Hello readers. Kathryn Palmer here. I'm working circulation back into my fingers by typing this newsletter after spending the last few hours outside a federal courthouse in Manhattan. Details on that, and other top political stories of the day, below. |
'I am innocent': Maduro appears in U.S. court |
Hundreds of protesters, members of the public and many, many members of the media (like myself) converged in lower Manhattan today to see Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appear in U.S. court for the first time since their dramatic Jan. 3 capture. The pair pleaded "not guilty" in federal court to U.S. drug trafficking charges. "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country," Maduro said through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. The two will remain in custody in the infamous Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center until at least their next court appearance, slated for March 17. |
Scenes from outside the federal building included opposing demonstrations, with some voicing support for Maduro and many others who bundled up in the freezing weather to applaud his arrest. Amid significant crowds and a large NYPD presence, a few vendors sold small Venezuelan flags, while a newly married couple posed for photos on the steps of another courthouse a few feet away. Read more about how Maduro's first court appearance unfolded here. | Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, Jan. 5, 2026. Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS |
Will the government shut down again? |
Top lawmakers in Congress released three bipartisan spending bills today that they hope will pass before the end of the month to avoid another government shutdown before a Jan. 30 deadline. The bipartisan bills would reverse Trump administration funding cuts to agencies like the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service. They also include language to assert more forcefully the spending authority of Congress amid recent attempts by the White House to override lawmakers' allocations. But even if lawmakers fail to pass additional appropriations measures by the looming deadline, the government would only partially shut down, as Congress already approved a series of full-year funding measures in November. |
Tim Walz drops out of Minnesota governor's race |
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ended his reelection bid amid mounting pressure over a fraud scandal that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks. The move comes days after a handful of Republican state lawmakers asked Walz to leave office, citing reports from a U.S. attorney that at least half of the $18 billion paid through Minnesota's 14 Medicaid waiver programs since 2018 could be fraudulent, and after Republicans in Congress called on Walz to testify about his failure to address the scandal. Walz is the former vice presidential candidate who ran with Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential campaign. | | Elon Musk posted on social media that he had dinner with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago as the men patched their feud | | An old tweet by former President Joe Biden has put focus on his administration's positions on Venezuela and it's now-deposed leader, Nicolas Maduro. | | | | Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly will seemingly not face a court-martial for his video telling troops they shouldn't obey orders they believe to be illegal. | | | | AI-generated and misleading images are circulating online after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro. See the real photos: | | | | The White House's moves in Venezuela have elevated again concerns in Copenhagen that the same could happen with Greenland, a Danish territory. | | | | | Sign up for the news you want | Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. | | | | | |
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