Breaking:The U.S. has attacked Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro. In a telephone interview this morning, President Donald Trump issued a not-so-veiled threat against the new Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodríguez, saying that “if she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” referring to Nicolás Maduro, now residing in a New York City jail cell. Trump made clear that he would not stand for what he described as Rodríguez's defiant rejection of the armed U.S. intervention that resulted in Maduro's capture. During our call, Trump, who had just arrived at his golf club in West Palm Beach, was in evident good spirits, and reaffirmed to me that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said, describing the island—a part of Denmark, a NATO ally—as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.” And in discussing Venezuela's future, he signaled a clear shift away from his previous distaste for regime change and nation building, rejecting the concerns of many in his MAGA base. Can't get any worse,” he said. The severe tone he took with Rodríguez contrasted with the praise he had offered her yesterday, hours after U.S.-military forces attacked Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for criminal prosecution. Trump said in a news conference after the attack that Rodríguez had privately indicated a willingness to work with the United States, which Trump declared would temporarily “run” her country. “She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” he said yesterday. Rodríguez rejected that suggestion moments later, declaring that the country is “ready to defend our natural resources” and that the nation's defense counsel remained prepared to carry out the policies of Maduro, whose return she demanded. “We shall never be a colony ever again,” she said. The prospect of Maduro's government continuing to resist the U.S. raised the risk of a protracted fight for control of Venezuela that would require increased U.S.-military involvement and even occupation. Trump yesterday signaled his willingness to order a second wave of military actions in Venezuela, should he deem it necessary. “Rebuilding is not a bad thing in Venezuela's case,” he said. In a speech in December 2016, Trump declared as president-elect that the U.S. will “stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about.” He had campaigned that year in opposition to “nation building,” arguing that the country needs to focus on rebuilding at home instead of in nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan. When I asked this morning why nation building and regime change in Venezuela would be different from similar efforts he previously opposed in Iraq, Trump suggested posing the question to former President George W. Bush. That started the Middle East disaster,” Trump said. Read: Even close allies are asking why Trump wants to run Venezuela It's individual countries,” he said in the phone call. I asked him whether the attack on Venezuela could indicate a willingness to take military action to seize control of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which has rejected American territorial claims. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the world should take notice after the Venezuela operation. Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. “needs” to control Greenland. Trump said it was up to others to decide what U.S.-military action in Venezuela means for Greenland. He was very generous to me, Marco, yesterday,” Trump said. “You know, I wasn't referring to Greenland at that time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Pro-life activists with 40 Days for Life gather outside abortion clinics nationwide. A new memorial honoring unborn children, set to be unveiled on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade's end, is sparking debate among Tennesseans, WTVF in Nashville reported last week. Approved by state lawmakers more than seven years ago, the first phase of a granite memorial honoring unborn children appears to be underway and is slated for installation on the grounds of the Tennessee Capitol on June 24. "We just want to honor the fact they were created in the image of God, they were human beings, and we need to show some reverence for humans and our fellow man," state Sen. Janice Bowling, a Republican who helped front the effort, said, per WTVF. The privately funded memorial is expected to resemble a cemetery marker and will feature language reflecting grief and sorrow, the outlet reported. Democratic opposition has remained strong since the proposal was first introduced, however, with Nashville Rep. John Ray Clemmons accusing the memorial of "stigmatizing" women who were forced to make "the most difficult decision of their life" or those who "didn't have a decision," according to WTVF. Critics have also questioned whether placing the memorial on Capitol grounds amounts to the state endorsing a specific viewpoint on abortion, arguing it could further deepen divisions in the ongoing debate over reproductive rights. Activists for and against abortion demonstrate before the Supreme Court in 2022. "This is a very divisive issue, and just for that reason alone, it should not be something we're memorializing up at the Capitol," Rep. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, said, per WTVF. "I know the intent is to reflect compassion, but really it reflects control because it's really about erasing women's agency, reducing complex medical realities to political symbolism," she added. The project faced years of delay because state law requires private funding, with movement resuming only after a $4,000 private donation was made and approved by the State Building Commission last August. Bowling said fundraising efforts for the project will resume, with additional proceeds going toward flowers to be placed at the marker, WTVF reported. Fox News Digital reached out to the Tennessee secretary of state's communications team for comment. Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Influencer and Camp Social founder Liv Schreiber joins ‘America Reports' to discuss the growing trend of Gen Z embracing a return to older technologies. What if your New Year's resolution could fit inside a tote bag? Social media users are trying the "analog bag" trend, replacing phones with offline activities. The trend is widely credited to TikTok creator Sierra Campbell, who posted about her own analog bag — containing a crossword book, portable watercolor set, Polaroid camera, planner and knitting supplies — and encouraged followers to make their own. Her video prompted many others to share their own versions, with items like magazines, decks of cards, paints, needlepoint and puzzle books. "I made a bag of non-digital activities to occupy my hands instead of the phone," said Campbell, adding that the practice has significantly cut her screen time and filled her life with "creative and communal pursuits that don't include doom-scrolling." "I created the analog bag after learning the only way to change a habit is to replace it with another," she told Fox News Digital. Social media users are trying the "analog bag" trend, replacing phones with offline activities like cameras, notebooks and magazines. Research on habit formation supports the idea of the analog bag, according to Dr. Daniel Amen, a California-based psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics. "Your brain is a creature of habit," Amen said during an interview with Fox News Digital. Studies show that habits are automatic responses to specific cues — such as boredom, stress or idle time — that typically deliver some kind of reward, according to the doctor. When no alternative behavior is available, people tend to fall back on the same routine, often without realizing it. Research suggests that replacing an old habit with a new one tied to the same cue is more effective than trying to suppress the behavior altogether. It's how the pathways in our brains work," Campbell said. By substituting a different routine that still provides stimulation and engagement, people can gradually weaken the original habit and build a new automatic response. Substituting another activity instead of scrolling on your phone can help quell the impulse to reach for it. "Simply stopping a behavior is very challenging," Amen said. That's how lasting change happens, one step at a time." If alternatives are within arm's reach, people will be more likely to use them, the doctor said. "Your brain does much better with small, simple actions than big, vague intentions." "If alternatives are within arm's reach, you're more likely to use them," a brain doctor said. "Your brain does much better with small, simple actions than big, vague intentions." Campbell shared her own examples of how to use an analog bag. At a coffee shop with friends, she said, she might pull out a crossword puzzle and ask others to help with answers when the conversation lulls. Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. Stay up-to-date on the biggest health and wellness news with our weekly recap. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that the Trump administration's capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro projects strength abroad on ‘The Big Weekend Show.' With Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro extracted from Caracas on Jan. 3, Venezuelans and the world are anxious to learn about the future that awaits. In a press conference following the Maduro operation on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. is "going to run the country" until a transition can be safely made. Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former senior Venezuelan diplomat, said a peaceful transition is vital for the 9 million to 10 million Venezuelans who are forcibly displaced and living in exile. Medina, who resigned his diplomatic post in protest against Maduro's rule in 2017, told Fox News Digital that exiled Venezuelans "have been preparing ourselves to go back to rebuild our nation." People react to the news of the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, after U.S. military actions in Venezuela, in Doral, Florida, near Miami on Jan. 3, 2026. With support from international organizations like the Organization of American States, Medina said the most important next step for Venezuela is to establish a transitional government that can restore the rule of law and rebuild institutions that have been decimated under the Maduro regime. Setting in place free and fair elections is particularly important, Medina said, noting that it's "a legal obligation owed to [Venezuela's] people, because on their occupied territory, it was never equitable or really free." Instead, Medina said Venezuela had an occupied territory extensively influenced by terrorist and trafficking organizations Hamas, Hezbollah, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). He said these groups were exploiting Venezuelan resources. David Daoud, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that so long as Venezuela poses no threat to U.S. national security, the "ideal situation" for Venezuela "would be American guidance for determined local action." President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth. "The best we can shepherd Venezuela to be is a productive member of the family of nations, and that's something that we can help with a softer touch, without boots on the ground," Daoud said. "I don't think we need to be in the business of trying to create Jeffersonian democracies anywhere." Following Maduro's ouster, Daoud said the level of chaos allowed to exist inside Venezuela will determine whether terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas will be able to continue operating there. "It would really depend — does the day after in Venezuela create a stable state that is able to properly exercise control over all its territory, is interested in implementing the rule of law, is not corrupt. That would make things very, very complicated, if not impossible, for Hezbollah to operate, at least in the way it has been operating for a decade-plus, ever since the linkage between it and the original Chávez regime came about." Going forward, Medina suggested that the country will also have to manage guerrilla forces like the colectivos, violent groups of Venezuelans who were armed and trained with old U.S. and Russian military weapons. Medina said having these guerrillas "return the weapons for freedom" could help to "unite the nation under one banner of development and evolution… so that we can have a country that really meets the expectations, not only of the riches that it has, but of the people and the development of their education and training and jobs, because it has been completely destroyed by design." "What we have ahead of us is a great journey to be able to build upon the ruins of what this regime left us. But I think we're going to become stronger, and this is the moment. Beth Bailey is a reporter covering Afghanistan, the Middle East, Asia, the United Nations, Central America and antisemitism. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Heavy rain and high tides believed to be the most severe in two decades caused flooding in parts of Northern California on Saturday, prompting road closures and rescues of people trapped in cars. Roadways through a 15-mile stretch from the Sausalito area to San Rafael were flooded after a downpour coincided with record-breaking “King Tides,” Marin County Sheriff's Sgt. Authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in water as high as 3 and 4 feet, Dobbins said. “There is a lot of water in the roadways,” Dobbins said, adding the tides were reportedly the highest in more than two decades. “Along with heavy rains, it just created the perfect storm for flooding on the streets.” Authorities in the affected communities, which are north of San Francisco, asked people to stay home until waters recede. Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees. A flood advisory is in place for the San Francisco area until 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, and repeated rounds of rain were expected throughout the state on Sunday and Monday. To the south in Santa Barbara County, roads were closed due to flooding and a key highway was blocked near Goleta due to a series of mudslides. A man died after he was swept into a creek during the storm, the county sheriff's office said. King Tides occur when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment and the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) discusses the success of President Trump's operation in Venezuela and voices his support on ‘Fox Report.' That was evident at the press conference yesterday as President Donald Trump blew apart the carefully constructed narrative presented earlier for the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Some of us had written that Trump had a winning legal argument by focusing on the operation as the seizure of two indicted individuals in reliance on past judicial rulings, including the decisions in the case of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Both repeatedly noted that this was an operation intended to bring two individuals to justice and that law enforcement personnel were part of the extraction team to place them in legal custody. Rubio was, again, particularly effective in emphasizing that Maduro was not the head of state but a criminal dictator who took control after losing democratic elections. He stated that they would be running Venezuela to ensure a friendly government and the repayment of seized U.S. property dating back to the government of Maduro's mentor and predecessor, Hugo Chávez. This city is full of self-proclaimed Trump whisperers who rarely score above random selection in their predictions. However, there are certain pronounced elements in Trump's approach to such matters. First, he is the most transparent president in my lifetime, with prolonged (at times excruciatingly long) press conferences and a brutal frankness about his motivations. Second, he is unabashedly and undeniably transactional in most of his dealings. He is not ashamed to state what he wants the country to get out of the deal. Chávez and Maduro had implemented moronic socialist policies that reduced one of the most prosperous nations to an economic basket case. They brought in Cuban security thugs to help keep the population under repressive conditions, as a third fled to the United States and other countries. After an extraordinary operation to capture Maduro, Trump was faced with socialist Maduro allies on every level of the government. Courts have routinely dismissed challenges to undeclared military offensives against other nations. In fairness to Trump, most Democrats were as quiet as church mice when Obama and Hillary Clinton attacked Libya's capital and military sites to achieve regime change without any authorization from Congress. They were also silent when Obama vaporized an American under this "kill list" policy without even a criminal charge. My strong preferences for congressional authorization and consultation are immaterial. The question I am asked as a legal analyst is whether this operation would be viewed as lawful. This case is actually stronger in many respects than the one involving Noriega. Maduro will now make the same failed arguments that Noriega raised. He should lose those challenges under existing precedent. If courts apply the same standards to Trump (which is often an uncertain proposition), Trump will win on the right to seize Maduro and bring him to justice. But then, how about the other rationales rattled off at Mar-a-Lago? In my view, it will not matter. The Trump administration can then argue that it had to deal with the aftermath of that operation and would not simply leave the country without a leader or stable government. Trump emphasized, "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." I still do not like the import of those statements. Venezuelans must be in charge of their own country and our role, if any, must be to help them establish a democratic and stable government. Trump added, "We can't take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn't have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind." Venezuelans must decide who has their best interests in mind, not the United States. However, returning to the legal elements, I do not see how a court could free Maduro simply because it disapproves of nation-building. Presidents have engaged in such policies for years. Trump can argue that, absent countervailing action from Congress, he has the authority under Article II of the Constitution to lay the foundation for a constitutional and economic revival in Venezuela. It is not the case that some of us preferred, but it is the case that he wants to be made. He is not someone who can be scripted. It is his script and he is still likely to prevail in holding Maduro and his wife for trial. Jonathan Turley is a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is a nationally recognized legal scholar who has written extensively in areas ranging from constitutional law to legal history to the Supreme Court. He has written over three dozen academic articles that have appeared in a variety of leading law journals. Professor Turley also served as counsel in some of the most notable cases in the last two decades including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, former cabinet members, judges, members of Congress, and a wide range of other clients. Professor Turley testified more than 50 times before the House and Senate on constitutional and statutory issues, including the Senate confirmation hearings of cabinet members and jurists such as Justice Neil Gorsuch. He also appeared as an expert witness in both the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. In 2008, he was given an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civil liberties and the public interest. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Chantel Wright, a bishop and local faith leader, said in an interview with the Washington Examiner, “There is no clear black agenda for the people who voted for him. “I am just hoping that there will be greater clarity as to all of those who jumped on the Mamdani bandwagon,” Wright said. “What is he really planning to do for our community, making sure that we are looked after and taken care of?” His strongly worded article took aim, in particular, at the DSA's positions on public safety. While running for mayor, Mamdani reportedly walked back anti-police posts he had made during the 2020 racial justice uprisings. Wright, a Harlem resident, noted how she and other community advocates have worked to build relationships with the New York Police Department. “So if you abolish it altogether, communities that already have high crime rates are going to be warfare zones.” Jones said that DSA policies, such as eliminating the NYPD's gang database, decriminalizing prostitution, and legalizing dangerous drugs, would just increase crime, drug abuse, and sex trafficking in poor neighborhoods. As for the city's gang database, which opponents consider “discriminatory” against certain racial groups, Jones said, “Many parents and neighborhood leaders see it as a tool that can prevent violence before it reaches their block. Other black religious leaders in New York have also voiced opposition against the DSA's policy priorities. And it's wrong for black communities in New York.” On the campaign trail, Mamdani promised that, if elected, he would oppose the expansion of charter schools, which are publicly funded and largely educate minority, low-income students from working-class households. Studies show that disadvantaged students in urban areas tend to perform better at these types of educational alternatives. In the Staten Island Advance questionnaire, Mamdani declared that he even opposes charter schools sharing space on city-owned property and further vowed to audit ones that are co-located in city Department of Education buildings, suggesting that they receive too much public funding. “For those already co-located,” Mandani pledged, “my administration would undertake a comprehensive review of charter school funding to address the unevenness of our system.” Many black leaders told the media that they were offended by Mamdani claiming to be “African American” when he had applied to attend Columbia University. Mamdani, who is of Indian ancestry but was born in Uganda, checked off both the “Black or African American” and “Asian” boxes regarding his race on his 2009 college application. Critics said Mamdani co-opted a black identity to further his professional career, suspecting that he tried to pass himself off as African American to gain an advantage in the admissions process, courtesy of Columbia's race-conscious affirmative action policies. “The African American identity is not a checkbox of convenience,” then-New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement after the information from Mamdani's application was leaked in July 2025. How dare you use that to your advantage for some sort of privilege?” Wright said that Mamdani has never directly apologized to the black community for misrepresenting himself. Shame on you,” said Wright, a staunch supporter of Adams, who had entered the general election as an independent but withdrew and endorsed former New York Gov. In October 2025, Cuomo's campaign posted a video that contained interviews with black New Yorkers about their thoughts on the Mamdani admissions scandal. Mamdani told the New York Times, which had first reported on his college application based on hacked documents shared with the newspaper, that he does not consider himself either black or African American, rather “an American who was born in Africa.” He said that the application did not have a category that fully represented the complexity of his ethnic origins, so he marked multiple boxes, working within the limited options available to him. “Most college applications don't have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” Mamdani said. A section of the application allowed students to add “more specific information where relevant,” and Mamdani said that he wrote “Ugandan.” Mamdani was eventually not accepted at Columbia and ended up attending Bowdoin College, where he majored in Africana studies. Months before the application bombshell, Mamdani said that it would be “misleading” for him to self-identify as African American. A resurfaced social media clip captured him making the acknowledgment on camera as he was questioned about his heritage. “I'm an Indian, Ugandan, New Yorker,” Mamdani told black performance artist Crackhead Barney when she approached him on the street in April 2025. “We don't trust him,” Wright said following the revelations. Wright also characterized Mamdani's promises of government-run grocery stores, rent freezes, and free rides on city buses as snake-oil salesman pitches. “None of it makes any sense,” Wright, 60, told the Washington Examiner. “First of all, if you promise a free bus ride, who's going to pay for it? Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor of government at Columbia University, and his family reportedly lived close to campus in taxpayer-subsidized housing provided by the Ivy League college. Jones, who was former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg's deputy national political director during his 2020 presidential bid, has been a vocal critic among black voices speaking out against Mamdani and informing black New Yorkers about the DSA's hard-left platform. Leading the charge in these awareness efforts is Jones's nonprofit organization, the National Black Empowerment Action Fund, a national black advocacy group operating in major metropolitan areas across America, including New York, that are known to be political, civic, and business hubs for black communities. Fighting for “common-sense” policies that empower black communities to thrive, the NBEAF is dedicated to the economic, educational, and social uplift of black America.

