In a later news conference, he largely read from that statement and didn't take questions. • The former Democratic nominee for vice president is awash in fallout from a recent viral video that propelled yearslong fraud allegations to the forefront of a national conversation. • Walz is set to testify before a Republican-led US House Oversight Committee next month. The Trump administration is deploying around 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis as part of an immigration crackdown and on the heels of a welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota, according to two law enforcement officials. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as well as US Border Patrol agents are deploying to Minnesota, including US Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino, whose controversial tactics have come under increased scrutiny in multiple cities. In response to questions about the deployment, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN, “While for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint, DHS has surged law enforcement and has already made more than 1,000 arrests of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members.” “Governor Tim Walz has been a true leader who has delivered results that will make life better for Minnesota workers and families for years to come,” Beshear said in a release. “He's been a national leader in fighting for the middle class, ensuring free school meals, investing in public schools, and expanding access to affordable health care. As Democrats and Republicans alike consider throwing their names in the hat for Minnesota governor, Beshear added that the association “remains very confident Minnesotans will elect another strong Democratic governor this November.” Tim Walz would not seek a third term reelection in this year's governor's race, the Republican Governors Association said Walz' “failed leadership is emblematic of Minnesota Democrats' agenda.” “After presiding over one of the biggest fraud scandals in history it's no wonder that Tim Walz is being forced to drop his re-election bid,” RGA Communications Director Courtney Alexander said in a statement. Walz has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to blame him and Democrats for alleged – and in some cases proven – fraud on the part of Minnesota child care providers who accepted federal funding. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on law enforcement and public officials to “take concrete actions to protect Somali-American day care centers and businesses” in the wake of a viral video alleging fraud in Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota. “Baseless and inflammatory allegations targeting an entire community are putting innocent people in danger,” CAIR's national director, Nihad Awad, and the executive director of CAIR's Minnesota chapter, Jaylani Hussein, said in a joint statement. “Somali-American parents are afraid to send their children to school, workers fear showing up to their jobs, and small businesses are suffering, all because of reckless rhetoric dehumanizing a community that has long been an integral part of Minnesota and this nation.” The video, in which 23-year-old conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley attempted to enter what he said were Somali-owned day care centers, has inspired copycats seeking to do the same, CAIR said. “We are deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of children attending day care centers who are now facing heightened risks due to unauthorized individuals attempting to access facilities, as well as the very real danger that predators, including those seeking to exploit chaos and fear, may take advantage of this moment,” the CAIR statement reads. “Minnesota has benefitted immensely from the compassion he brought to his decades of public service,” Ellison wrote. He praised the governor's accomplishments, including fighting hunger in Minnesota schools and passing paid family leave. “Tim led Minnesota through some of the greatest challenges faced by any governor in living memory.” Both Walz and Ellison have been called to testify before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee in February. Tim Walz to drop out of his race for reelection is unlikely to take the heat off from allegations that he allowed fraudsters to take root and steal potentially billions of dollars from the state. “Though Tim Walz is not running for governor again, he cannot run from accountability,” Chairman James Comer said in a statement Monday. The same committee also has called for Minnesota state representatives to appear Wednesday to testify about “fraud and misuse of federal funds.” The Trump administration announced last week it would freeze federal child care funding for Minnesota unless it received more information by Friday to verify the money is going to legitimate recipients. Walz continues to face calls from some Republicans to resign, and state House Speaker Lisa Demuth — a GOP gubernatorial candidate — said a party change is needed. “If Democrats think they can sweep Minnesota's fraud scandal away by swapping out Tim Walz, they are wrong,” she posted Monday on X. Walz took no questions after reading his statement Monday but promised to say more later. Klobuchar, who has served Minnesota in the Senate for two decades, is “seriously considering” running for governor, a person close to her tells CNN, after Gov. Klobuchar “has been getting a lot of outreach, encouraging her to run,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closely held conversations. While Klobuchar has offered no timeframe for making her decision, whatever conclusion she reaches will have a domino-like effect on the midterm election map. Klobuchar met with Walz on Sunday, two people familiar with the meeting told CNN, and she is expected to return to the Senate when it reconvenes Monday evening. Tim Walz a “dedicated public servant who's spent his career putting others before himself,” the governor of neighboring Wisconsin, Tony Evers, praised Walz after the Minnesota Democrat announced he would not seek a third term reelection in 2026. “Tim has always been a good friend and a good neighbor to us across the river, and I'm incredibly grateful we've had the opportunity to serve as governors of our states together,” Evers said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Tim in the days and months ahead as we continue getting good things done for the people of our states,” Evers continued. Even as he announced his decision to drop out of the gubernatorial race for a third term, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz defended himself from allegations that he has done too little to address fraud in government funding. Walz — who took no questions despite an earlier statement from his office saying that he would — argued his administration was already making changes in response to investigations. We've fired people who weren't doing their jobs. We've seen people go to jail for stealing from our state,” Walz said. We've put