Today's Top Stories from NBC News

TUESDAY JANUARY 6, 2026

In today's newsletter: Trump tells NBC News in an exclusive interview that rebuilding Venezuela could come from tapping its oil reserves, the CDC makes a drastic overhaul to the vaccine schedule and a little-known friendship between a Hollywood filmmaker and a man on death row.

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▼ The Lead

Trump insists the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela

(Byline / Source)

The United States is not at war with Venezuela but "at war with people that sell drugs," President Donald Trump said in an exclusive interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker. In a roughly 20-minute interview, Trump discussed his vision for the country's elections and the future of its oil industry. He also identified a group of U.S. officials — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Vice President JD Vance — who will help oversee America's involvement in Venezuela.

But he had a one-word answer for who is ultimately in charge: "Me."

The president shared his outlook for Venezuela hours after captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia, pleaded not guilty in their first court appearance in New York on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.

In Maduro's absence, Delcy Rodrígzuez was sworn in as the country's new president, but it remains unclear how long she will stay in power. Trump has asserted that Venezuela will not have new elections in the next 30 days, saying, "We have to nurse the country back to health."

Trump said he would like to see U.S. oil companies participate in a rapid rebuilding of Venezuela's oil infrastructure, which he estimated could happen in less than 18 months. The country accounts for nearly 19% of the world's oil reserves.

"It'll be a very substantial amount of money" from the oil companies, Trump told NBC News. He suggested that companies would get reimbursed by the U.S. or through oil revenue. However, a history of state asset seizures and ongoing U.S. sanctions has made some oil companies skeptical about expanding or investing in the country.

Read the full story and follow live updates.

More Venezuela news:

European NATO allies warned the United States that they would "not stop defending" the values of sovereignty and territorial integrity following President Donald Trump's threats against the Danish island of Greenland.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stepped into his fourth — and potentially riskiest — role in the Trump administration: overseeing the transition to a post-Maduro Venezuela.

A mysterious online bettor made more than $400,000 by correctly predicting the U.S. would invade Venezuela and topple Maduro.

Maduro's lawyer is a 30-year veteran who is no stranger to complex cases at the intersection of geopolitics and the law.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stands by the capture of Maduro and said the U.S "didn't do anything that violates international law."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced unprecedented changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, recommending fewer shots.

The update splits immunizations into three categories: recommended for all, high-risk groups and shared clinical decision making, and reduces the number of previously recommended shots for all children from 18 to 11.

The CDC will continue to recommend vaccines for certain diseases, including mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, HPV and chickenpox, but other ailments have been re-categorized.

Rotavirus, the flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and bacterial meningitis now fall under vaccines that are recommended based on shared clinical decision-making.

Meanwhile, doctor visits for flu-like symptoms have reached the highest levels in nearly 30 years, according to the CDC, which yesterday reported 289 pediatric deaths during the last flu season. Some experts criticized the abrupt changes and called for more data.

The new guidance isn't a mandate. Parents can continue to have their children receive all previously recommended vaccines, and their children will remain covered by insurance.

Read the full story.

How Rob and Michele Reiner formed a remarkable bond with a Texas man sentenced to death

Legendary Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were widely known for their extensive resume of classic films. Less known was their influential friendship with Nanon Williams, a man sentenced to death for a crime he says he didn't commit.

The couple became acquainted with Williams in 2016 after watching "Lyrics from Lockdown," a stage show that showcased his writings about facing execution. They arranged to speak with Williams over the phone after the show, and what started as an interest in advocating for his freedom blossomed into a unique friendship.

"The more they learned," Williams said, "the more pissed off Rob became, and the more loving Michele became."

Rob eventually signed on as an executive producer of "Lyrics from Lockdown," and the show expanded across the country, into prisons, and in renowned theaters.

Through frequent calls and daily emails, Williams became part of the Reiner family. And when new evidence allowed William's legal team to challenge his conviction, Rob and Michele wrote letters on his behalf.

"Apart from my father, no one has impressed me more and been more influential to me than Nanon Williams," wrote Rob.

Williams had spent 34 years behind bars thinking about judgment, compassion, and grace. And after learning the couple's son could face the death penalty for their murder, he expressed wanting to extend to him the same grace he received from Rob and Michele.

"I was judged to be a killer, a monster beyond redemption," he said slowly. "The question I ask myself is, 'What would they want for their son?'"

Read the full story.

▼ Read All About It

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro kickstarts re-election year with $30 million, the most cash built up ahead of an election year of any gubernatorial candidate in state history.

George Conway, a longtime conservative lawyer turned Trump critic, is running for Congress in New York to "fight Trumpism."

Authorities released security video showing a person of interest in the killing of a dentist and his wife in Ohio while their two young children were home.

The National Rifle Association is suing its own charitable arm over claims it misused about $160 million.

Federal guidelines are expanding the options for cervical cancer screenings beyond the often-disliked Pap smear to include self-administered HPV tests.

▼ Staff Pick

Growing Iran protests rattle leaders as Trump threatens to intervene

Protests kicked off in Iran's capital, Tehran, last week over economic grievances but quickly took a political turn and spread to more remote cities where crowds began chanting slogans against the ruling clergy. Like other protests in recent years, the government unleashed a violent crackdown – with one human rights organization documenting at least ten killed by security forces – despite attempts by the president to try to calm the situation.

The difference with other protests in recent years, analysts told NBC News, is that the Iranian government is facing an external threat: President Donald Trump threatened to intervene, without saying exactly how, if the government continued to kill protestors. That threat was taken even more seriously by Iranian officials after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was unexpectedly whisked from Caracas to a New York City jail this weekend. And these latest developments come after Israel hammered Iran last summer in a 12-day war, partly joined by the U.S. military. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians are reeling from a crash of the Iranian currency, which has wiped out savings for many people, and are waiting to see if the U.S. or Israel might attack again.

— Babak Dehghanpisheh, international editor

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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson.

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