm how many.Among those killed was Gonzlezs aunt. This is it, what we are left with: ruins, he said.Gonzlez spoke with anger at the wreckage but also at the compounding economic and political crises that Venezuela has endured for decades.We are civilians, we are not with the government or anyone else, he said.___Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Arraez reported from La Guaira, Venezuela. MEGAN JANETSKY Megan Janetsky covers migration, conflict, human rights and politics in Mexico and Central America for The AP based in Mexico City. Previously, she covered Cuba and the Caribbean for The AP and worked as freelance journalist in Colombia, reporting across South America. twitter instagram facebook mailto

President Donald Trump points to a reporter to ask a question during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2026-01-04T16:01:57Z In detailing the U.S. military action that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicols Maduro, President Donald Trump referenced the Monroe Doctrine, a maxim that has shaped American foreign policy for two centuries.The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe was originally aimed at opposing European meddling in the Western Hemisphere. It has since been invoked repeatedly by subsequent presidents angling to justify U.S. intervention in the region. On Saturday, the consequential doctrine of Americas fifth president was cited by the 47th president as partial justification for the capture of a foreign leader to face criminal charges in the United States. Trump even quipped that some now called it the Don-roe Doctrine.Political scientists are now looking back on the use of the Monroe Doctrine through history and drawing connections to how the Trump administration is seeking to apply it to current foreign policy, including the Republican presidents assertion that Washington would run Venezuela until a suitable replacement for Maduro was in place, Heres a look at the Monroe Doctrine, how it has been invoked over time and how it has informed Trumps decision making: What is the Monroe Doctrine?Articulated in Monroes 1823 address to Congress, it was intended to ward off European colonization or other interference in independent nations of the Western Hemisphere. In return, the U.S. also agreed to stay out of European wars and internal affairs.At the time, many Latin American countries had just gained independence from European empires. Monroe wanted both to prevent Europe from reclaiming control and to assert U.S. influence in the hemisphere. Through the centuries, much of that has included Venezuela, according to Jay Sexton, a history professor at the University of Missouri.Historically, Venezuela has been the pretext or the trigger for a lot of corollaries to the Monroe Doctrine, said Sexton, author of The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in Nineteenth-Century America, citing instances from the late 1800s, all the way through Trumps first administration.And going back to the 19th century, this has been a divided, fractious country thats had difficult relations with foreign powers and is also courted, relationships with rivals of the United States. The Roosevelt Corollary and Big Stick diplomacyEuropean leaders initially paid little attention to the proclamation, but the Monroe Doctrine has been invoked in the two centuries since to justify U.S. military interventions in Latin America. The first direct challenge came after France installed Emperor Maximilian in Mexico in the 1860s. After the end of the Civil War, France relented under U.S. pressure and withdrew.In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelts argument that the U.S. should be allowed to intervene in unstable Latin American countries became known as the Roosevelt Corollary, a justification invoked in a number of places, including supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S.The Cold War era saw the Monroe Doctrine invoked as a defense against communism, such as the U.S. demand in 1962 that Soviet missiles be withdrawn from Cuba, as well as the Reagan administrations opposition of the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Gretchen Murphy, a professor at the University of Texas, described Trumps reference to the doctrine as in line with how it had been used by his predecessors, including Roosevelt, who she said claimed that the Monroe Doctrine could be extended to justify interventions that instead of defending Latin American nations from European intervention, policed them to make sure their governments acted in U.S. commercial and strategic interests.I think Trump is jumping on this familiar pattern - citing the Monroe Doctrine to legitimate interventions that undermine real democracy, and ones where various kinds of interests are served, including commercial interests, said Murphy, author of Hemispheric Imaginings: The Monroe Doctrine and Narratives of U.S. Empire. What has Trump said about the Monroe Doctrine?Trump said that Venezuela, under Maduros rule, had been increasingly hosting foreign adversaries in our region and acquiring menacing offensive weapons that could threaten U.S. interests. Trump called those actions in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy dating back more than two centuries.But, Trump added, under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors, we want to surround ourselves with stability, and we want to surround ourselves with energy, Trump said. We have tremendous energy in that country. Its very important that we protect it. We need that for ourselves. We need that for the world. The Trump Corollary? Asked Saturday how the U.S. running a country represented his America First mentality, Trump defended the move as one that, similarly to the Monroe Doctrines origin story, was aimed at strengthening America itself.The administrations national security strategy references a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, intended to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again, wont happen, Trump said. For decades, other administrations have neglected or even contributed to these growing security threats in the Western Hemisphere. Under the Trump administration, we are reasserting American power in a very powerful way in our home region.What presidents used to do is they would cloak whatever their agenda was in the Monroe Doctrine by issuing corollaries, Sexton said. After World War II, Sexton said, rather than devising corollaries to the Monroe Doctrine, presidents started issuing their own, citing Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. He Sexton said he assumed Trump might take similar action.When youre talking about a Trump Corollary, I just knew Trump wouldnt want to be a corollary to another presidents doctrine, that somehow this would evolve into a Trump doctrine, he said. The national security strategy released by the White House in December portrayed European allies as weak and aimed to reassert Americas dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Laying out a series of military strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean as a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, the document said it aimed to combat the flow of narcotics and control migration. The strategy marked a reimagining of the U.S. military footprint in the region even after building up the largest military presence there in generations.Sexton said the military operation to capture Maduro and a possible protracted U.S. involvement in Venezuela could cause another split among supporters of Trumps Make America Great Again movement, similar to the one after the administrations strikes last year on Irans nuclear facilities.This is not just the sort of hit-and-run kind of job where, like in Iran a couple months ago, we dropped the missiles, and then you can then you can go on and carry on as normal, Sexton said. This is going to be potentially quite a mess and contradict the administrations policies on withdrawing from forever wars and theres a lot of isolationists, within the MAGA coalition.___Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP MEG KINNARD Kinnard covers national politics for The Associated Press. She lives in South Carolina. twitter instagram mailto

