Maduro, wife head to court as Trump pushes for ‘total access’ to Venezuela

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife are set to face a U.S. judge Monday. Prosecutors accuse them of narco-terrorism, conspiracy and gun crimes, marking a dramatic turn for a man who once held absolute power.

Plus, President Donald Trump says the U.S. is now in charge in Caracas. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio quickly tried to soften that, framing it as pressure rather than control.

And a sharp warning from Europe. Denmark’s prime minister is pushing back on U.S. talk of taking over Greenland, saying the territory is not up for grabs.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, January 5, 2026.

Maduro, Flores to be arraigned; Trump threatens Venezuela’s interim leader

Nicolás Maduro, the former leader of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Flores, will be arraigned in federal court in Lower Manhattan on major drug-trafficking charges Monday. The arraignment will be at noon Eastern.

Maduro and Flores were moved to New York following Saturday’s U.S. military operation, during which they were airlifted out of Venezuela by helicopter, transferred to a naval vessel offshore and then taken to the city.

Currently, both are in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and are awaiting their court appearance.

The indictment accuses Maduro and Flores of enriching themselves while conspiring to flood the U.S. with cocaine — charges Maduro has long denied.

All of this unfolds as Trump intensifies his warning to Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, whom the country’s military now recognizes as its interim leader.

In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said that if she doesn’t “do what’s right,” she will pay “a very big price … probably bigger than Maduro.”

Over the weekend, the president told reporters that the U.S. will now “run Venezuela.” It’s language that raised eyebrows and prompted a clarification and cleanup effort from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday.

Kristen Welker: “President Trump said, ‘We are going to run the country.’ So is it you? Is it Secretary Hegseth? Who are those people? Who will be running the country specifically?”

Marco Rubio: “It’s not running, it’s running policy, the policy with regard to this. We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction, not only because we think it’s good for the people of Venezuela, it’s in our national interest.” 

But that walk-back didn’t last long.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One Sunday night, the president doubled down, saying again that the U.S. is in charge.

“Total access. We need total access,” Trump said. “We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.”

Rubio said the United States is applying pressure — not governing — using oil sanctions and military leverage to force change.

But Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, claim Congress was entirely cut out.

“The United States will run Venezuela,” Schumer told ABC News. “We have learned through the years when America tries to do regime change and nation building in this way, the American people pay the price.”

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told CBS News, that he received zero outreach on the situation.

“I’ve had zero outreach, and no Democrat that I’m aware of has had any outreach whatsoever, so apparently we’re now in a world where the legal obligation to keep Congress informed only applies to your party, which is really something.”

Late Sunday, Venezuela’s Defense Minister Padrino Lopez rejected any claim that the United States would run the country, demanding Maduro’s immediate release and calling his capture “profound malice.”

Trump questions Machado’s support in Venezuela

The question now is: who will lead Venezuela?

For months, many assumed it would be Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Trump ally. But over the weekend, the president shot down that idea.

“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump said. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect to be the leader.”

Trump told reporters he hasn’t spoken with Machado recently, and said she lacks the backing needed to govern.

But analysts said that’s less about public opinion and more about the military.

Some commanders are thought to favor Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who, as mentioned, is now Venezuela’s interim leader.

Machado’s current whereabouts are unclear. She had been in hiding in Venezuela before a risky covert operation helped her escape and reach Norway in the aftermath of last month’s Nobel Peace Prize festivities. 

Since Maduro’s capture early Saturday, she’s also limited herself to an open letter, calling this a “Time of freedom” and urging the military to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzales as president.

 For now, she remains the face of the opposition. But she is not the person Washington appears ready to put in charge.

Denmark urges US to stop Greenland threats

Denmark’s prime minister has urged Trump to stop talking about seizing Greenland, calling the rhetoric dangerous, unnecessary and flat-out wrong.

In a blunt public statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the United States has no right to annex Greenland, reminding Washington that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO ally.

She stressed that the U.S. already has broad military access to Greenland through existing defense agreements and that Denmark has invested billions in Arctic security.

Then came the warning:

“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”

— Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen

The pushback follows renewed talk from Trump about annexing Greenland.

In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, the president said the territory could be subject to U.S. intervention and insisted, “We do need Greenland, absolutely.”

It also follows a provocative social media post over the weekend from MAGA podcaster Katie Miller, which shows a U.S. flag draped over the island and is captioned simply: “Soon.”

Denmark’s ambassador to Washington fired back, noting that NATO’s security guarantee already covers Greenland.

All 40 victims of deadly Alps fire identified as police consider criminal charges

Swiss authorities have announced that they have identified all 40 victims of the fatal New Year’s Eve bar fire in the Alps. A mass was held on Sunday for the victims, who, according to investigators, were between 14 and 39 years old, with the majority being teenagers and people in their twenties.

In addition to the 40 people killed, 119 others were injured when the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the Le Constellation bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana.

Investigators believe that sparklers attached to champagne bottles inside the bar caused the flames that quickly spread into a deadly inferno.

Authorities say the sparklers were too close to the ceiling, which was lined with soundproofing material that quickly caught fire.

Swiss prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation into the two managers of the bar.

Family urges Trump to remove Truth Social post about slain Minnesota lawmaker’s murder

The children of a Minnesota state lawmaker, who was killed in what authorities describe as a politically motivated shooting, are now urging Trump to remove a social media post, claiming it spreads a false and painful conspiracy about their parents’ death.

Over the weekend, Trump shared a post on Truth Social claiming — without evidence — that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was behind the shooting deaths of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home in June 2025.

That same day, state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvett Hoffman, were shot and wounded in their home.

Authorities state that Vance Boelter, a man from Minnesota, committed the attacks. He was indicted in July 2025 and pleads not guilty to federal murder charges.

Walz fired back at Trump’s post, calling it “dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States.”

Walz warned that pushing false claims while deflecting blame from the accused gunman risks putting more innocent lives in danger.

Myles Garrett sets NFL record, notches 23rd sack

Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns set a new single-season sack record on Sunday, taking down a quarterback for the 23rd time this year.  

Garrett, one of the few bright spots in a tough season for Cleveland, came around the end with a little more than five minutes left against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was credited with sacking quarterback Joe Burrow as Burrow fell to the ground under heavy pressure.

The defensive end had been chasing the record for the last few weeks and was down to the last quarter and the last few minutes of the season to try to pass T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan, who shared the record at 22-and-a-half sacks.   

Garrett’s teammates celebrated with him on the field and later carried him on their shoulders.   

The NFL began tracking sacks in 1982, and now the Cleveland Browns’ defensive lineman is at the top.   

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The digital library dilemma: Why e-book borrowing costs taxpayers more

For a growing number of Americans, reading is more than leafing through a physical book. Between 2011 and 2021, the share of Americans who listened to an audiobook more than doubled, from 11% to 23%, according to the Pew Research Center. At the same time, the share who read an e-book rose from 17% to 30% – all while the number of Americans who read any format of book held relatively steady. 

That, on its surface, sounds like a win for the nation’s public libraries. E-book lending surged during the pandemic and has continued to climb, with digital borrowing increasing 34% between 2019 and 2023. In 2024, libraries and schools worldwide borrowed over 739 million digital titles using OverDrive.

But it comes with a price: E-books and audiobooks tend to cost these cash-strapped organizations much more than a physical version due to “restrictive” licensing structures. And the budget strain has become so severe that some states are crafting new legislation to ease the pain, as book advocates worry that states will decide the cost of stocking shelves could outweigh the benefits. Read the full story now>

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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief