First Thing: Nicolás Maduro to appear in New York court on drugs and weapons charges

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Good morning.

Nicolás Maduro, nan deposed Venezuelan president, is expected to look successful Manhattan national tribunal connected Monday afternoon connected narcotics and weapons charges aft US typical forces seized him successful a shocking ambush astatine nan weekend.

Maduro and nan first lady, Cilia Flores, were captured connected Saturday during an battle connected Caracas that reportedly near 40 group dead. Donald Trump later said nan US would “run” nan South American state of 30 cardinal people.

US officials warned of further subject involution if nan acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, did not meet their demands. Although Rodríguez initially condemned Maduro’s seizure arsenic an “atrocity”, she had by Sunday called for a “balanced and respectful” narration pinch nan US.

The New York Times reported that Trump management officials had, respective weeks earlier, identified Rodríguez arsenic a imaginable successor to Maduro, partially because of her ties to Wall Street and nan lipid industry.

  • What is nan guidance successful Caracas? While immoderate quietly rejoiced astatine Maduro’s demise, nan traumatic night-time battle connected nan metropolis prompted stockpiling, uncertainty and fear.

Trump has near nan US little prepared for earthy disasters, experts warn

Smoke and flames engulf a location and a biker rides past
The Eaton occurrence successful nan Altadena area of Los Angeles county, California, connected 8 January 2025. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Trump has dangerously weakened nan US’s expertise to prepare for and respond to earthy disasters, emergency guidance experts person warned.

In 2025, his management moved aggressively against ambiance subject that produced state-of-the-art upwind forecasts and slashed support for frontline national agencies specified arsenic nan Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).

The dismantling of ambiance subject and emergency guidance services comes arsenic harm from utmost upwind surpassed $101bn successful nan first half of 2025, according to Dr Adam Smith, who tracked nan information until nan national database that recorded it was scrapped successful May. “That costs is by acold nan astir costly first half of immoderate twelvemonth connected grounds making love backmost to 1980,” he said.

  • What’s nan world effect of Trump’s slashing of ambiance science? It’s substantial. Scientists and forecasters astir nan world dangle connected US satellites and studies to way utmost upwind successful Europe, scheme disaster responses successful nan Caribbean and show deforestation successful nan Amazon.

Final 16 victims of Crans-Montana occurrence identified, constabulary say

People stitchery astatine nan makeshift memorial adjacent Le Constellation bar.
People stitchery astatine nan makeshift memorial adjacent Le Constellation bar. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/AP

Investigators have identified nan remaining 16 group who died successful nan New Year’s Eve barroom occurrence astatine nan Swiss upland edifice of Crans-Montana, constabulary person said.

Hundreds of group joined a silent convoy done nan municipality connected Sunday to grant nan 40 victims of 1 of nan worst disasters successful caller Swiss history. Switzerland will clasp a nationalist time of mourning connected Friday.

The last 16 victims are 2 Swiss girls, some 15; a 22-year-old Swiss woman, a 24-year-old female pinch Swiss and French nationality; 2 Italian girls, 16 and 15; a 16-year-old Italian boy, a 22-year-old Portuguese woman; a 17-year-old Belgian girl; 2 French women, 33 and 26; 2 French men, 23 and 20; 2 French teenage boys, 17 and 14; and a 15-year-old woman pinch French, British, and Israeli nationalities, according to nan police. A full of 119 group were injured successful nan fire.

  • How did nan occurrence begin? Investigators judge nan blaze was started erstwhile sparkling candles were held excessively adjacent to nan ceiling of nan venue’s basement, according to nan region’s main prosecutor. Two group who ran nan barroom are nether criminal investigation.

In different news …

Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks into a microphone
Robert F Kennedy Jr has made respective arguable decisions during his tenure arsenic US wellness secretary. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
  • Canadian officials person said US wellness institutions tin nary longer beryllium relied connected for meticulous information, as fears turn that misinformation from nan Trump administration is eroding Canadians’ assurance successful vaccines.

  • Denmark’s premier curate has said nan US “has nary right” to annex Greenland aft Trump said nan state “absolutely” needs nan territory.

  • The character Evangeline Lilly has said that she has sustained encephalon damage aft fainting and hitting her caput in a fall.

Stat of nan day: 31 group died successful ICE custody successful 2025, nan deadliest twelvemonth successful decades

Images of those who died successful ICE custody successful 2025.
Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images

Thirty-one group died successful nan custody of 2025 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successful 2025 – nan highest level successful decades, arsenic nan Trump management detained a grounds number of people. They died of seizure and bosom failure, stroke, respiratory failure, tuberculosis aliases suicide, while quality authorities advocates, migration lawyers and lawmakers person reported inadequate conditions, nutrient and aesculapian attraction conditions successful progressively crowded detention facilities. Here are immoderate of their stories.

Building power: Gun-safety advocates are riding a ‘seismic’ activity to US legislatures

Shaundelle Brooks adjacent nan authorities capitol successful Nashville, Tennessee, connected 7 February 2024.
Shaundelle Brooks adjacent nan authorities capitol successful Nashville, Tennessee, connected 7 February 2024. Photograph: Seth Herald/Reuters

A increasing gun-safety movment has become a pipeline for caller candidates moving for nationalist office crossed nan US. Some are entering authorities aft taking portion successful nan March for Our Lives student protests, while others became advocates aft losing loved ones to weapon violence. It is simply a acold outcry from nan business 15 years ago, erstwhile calling for firearms regulations could extremity governmental aspirations, says Shannon Watts, a violence-prevention activistic and laminitis of Moms Demand Action.

Don’t miss this: How cowboy poesy is lassoing a caller generation

Zane York, a co-founder of Cowboy Poetry LA, astatine nan Eastwood barroom successful Koreatown, Los Angeles, connected 20 November.
Zane York, a co-founder of Cowboy Poetry LA, astatine nan Eastwood barroom successful Koreatown, Los Angeles, connected 20 November. Photograph: Adali Schell/The Guardian

Cowboy poesy – an creation shape that dates to nan 1870s, erstwhile men would speech stories and songs during agelong cattle drives from Texas – is enjoying a revival. As a activity of workshops pull a younger and much divers audience, the writer Renée Reizman went to an arena successful Los Angeles to research nan history of nan shape and why it is resonating pinch a caller procreation of poets.

Climate check: Flooding forces hundreds to fly bum shelter successful San Diego

A flooded road
A powerful rainstorm struck San Diego connected Christmas Eve, turning vacation recreation into scenes of disruption. Photograph: Michael Ho Wai Lee/Sopa/Shutterstock

For nan 3rd clip successful 7 years, flooding forced hundreds of people to evacuate a bum shelter successful San Diego aft a large wind dumped a month’s worthy of rainfall past week. Such utmost upwind events are expected to go much predominant arsenic a consequence of nan ambiance crisis, pinch group experiencing homelessness among those astir severely affected.

Last Thing: ‘I ran 1,400 miles astir Ireland’

A man successful sorts moving done a melodramatic scenery past unfastened water
Adharanand Finn moving by nan Cliffs of Moher successful County Clare. Photograph: Marietta d’Erlanger

The Guardian’s Adharanand Finn, a seasoned long-distance runner, had visited Ireland galore times to spot relatives but ne'er knew nan state well. Then, astatine 50, he took connected a herculean challenge: to tally astir nan full country. It took him 10 weeks, and he received a lukewarm invited on nan way: “Often, group would travel retired to tally pinch me. Those were nan easiest days, erstwhile nan miles would gaffe by unnoticed, for illustration h2o nether a boat, nan chat being nan upwind successful our sails.”

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Source theguardian.com
theguardian.com