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, front right, visits a major munitions factory at an undisclosed place in North Korea Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)2026-01-03T23:52:16Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Sunday, its neighbors said, just hours before South Koreas president left for China for talks expected to cover North Koreas nuclear program.South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Koreas capital region around 7:50 a.m. It said the missiles flew about 900 kilometers (560 miles) and that South Korea and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.South Koreas Defense Ministry noted the launches violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea. It urged North Korea to cease provocative actions immediately and respond to South Koreas push to restart talks and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea have been confirmed. They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world, Koizumi told reporters. The U.S. military said in a statement on social media that the missile launches did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies. The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region, the military said. North Korea ramps up weapons display ahead of political meetThe launches were the latest weapons demonstration by North Korea in recent weeks. Experts say North Korea is aiming to show off or review its achievements in the defense sector ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress, the first of its kind in five years. Observers are watching the Workers Party congress to see whether North Korea will set a new policy on the U.S. and resume long-stalled talks between the two countries.North Korea has been focusing on testing activities to enlarge its nuclear arsenal since its leader Kim Jong Uns summitry with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. Kim has also boosted his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war in Ukraine and tightening relations with China. Observers say Kim would believe his leverage has sharply increased to wrest concessions from Trump if they sit down for talks again.North Korea hasnt announced when it will hold the congress, but South Koreas spy service said it will likely occur in January or February. Launches comes before South Korean leaders trip to ChinaSundays launches also came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. During the four-day trip, Lees office said he would request China, North Koreas major ally and biggest trading partner, to take a constructive role in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea and the U.S. have long asked China to exercise its influence on North Korea to persuade it to return to talks or give up its nuclear program. But there are questions on how big of a leverage China has on its socialist neighbor. China, together with Russia, has also repeatedly blocked the U.S. and others attempts to toughen economic sanctions on North Korea in recent years.Later Sunday, South Korea convened an emergency national security council meeting to discuss the North Korean missile launches. The council reported details of the launches and unspecified South Korean steps to Lee, according to the presidential office. North Korea condemns US operation in Venezuela The launches followed Saturdays dramatic U.S. military operation that ousted Venezuelan leader Nicols Maduro from power and brought him to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges. It represented Americas most assertive action to achieve regime change in a country since the nations 2003 invasion of Iraq. North Koreas Foreign Ministry on Sunday slammed the U.S. operation, saying it again shows the rogue and brutal nature of the U.S. A ministry statement said it denounces the U.S. act as the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty. Kim Jong Un may feel vindicated about his efforts to build a nuclear deterrent, as he likely did after Trumps strikes on Iran, said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. However, leaders of hostile regimes will probably live with greater paranoia after seeing how quickly Maduro was extracted from his country to stand trial in the United States. The official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday Kim visited a weapons factory on Saturday to review multipurpose precision guided weapons produced there. KCNA cited Kim as ordering officials to expand the current production capacity by about 2.5 times.Last Sunday, North Korea test-fired what it called long-range strategic cruise missiles. On Dec. 25, North Korea released photos showing apparent progress in the construction of its first nuclear-powered submarine.__Associated Press writers Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto

A makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2026-01-04T05:01:59Z TEL AVIV (AP) Israels decision to revoke the licenses of more than three dozen humanitarian organizations this week has aid groups scrambling to grapple with what this means for their operations in Gaza and their ability to help tens of thousands of struggling Palestinians. The 37 groups represent some of the most prominent of the more than 100 independent nongovernmental organizations working in Gaza, alongside United Nations agencies. Those banned include Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and Medical Aid for Palestinians.The groups do everything from providing tents and water to supporting clinics and medical facilities. The overall impact, however, remains unclear.The most immediate impact of the license revocation is that Israel will no longer allow the groups to bring supplies into the Gaza Strip or send international staffers into the territory. Israel says all suspended groups have to halt their operations by March 1. Some groups have already been barred from bringing in aid. The Norwegian Refugee Council, for example, said it has not been allowed to bring in supplies in 10 months, leaving it distributing tents and aid brought in by other groups. Israel says the banned groups make up only a small part of aid operations in Gaza. But aid officials say they fulfill crucial specific functions. In a joint statement Tuesday, the U.N. and leading NGOs said the organizations that are still licensed by Israel are nowhere near the number required just to meet immediate and basic needs in Gaza. The ban further strains aid operations even as Gazas over 2 million Palestinians still face a humanitarian crisis more than 12 weeks into a ceasefire. The U.N. says that although famine has been staved off, more than a quarter of families still eat only one meal a day and food prices remain out of reach for many; more than 1 million people need better tents as winter storms lash the territory. Why were their licenses revoked?Earlier this year, Israel introduced strict new registration requirements for aid agencies working in Gaza. Most notably, it required groups to provide the names and personal details of local and international staff and said it would ban groups for a long list of criticisms of Israel.The registration process is overseen by Israels Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, led by a far-right member of the ruling Likud party.Israel says the rules aim to prevent Hamas and other militants from infiltrating the groups, something it has said was happening throughout the 2-year-old war. The U.N., which leads the massive aid program in Gaza, and independent groups deny the allegations and Israeli claims of major diversion of aid supplies by Hamas.Aid organizations say they did not comply, in part, because they feared that handing over staff information could endanger them. More than 500 aid workers have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the United Nations. Israel denies targeting aid workers. But the group say Israel has been vague about how it would use the data. The groups also said Israel was vague about how it would use the data. Demanding staff lists as a condition for access to territory is an outrageous overreach, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said Friday. It said Israeli officials had refused its attempts to find alternatives.A December report on MSF issued by an Israeli government team recommended rejection of the groups license. It pointed primarily to statements by the group criticizing Israel, including referring to its campaign in Gaza as genocide and calling its monthslong ban on food entering the territory earlier this year as a starvation tactic. It said the statements violated neutrality and constituted delegitimization of Israel.The report also repeated claims that an MSF employee killed in by an Israeli airstrike in 2024 was an operative with the Islamic Jihad militant group. That, it said, suggested MSF maintains connections with a terrorist group. MSF on Friday denied the allegations, saying it would never knowingly employ anyone involved in military activities. It said that its statements cited by Israel simply described the destruction its teams witnessed in Gaza.The fault lies with those committing these atrocities, not with those who speak of them, it said.Aid groups have a week from Dec. 31 to appeal the process.Medical services could see biggest impact Independent NGOs play a major role in propping up Gazas health sector, devastated by two years of Israeli bombardment and restrictions on supplies.MSF said Israels decision would have a catastrophic impact on its work in Gaza, where it provides funding and international staff for six hospitals as well as running two field hospitals and eight primary health centers, clinics and medical points. It also runs two of Gazas five stabilization centers helping children with severe malnutrition. Its teams treated 100,000 trauma cases, performed surgeries on 10,000 patients and handled a third of Gazas births, the group says. It has 60 international staffers in the West Bank and Gaza and more than 1,200 local staff most medical professionals.Since the ceasefire began in early October, MSF has brought in about 7% of the 2,239 tons (2,032 metric tonnes) of medical supplies that Israel has allowed into Gaza, according to a U.N. tracking dashboard. That makes it the largest provider of medical supplies after U.N. agencies and the Red Cross, according to the dashboard.Medecins du Monde, another group whose license is being halted, runs another four primary health clinics.Overburdened Palestinian staffAid groups say the most immediate impact will likely be the inability to send international staff into Gaza. Foreign staff provide key technical expertise and emotional support for their Palestinian colleagues.Having international presence in Gaza is a morale booster for our staff who are already feeling isolated, said Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which is one of the main NGOs providing shelter supplies and fresh water to displaced people.NRC has roughly 30 international staff who rotate in and out of Gaza working alongside some 70 Palestinians. While any operations by the 37 groups in the West Bank will likely remain open, those with offices in east Jerusalem, which Israel considers its territory, might have to close.Halt on suppliesMany of the 37 groups already had been blocked from bringing supplies into Gaza since March, said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfams policy lead for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.What changes with the formal license revocation is that these practices are now formalized, giving Israel full impunity to restrict operations and shut out organizations it disagrees with, she said.Some of the groups have turned to buying supplies within Gaza rather than bringing them in, but that is slower and more expensive, she said. Other groups dug into reserve stocks, pared down distribution and had to work with broken or heavily repaired equipment because they couldnt bring in new ones.Amed Khan, an American humanitarian philanthropist who has been privately donating medicine and emergency nutrition for children to Gaza, said the impact extends beyond the aid groups.He relies on NGOs to receive and distribute the supplies, but the fewer groups that Israel approves, the harder it is to find one. Its death by bureaucracy, he said. SAM MEDNICK Mednick is an AP correspondent for Israel and the Palestinian Territories. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses. Mednick formerly covered West & Central Africa and South Sudan. twitter JULIA FRANKEL Frankel, based in Jerusalem, has reported from across Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Her reporting focuses on war, human rights, displacement and criminal justice. twitter mailto

Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)2026-01-04T05:43:17Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Widening protests in Iran sparked by the Islamic Republics ailing economy are putting new pressure on its theocracy. Tehran is still reeling from a 12-day war launched by Israel in June that saw the United States bomb nuclear sites in Iran. Economic pressure, which has intensified since September when the United Nations reimposed sanctions on the country over its atomic program, has put Irans rial currency into a free fall, now trading at some 1.4 million to $1. Meanwhile, Irans self-described Axis of Resistance a coalition of countries and militant groups backed by Tehran has been decimated in the years since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023. A threat by U.S. President Donald Trump warning Iran that if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters the U.S. will come to their rescue, has taken on new meaning after American troops captured Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran. Iran has installed a banner in Tehran warning the United States and Israel that their soldiers could be killed if they take military action there.Heres what to know about the protests and the challenges facing Irans government. How widespread the protests are Demonstrations have reached over 170 locations in 25 of Irans 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported early Sunday. The death toll had reached at least 15 killed, it added, with more than 580 arrests. The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. Understanding the scale of the protests has been difficult. Iranian state media has provided little information about the demonstrations. Online videos offer only brief, shaky glimpses of people in the streets or the sound of gunfire. Journalists in general in Iran also face limits on reporting such as requiring permission to travel around the country, as well as the threat of harassment or arrest by authorities. But the protests do not appear to be stopping, even after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said rioters must be put in their place. Why the demonstrations startedThe collapse of the rial has led to a widening economic crisis in Iran. Prices are up on meat, rice and other staples of the Iranian dinner table. The nation has been struggling with an annual inflation rate of some 40%.In December, Iran introduced a new pricing tier for its nationally subsidized gasoline, raising the price of some of the worlds cheapest gas and further pressuring the population. Tehran may seek steeper price increases in the future, as the government now will review prices every three months.The protests began first with merchants in Tehran before spreading. While initially focused on economic issues, the demonstrations soon saw protesters chanting anti-government statements as well. Anger has been simmering over the years, particularly after the 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody that triggered nationwide demonstrations. Irans alliances are weakened Irans Axis of Resistance, which grew in prominence in the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, is reeling. Israel has crushed Hamas in the devastating war in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group in Lebanon, has seen its top leadership killed by Israel and has been struggling since. A lightning offensive in December 2024 overthrew Irans longtime stalwart ally and client in Syria, President Bashar Assad, after years of war there. Yemens Iranian-backed Houthi rebels also have been pounded by Israeli and U.S. airstrikes.Now Venezuelan ally Maduro is in U.S. custody. Irans Foreign Ministry has condemned the illegal U.S. attack against Venezuela. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth likened the attack to the U.S. strikes in Iran last year, saying that Maduro had his chance, just like Iran had their chance. He added that adversaries of the U.S. should remain on notice that America can project our will anywhere, anytime.China meanwhile has remained a major buyer of Iranian crude oil, but hasnt provided overt military support. Neither has Russia, which has relied on Iranian drones in its war on Ukraine. The West worries about Irans nuclear programIran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials have increasingly threatened to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels prior to the U.S. attack in June, making it the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so. Tehran also increasingly cut back its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, as tensions increased over its nuclear program in recent years. The IAEAs director-general has warned Iran could build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program. U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so. Iran recently said it was no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. But theres been no significant talks in the months since the June war.Why relations between Iran and the US are so tenseIran decades ago was one of the United States top allies in the Mideast under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed CIA technicians to run secret listening posts monitoring the neighboring Soviet Union. The CIA fomented a 1953 coup that cemented the shahs rule.But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule. Then came the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which created Irans theocratic government.Later that year, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shahs extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that saw diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. severed.During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the U.S. backed Saddam Hussein. During that conflict, the U.S. launched a one-day assault that crippled Iran at sea as part of the so-called Tanker War, and later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner that the U.S. military said it mistook for a warplane.Iran and the U.S. have seesawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy in the years since, and relations peaked with the 2015 nuclear deal, which saw Iran greatly limit its program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. But Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking tensions in the Mideast that intensified after Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

The secretary of state said that a military quarantine on some oil exports would stay in place to put pressure on the countrys acting leadership.

Many are celebrating the ouster of a brutal dictator, but the Maduro regime may survive the loss of Maduro.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani named a housing commissioner and announced that the city would hold public hearings where frustrated renters could voice their complaints.

