International News Briefs for Tuesday, January 6, 2026
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores Plead “Not Guilty” to Drug and Weapons Charges in U.S. Court
Jan 06, 2026
Venezuela’s deposed President Nicolás Maduro appeared in a federal court in Manhattan Monday, where he pleaded “not guilty” to four criminal counts, including “narcoterrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. If convicted, each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. During his arraignment, Maduro declared, “I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I remain the president of my country.” In charging documents, prosecutors abandoned the Justice Department’s prior claim that Maduro is head of a drug cartel called Cartel de los Soles. In fact, no such organization exists; it’s a Venezuelan slang term dating to the 1990s referring to public officials who are corrupted by drug money.
Meanwhile, Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded “not guilty” to the three criminal counts she faces. Flores appeared with bandages on her temple and forehead; her lawyer says she suffered significant injuries, including a possible rib fracture, as she was abducted by a U.S. Army Delta Force team in a predawn raid on the presidential residence in Caracas early on Saturday. Venezuelan officials say the U.S. assault caused at least 80 deaths.
Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodríguez Sworn In as Interim President
Jan 06, 2026
In Caracas, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was formally sworn in as interim president on Monday. On Saturday, Rodríguez was initially defiant in her condemnation of the Trump administration’s assault, calling it “barbaric” and a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, but during a Cabinet meeting Monday, Rodríguez continued with a more conciliatory tone, saying her government would engage in some cooperation with the U.S. This comes after President Trump threatened her in an interview with The Atlantic, saying, “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
U.S. Assault on Venezuela Condemned by Allies and Adversaries Alike at U.N. Security Council
Jan 06, 2026
The United States faced widespread condemnation from members of the United Nations Security Council who convened an emergency session in New York Monday to discuss the U.S. attack on Venezuela. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told ambassadors there must be respect for national sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity, after warning the U.S. had set a “dangerous precedent” for the world order. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz defended the Trump administration’s actions as a legitimate “law enforcement operation.” Condemning the attacks as a violation of the U.N. Charter were Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Spain. This is Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada.
Samuel M
çoncada: “Allowing such acts to go without an effective answer would amount to normalizing the replacement of law by might, while eroding the very foundations of the collective security system. Today, it is not only the sovereignty of Venezuela at stake. At stake is the credibility of international law, as is the authority of this organization, as well as the principle that no state can appoint itself as judge and enforcer of the world order.”
Grand Rapids Police Arrest Protest Antiwar Organizer on TV After She Condemns Trump
Jan 06, 2026
Demonstrators rallied outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan where Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were being arraigned Monday, protesting both for and against his detention by the United States. The protests were among dozens held around the U.S. since Maduro’s abduction. In Michigan, antiwar demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday afternoon. Protest organizer Jessica Plichta spoke with local ABC affiliate WZZM.
Jessica Plichta: “We want to stop war with Venezuela. We want to end all U.S. wars. We don’t want boots on the ground in Venezuela. We don’t want to fight Venezuela for oil. We don’t want our friends and families to be sent to Venezuela and be killed for oil.”
As Plichta concluded her interview, two police officers appeared behind her on camera and arrested her. She’s been charged with obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command from an officer during the protest.
WSJ: Trump Tipped Off Oil Executives a Month Before U.S. Attack on Venezuela
Jan 06, 2026
President Trump tipped off oil executives roughly a month before the U.S. kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump said that he’d spoken to oil executives before and after the U.S. attack on Venezuela, while neglecting to inform Congress. Paul Singer, a billionaire who is a top donor to President Trump, is set to profit immensely since his investment firm purchased Citgo, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, for $5.9 billion. The Venezuelan government estimates Citgo’s value at $18 billion.
