Maduro Pleads Not Guilty, Congress On Venezuela, Vaccine Schedule Overhaul

Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom declaring he was kidnapped. Protesters gathered outside. This is a ploy to capture oil and foreign resource of a country. What is Maduro's defense against drug charges? I'm Leila Faudel with Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News. The White House gave lawmakers a classified briefing on the former Venezuelan president's capture. Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters one thing he did not hear. I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries. Did the president scor in congress by keeping it in the dark? House speaker Mike Johnson argues Trump did not. Also, why did the government scale back routine vaccine recommendations for children? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. This message comes from Capital One with the VentureX card. Earn unlimited double miles, a $300 annual Capital One travel credit, and access to airport lounges. Capital One, what's in your wallet? Terms apply. Details at capital1.com. This message comes from Dell Technologies. Technology should be an extension of ambition. The all new Dell XPS laptop was brought to life with this philosophy in mind. It balances qualities once thought to be opposing, an iconic minimalist form factor that holds an immersive edge to edge display. It's ultra thin yet powerful with the series three Intel Core Ultra processors ready to bring the biggest ideas to life. It's everything imagined crafted with purpose. Check out the all new XPS at dell.com/xps. Netflix's Stranger Things has reached its end, and we're unpacking the biggest moments in the final season. We'll talk about what we thought of the finale, what happened to our heroes when they set out to battle the forces of evil one last time, and, of course, the terrible wigs. Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. We have heard some of The US case against ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Now he has taken the first step in his defense. Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges. US military special forces seized the both of them from inside Venezuela last week, and Monday was their first appearance in a New York court. NPR's Jasmine Garst was in the courtroom and joins us now. Jasmine, good morning. Good morning. What was it like? It was really unusual. From the moment Maduro appeared in court, before he sat down, he made eye contact with reporters, and he wished us a happy New Year in English. I've got I don't think anyone saw that coming. His wife walked in behind him. She seemed to have a swollen eye, and her forehead was bandaged. Later, her lawyer said she'd been hurt in the military operation during their capture. They requested X rays for her ribs. They said they were either bruised or broken. Now proceedings, the whole thing lasted …