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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro places his hand over his hear while talking to high-ranking officers during a military ceremony on his inauguration day for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)2026-01-04T19:42:04Z MIAMI (AP) When deposed Venezuelan leader Nicols Maduro makes his first appearance in New York courtroom Monday to face U.S. drug charges, he will likely follow the path taken by another Latin American strongman toppled by U.S. forces: Panamas Manuel Noriega.Maduro was captured Saturday, 36 years to the day after Noriega was removed by American forces. And as was the case with the Panamanian leader, lawyers for Maduro are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of foreign state, which is a bedrock principle of international and U.S. law. That argument is unlikely to succeed and was largely settled as a matter of law in Noriegas trial, legal experts said. Trumps ordering of the operation in Venezuela raises its own constitutional concerns because it was not authorized by Congress, now that Maduro is in the United States. But American courts are to allow Maduros prosecution to proceed because, like Noriega in Panama, the U.S. government does not recognize him as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Theres no claim to sovereign immunity if we dont recognize him as head of state, said Dick Gregorie, a retired federal prosecutor who indicted Noriega and later went on to investigate corruption inside Maduros government. Several U.S. administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have called his election fraudulent and withheld U.S. recognition. Sadly, for Maduro, it means hes stuck with it. Noriega died in 2017 after nearly three decades in prison, first in the U.S., then France and finally Panama. In his first trial, his lawyers argued that his arrest as a result of a U.S. invasion was so shocking to the conscience that it rendered the governments case an illegal violation of his due process rights. Justice Department opinion allows forcible abductions abroadIn ordering Noriegas removal, the White House relied on a 1989 legal opinion by then-Assistant Attorney General Bill Barr, issued six months before the invasion. That opinion said the U.N. Charters prohibition on the use of force in international relations does not prohibit the U.S. from carrying out forcible abductions abroad to enforce domestic laws.Supreme Court decisions dating to the 1800s also have upheld Americas jurisdiction to prosecute foreigners regardless of whether their presence in the United States was lawfully secured.Barrs opinion is likely to feature in Maduros prosecution as well, experts said.Drawing parallels to the Noriega case, Barr on Sunday pushed aside criticisms that the U.S. was pursuing a change of government in Venezuela instead of enforcing domestic laws. As attorney general during the first Trump administration, Barr oversaw Maduros indictment.Going after them and dismantling them inherently involves regime change, Barr said in a Fox News Sunday interview. The object here is not just to get Maduro. We indicted a whole slew of his lieutenants. Its to clean that place out of this criminal organization. Key differences between Noriega and Maduro in courtThere are differences between the two cases. Noriega never held the title of president during his six-year de facto rule, leaving a string of puppets to fill that role. By contrast, Maduro claims to have won a popular mandate three times. Although the results of his 2024 reelection are disputed, a number of governments China, Russia and Egypt among them recognized his victory.Before you ever get to guilt or innocence, there are serious questions about whether a U.S. court can proceed at all, said David Oscar Markus, a defense lawyer in Miami who has handled several high-profile criminal cases, including some involving Venezuela. Maduro has a much stronger sovereign immunity defense than did Noriega, who was not actually the sitting president of Panama at the time.For U.S. courts, however, the only opinion that matters is that of the State Department, which considers Maduro a fugitive and has for months been offering a $50 million reward for his arrest. The first Trump administration closed the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and broke diplomatic relations with Maduros government in 2019 after he cruised to reelection by outlawing most rival candidates. The administration then recognized the opposition head of the National Assembly as the countrys legitimate leader. The Biden administration mostly stuck to that policy, allowing an opposition-appointed board to run Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuelas state-owned oil company, even as the U.S. engaged in direct talks with Maduros government that were aimed at paving the way for free elections. Courts are so deferential to the executive in matters of foreign policy, that I find it difficult for the judiciary to engage in this sort of hairsplitting, said Clark Neily, a senior vice president for criminal justice at the Cato Institute in Washington. US sanctions are a hurdle for Maduros defenseAnother challenge that Maduro faces is hiring a lawyer. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, who also was captured, have been under U.S. sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department. The government in Caracas now led by Maduros vice president, Delcy Rodrguez, may want to foot the bill, but it is similarly restricted from doing business in the United States.The U.S. has indicted other foreign leaders on corruption and drug trafficking charges while in office. Among the most noteworthy is Juan Orlando Hernndez, former president of Honduras, who was convicted in 2024 for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.Trump pardoned Hernndez in November, a move that drew criticism from even some Republicans who viewed it as undercutting the White Houses aggressive counternarcotics strategy centered against Maduro.The U.S. had requested Hernndezs extradition from Honduras a few weeks after he left office. After the arrest of Noriega, who had been a CIA asset before becoming a drug-running dictator, the Justice Department implemented a new policy requiring the attorney general to personally sign off on charging of any sitting foreign president, due to its implications for U.S. foreign policy.Maduro may have a slightly stronger argument that he is entitled to a more limited form of immunity for official acts as at least a de facto leader, because such authority would not turn on whether he is a recognized head of state by the U.S.But even that defense faces significant challenges, said Curtis Bradley, a University of Chicago Law School professor who previously served as a counselor of international law at the State Department.The indictment unsealed Saturday accuses Maduro and five other co-defendants, including Flores and his lawmaker son, of facilitating the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. by providing law enforcement cover, logistical support and partnering with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world.The government will argue that running a big narco-trafficking operation ... should not count as an official act, Bradley said.