new locks on the doors of our remaining programs, and we've hired a new head of program integrity to make sure those locks can't be broken.” Republicans have disputed the idea that Walz has demanded accountability. “No one's lost their job,” state House Speaker Lisa Demuth said last week. “No one has been publicly disciplined in any way.” “Massive fraud of taxpayer dollars occurred on Tim Walz's watch. Though Tim Walz is not running for governor again, he cannot run from accountability,” Chairman James Comer, the Kentucky Republican, said in a statement. Comer previously announced his panel expects to hear testimony from Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a hearing on Minnesota fraud allegations on February 10. Tim Walz took no questions at a news conference held hours after announcing he was dropping his reelection bid for a third term. The governor briefly read the news release put out hours earlier and condemned Republicans, “conspiracy theorist right wing YouTubers,” and President Donald Trump, before promising another news conference tomorrow and said he would take questions at that time. Tim Walz seemed to be largely reading from the statement his office released earlier in the day announcing he would not seek reelection. The governor's attitude was defiant as he called out what he characterized as politicization of the state's fraud scandals by Republicans. “We've got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into day care centers and demanding access to our children,” he said. “We've got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating child care funding that Minnesotans rely on. Tim Walz took to social media to pile on after news broke this morning that he would be dropping his bid for a third term. “I ended Tim Walz,” Shirley posted on X soon after the news. When Walz announced he wouldn't run again, he cited a need to focus on “defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.” Republicans have sought to blame Walz and Democrats for what they say is a massive abuse of taxpayer dollars. State Rep. Lisa Demuth, speaker of the Minnesota House and Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, said she would defeat any Democrat the party chooses to run against her. “If Democrats think they can sweep Minnesota's fraud scandal away by swapping out Tim Walz, they are wrong,” she posted on X. States will be allowed to verify child care center attendance records and require services up front before releasing federal funds to child care providers, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced this morning, touting a pending change to rules established during the Biden administration. “The change will roll back provisions in the 2024 Child Care and Development Fund rule that weakened oversight and increased the risk of waste, fraud and abuse in federally funded state child care — including programs now under investigation in Minnesota,” a news release from HHS said. State officials must supply the federal government with a trove of information about the recipients of child care funding by January 9, an HHS spokesperson told CNN. The federal government has asked the state to provide information about the total amount of funding received by five specific centers as well as documentation about “attendance, inspections, assessments,” according to a bulletin sent to child care providers by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families and shared with CNN. Additionally, the state has to provide administrative data – like names and social security numbers – for all recipients of child care funding. A video posted by conservative content creator Nick Shirley last month featured disputed claims of fraud against specific day care centers but the larger issue of fraudulent use of government funds in Minnesota's Somali community has been investigated for years, and allegations the Walz administration did not do enough to stop it helped lead to the end of his reelection campaign. The first blockbuster fraud investigation was revealed in 2022, when the Justice Department announced indictments against people associated with Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit group which allegedly pocketed money that was supposed to be going to feed needy children during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to Feeding Our Future, federal indictments have been brought against at least 20 other people accused in fraud cases related to housing and autism services, Assistant US Attorney Melinda Williams told CNN last week. Tim Walz is dropping his bid for a third term as the welfare-fraud scandal in his state has intensified, he announced this morning. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.” Walz has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to blame him and Democrats for the massive abuse of taxpayer dollars. In his statement announcing his decision, Walz took aim at President Donald Trump, accusing him of seeking to politicize the scandal by attacking the Somali population in Minnesota. Donald Trump and his allies — in Washington, in St. Paul, and online — want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” he said. Walz is scheduled to hold a news conference today at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) in St. Paul.

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. DHS public affairs assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin discusses the capture of Nicolas Maduro and the Trump administration's continuing crackdown on illegal immigration on ‘The Big Weekend Show.' Venezuelan authorities have been ordered to find and arrest anyone involved in supporting the military operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. It was not clear what charges could be levied against those taken into custody. Maduro made his first court appearance Monday in New York, days after he and his wife were arrested by U.S. forces over the weekend. Government supporters hold dolls from the TV program, Super Bigote, based on President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, during a protest demanding their release from U.S. custody in Caracas, Venezuela on Sunday. Both have been charged by the Justice Department with narco-terrorism and other offenses. I am not guilty of anything that is written here," Maduro said in court as the charges against him were read. In Maduro's absence, Delcy Rodríguez, his former number two, has been sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela. Rodriguez, 56, has long been a confidant and backer of Maduro. She was the country's vice president from 2018 through Sunday. Despite denouncing the U.S. military operation, Rodriguez said in a Sunday social media post that the country aspires towards balanced and respectful international relations between Caracas and Washington. "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. Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com. By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. 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.

