January 4, 2026 5:14 am
President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing that country’s president in a military raid isn’t likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices. Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions, so it will likely take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. Phil Flynn, who is senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group, said if Venezuela can become an oil powerhouse, that could cement lower prices. But American oil companies will want a stable regime in the country before they are willing to invest heavily, and the political picture remained uncertain Saturday.
January 4, 2026 5:12 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Protests in Iran are intensifying due to the country’s struggling economy, putting pressure on its theocracy. Tehran is still dealing with the aftermath of a 12-day war with Israel in June, which included U.S. bombings of nuclear sites. Economic pressure increased in September with the return of U.N. sanctions, causing Iran’s currency to plummet. Activists say demonstrations have spread to over 220 locations across 26 provinces, with at least 20 people killed and more than 990 arrested. The protests began with economic concerns but have grown to include anti-government sentiments. Iran’s nuclear program and tense relations with the U.S. are adding to Tehran’s challenges.
January 5, 2026 12:54 pm
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The Golden Globes kick off Hollywood’s awards season on Sunday. This year’s 83rd edition of the show is hosted for the second year by comedian Nikki Glaser. It airs live at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS and streams live on Paramount+. Acting nominees include Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Emma Stone. “One Battle After Another” is the top nominee with nine and is an Oscar front-runner. “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners” and “Hamnet” are also nominated in top categories. Career achievement awards will go to Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker. (Photo: AP)
January 4, 2026 6:23 am
Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers are reporting that several overnight accidents occurred. The first was at approximately 11:00 pm in Buffalo Township. Emergency crews arrived on Route 40 to find a vehicle on its side. The driver was transported to an area hospital. A second accident happened in East Finley Township. County 9-1-1 reports that a two vehicle head on collision occurred at the intersection of Route 231 and Knox Road. Officials were unable to confirm any injuries. State Police are investigating this crash.
January 4, 2026 6:20 am
A rollover crash on Interstate 70 saw one victim flown to a hospital. The accident occurred just after 12:00 pm on Interstate 70 westbound at mile marker 8.3. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers state that the interstate was closed to allow a helicopter to land. The lanes were reopened about an hour later. No other injuries were reported. It is not known how the accident occurred.
January 4, 2026 6:00 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has arrived in the United States to face criminal charges. He was captured in an audacious military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas. The couple will face prosecution in connection with a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
January 4, 2026 5:55 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Donald Trump says the United States will run Venezuela at least temporarily after an audacious military operation plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country. Trump on Saturday also described plans to tap Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader and months of secret planning. It resulted in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful.
January 4, 2026 5:52 am
A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded two others, including a 4-year-old child, in Russia’s Belgorod region on Sunday, officials said, ahead of peace talks in Paris this week. In Ukraine, three people were wounded in overnight drone strikes in the Kharkiv region, while the death toll from Friday’s missile attack on Kharkiv rose to four. The attacks came after European national security advisers met in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss security guarantees and economic support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said meetings of military officials and European leaders in Paris on Monday and Tuesday could finalize security guarantee documents.
January 4, 2026 5:49 am
Embattled Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of obstruction last month for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, has sent her resignation letter to the governor. The letter was sent Saturday. Republicans had been making plans to impeach her ever since her Dec. 19 conviction. Last April, federal prosecutors accused Dugan of distracting federal officers trying to arrest a Mexican immigrant outside her courtroom and leading the man out through a private door. A federal jury convicted her of felony obstruction. The case against Dugan was highlighted by President Donald Trump as he pressed ahead with his sweeping immigration crackdown.
January 3, 2026 4:43 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The United States has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flown him out of the country in a stunning military operation that plucked a sitting leader from office following months of escalating Trump administration pressure on the oil-rich South American nation. Maduro and his wife were taken overnight from their home on a military base. They were aboard a U.S. warship on their way to New York on Saturday. They are set to face criminal charges. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is now evaluating next steps for Venezuela. Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife.