___Tucker reported from Washington JOSHUA GOODMAN Goodman is a Miami-based investigative reporter who writes about the intersection of crime, corruption, drug trafficking and politics in Latin America. He previously spent two decades reporting from South America. twitter mailto ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Vehicles drive on a flooded road during a king tide event in Corte Madera, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Stephan Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)2026-01-04T21:18:20Z CORTE MADERA, Calif. (AP) Crews cleared mud from key California highways as forecasters warned Sunday that more thunderstorms were on the way after downpours and high tides caused flooding, road closures and rescues of people trapped in cars.Five northern counties remained under a flood watch, with up to three inches (7.6 cm) of rain possible through Monday night in areas that have been drenched off and on since around Christmas, said the National Weather Service office in Eureka. At least a foot (.3 meters) of snow was likely in the mountains. To the south near the San Francisco Bay Area, waters were slowly receding after roadways from Sausalito to San Rafael were flooded during heavy rain that coincided with record-breaking King Tides. Such tides occur when the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull. Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees. Authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in water as high as 3 and 4 feet (1.1 and 1.2 meters), Marin County Sheriffs Sgt. Michael Dobbins said Saturday. Ive been around here for the King Tides and Ive never seen it this high. Never, Jeremy Hager of San Rafael told KTVU-TV. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Flooding was reported across Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. While the tides were waning, lingering thunderstorms on Sunday could cause additional problems throughout low-lying areas, forecasters said. For anyone driving, slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination, the Bay Area office of the weather service warned on social media. Farther south in Santa Barbara County, a key highway was reopened Sunday after it was blocked for most of the weekend near Goleta due to a series of mudslides. A man died after he was swept into a creek during the storm, the sheriffs office said Saturday.Parts of Santa Barbara County received more than four inches (10 cm) of rain over two days, the weather service said Sunday. After a mostly dry autumn, California has been hit by a series of powerful winter storms that brought the wettest holiday season to the state in years.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) celebrates his interception with linebacker Josh Woods (42) in the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)2026-01-04T21:16:24Z ATLANTA (AP) Dee Alfords red-zone interception stopped a potential go-ahead drive by New Orleans, and the Atlanta Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to give the NFC South title to the Carolina Panthers.By closing the season with four consecutive wins, the Falcons (8-9) finished in a three-way tie with Carolina and Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South. The Panthers won the tiebreaker with the best record within the division.The Falcons completed a season sweep of the Saints (6-11), who had their four-game winning streak end.Tampa Bay stayed alive with a 16-14 home win over Carolina on Saturday. The Buccaneers needed a win or tie by the Saints on Sunday to win the division. The Panthers made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and won the division for the first time in a decade.Trailing 16-10, the Saints drove from their 25 to the Atlanta 20 before Alford returned his interception of Tyler Shoughs pass intended for Dante Pettis 59 yards to the Saints 27 with 3:14 remaining. The play set up Zane Gonzalezs fourth field goal, a 38-yarder, to extend Atlantas lead to nine points. Shough answered with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Bell with 1:11 remaining, but Atlantas Kyle Pitts recovered an onside kick. While the NFC South winner was the big prize in the game, the Saints and Falcons played the opening quarter as if determined to show why they had long been eliminated from postseason contention. On the Saints first play from scrimmage, tight end Juwan Johnson fumbled after a 26-yard reception and Xavier Watts recovered for Atlanta. The Falcons then gave the ball back when defensive end Carl Granderson, who already had a sack, intercepted a pass from Kirk Cousins. Later in the opening quarter, Falcons safety Jammie Robinson blocked a punt by Kai Kroeger, and Feleipe Franks recovered and returned it 3 yards to the New Orleans 5. A Falcons penalty negated an apparent touchdown run by Bijan Robinson before Cousins 15-yard touchdown pass to Drake London.Gonzalezs 40-yard field goal increased Atlantas lead before Shoughs 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter.The Saints were denied a touchdown on an apparent 1-yard scoring pass from Shough to Kevin Austin Jr. in the third quarter when Austin was called for offensive pass interference. Instead, Charlie Smyths 29-yard field goal trimmed Atlantas lead to 13-10.Shough completed 22 of 35 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for a score.Sacks recordRookie James Pearce Jr. sacked Shough on back-to-back plays in the third quarter. It gave the Falcons four sacks in the game and a team-record 57 for the season. The Falcons entered the weekend second in the league with 53 after finishing next-to-last with 31 last season.Pearce finished with 10 1/2 sacks to lead NFL rookies.Injury reportSaints: LT Kelvin Banks Jr. (left ankle) was ruled out after he was carted to the locker room in the second quarter. QB/TE Taysom Hill left with a right shoulder injury.Falcons: CB Cobee Bryant (concussion) was knocked out of the game late in the first quarter. ... DL Brandon Dorlus (hamstring), CB Clark Phillips (triceps, illness) and ILB Ronnie Harrison (illness) were held out. Harrison, Cousins and DL David Onyemata were all added to the injury list on Sunday with illnesses, while CB A.J. Terrell, DL Ruke Orhorhoro and long snapper Liam McCullough were listed as questionable with illnesses. Up nextSaints: New Orleans will look forward to the NFL draft. The Saints entered the week holding the No. 8 overall pick.Falcons: Atlanta heads into an offseason of possible changes as there has been speculation about the futures of second-year coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl CHARLES ODUM Odum has been covering Atlanta professional sports for The Associated Press for more than 20 years. Odum also covers Georgia and Georgia Tech as well as other major events in the state, including NASCAR. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