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Says She Plans to Return to Venezuela
Jan 06, 2026
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Monday she plans to return to Venezuela as soon as possible. Machado made the comment in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, where she heaped praise on President Trump, offering to share her Nobel Peace Prize with him. Her comments came after Trump dismissed the idea of installing her as Venezuela’s leader, saying, “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” The Washington Post reports Trump’s refusal to support Machado stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. One source told The Washington Post, “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is set to debate a war powers resolution Thursday that would bar U.S. military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
Danish Prime Minister Warns U.S. Attack on Greenland Would Mean the End of NATO
Jan 06, 2026
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that if the United States were to try to take over Greenland, it would spell the end of NATO. Frederiksen told the Danish state broadcaster, “If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops.” Her comments come as President Trump has repeatedly threatened to use military force to take over the autonomous Danish territory, telling reporters on Sunday, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen posted on social media, “Our country is not an object in the rhetoric of a superpower. We are a people. A country. A democracy. That must be respected. Especially by close and loyal friends.” Speaking to CNN, U.S. homeland security adviser Stephen Miller asserted that the U.S. has the right to take over Greenland.
Stephen Miller: “The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States. There is no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you’re asking of a military operation. Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”
Israel Launches Airstrikes in Lebanon, Claiming to Target Hezbollah and Hamas
Jan 06, 2026
Israel launched airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah and Hamas infrastructure. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said a drone strike on a car in the south of Lebanon on Monday wounded two people. Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel back in 2024.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli forces hit a tent housing displaced people in the Mawasi area northwest of Khan Younis, killing a 5-year-old girl and her uncle and wounding two other children. Israeli forces also shot a child in the head in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, close to the yellow line that separates Israeli-controlled areas from the rest of Gaza.
U.S. Drops the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Every Child
Jan 06, 2026
The U.S. has dropped the number of vaccines it recommends for every child, going from 17 to 11 routine vaccines. Vaccines like flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, RSV and some meningitis shots are no longer broadly recommended for all kids. Instead, those vaccines are only recommended for certain groups deemed high-risk. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project said, “Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children.” Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who voted for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary, sharply criticized the new vaccine schedule, saying it’s based on “no scientific input.” It comes as new U.S. flu cases surged over the holidays, already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, which was one of the harshest in recent years. The CDC estimates at least 11 million flu illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths this season.
Democrats Demand Speaker Johnson Unveil a Plaque Honoring Police Officers from Jan. 6 Insurrection
Jan 06, 2026
Democratic lawmakers are demanding House Speaker Mike Johnson unveil a plaque honoring police officers who defended the Capitol from a violent mob seeking to overturn the 2020 election five years ago today, on January 6, 2021. The plaque was commissioned by Congress in 2022 and was required, by law, to be installed by March 2023. But it remains in a Capitol basement utility room as Republican leaders continue to block its display.
Ahead of today’s anniversary, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released two new reports on the aftermath of the January 6 attack. They found at least 33 pardoned January 6 defendants have since been charged, arrested or convicted of new crimes. Congressmember Jamie Raskin said the pardons had created a “private militia of proven street fighters” that represent “a nightmare for American public safety.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth Censures Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly
Jan 06, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has formally censured Democratic senator and Navy veteran Mark Kelly over a video in which Kelly, along with five other Democratic lawmakers, urged service members to refuse unlawful orders. At the time, President Trump had called for the Democrats to be put to death. The Pentagon is now starting administrative steps to reduce Kelly’s rank, citing what it calls “reckless misconduct.” This would affect Kelly’s status as a retired Navy captain and cut his military pension. Senator Kelly blasted Secretary Hegseth, saying, “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.”
Trump Admin Deploys 2,000 ICE Agents to Minneapolis to Probe Alleged Cases of Fraud
Jan 06, 2026
Image Credit: X/@KristiNoem
The Trump administration has deployed 2,000 ICE agents to Minneapolis to probe alleged cases of fraud at child care facilities. U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has overseen controversial immigration roundups in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans, is expected to arrive in Minnesota. It comes as federal health officials announced they were freezing funding under the Child Care Assistance Program to all states. Meanwhile, Democratic Governor Tim Walz announced Monday he’s dropping his bid for a third term as governor in order to focus on rooting out fraud in Minnesota’s public assistance and social services programs.
Gov. Tim Walz: “Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest 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 want to prey on our differences. So I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.”