Trump previously said he's counting on American companies to rebuild Venezuela's battered oil industry. Meanwhile, Venezuelans are hunkering down amid apprehension of what may come next. • Trump's threats: Trump implied he could take military action in Colombia, told Mexico to get its “act together” on drugs, and said the US “needs Greenland.” Before even getting to the evidence of the charges against Nicolás Maduro, his lawyers are likely to argue that he is not legally in custody in the first place, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said. Maduro himself also said in court that he was captured at his home and insisted that he is the president of Venezuela — another point his legal team will likely argue early on in the process, Miller said. However, that is disputed, with the United States not recognizing Maduro or his regime as the legitimate government after several disputed elections. Nicolás Maduro's first court appearance in New York today has had a “show aspect” to it, CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez said on air. “They paraded him in front of cameras,” Perez said while outside the court on Monday. “Usually, you don't have mugshots of people released because of the danger that (it) poses for their ability to present their defense, innocent until proven guilty,” he added. Within minutes of his first federal court appearance, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro stood before a judge and said, “I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.” The statement previews what is likely to be one of the main defenses: that his dead of night arrest in a foreign country by US law enforcement – a “military abduction,” in his attorney's words – violated the law. It's not the first time that a defendant has made this argument. Over three decades ago, Panama's Manuel Noriega accused the US of violating both international law and due process protections by invading Panama and arresting him abroad. Whether courts will reconsider that precedent in Maduro's case remains to be seen. It is unusual to for a criminal defendant to say anything to a judge during an initial appearance, as defense attorneys typically warn their clients that anything they say could be used in their prosecution. Judge Alvin Hellerstein made a similar warning to Maduro on Monday as the Venezuelan president spoke. Lawmakers reelected him to lead parliament on Monday with overwhelming support. This puts the Rodriguez siblings in control of Venezuela's executive and legislative branches. Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is speaking using a translator during his first court appearance in New York today — something that could make it more difficult for the judge to limit the scope of Maduro's answers. CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said the former Venezuelan leader “seems to be answering a little bit more than the judge is asking for.” When answers and responses are going through a translator, “it's harder for a judge to control the proceedings, because if someone's speaking in English, the judge can just cut them off if he's saying too much,” Honig said. Crowds of people have been gathering near the New York courthouse where ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is currently appearing. People waving Venezuelan flags were seen shouting chants including: “Who are we? Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is making his first court appearance in New York after his capture following a US operation on Saturday. Here's what we can expect from today's hearing, according to CNN's senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Energy and oil stocks jumped higher Monday as investors assessed the prospect of US companies gaining access to Venezuela's oil reserves and the country's drilling potential. Oil stocks' gains reflect expectations that US companies might benefit as President Donald Trump says the US will revamp Venezuela's oil industry. Venezuela's beleaguered oil infrastructure and the challenges associated with ramping up production make the recent developments less consequential for global oil markets. “Venezuela's global economic importance has diminished significantly over the past 50 years,” Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, said in a note. “In theory, Venezuela could again become a major producer,” Shearing said. Mike Waltz described US military action in Venezuela on Saturday as a “surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two indicted fugitives of American justice: narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro and (his wife) Cilia Flores.” The envoy said that US President Donald Trump – who said Saturday that the US will “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can be ensured – had “(given) diplomacy a chance,” which he claimed Maduro failed to take. “The United States wants a better future for Venezuela. Russia's envoy to the United Nations on Monday called for the United States to release Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, and warned that Washington's actions could usher in a new era of colonialism and imperialism. Russia condemned the “US act of armed aggression against Venezuela” and called for Washington “to immediately release the legitimately elected president of an independent state and his spouse,” Cilia Flores. The National Assembly of Venezuela began a new legislative term on Monday, in which lawmakers reiterated that Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez had assumed the role of acting president. They also demanded the release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured on Saturday in a US military operation in Caracas. Rodríguez became acting president on Sunday following an order from the Supreme Court. From Bolivarian Venezuela, we say to him: “you will not succeed. And we are now going to develop full solidarity so that our legitimate president, Nicolás Maduro, returns victorious,”” he insisted. The session is held days after Maduro's capture, which has been condemned by the government of Venezuela and some other Latin American countries, including Cuba, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro will be represented Monday by Barry Pollack, a deeply experienced US trial attorney who represented Julian Assange and brokered the deal for his plea deal and release last summer. Mark Donnelly, a white collar lawyer from Houston and a former Justice Department prosecutor, notified the court he will represent Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores. Pollack doesn't come from the typical world of lawyers who represent defendants in drug trafficking cases. Instead, he specializes in more unusual white collar and national security matters, especially ones with an intense political cross-section. He briefly represented Pras Michel, the former Fugees star convicted in a sprawling campaign finance case. This post has been corrected to reflect that Pollack represented Assange in the past. Speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday, Sachs called on member states to consider the wider implications of their reaction to Washington's decision to carry out military strikes on Venezuela and detain deposed leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. “The issue is whether any member state, by force, coercion or economic strangulation, has the right to determine Venezuela's political future or to exercise control over its affairs,” he said, adding that such actions contravene the UN charter. “The council must decide whether that prohibition is to be upheld or abandoned,” Sachs said. “Peace and the survival of humanity depend on whether the United Nations Charter remains a living instrument of international law or is allowed to wither into irrelevance,” he said. The Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment on Saturday against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife Cilia Flores, his son Nicolás Maduro Guerra and other Venezuelan officials. In the indictment, federal prosecutors in New York allege that “for over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States.” While allegedly trafficking cocaine between 2004 and 2015, Maduro and Flores jointly “ordered kidnappings, beatings, and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation, including ordering the murder of a local drug boss in Caracas, Venezuela,” the indictment alleges. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he is “deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected” during US military action in Venezuela. He also highlighted concerns around the knock-on effects of the detainment of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. “International law contains tools to address issues such as illicit traffic in narcotics, disputes about resources and human rights concerns,” added Guterres. In the early hours of Saturday morning, US President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores had been “captured and flown out of the country.” CNN's Simone Pathe, Kevin Liptak, Kit Maher, Emma Tucker, Bonney Kapp, Omar Jimenez and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this reporting. “Why did I have to go out?” said Judith Ledezma. “We have no idea what our fate will be now with this new situation,” Ledezma continued. The government in Caracas wants Venezuelans out and about, though the streets are quiet, apart from a few militia members mustering with their motorcycles. Olga Jimenez told CNN she finally left her house on Sunday after staying in all of Saturday. Maduro or no Maduro, Jimenez said, she doesn't expect much to change in Venezuela – except maybe the lines at the shops. Maria Azocar, meanwhile, told CNN that “having lived through so much, nothing really worries me anymore.” Rodríguez – who was also minister for both finance and oil – stepped into the role on Saturday afternoon after an order from Venezuela's Supreme Court. Following remarks from US President Donald Trump that Rodriguez would face a worse fate than Maduro if she doesn't “do the right thing,” the acting Venezuelan leader softened her reaction, extending an invitation to the United States government to collaborate on an “agenda of cooperation.” This has always been President Nicolás Maduro's message, and it is a message of all Venezuela right now,” Rodríguez said in comments made directly to the US president. Read more about Delcy Rodríguez and her role in the Venezuelan government. As we reported earlier, ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were transported from the Metropolitan Detention Center to a New York courthouse this morning, They were heavily flanked by armed Drug Enforcement Administration Agents. If you missed it, take a look at photos from their transfer: Colombian President Gustavo Petro has warned that would “take up arms” if the US decides to attack him or his country following a series of threats from President Donald Trump. In a post on X, Petro underlined his efforts to combat drug trafficking, which Trump has criticized, and went on to claim that US military strikes against traffickers in Colombia would risk killing children and driving recruitment for separatist groups that have been in conflict with the state for decades. Petro, a former member of the M19 guerilla group, also said that he would himself fight to defend Colombia. Trump had harsh words for Petro on Sunday, describing him as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long.” When pressed by a reporter if those comments meant there could be an “operation” in Colombia in the future, Trump responded, “sounds good to me.” Speaking to The New York Times on Monday, Colombia's defense minister Pedro Sánchez refused to address Trump's threats, instead emphasizing that the two countries have “a very close relationship.” Sánchez said he remains in communication with US officials, and that possible military strikes on Colombia have not been discussed during recent conversations, the Times reported.

Nicolás Maduro and his wife are set to make his first appearance Monday in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and bringing him to New York. He also commented on the 32 Cuban security officers killed in Venezuela. Protesters gathered outside a courthouse Monday to denounce the U.S. government's moves in Venezuela. An armored vehicle carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrives at Manhattan Federal Court, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro places his hand over his heart while talking to high-ranking officers during a military ceremony on his inauguration day for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 10, 2025. Reward posters are passed out at a gathering celebrating the deposing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Katy, Texas. People protest outside Manhattan Federal Court before the arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. An armored vehicle carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrives at Manhattan Federal Court, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. NEW YORK (AP) — A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself the “president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty on Monday to the federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power. “I was captured,” Maduro said in Spanish as translated by a courtroom reporter before being cut off by the judge. Asked later for his plea to the charges, he stated: "“I'm innocent. I am a decent man, the president of my country.” The courtroom appearance, Maduro's first since he and his wife were seized from their home in a stunning middle-of-the-night military operation, kick-starts the U.S. government's most consequential prosecution in decades of a foreign head of state. The criminal case in Manhattan is unfolding against the diplomatic backdrop of an audacious U.S.-engineered regime change that President Donald Trump has said will enable his administration to “run” the South American country. Maduro, wearing a blue jail uniform, was led into court along with his co-defendant wife just before noon for the brief, but required, legal proceeding. Both put on headsets to hear the English-language proceeding as it is translated into Spanish. The chopper flew across New York harbor and landed at a Manhattan heliport, where Maduro, limping, was loaded into an armored vehicle. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports Maduro's case will revive a legal debate over immunity for foreign leaders tested in Noriega trial. Maduro's 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 Noriega unsuccessfully tried the same defense after the U.S. captured him in a similar military invasion in 1990. But the U.S. doesn't recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate head of state — particularly after a much-disputed 2024 reelection. Venezuela's new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, 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. Before his capture, Maduro and his allies claimed U.S. hostility was motivated by lust for Venezuela's rich oil and mineral resources. The U.S. seized Maduro and his wife in a military operation early 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 Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he's not going to be doing it very long.” Trump has suggested that removing Maduro would enable more oil to flow out of Venezuela, but oil prices rose a bit more than 1% in Monday morning trading to roughly $58 a barrel. There are uncertainties about how fast oil production can be ramped up in Venezuela after years of neglect and needed investments, as well as questions about governance and oversight of the sector. They could face life in prison if convicted. 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. 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.