On a vacation abroad, my family started dancing in public. We havent stopped.

The attackers also abducted an unspecified number of people, including students from a Catholic school where over 300 people were kidnapped in November.

Millions of borrowers who are behind can expect the government to tighten repayment options this year. Experts say take action now to get help.

A student-organized tech fast at St. Johns College thrust young people headfirst into a world of chalkboard-based communication. (On that note: Has anyone seen Eliza?)

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In this photo released by the White House, President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Molly Riley/The White House via AP)2026-01-04T23:10:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is in a lot of trouble.The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuelas Nicols Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Whos next? We do need Greenland, absolutely, Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic in which he described the strategically located Arctic island as surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships. Asked what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: They are going to have to view it themselves. I really dont know. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.Trump, in his administrations National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House. Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panamas secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. as hes made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond. Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. presidents foundational document as the Don-roe Doctrine.Saturdays dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trumps Atlantic interview heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement following Trumps latest comments on Greenland said he has no right to annex the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale, Frederiksen said.Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected as Trump has vowed to run Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: SOON. And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, Amb. Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmarks chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trumps influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland. The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump make Greenland a part of the U.S. A stern warning to CubaMeanwhile, concern simmered in Cuba, one of Venezuelas most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.Rubio, in an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press, said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, Rubio said. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards. The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of internal intelligence in Maduros government, including who spies on who inside to make sure there are no traitors.Trump on Saturday told reporters that he viewed the Cuban government as very similar to Venezuela.I think Cuba is going to be something well end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, a very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people, Trump said. Cuban authorities called a rally in support of Venezuelas government and railed against the U.S. military operation, writing in a statement: All the nations of the region must remain alert, because the threat hangs over all of us.Rubio, a former Florida senator and son of Cuban immigrants, has long maintained Cuba is a dictatorship repressing its people.This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live and were not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States, Rubio said.Cubans like 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker Brbara Rodrguez were following developments in Venezuela. She said she worried about what she described as an aggression against a sovereign state.It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs, Rodrguez said.___AP writer Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba contributed reporting. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Nicols Maduro, Venezuelas president, and his wife, Cilia Flores, will make their first appearance on Monday in a New York City courthouse, the site of other high-profile proceedings.

He helped create the Off Off Broadway theater scene, wrote and acted in Andy Warhols films, and made his apartment into a singular exhibit of Americana.

Experts say that its too early to tell what will happen during the rest of the states rainy season, but that extreme drought is unlikely.

Frankenstein took several early trophies, including best supporting actor for Jacob Elordi. In TV, Adolescence and The Pitt were top winners.

A small town set amid a smattering of baobab trees is grappling with the aftermath of a bombing ordered by President Trump.

President Miguel Daz-Canel said the casualties were from Cubas armed forces or interior ministry. The country is a longstanding ally of Venezuela.

As the war grinds on, sophisticated Russian defenses have pushed Ukraine to develop a frightening new weapon: semiautonomous killing machines.

Acting President Delcy Rodrguez struck a more diplomatic tone than she had on Saturday, inviting the United States to work together on a cooperative agenda.

On Air Force One, President Trump threatened Colombia and its president, described Cuba as ready to fall and reasserted his desire to acquire Greenland.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro places his hand over his hear while talking to high-ranking officers during a military ceremony on his inauguration day for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)2026-01-05T07:59:39Z NEW YORK (AP) Deposed Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro is set to make his first appearance Monday in an American courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York.Maduro and his wife are expected to appear at noon before a judge for a brief, but required, legal proceeding that will likely kick off a prolonged legal fight over whether he can be put on trial in the U.S. The couple will be brought from a Brooklyn jail to a Manhattan courthouse just around the corner from the one where President Donald Trump was convicted in 2024 of falsifying business records.As a criminal defendant in the U.S. legal system, Maduro will have the same rights as any other person accused of a crime including the right to a trial by a jury of regular New Yorkers. But hell also be nearly but not quite unique. Maduros lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriegaunsuccessfully tried the same defense after the U.S. captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990. But the U.S. doesnt recognize Maduro as Venezuelas legitimate head of state particularly after a much-disputed 2024 reelection. Venezuelas new interim president, Delcy Rodrguez, has demanded that the U.S. return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking although late Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with Trump and respectful relations with the U.S. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed U.S. hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuelas rich oil and mineral resources. The U.S. seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing " oil quarantine. Trump suggested Sunday that he wants to extend American power further in the western hemisphere. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he called Colombias president, Gustavo Petro, a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And hes not going to be doing it very long.He called on Venezuelas Rodriguez to provide total access to her country, or else face consequences.A 25-page indictment made public Saturday accuses Maduro and others of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. They could face life in prison if convicted. It wasnt clear as of Sunday whether Maduro had hired a U.S. lawyer yet.He and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been under U.S. sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.While the indictment against Maduro says Venezuelan officials worked directly with the Tren de Aragua gang, a U.S. intelligence assessment published in April, drawing on input from the intelligence communitys 18 agencies, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government. Maduro, his wife and his son who remains free are charged along with Venezuelas interior and justice minister, a former interior and justice minister and Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, an alleged Tren de Aragua leader who has been criminally charged in another case and remains at large. Among other things, the indictment accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation. That included a local drug boss killing in Caracas, the indictment said. Maduros wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a large-scale drug trafficker and the director of Venezuelas National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduros wife, according to the indictment.___Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Darlene Superville aboard Air Force One and Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed to this report. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement, courts and prisons. He is based in New York. twitter mailto JOHN HANNA Hanna covers politics and state government in Kansas for The Associated Press. Hes worked for the AP in Topeka since 1986. twitter mailto