Venezuelans in South Florida celebrated the news of President Nicolás Maduro's capture, dancing and wrapping themselves in Venezuelan flags. DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Revelers chanted “liberty” and draped Venezuelan flags over their shoulders in South Florida on Saturday to celebrate the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and remove him from the country — a stunning outcome they had longed for but left them wondering what comes next in their troubled homeland. People gathered for a rally in Doral — the Miami suburb where President Donald Trump has a golf resort and where roughly half the population is of Venezuelan descent — as word spread that Venezuela's now-deposed president had been captured and flown out of the country. People celebrate after President Donald Trump announced Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country, in Doral, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. It was a sentiment expressed by other native Venezuelans hoping for a new beginning for their home country as they chanted “Liberty! “We're like everybody — it's a combination of feelings, of course,” said Alejandra Arrieta, who came to the U.S. in 1997. There's so many years that we've been waiting for this. Nuñez said he fled to the United States six years ago after being persecuted in Venezuela for his political activism and has not seen his daughters — ages 8 and 17 — since then. “The most important thing is that we're going to be able to be with our families soon,” Nuñez said. “At least for me, I haven't seen my daughters in six years so I have a lot of mixed feelings. Trump insisted Saturday that the U.S. government would run the country at least temporarily and was already doing so. The action marked the culmination of an escalating Trump administration pressure campaign on the oil-rich South American nation as well as weeks of planning that tracked Maduro's behavioral habits. From left, Venezuelans David Nuñez, Lisbeth Garcia, Victor Gimenez gather outside El Arepazo restaurant with a banner of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado amid celebrations following news of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro capture in Doral, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. After Trump's press conference about U.S. actions in Venezuela, people still gathered outside of the Doral restaurant sang, danced and waved flags. A percussionist drummed along with the singing crowd. Cooks were told to stay and prepare more food for anticipated high demand. Alexa Perez said she has waited year for this moment. This our independence day from today on,” Perez said. Her husband, Aldo Amenta, said they were scared, excited and confused at first and felt better when they learned their family members were safe. “We're really happy and excited that the doors are open for Venezuela, for all of our people who deserve a chance,” Amenta said. “So I think this is going to be a great transition. About 8 million people have fled the country since 2014, settling first in neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In South Florida, deep-seated concerns in the Venezuelan community about Trump's tough immigration policies gave way to celebrations after Maduro was deposed in the American military operation early Saturday. They were followed by political opponents and entrepreneurs who set up small businesses. They are doctors, lawyers, beauticians, construction workers and house cleaners. Some are naturalized U.S. citizens or live in the country illegally with U.S.-born children. Others overstay tourist visas, seek asylum or have some form of temporary status. People celebrate outside Versailles Cuban Cuisine after President Donald Trump announced Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country, in Miami, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Niurka Meléndez, who fled from Venezuela in 2015, said Saturday she's hopeful that Maduro's ouster will improve life in her homeland. Meléndez immigrated to New York City, where she co-founded the group Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid, which strives to empower the lives of immigrants. She became a steadfast advocate for change in her home country, where she said her countrymen faced a humanitarian crisis. Now, she hopes those hardships will fade away. “For us, it's just the start of the justice we need to see,” Meléndez said in a phone interview. Her homeland had reached a “breaking point” due to forced displacements, repression, hunger and fear, she said. Now there's a need for international humanitarian support to help in Venezuela's recovery. “Removing an authoritarian system responsible for these crimes creates the possibility, not a guarantee, but a possibility, for recovery,” she said. “A future without criminal control over institutions is the minimum condition for rebuilding a country based on justice, rule of law, and democratic safeguards.”

A makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. TEL AVIV (AP) — Israel's 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. Those banned include Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and Medical Aid for Palestinians. Israel says all suspended groups have to halt their operations by March 1. Some groups have already been barred from bringing in aid. 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 Gaza's 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. 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 Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, led by a far-right member of the ruling Likud party. Aid organizations say they did not comply, in part, because they feared that handing over staff information could endanger them. “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 group's 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.” 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. Aid groups have a week from Dec. 31 to appeal the process. Independent NGOs play a major role in propping up Gaza's health sector, devastated by two years of Israeli bombardment and restrictions on supplies. MSF said Israel's 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 Gaza's 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 Gaza's births, the group says. 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. 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. Many of the 37 groups already had been blocked from bringing supplies into Gaza since March, said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's 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 couldn't 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.

