KFAV

Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking, weapons, and narco-terrorism charges during their first appearance in a Manhattan federal courtroom, days after being seized by U.S. forces and flown to New York. Outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, groups of protesters gathered, with some calling for Maduro’s release and others backing the U.S. operation that led to his arrest.

Maduro and Flores appeared before U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in lower Manhattan and remain detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Their next court date is scheduled for March 17. Neither Maduro nor Flores sought bail, though the judge said he would consider an application at a later stage.

Maduro, appearing in shackles and orange jail slippers, told the court through an interpreter, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.” Maduro also said, “I am the president of Venezuela,” and said he was captured at his home in Caracas before the judge cut him off, noting there would be time later to challenge the legality of his detention.  Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, said the defense intends to raise questions about the operation that led to his client’s arrest, citing “issues about the legality of his military abduction,” and signaled a potential argument that Maduro is entitled to immunity as a head of state. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

Seated beside her lawyer Mark Donnelly, Flores identified herself, stating: “I am Cilia Flores. I am first lady of the Republic of Venezuela,” before the judge reminded her the hearing was limited to identity and rights. When asked how she pleaded to the charges, she responded, “Not guilty — completely innocent.” Donnelly told the court that Flores was injured during the military operation that led to their capture, saying she suffered “significant injuries” and may have fractured ribs or severe bruising. A visible bruise was seen on her head. The judge said both defendants would receive medical care.

Both defendants wore headphones to follow the proceedings through a court interpreter. Maduro took notes throughout the hearing and asked the judge for permission to keep them. At the end of the session, Judge Hellerstein advised the pair of their right to contact Venezuelan consular officials, which Maduro said they wished to do. As Maduro was escorted out of the courtroom, a person in the gallery shouted in Spanish, “You will pay in the name of Venezuela.” Maduro replied, also in Spanish, “I am the elected president. I am a prisoner of war. I will be free.”

Maduro and Flores are among six defendants, which include Maduro’s son and senior Venezuelan officials, named in a four-count superseding indictment unsealed Saturday. Prosecutors allege Maduro led a 25-year conspiracy involving violent drug traffickers, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang, using state power to facilitate cocaine shipments into the United States. The indictment states “this cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect and transport tons of cocaine to the United States.”

President Donald Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” in which Maduro and Flores were “captured and flown out of the Country.” Trump said the operation was conducted alongside U.S. law enforcement, with military support that included elite forces. Trump has since said the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela for an unspecified period. In Venezuela, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim leader following what the country’s Supreme Court called Maduro’s “kidnapping.” Rodríguez initially demanded Maduro’s return, then later called for cooperation with Washington “within the framework of international law.”

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On Monday, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a sweeping revision to the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule, reducing the number of vaccines routinely recommended for all children and shifting several shots to a more selective approach.

The updated guidance, which takes effect immediately, now advises immunization against 11 diseases for most children, down from as many as 18 under the previous schedule. Federal health officials say the changes are intended to rebuild public confidence in vaccination following declines in routine immunization during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  According to the scientific assessment that informed the decision, “the loss of trust during the pandemic not only affected the COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It also contributed to less adherence to the full CDC childhood immunization schedule, with lower rates of consensus vaccines such as measles, rubella, pertussis, and polio.”

The childhood vaccine schedule is not a federal mandate but serves as a framework for insurance coverage and school and daycare requirements, which are set by states. Traditionally reviewed annually by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the panel was reconstituted last year after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed its prior members.  Under the revised schedule, the CDC continues to universally recommend vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella; polio; diphtheria; tetanus; whooping cough; Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib); pneumococcal disease; human papillomavirus (HPV); and chickenpox.  Other vaccines will now be limited to children considered at higher risk or offered through “shared clinical decision-making,” a process that requires parents and clinicians to weigh benefits and risks together. Vaccines restricted to high-risk groups include those for RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and two forms of bacterial meningitis. Flu, COVID-19, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccines fall under shared decision-making for otherwise healthy children.

The overhaul comes amid an active flu season, during which the CDC has reported nine pediatric deaths so far. While officials stressed that vaccines remain accessible, parents may now face additional steps, including doctor consultations, when seeking immunizations no longer routinely advised for all children.

Health officials emphasized that no vaccines have been declared unsafe or discouraged outright. All previously recommended vaccines remain available and fully covered by Affordable Care Act plans and federal programs, including Medicaid, CHIP and the Vaccines for Children initiative. Senior officials at the HHS said the revised schedule more closely resembles approaches used in countries such as Denmark, which does not routinely recommend childhood vaccination for illnesses like flu, COVID-19, RSV, rotavirus, hepatitis A or meningitis. Some vaccines are also administered on different timelines overseas. The assessment compared the U.S. schedule with those of 20 other developed nations and concluded that the United States was a “global outlier” in both the number of diseases targeted and total doses recommended.

HHS Secretary Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, praised the move, saying it “protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health. After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics has disputed claims that the U.S. schedule had been excessive, noting on its website: “The truth is that while vaccine guidance is largely similar across developed countries, it may differ by country due to different disease threats, population demographics, health systems, costs, government structures, vaccine availability, and programs for vaccine delivery.”