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. NASA's 15th administrator Jared Isaacman discusses President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at advancing America's space policy on ‘The Will Cain Show.' FIRST ON FOX: Recently confirmed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is moving to demolish several testing facilities in Alabama as the space agency looks to modernize its infrastructure under Isaacman's new leadership. The removal is set to begin Saturday, Jan. 10. "NASA is embarking on an exciting infrastructure modernization effort to prepare for the future of exploration," Isaacman told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The first phase will make way for new facilities by retiring outdated ones, enabling investments in the capabilities needed to deliver on our world-changing mission of science and discovery." Recently confirmed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is moving quickly to modernize the agency, ordering the demolition of historic testing facilities at Marshall Space Flight Center as part of a broader infrastructure overhaul backed by new federal funding. Funding for updated facilities at the Marshall Space Flight Center comes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last July. The Propulsion and Structural Test Facility ("T-Tower") was originally constructed by the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency in 1957 before being given to NASA to test boosters featured on Space Shuttle solid rocket boosters and Saturn launch vehicles. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launch from the Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on March 14, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Dynamic Test Stand was built in 1964 and is used for conducting mechanical and vibrational testing. Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator, was confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 2025. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy served as acting administrator before Isaacman was renominated. Isaacman, a 42-year-old billionaire entrepreneur and space fanatic, founded and served as CEO of Shift4 Payments and his passion for space led him to command the first all-civilian orbital space mission in 2021, and complete the first-ever commercial spacewalk in 2024. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to promote space exploration the day after Isaacman's confirmation. "We will lead humanity back to the moon, and the United States will be the first nation to land an astronaut on Mars," Trump stated. The executive order also calls for Americans' return to the moon by 2028, the deployment of nuclear reactors on the moon and in orbit by 2030, and promoting private sector investment by upgrading launch infrastructure and developing a commercial pathway to replace the International Space Station by 2030. Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. 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.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a letter of censure and moved to demote retired captain and sitting Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) over a video he and other lawmakers made warning service members not to carry out illegal orders. There was a possibility the review could result in Hegseth recalling Kelly to active duty to court-martial him, though he made no mention of it in his Monday announcement. In the video, they specifically reminded service members of their legal obligation not to follow illegal orders, though Hegseth and President Donald Trump have accused them of trying to sow doubts to have service members question their orders. I commanded a space shuttle mission while my wife Gabby recovered from a gunshot wound to the head– all while proudly wearing the American flag on my shoulder,” Kelly said. “Generations of servicemembers have made these same patriotic sacrifices for this country, earning the respect, appreciation, and rank they deserve. Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn't like, they will come after them the same way. “If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country's history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn't get it. I will fight this with everything I've got — not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don't get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government,” he concluded. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) were in the video as well. Article 133 is about “conduct unbecoming an officer,” and Article 144 is more of a broad catch-all of more than 50 unique criminal offenses. Kelly now has 30 days to submit a response. “Almost anything can fall into the nebulous of conduct unbecoming of an officer as long as it's considered something that's bringing dishonor or discredit to the military,” Sean Timmons, the managing partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC with a focus on military law, previously told the Washington Examiner. Hegseth did not specifically mention Article 94 of the UCMJ, which is the statute regarding “sedition,” defined as having the “with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition.”

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. The Democratic Socialists of America, the nation's largest socialist group with ties to left-wing leaders such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, published a lengthy rebuke of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, demanding he and his wife be returned to power as they face criminal charges on U.S. soil. "The Trump Administration has started an illegal war against Venezuela," the DSA published in a rebuke Saturday. "This is a nakedly imperialist war to install a US puppet government that will give Venezuela's oil resources over to US corporations and to force US hegemony over Latin America — the new ‘Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine. President Donald Trump confirmed a successful strike on Venezuela Saturday morning in a military operation that did not kill any U.S. military personnel, did not damage U.S. military equipment, and yielded the arrests of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on sweeping narcotics charges. The dictatorial president of Venezuela, who was first elected in 2013, is accused of working with cartels and narco gangs in South America and Mexico to distribute millions of pounds of cocaine to the U.S. Trump had vowed to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S. while on the campaign trail. When he took office for his second term nearly a year ago, he imposed tariffs on nations such as China over deadly fentanyl or boat strikes in the Carribean targeting suspected drug traffickers from Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro was captured by the U.S. military Jan. 3, 2026. The DSA hit back in its statement, saying, "Trump's war has nothing to do with drug trafficking." "There is no substantiated evidence that high-level members of the Venezuelan government are 'narco-terrorists,'" the DSA wrote. "Yet, the Trump administration is using this claim as the pretext for this illegal war. This is another regime-change war to steal another country's oil, just like the failed war against Iraq, and to crush any resistance to US imperialism. Trump's war will only impoverish the people of Latin America." With capabilities and skills our enemies can scarcely begin to imagine. The DSA is supported by a handful of left-wing politicians and lawmakers. Most recently, longtime DSA member Mamdani rose through the ranks of New York politics and was elected mayor of the Big Apple in the November election. Lawmakers such as New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib are also prominent members of the left-wing group and have received its endorsement in previous elections. Protesters rally outside the White House, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. Maduro and his wife are being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Maduro is expected to be arraigned on Monday afternoon. Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City in November 2025. "I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day," Mamdani said Saturday. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office Monday morning inquiring if Mamdani supports the DSA's rebuke of the operation and list of seven demands, but did not immediately receive a reply. President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. "Nicolas Maduro wasn't just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation. That's why he was indicted in U.S. court nearly six years ago for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posted on X. "I just spoke to @SecRubio, who confirmed that Maduro is in U.S. custody and will face justice for his crimes against our citizens. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. They no longer have the resources that will be provided by Venezuela," Crawford said on Fox News' "The Big Weekend Show." Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., speaks as House Republicans hold a news conference in the Capitol in Washington, May 6, 2025. According to Crawford, Venezuela also benefited from the partnership by receiving medical assistance from Cuba and military protections used by Maduro. President Miguel Díaz-Canel leads Cuba's government — a one-party Communist state that has long been at odds with the United States. The U.S. has an economic embargo on the country, restricting exports to and from Cuba as well as travel restrictions that limit tourism. Those measures have been in place for 63 years. Cubans hold a Venezuelan national flag with a Cuban one during a gathering in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Havana on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured him. Despite those longstanding tensions, Crawford noted that an impulse for change may also come from a cultural closeness between Cuba and the United States on top of the crumbling of its Venezuelan partnerships. "You may very well see a popular uprising there. We have really, for lack of a better term, we have a familial bond with Cuba," Crawford said. "We have so many families in South Florida that are directly connected to family members in Cuba that remittances are a big part of their economy. "We can play an outsize role there in influencing those folks and helping them to organically rise up and help overcome that oppressive regime," Crawford added. Crawford did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the U.S. should also take military action in Havana. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., questions witnesses during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing in Washington, March 26, 2025. "This also plays into what I call the communist triad of the Western hemisphere, that is Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. This probably doesn't bode well for Nicaragua if we're being honest about it. I mean, I'm sure they're watching anxiously, wondering when the next boot is gonna fall and where they'll be in relation to that," Crawford said. He also sent a message to America's larger adversaries who have built relationships with those countries in Latin and South America. "Iran, Russia, China, you're playing in the wrong sandbox," Crawford said. Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. 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.

For decades, the Nordic nation and neighbour to Russia has woven media literacy - including the ability to analyse different kinds of media and recognize disinformation - into its national curriculum, starting from early preschool, at ages 3-4. But experts warn that with the development of artificial intelligence, it could become much more difficult. Ten-year-old fourth grade student Ilo Lindgren works during a media literacy class at Tapanila Primary School in Tapanila, Finland, on Dec. 9, 2025. Tapanila Primary School teacher and vice-principal Ville Vanhanen speaks to the fourth grade students during a media literacy class in Tapanila, Finland, on Dec. 9, 2025. For decades, the Nordic nation has woven media literacy, including the ability to analyze different kinds of media and recognize disinformation, into its national curriculum for students as young as 3 years old. The coursework is part of a robust anti-misinformation program to make Finns more resistant to propaganda and false claims, especially those crossing over the 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with neighboring Russia. Now, teachers are tasked with adding artificial intelligence literacy to their curriculum, especially after Russia stepped up its disinformation campaign across Europe following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. Finland's ascension into NATO in 2023 also provoked Moscow's ire, though Russia has repeatedly denied it interferes in the internal affairs of other countries. “We think that having good media literacy skills is a very big civic skill,” Kiia Hakkala, a pedagogical specialist for the City of Helsinki, told The Associated Press. At Tapanila Primary School, in a quiet neighborhood north of Helsinki, teacher Ville Vanhanen taught a group of fourth graders how to spot fake news. Vanhanen said his students have been learning about fake news and disinformation for years, beginning with reading headlines and short texts. In a recent class, the fourth graders were tasked with coming up with five things to look out for when consuming online news to ensure it's trustworthy. Now they are moving onto AI literacy, which is quickly becoming a vital skill. Finnish media also play a role, organizing an annual “Newspaper Week,” where papers and other news are sent to young people to consume. In 2024, Helsinki-based Helsingin Sanomat collaborated on a new “ABC Book of Media Literacy,” distributed to every 15-year-old in the country as they began upper secondary school. “It's really important for us to be seen as a place where you can get information that's been verified, that you can trust, and that's done by people you know in a transparent way,” Jussi Pullinen, the daily newspaper's managing editor, said. Media literacy has been part of the Finnish educational curriculum since the 1990s, and additional courses are available for older adults who might be especially vulnerable to misinformation. “I don't think we envisioned that the world would look like this,” Finnish Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz said. “It already is much harder in the information space to spot what's real and what's not real,” Martha Turnbull, director of hybrid influence at the Helsinki-based European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, said. She added: “But as that technology develops, and particularly as we move toward things like agentic AI, I think that's when it could become much more difficult for us to spot.”