This undated photo, provided by Missi Dowd-Figueroa, shows sunflowers growing on her fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif. (Missi Dowd-Figueroa via AP) Missi Dowd-Figueroa, whose home was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, poses for a portrait at her rebuilding site in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Lupe Figueroa, 5, looks out the window of what will be her room at her family's rebuilding site in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. This undated photo, provided by Missi Dowd-Figueroa, shows sunflowers growing on her fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif. (Missi Dowd-Figueroa via AP) ALTADENA, Calif. (AP) — Missi Dowd-Figueroa brought life back to the fire-ravaged plot where her home once stood -- one sunflower at a time. The registered nurse and mother of three lost her 1898 farm-style house in the Eaton Fire, one of two deadly wildfires that tore through the Los Angeles area last January, obliterating entire neighborhoods and displacing tens of thousands of people. A year later, many are still grappling with grief and sorrow. Few have been able to rebuild so far, and the rest face no shortage of challenges. But there's still something about Altadena that feels like Altadena now, even though there are no homes.” Dowd-Figueroa and her family had lived in the four-bedroom, three-bath house for 10 years. It was the longest she'd ever lived in one place, and the sense of loss left her stricken by waves of sadness. For months, she would drive to the empty lot and cry. “I spent several days digging through the ashes just looking for his little urn, and I never found it,” said Dowd-Figueroa, 44. Gone, too, were every family photo except those saved on her iPad. Now, if my dad knew, he'd be so disappointed because he was such a family lineage type of person,” she said. You know, I'll never touch anything that he touched ever again.” They were mostly sunflowers, but also included zinnias and cosmos, among others, and planted them in the soil. Sunflowers can take up cadmium and other heavy metals that can be left behind in the soil, though experts debate their effectiveness after a wildfire. Dowd-Figueroa hoped they would help remove toxins on her property once she ripped them out by the roots and tossed them after they died, being careful not to leave behind seeds. For several months, while Dowd-Figueroa and her husband took steps toward eventually building a new home, the garden flourished, blanketing a large swath of the lot with a colorful display of approximately 500 flowers — bright orange and red ones, as well as yellow ones with giant heads. “It was really healing just to come back and tend the space where I lived for the longest time in my life,” she said. Butterflies began to appear, along with a variety of insects and small animals. That's OK. With construction proceeding and estimated to be completed as soon as mid-June, the slowly emerging shape of her new home is now lifting Dowd-Figueroa's spirits. “Prior to this, I was just so depressed, like literally sobbed every day,” she said. “It just feels like now there's a place that exists. Associated Press reporter Dorany Pineda contributed from Los Angeles.

A plane carrying deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrives in New York following his capture by the US. Maduro and his wife, captured overnight from their home, will face criminal charges in New York (AP video by Ted Shaffrey) Read what you missed below and find more coverage at apnews.com. Hours after a dramatic military operation ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country Saturday, President Donald Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. U.S. operations on Saturday represented America's most assertive action to achieve regime change in a country since the nation's 2003 invasion of Iraq. The middle-of-the-night seizure of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transported on a U.S. warship and arrived in New York Saturday evening to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, is beyond even the most high-profile historical examples of aggressive American actions toward autocratic governments in Panama, Iraq and beyond, legal experts said. It came after a surprise U.S. incursion into the Venezuelan capital, rocked with overnight explosions early Saturday. People donning raincoats and holding umbrellas carried signs saying “Stop bombing Venezuela now!” and “No blood for oil” as they listened to speakers. A smaller group of about 50 people protested in Las Vegas. Elisia Cohen had planned to return from her family vacation in Puerto Rico on Friday but a mechanical issue grounded their Delta flight back to Minneapolis. “When appropriate, these airspace restrictions will be lifted,” he said. Uncertainty gripped Venezuela on Saturday as people scrambled to understand who was in charge of the South American country. Trump delivered a shocking pick for who would take control: The United States, perhaps in coordination with one of Maduro's most trusted aides. “She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump told reporters of Rodríguez, who faced U.S. sanctions during Trump's first administration for her role in undermining Venezuelan democracy. Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez gives a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, March 10, 2025. Trump indicated that Rodríguez had been sworn in already as president of Venezuela, per the transfer of power outlined in the constitution. In her televised address, Rodríguez did not declare herself acting president or mention a political transition. “History and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.” People gathered for a rally in Doral, the Miami suburb where Trump has a golf resort and where roughly half the population is of Venezuelan descent. There's so many years that we've been waiting for this. After months of growing military pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump ordered a brazen operation into the South American country to capture its leader and whisk him to the United States where his administration planned to put him on trial. “While Nicolás Maduro is, in fact, an illegitimate leader, the deployment of U.S. military power to impose political change in a sovereign nation — without the consent of Congress or a clear and defined plan of action — threatens to draw the United States into an indefinite conflict in Venezuela,” the caucus said in statement. Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. A plane carrying the deposed leader landed late Saturday afternoon in New York. At around 5:25 p.m., a person in custody was escorted out of the plane believed to be carrying Maduro. Carney is calling on all parties to respect international law and says Canada stands by the “Venezuelan people's sovereign right to decide and build their own future.” An airplane carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, lands at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, NY. In a statement posted on his X account, the Israeli leader added “I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat, said he called Trump directly following the president's press conference Saturday “to register my opposition to this act.” Mamdani said his stance was based on “being opposed to a pursuit of regime change to the violation of federal, international law.” Mamdani said his role as mayor was to ensure that the federal government's plans for Maduro had “minimal impact on the day to day lives of New Yorkers.” The U.N. Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday at 10 a.m.. That's according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting that has not yet been made public. The development comes after an emergency request by Colombia and support from China & Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said discussions about the “evolving situation” in Venezuela will take place with U.S. counterparts in the coming days and that his government will “shed no tears” about the end of Nicolas Maduro's regime. “We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime,” Starmer said in a statement.Starmer, who reiterated his support for international law, said the U.K. will “seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.” Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country Saturday, President Donald Trump said the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. Trump described Maduro as being “highly guarded” in a presidential palace that was “a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas.” Maduro had nearly made it to a safe room inside it, Trump told reporters, although “he was unable to close it.” In an interview earlier Saturday morning on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Trump said that American forces were armed with “massive blowtorches,” which they would have used to cut through steel walls had Maduro locked himself in the room. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine listen as Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at Trump's news conference that U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and the clothes he wore. Trump said the U.S. operation took place in darkness, although he did not detail how that had happened. “The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” Trump said. “Here, we have a government with clarity, and I repeat and repeat again … we are willing to have respectful relations,” she said, referring to the Trump administration. “It is the only thing we will accept for a type of relationship after having attacked (Venezuela).” Matthew Waxman, a Columbia University law professor who was a national security official in the George W. Bush administration, said seizing control of Venezuela's resources opens up additional legal issues. “For example, a big issue will be who really owns Venezuela's oil?” Waxman wrote in an email. “An occupying military power can't enrich itself by taking another state's resources, but the Trump administration will probably claim that the Venezuelan government never rightfully held them.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement Saturday that Nicolás Maduro led Venezuela to disaster and noted that Germany, like many other countries, didn't recognize his presidency after the South American nation's last election. Merz said that a legal classification of the U.S. intervention is “complex” and “we will take time” on the matter.He said that political instability must not arise in Venezuela now and that it's important to ensure “an orderly transition to a government legitimized by elections.” Vance instead watched the operation unfold via secure video conference and then flew to his home in Cincinnati after the operation concluded. His office said he was “deeply integrated in the process and planning.” Lucas said that she hasn't seen anything like it, even after years of turmoil roiling Venezuela. Now, her family like many others in the South American nation are wracked with a feeling of uncertainty. Lucas said she was scared to even leave the house. Stay safe at home, go out to look for food? Rubio said he would be a bit concerned if he were a Cuban government official following the overnight U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The U.S. has had a long history of military interventions in Latin America, including its tacit support for the unsuccessful 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion led by Cuban exiles aimed at toppling Fidel Castro “Its attack on Venezuela shatters the stability that has characterized our region for years,” the president said during a rally that drew thousands of people in Havana. “The attack in the early morning hours against a peaceful and noble people can only be described as cowardly, criminal, and treacherous.” He also demanded proof of life for Maduro. But his absence with other officials in Florida on Saturday was notable because Vance has been one of the strongest voices in the administration for one of the president's doctrines, an “America First” outlook that is skeptical of foreign entanglements. Vance, who served in the Marine Corps during the U.S. invasion of Iraq, has been critical of past U.S. democracy-building efforts in that country. Vance's office did not respond to repeated queries on Saturday about his location. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said the Trump administration had assured him multiple times it was not pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuela. “Clearly, they are not being straight with Americans,” he said. The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about how the U.S, would run Venezuela, what authority it would use to administer it or whether it would involve any American personnel — either civilian or military — on the ground in Caracas or other areas of Venezuela. President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens. He added: “We're going to make sure the country is run properly.” The letter by Ambassador Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, obtained by AP, goes on to request an urgent meeting of the 15-member council and condemnation and cessation of U.S. actions. “What began more than four months ago as a police fantasy is now showing its true face: This is a colonial war aimed at destroying our republican form of government, freely chosen by our people, and at imposing a puppet government that allows the plundering of our natural resources, including the world's largest oil reserves,” Acosta wrote. Gen. Dan Caine, the president's top military advisor, said that more than 150 aircraft from 20 different bases were involved in the surprise, overnight attack on Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro. “There were multiple self-defense engagements as the force began to withdraw out of Venezuela,” Caine said. One of the helicopters was struck by fire but remained flyable, John Caine said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed a “meticulously planned” operation that he said had been months in the making, crafted to minimize harm both to Maduro and his wife, as well as civilians. No airline flights were crossing over Venezuela Saturday, according to FlightRadar24.com. The airlines are waiving change fees for passengers who have to reschedule their flights this weekend. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) He said adversaries of the U.S. should “remain on notice” that “America can project our will anywhere, anytime.” “Welcome to 2026, and under President Trump, America is back,” he said. Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that boats have been carrying drugs into the U.S. from Venezuela. But in fact Venezuela is not a major source of drugs to the U.S. There is no evidence to suggest fentanyl comes from Venezuela. Rather, the vast majority of fentanyl that flows into the U.S. is transported in through Mexico, and often produced from precursor chemicals coming from Asia. While a number of illegal armed groups are present in Venezuela, much of the cocaine flowing out from Venezuela is produced in Colombia and other Andean nations. The president brought up the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, formulated by President James Monroe, which was used to justify U.S. military interventions in Latin America. Trump added his name to it, calling it “The Don-Roe Doctrine” and said, “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.” The Miraflores Palace and military bases remained guarded by Venezuela's armed forces. The president said the operation carried out by U.S. forces was an “assault like people have not seen since World War II” and that no other nation “could achieve what America achieved yesterday.” “This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history,” Trump said. President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens.

That is what Venezuela's constitution outlines in its different scenarios anticipating a president's absence. Rodríguez – also minister for both finance and oil – stepped into the role on Saturday afternoon. Hours after the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, she chaired a National Defense Council session, surrounded by other ministers and senior officials, and demanded the couple's “immediate release” while condemning the US military operation. Standing before the Venezuelan flag, Rodríguez said the early-morning operation represents a blatant violation of international law and Venezuela's sovereignty. That brutal use of force to bend the will of the people can be carried out against any country,” she told the council in an address broadcast by state television channel VTV. Rodríguez, 56, is from Caracas and studied law at the Central University of Venezuela. She has spent more than two decades as one of the leading figures of chavismo, the political movement founded by President Hugo Chávez and led by Maduro since Chávez's death in 2013. She served as minister of communication and information from 2013 to 2014 and later became foreign minister from 2014 to 2017. In that role, she defended Maduro's government against international criticism, including allegations of democratic backsliding and human rights abuses in the country. As foreign minister, Rodríguez represented Venezuela at forums such as the United Nations, where she accused other governments of seeking to undermine her country. In 2018, Maduro appointed her vice president for his second term. She retained the post during his third presidential term, which began on January 10, 2025, following the controversial July 28, 2024, elections. Until the president's capture, she served as Venezuela's chief economic authority and minister of petroleum. They insist that the true winner was former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia, a position supported by some governments in the region. José Manuel Romano, a constitutional lawyer and political analyst, told CNN that the positions Rodríguez has held show she is a “very prominent” figure within the Venezuelan government and someone who enjoys the president's “full trust.” “The executive vice president of the republic is a highly effective operator, a woman with strong leadership skills for managing teams,” Romano said. That is very important to note in the current circumstances,” he added. Hours after Maduro's capture, and before Rodríguez addressed the National Defense Council, US President Donald Trump said at a press conference that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the vice president. She said, ‘We're going to do whatever you need.' We're going to do this right,” Trump said. Trump's remarks, however, surprised some analysts, who believe Rodríguez is unlikely to make concessions to the United States. “She is not a moderate alternative to Maduro. She has been one of the most powerful and hard-line figures in the entire system,” Imdat Oner, a policy analyst at the Jack D. Gordon Institute and a former Turkish diplomat based in Venezuela, told CNN. “Her rise to power appears to be the result of some kind of understanding between the United States and key actors preparing for a post-Maduro scenario. In that context, she would essentially serve as a caretaker until a democratically elected leader takes office,” the analyst added. In her first messages following Maduro's capture, Rodríguez showed no signs of backing down and, without referencing Trump's statements, closed the door to any potential cooperation with the United States. Earlier in the morning, during a phone interview with VTV, Rodríguez said the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores were unknown and demanded proof that they were alive. “There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” said Rodríguez — now, by force of events, the most visible face of the government.