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Ouster Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Manhattan federal court following a dramatic U.S. operation that resulted in his capture and transfer to the United States, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.  Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as they prepare to face a sweeping federal indictment accusing them of leading a decades-long narco-terrorism operation.

A federal indictment unsealed Saturday accuses Maduro of being “at the forefront” of a narco-terrorism conspiracy that allegedly imported massive quantities of cocaine into the United States over roughly 25 years. Prosecutors say the scheme relied on cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations and enriched Maduro, members of his inner circle, and his family. The indictment names Flores and Maduro’s son among six defendants charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” citing charges that have been pending in New York for years and that Maduro has repeatedly denied.

As previously reported, Trump announced on Saturday that the United States had “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela,” adding that Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country.” The announcement came hours after explosions were reported in Caracas, with images circulating online showing smoke plumes and a large fireball lighting up the night sky.  U.S. officials say the operation was carried out by the Army’s elite Delta Force, following months of military positioning in the region that included the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford and other naval assets to the Caribbean. The mission reportedly followed intelligence gathered by the CIA, which had a covert team on the ground tracking Maduro’s movements.

Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago that the U.S. would temporarily oversee Venezuela during a transition period, stating the country would be “run” for an unspecified time while oil production is restored. He said American officials would work alongside local teams because there was “nobody to take over. We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money, use that money in Venezuela, and the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela.”  Trump also suggested U.S. troops could remain involved, saying, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” and warned that a second, larger wave of attacks could follow if necessary.

Trump later said that U.S. forces breached reinforced structures in seconds and prevented Maduro from reaching a fortified safe area. Trump said Maduro attempted to flee but was quickly overtaken, claiming he had previously offered the Venezuelan leader chances to surrender. According to Trump, the military even built a replica of Maduro’s residence to rehearse the mission. Maduro was flown by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima before being transported to New York.

Following Maduro’s removal, Venezuela’s military announced it recognizes Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the move followed a Supreme Court ruling appointing Rodríguez to lead the country for 90 days. Rodríguez, who has served as vice president since 2018, has overseen much of Venezuela’s oil sector and intelligence apparatus.

The arrest follows the Trump administration’s unprecedented move last November to designate Maduro as the leader of a foreign terrorist organization, placing him on the same list as groups such as al-Qaeda. Maduro has faced U.S. narcotics-related charges since 2020, when prosecutors accused him and allied officials of running a criminal enterprise that used state resources to fuel the international drug trade. Prosecutors allege the operation was designed to flood the United States with cocaine and undermine public health.

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Swiss authorities have now confirmed the identities of 24 people who died in a devastating fire at a New Year’s Eve celebration in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, as families continue to wait anxiously for news of the remaining victims. The process of identifying the dead has been slow, with authorities stating that the severity of the burns has made visual identification impossible in many cases, requiring DNA analysis.

Police in Valais canton announced that 16 additional victims were identified over the weekend, many of them teenagers. Among the newly confirmed dead are four teenaged Swiss girls, including the youngest victim so far, a 14-year-old. Six Swiss males aged 16 to 31 were also among those identified.

The victims further include two Italian teenagers aged 16, a 16-year-old with Italian-Emirati citizenship, an 18-year-old Romanian, an 18-year-old Turkish national, and a 39-year-old French citizen, the oldest victim identified to date. With these confirmations, fewer than half of the 40 people who died in the blaze remain unidentified.

Hundreds of mourners gathered Sunday for a Mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe in Crans-Montana. Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey told those attending that support had poured in from around the world that “Countless people join us — people whose hearts are broken. Many expressions of sympathy and solidarity reach us. Pope Leo XIV joins in our sorrow. In a moving message, he expresses his compassion and his care for the victims’ families and strengthens the courage of all who are suffering.”

The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday at the Le Constellation bar, where hundreds had gathered to ring in the New Year. Investigators believe the blaze started when sparkler-style “fountain candles” placed on Champagne bottles were raised too close to the ceiling. The ceiling’s soundproofing material is thought to have ignited, allowing flames to spread rapidly through the crowded venue. Video footage from inside the bar shows panic as some patrons tried to put out the fire while others fled.

In addition to the fatalities, 119 people were injured, many with severe burns. Dozens were transferred to specialist burn units across Europe, including hospitals in France, Germany, Italy and Belgium. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said 17 patients have been treated in France alone.

A criminal investigation has been opened into the bar’s two managers. Prosecutors are examining potential charges including negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire through negligence. Investigators are reviewing whether the ceiling materials met safety regulations, whether the use of sparklers was permitted, and what fire safety measures — including extinguishers and emergency exits — were in place.

The tragedy has shaken Switzerland and drawn international sympathy. Swiss President Guy Parmelin expressed his “deepest condolences,” saying, “Behind these numbers are faces, names, families, destinies brutally interrupted,” during a press conference. Swiss authorities have declared a national day of mourning on Jan. 9 as identification efforts continue.

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