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, left, smiles at Venezuelan Defense Minister Padrino Lopez, as they take the route that the body of late President Hugo Chavez was transported to his final resting place, during the activities marking the 10th anniversary of Chavez's death, in Caracas, Venezuela, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)2026-01-04T23:37:12Z MEXICO CITY (AP) As uncertainty simmers in Venezuela, interim President Delcy Rodrguez has taken the place of her ally President Nicols Maduro, captured by the United States in a nighttime military operation, and offered to collaborate with the Trump administration in what could be a seismic shift in relations between the adversary governments.Rodrguez served as Maduros vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuelas oil-dependent economy and its feared intelligence service, and was next in the presidential line of succession.Shes part of a band of senior officials in Maduros administration that now appears to control Venezuela, even as U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials say they will pressure the government to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation.On Saturday, Venezuelas high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president, and the leader was backed by Venezuelas military. Ally or adversary Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks to supporters during a rally in defense of a proposed bill titled, Law against fascism, neofascism and similar expressions, in discussion by lawmakers, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks to supporters during a rally in defense of a proposed bill titled, Law against fascism, neofascism and similar expressions, in discussion by lawmakers, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Rodrguez, a 56-year-old lawyer and politician has had a lengthy career representing the revolution started by the late Hugo Chvez on the world stage. Its been unclear if the leader would warm up to the Trump administration or follow the same adversarial line as her predecessor. Her rise to become interim leader of the South American country came as a surprise on Saturday morning, when Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been in communication with Rodrguez and that the Venezuelan leader was gracious and would work with the American government. Rubio said Rodrguez was someone the administration could work with, unlike Maduro. But in a televised address, Rodrguez gave no indication that she would cooperate with Trump, referring to his government as extremists and maintaining that Maduro was Venezuelas rightful leader.What is being done to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law, Rodrguez said, surrounded by high-ranking civilian officials and military leaders. Trump warned on Sunday, if Rodrguez didnt fall in line, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro. He added that he wanted her to provide total access, from oil facilities to basic infrastructure like roads, so they can be rebuilt. Trumps comments also followed Rubio having asserted in TV interviews on Sunday that he didnt see Rodrguez and her government as legitimate because he said the country never held free and fair elections. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks about the presidential election results with foreign ambassadors and accredited diplomatic corps at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks about the presidential election results with foreign ambassadors and accredited diplomatic corps at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More On Sunday, in statements posted to her Instagram, she took a major shift in tone in a conciliatory message where she said she hoped to build respectful relations with Trump.We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence, she wrote.Rise to interim presidentA lawyer educated in Britain and France, the interim president and her brother, Jorge Rodrguez, head of the Maduro-controlled National Assembly, have sterling leftist credentials born from tragedy. Their father was a socialist leader who was arrested for his involvement in the kidnapping of American business owner William Niehous in 1976, and later died in police custody. Unlike many in Maduros inner circle, the Rodrguez siblings have avoided criminal indictment in the U.S., though the interim president did face U.S. sanctions during Trumps first term for her role in undermining Venezuelan democracy. Rodrguez held a number of lower-level positions under Chvezs government, but gained prominence working under Maduro to the point of being seen as his successor. She served the economic minister, foreign affairs minister, petroleum minister and others help stabilize Venezuelas endemically crisis-stricken economy after years of rampant inflation and turmoil. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, talks with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez during a meeting with international observers in Caracas, Venezuela, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, talks with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez during a meeting with international observers in Caracas, Venezuela, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Rodrguez developed strong ties with Republicans in the oil industry and on Wall Street who balked at the notion of U.S.-led regime change. The interim president also presided over an assembly promoted by Maduro in response to street protests in 2017 meant to neutralize the opposition-majority legislature.She enjoys a close relationship with the military, which has long acted as the arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela, said Ronal Rodrguez, a spokesperson for the Venezuela Observatory of Rosario University in Bogota, Colombia.She has a very particular relationship with power, he said. She has developed very strong ties with elements of the armed forces and has managed to establish lines of dialogue with them, largely on a transactional basis.Future in powerIts unclear how long Rodrguez will hold power, or how closely she will work with the Trump administration.Geoff Ramsey, a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington research institute, said Rodrguezs initially firm tone with the Trump administration may have been an attempt to save face. Others have noted that Maduros capture required some level of collaboration within the Venezuelan government. She cant exactly expect to score points with her revolutionary peers if she presents herself as a patsy for U.S. interests, Ramsey said. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez attends a meeting with Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro at the Humboldt Hotel at El Avila mountain in La Guaira, Venezuela, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez attends a meeting with Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro at the Humboldt Hotel at El Avila mountain in La Guaira, Venezuela, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Venezuelas constitution requires an election within 30 days whenever the president becomes permanently unavailable to serve. Reasons listed include death, resignation, removal from office or abandonment of duties as declared by the National Assembly.That electoral timeline was rigorously followed when Maduros predecessor, Chavez, died of cancer in 2013. However, the loyalist Supreme Court, in its decision Saturday, cited another provision of the charter in declaring Maduros absence a temporary one. In such a scenario, there is no election requirement. Instead, the vice president, an unelected position, takes over for up to 90 days a period that can be extended to six months with a vote of the National Assembly.In handing temporary power to Rodrguez, the Supreme Court made no mention of the 180-day time limit, leading some to speculate she could try to remain in power even longer as she seeks to unite the disparate factions of the ruling socialist party while shielding it from what would certainly be a stiff electoral challenge. Janetsky reported from Mexico City and Debre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press writers Joshua Goodman in Miami, Darlene Superville aboard Air Force One and Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report. MEGAN JANETSKY Megan Janetsky covers migration, conflict, human rights and politics in Mexico and Central America for The AP based in Mexico City. Previously, she covered Cuba and the Caribbean for The AP and worked as freelance journalist in Colombia, reporting across South America. twitter instagram facebook mailto ISABEL DEBRE DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai. twitter mailto

The ships are using deceptive tactics as part of a seemingly coordinated attempt to bypass American naval forces in the region.