Hey there from CNN, I'm Krista Belponko with The Five Things You Need to Know from Monday, January 5th. The ousted Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, remains in federal detention after he pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapons charges in his first court appearance in New York earlier today. He and his wife, who also pleaded not guilty, are set to appear in court next on March 17th. CNN got hold of the court transcript, and Maduro told the court he was quote, kidnapped by the U.S.
military over the weekend, and insisted he's still the president of the South American country after President Donald Trump said this last night. Don't ask me, lose a judge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial. What does that mean? We're in charge.
Venezuela's acting president, Delcey Rodriguez, called for cooperation with the U.S., even as the country signed a decree today ordering the arrests of anyone quote involved in the promotion or support of the U.S. operation. A person familiar with the plans tells CNN the Senate will vote on a measure to limit President Trump's war powers in Venezuela this week. We gotta take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll tell you about the major changes to childhood vaccine schedule recommendations, why a governor won't seek reelection, and more.
Great news! The federal EV rebate is back! Eligible customers get up to $5,000 with the federal EVAP rebate on select 2027 volts in the U.S. Equinox EV models.
Visit your local Chevrolet dealer today for more details. Now to a story with major health implications in the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services will recommend fewer vaccines for most American children. Health officials will continue to recommend the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines and immunizations against polio, chickenpox, HPV, and others.
But they will narrow recommendations for vaccination against men in Chicago disease, hepatitis B, and hepatitis A to children who are broadly at higher risk for infections. They'll also recommend requiring parents to talk to a healthcare provider before deciding on flu, COVID-19, and rotavirus vaccines. All public health experts told CNN that the changes could fuel outbreaks of preventable diseases. At the same time, public information about vaccination rates is faltering.
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent a letter to state health officials informing them they no longer have to report childhood vaccination rates to them. A move that experts say may raise unnecessary doubts about the importance of vaccines. A single taxpayer dollar, wasted on fraud, should be intolerable. And while there's a role to play for everyone, the buck does stop with me.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced today he won't be seeking a third term. Every minute that I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota. I can still say criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences. The announcement comes after a viral video accusing Somali-run childcare centers in Minnesota of massive fraud sparked a political firestorm.
In response, the federal government froze all its childcare funding to Minnesota and the Trump administration gave state officials until this Friday to send proof that funds are being spent legitimately, according to a bulletin shared with CNN. State officials had investigators last week inspected every center accused of fraud in the YouTube video and said they were operating as expected. Walz isn't accused of any wrongdoing, and the former 2024 Democratic VP candidate is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee on the matter next month. The event Secretary Pete Hegsett said today in a social media post that Pentagon is punishing Senator Mark Kelly over comments he made on a video in November by cutting his military retirement pay.
In that video, he and other Democratic lawmakers reminded US service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. Hegsett added that the US military has issued a letter of censure to the retired Navy captain. CNN got a copy of the letter and found an apparent threat of criminal prosecution if Kelly engages in similar conduct in the future. In response, the senator from Arizona said he wouldn't be intimidated and intends to fight the action.
New Year, New Era, and the Weight Loss Drug Boom. More details next. The Weight Loss Drug Maker behind the injectable We Go be announced today that people could now buy a pill form of the GLP-1 drug in the starter dose. And for patients who self-pay, the price for that will start at just $149 a month, which is much cheaper than its injectable version.
This comes as part of the company's recent deal with the Trump administration to lower patient's drug costs. The drug maker says the new pill showed roughly similar weight loss inside effects in clinical trials as the shot. A rival pill from Eli Lilly, maker of GLP-1's Monjaro and Zet Bound, is also expected this summer. Alright, that's all for now.
I'm Krista Belpolanco, and we'll be back with more news tomorrow at 6 AM Eastern. Until next time.