Up First from NPR - The U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Maduro

The U.S. bombed the Venezuelan capital Caracas and other areas of the country, and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump said Maduro is being flown to the U.S. and Attorney General Pam Bondi says he will be indicted in the Southern District of New York. The events come after months of escalating U.S. pressure, sending troops and warships to the Carribean.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Newshour - US launches strikes on Venezuela and captures president

The United States has captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and launched a “large-scale” strike against the country, according to US President Donald Trump. It follows weeks of heightened tension as the US president ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan leader. We get reaction from the US and wider region.

Also in the programme: the Swedish workers trialling a “friendship hour” to combat loneliness.

(Photo: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds Simon Bolivar’s sword as he addresses members of the armed forces, Bolivarian Militia, police, and civilians during a rally against a possible escalation of US actions toward the country, at Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, Venezuela, November 25, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo)

Global News Podcast - President Trump says US captures Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country", writes President Trump on his Truth Social website. Venezuela has declared a national emergency and says military personnel and civilians were killed in the attacks. Caracas has demanded proof that Mr Maduro and the Venezuelan first lady are alive. The US attorney-general, Pamela Bondi, says the couple will stand trial on charges of drug trafficking and terrorism, and will soon face "the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts".

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

WSJ What’s News - What’s News in Markets: Silver’s Slide, Travel Chaos, Tesla Tanks

Why did precious metals lose their sheen? And how much did holiday snowstorms hit airline stocks? Plus, how is BYD shaking up the EV race? Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them.


Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ Your Money Briefing - What’s News in Markets: Silver’s Slide, Travel Chaos, Tesla Tanks

Why did precious metals lose their sheen? And how much did holiday snowstorms hit airline stocks? Plus, how is BYD shaking up the EV race? Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them.


Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - The Fast Track To Autocracy

In a special new year retrospective, Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick revisits an important episode from early 2025. Back at the beginning of February, Kim Lane Scheppele, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International affairs at Princeton University, pointed to  the speed and viciousness of the very opening legal gambits in Trump 2.0 as evidence that America had already switched over to the fast track for autocracy on January 20th, 2025. An expert in the law of autocracy, Scheppele has seen firsthand what happened to constitutional courts, the media, the academy and the democratic norms that protected them in Russia and Hungary. In this interview, Scheppelle explains how Trump’s executive orders on everything from government funding to transgender people in the military reveal a familiar global playbook that has chillingly familiar endpoints. 


Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More or Less - Numbers of the year 2026

From record-breaking passenger numbers, to some more record-breaking numbers - courtesy of the Men’s football World Cup. We look forward to what 2026 might have in store for us - numerically of course.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Katie Solleveld Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Mix: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Vadon