Scores of foreign nationals who traveled to a remote Indian Ocean island seeking adventure have become stranded there as simmering tensions between warring Yemeni parties and their backers disrupt travel. While CNN cannot independently verify how many tourists are stranded on Socotra Island, it understands them to number scores at least. Known for its unique biodiversity, the island is a classified UNESCO World Heritage Site and has become a regional hub for adventure tourism, especially among expats flying from the nearby United Arab Emirates. Visitors can expect to see dramatic cliffs, pristine white sand beaches and exotic flora like the dragon's blood tree. These dragon's blood trees exist in only one place on Earth. One American citizen in Socotra, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said that while tourists are physically safe, they are unsure when they might be able to return home. “There's a lot (of tourists),” the American tourist said, adding that his group had started making contact with others in neighboring camp sites. Rocky Road Travel, a Berlin-based tourism agency with at least 14 people stuck in Socotra, said it had contacted US embassies in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, as well as multiple European missions in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, for assistance. Tourists on the island told CNN that embassies have been able to provide little help so far. The ongoing conflict means few Western nations have a diplomatic presence in Yemen, with most handling its concerns from nearby capitals. Saudi Arabia's dispute with the UAE exposes a deeper regional power struggle CNN has reached out to the UAE and Saudi Arabian foreign ministries, as well as the US embassy in Riyadh, under which Yemen falls, for comment. Gerrit van Wijngaarden, a Dutch-Polish national who is in Socotra with his wife, their three children and a grandchild, had planned to stay on the island for a week, but has been there for 11 days, he said. There are a lot of people on this island at the moment,” he told CNN, adding that embassies “unfortunately they cannot do anything because they don't have any offices in Yemen.” Van Wijngaarden said there are up to 100 Polish tourists on the island. The Polish embassy in Saudi Arabia, which handles the concerns of Polish citizens in Yemen, has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment. Socotra island has been controlled by Yemen's UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) since 2020. A regional feud then erupted into public view, as Saudi Arabia bombed the war-torn country's port city of Mukalla following accusations that two ships from the UAE had delivered weapons and combat vehicles to the separatist forces. Two of the Middle East's most powerful countries are facing off in Yemen. Flights are expected to resume this week, but it remains unclear when. For now, scores of visitors are waiting to return home. There's no shortage of food or other supplies, they say, but the situation is still frustrating. “We hope that somebody is doing something,” van Wijngaarden said.

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. Cuba acknowledged that 32 of its citizens — described by the government as members of the island's armed forces and intelligence services — were killed during the U.S. operation that seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, declaring two days of national mourning in their honor. Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan political analyst, said Cuba's intelligence role was critical to the consolidation of power first under Hugo Chávez and later under Maduro. "Experts usually link Cuba as the most important intelligence provider of Venezuela. This includes issues like running elections, building diplomatic leverage with other countries and keeping the security forces in check, among others," he told Fox News Digital. Cubans hold a Venezuelan national flag with a Cuban one during a gathering in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Havana on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured him. President Donald Trump said Saturday that U.S. forces had captured Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas and other cities in a dramatic climax to a monthslong standoff between Trump and his Venezuelan arch-foe. Jraissati said any transition in Venezuela "would require the American government, in partnership with the Venezuelan people, to work together on minimizing the Cubans' influence over Venezuela's state apparatus and society at large." A Reuters investigation published in August 2019 found that two confidential agreements signed in 2008 granted Cuba sweeping access to Venezuela's armed forces and intelligence services. Under those agreements, Cuban officials were authorized to train Venezuelan troops, restructure intelligence agencies and help build an internal surveillance system focused on monitoring Venezuela's own military, according to the report. Those arrangements played a central role in transforming Venezuela's military counterintelligence agency — the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) — into a force designed to detect dissent, instill fear within the ranks and ensure loyalty to the government, the investigation found. Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, right, greets Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba's president, during the 23rd States of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) Summit at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The findings were later echoed by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, which said it reviewed a 2008 memorandum of understanding between Cuba and Venezuela. Former Venezuelan officials cited by Havana Times and El Toque have described Cuban advisers embedded across some of the country's most sensitive institutions, including the civilian intelligence service SEBIN, DGCIM, the defense ministry, ports and airports, and Venezuela's national identification system. Human rights organizations and international investigators say those structures were central to the government's response to mass protests in 2014 and 2017, when Venezuelan security forces carried out widespread arrests and deadly crackdowns on demonstrators. The U.N. fact-finding mission documented patterns of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention and torture, and reported that Cuban advisers helped train Venezuelan personnel in methods used to track, interrogate and repress political opponents. Experts say Cuba's admission that its military and intelligence personnel were killed during a U.S. operation inside Venezuela has sharpened focus on the alliance's true depth, turning years of documentation into an immediate geopolitical issue. Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter. 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.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon is taking administrative action to punish Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, by moving to cut his retirement pay for participating in a video where he and other Democratic lawmakers reminded US service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth said in a post on X that the US military has initiated proceedings to reduce the amount of retirement pay Kelly receives and has issued a secretarial letter of censure, which would stand as a written reprimand but have no practical consequences for the Arizona Democrat. “In response to Senator Mark Kelly's seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret),” Hegseth posted on X. “The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. Kelly responded later Monday morning, saying he wouldn't be intimidated and intended to fight the action. “If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country's history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn't get it. I will fight this with everything I've got — not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don't get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government,” he said in a post on X. It also describes Kelly's “pattern” of alleged misconduct that represents a serious “breach” of standards for a retired military officer. This pattern demonstrates that you were not providing abstract legal education about the duty to refuse patently illegal orders. “For the reasons stated above, I hereby formally CENSURE you for conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline in the armed forces and conduct unbecoming an officer.” Behind closed doors, Hegseth has been weighing his options to punish Kelly for participating in the video, ranging from reducing the retired US Navy captain's rank and pension to prosecuting him under military law, CNN has reported. In the video that triggered the Trump administration's calls for consequences, six Democratic lawmakers said that “threats to our Constitution” are coming “from right here at home,” and repeatedly urged the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said last month it's not appropriate for the military to try to punish Kelly. Asked by CNN if it's appropriate to do so, Wicker shook his head. In November, Hegseth requested advice from the Navy secretary, who oversees the military branch Kelly served in for more than two decades, on how to proceed to potentially punish him for participating in the video, which Hegseth has claimed amounted to serious violations of the military's code of justice.

Since the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces at the weekend, US President Donald Trump and members of his administration have issued warnings to several other countries and territories – including Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Iran and Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Trump said Sunday: “We are in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful and where the oil is allowed to freely come out.” “American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again,” Trump said. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Responding to Trump's latest comments, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said Monday that “the current and repeated rhetoric coming from the United States is entirely unacceptable. When the President of the United States speaks of ‘needing Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland — a huge, resource-rich 836,000 square miles (2,166,000 square kilometer) island in the Atlantic and self-governing territory of Denmark — claiming that this is needed for American security purposes. Trump had harsh words for Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday, describing him as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long.” When pressed by a reporter if those comments meant there could be an “operation” in Colombia in the future, Trump responded, “sounds good to me.” Petro defended his government's track record on combatting drug trafficking in a near 700-word post on X, including what he described as “the largest cocaine seizure in the world's history.” Petro said he has ordered targeted bombings against drug-linked armed groups while adhering to humanitarian law. Petro, a former member of the M19 guerilla group, said later Monday that he would himself fight to defend Colombia. “I don't think we need any action,” Trump said. “I don't know if they're going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income,” he added. But his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, called the Cuban government “a huge problem.” “I think they're in a lot of trouble, yes,” Rubio told NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday. At a rally Saturday in front of the US Embassy in Havana, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel promised not to let the Cuba-Venezuela alliance go down without a fight. Trump has frequently accused Mexico of not doing enough to clamp down on drug cartels. In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said he had asked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum if she wanted the US military's help in rooting out drug cartels. “Mexico reaffirms a principle that is neither new nor open to ambiguity: We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.” Responding to Trump's accusations that Mexico has not done enough to combat drug trafficking cartels, Sheinbaum asserted: “Mexico cooperates with the United States, including for humanitarian reasons, to prevent fentanyl and other drugs from reaching its population, especially young people.” Again rejecting the notion of US military action on Mexican soil, Sheinbaum said she did not think an invasion of Mexico was something the US was taking seriously. Trump also repeated his warning to Iran, where anti-government protests are into their second week. One Iranian human rights group estimated Sunday that 16 people had been killed in the protests so far. At the end of last month, Trump warned Iran against any attempt to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The attack ended what had been a stuttering process of bilateral US-Iran talks designed to rein in its nuclear program.

President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that U.S. officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week. President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Palm Beach International Airport, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that U.S. officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin's state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defense systems were able to defeat. Lavrov also criticized Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war. The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had traveled to Florida for talks with Trump on the U.S. administration's still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. Trump said that “something happened nearby” Putin's residence but that Americans officials didn't find the Russian president's residence was targeted. “I don't believe that strike happened,” Trump told reporters as he traveled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida. He told reporters last Monday that Putin had also raised the matter during a phone he had with the Russian leader earlier that day. And Trump said he was “very angry” about the accusation. By Wednesday, Trump appeared to be downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a link to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubt about the Russian allegation. The editorial lambasted Putin for choosing “lies, hatred, and death” at a moment that Trump has claimed is “closer than ever before” to moving the two sides to a deal to end the war. The U.S. president has struggled to fulfill a pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine and has shown irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin as he tried to mediate an end to a conflict he boasted on the campaign trail that he could end in one day. But Putin has shown little interest in ending the war until all of Russia's objectives are met, including winning control of all Ukrainian territory in the key industrial Donbas region and imposing severe restrictions on the size of Ukraine's post-war military and the type of weaponry it can possess.

The Justice Department has requested a weeklong delay in returning a group of Venezuelan nationals deported under the Alien Enemies Act to the United States, citing the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela. Defendants for the Trump administration have been facing a Monday deadline imposed by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to either “facilitate the return” of the Venezuelan nationals to the U.S. or “otherwise provide them with hearings that satisfy the requirements of due process.” The Venezuelans in question were deported in March 2025 to a megaprison in El Salvador due to their alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, before being transferred to Venezuela under a prisoner exchange. In a last-minute plea on Sunday night, DOJ lawyers said the extension is necessary because the military operation over the weekend has led to “substantial changes” in the country, most notably the arrest of now-former President Nicolas Maduro. “Over the weekend, the United States apprehended Nicolas Maduro,” the one-page court filing reads. “As a result, the situation on the ground in Venezuela has changed dramatically. Defendants thus need additional time to determine the feasibility of various proposals. Defendants therefore request a 7-day extension to evaluate and determine what remedies are possible.” Boasberg has yet to respond to the request, though the toppling of Maduro's government has added a wrinkle to the case that now threatens to drag on even further. VENEZUELANS POUR INTO STREETS TO CELEBRATE MADURO'S FALL Maduro, who is now detained in New York City and will appear in court on Monday, was sympathetic toward the alleged gang members' detention in El Salvador, previously referring to them as “kidnapped brothers” and demanding their return to Venezuela. With Maduro gone and many of the former detainees since released into the country after the prisoner swap, it is unclear where they are or what their status would now be.