How cocaine and corruption led to the indictment of Maduro

 military operation early Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for U.S. prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a Manhattan courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

Here’s a look at the accusations against Maduro and the charges he faces.

Maduro faces drugs and weapons charges

Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Maduro is facing the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment unsealed on Saturday, which adds charges against Maduro’s wife, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas

Navy vs Cincinnati live updates: Liberty Bowl game score, highlights

 

With the semifinals of the College Football Playoff set after an eventful New Year's Day slate of games, another team will get the opportunity to get 2026 off to a strong start.

No. 25 Navy and Cincinnati will square off in the Liberty Bowl on Friday, Jan. 2 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

The Midshipmen are aiming to cap off a stellar 2025 season, one in which they've racked up a 10-2 record and won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for a second-consecutive season, the latter of which was secured with a thrilling 17-16 victory against Army. A win against Cincinnati would match the program record for victories in a season. Blake Horvath, one of the best-dual threat quarterbacks in the country, will look for another strong outing to cap off a decorated senior season in which he has accounted for 2,619 total yards and 25 touchdowns.

The Midshipmen are aiming to cap off a stellar 2025 season, one in which they've racked up a 10-2 record and won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for a second-consecutive season, the latter of which was secured with a thrilling 17-16 victory against Army. A win against Cincinnati would match the program record for victories in a season. Blake Horvath, one of the best-dual threat quarterbacks in the country, will look for another strong outing to cap off a decorated senior season in which he has accounted for 2,619 total yards and 25 touchdowns.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo play? Al-Ahli vs. Al-Nassr confirmed lineups in the Saudi Pro League

 The Saudi Pro League opens 2026 with one of its most anticipated fixtures, as Cristiano Ronaldo and the league-leading Al‑Nassr travel to Jeddah to face Al‑Ahli. With the title race tightening and pressure mounting at the summit, the meeting at King Abdullah Sports City arrives at a pivotal moment.

Al-Nassr enters the contest as the league’s pace-setter after an electric first half of the season, while Al-Ahli sits fourth, buoyed by strong home performances and continental success. The intrigue is amplified by uncertainty surrounding personnel and fitness, making Friday’s clash as much about squad management as it is about attacking flair.

Jorge Jesus’ side has set a blistering standard. After winning 10 of its first 11 league matches, the Riyadh outfit finally dropped points with a 2-2 draw away to Al-Ettifaq, a result that ended a perfect run but preserved an unbeaten league record. The response now matters: Al-Hilal lurks just behind, and any slip could tighten the race further. Under the Portuguese boss, the club has taken control with punch, scoring freely while conceding sparingly across recent weeks.

Al-Ahli, meanwhile, has quietly built a compelling case of its own. Fourth in the table, the Jeddah team has balanced domestic consistency with a landmark continental achievement—lifting the AFC Champions League Elite earlier in the season. Recent league wins, including a 2-0 home victory, have reinforced the belief that they can trouble any opponent, especially on familiar turf.

Alix Earle Manifested ‘Good Vibes' Before Cozying Up to Tom Brady at New Year's Eve Party

 

A source previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the influencer, 25, and the retired NFL legend, 48, attended the same event in St. Barths on Dec. 31, where they were hanging out and looking cozy together. 

In videos obtained by PEOPLE, the duo could be seen hanging out at a party. In one clip, Earle flashed Brady a grin, leaned over to whisper something in his ear and rubbed her hand along his back; in another, the duo laughed as they danced together. 

Before her night out, Earle uploaded a “get-ready-with-me” TikTok, where she shared with her 8.2 million followers the process of doing her makeup and hair for the evening celebration.

“I’m foreseeing really good vibes for tonight,” said the internet personality. 

On New Year’s Day, Brady shared a cryptic post to his Instagram Stories, which read, “People are not beautiful for how they look or speak. They’re beautiful for how they love, care, and treat others.”

CFP semifinals set after Ole Miss ousts Georgia in wild finish; NFL predictions, picks for Week 18

Good morning, and happy Friday! Today's report is a tag-team effort written by Otto Strong, though not without significant contributions from Brad Crawford on all of yesterday's College Football Playoff action and Zachary Pereles previewing Week 18 of the NFL regular season.So how about those CFP quarterfinal games? If not for Indiana trampling Alabama, the real elephant in the room would be how in the first two years of the 12-team field era the top four seeded teams are now a combined 1-7. But we'll have all offseason to debate that. For now let's examine how we got to the CFP's final four.

Whoa! Ole Miss' take down of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl was one for the ages.

The Rebels avenged a previous loss to the SEC champion Bulldogs on Thursday night inside New Orleans' Superdome behind a 362-yard, multi-touchdown performance from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss during a wild 39-34 victory. Ole Miss scored 20 points during a jaw-dropping fourth quarter, pushing ahead with six seconds to play on Lucas Carneiro's 47-yard field goal. Our David Cobb broke down how Chambliss got the Rebels going in the final frame.

Stranger Things Finale Ending Explained: Does the Crew Defeat Vecna? What Happens to Each Character

After much anticipation with drops of Volume 1 and 2 from season 5, Netflix premiered the final episode of the hit series and answered many burning questions viewers had about how the epic saga would end. One being how the crew would take on Vecna, a.k.a. Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower), stop him from merging their world with the Abyss and destroy the Upside Down once and for all.

Luckily, Volume 3 picked up right where the last started: with the crew following Steve (Joe Keery)'s plan dubbed "Operation Beanstalk," which involves climbing up the radio tower in the Upside Down and waiting until the Abyss is close enough for the tower to poke through the rift to help Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) enter Vecna's mind.

They had just broken through the military barrier into the Upside Down to begin their mission, as the guards, led by Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), began to trace how it happened and where they might be.
 

Ohio State’s $35 Million College Football Playoff Flop

 

The Buckeyes  their financial might would enable them to repeat as national champions.  spoiled that plan.

No. 10 Miami turned back the clock on the field too, withstanding a second-half surge from the defending national champion Buckeyes to become the first double-digit seed to make the College Football Playoff semifinals in the 12-team playoff era.

The Hurricanes, whose postseason hopes looked bleak after an overtime loss to SMU in Dallas on Nov. 1, returned to Texas and won two games -- at No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 20 and Thursday against the Buckeyes -- to pull to one game away from a national championship appearance at Hard Rock Stadium, their home field.

Miami jumped on the Buckeyes, holding them to nine yards in the first quarter, their fewest in any quarter since having minus-6 in the first quarter against Michigan in 2017, according to ESPN Research. The Hurricanes racked up 110 yards, the second most the Buckeyes allowed in a first quarter all season.

After Miami scored on a 9-yard throw from Carson Beck to running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Ohio State's Julian Sayin completed a 59-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith on the first play of the Buckeyes' next drive, and it looked like they could quickly even the score. But Keionte Scott stunned Sayin two plays later, stepping in front of a screen pass, intercepting it and returning it 72 yards for a touchdown, the second-longest pick-six in College Football Playoff history.

"I shot my shot, and the ball went in my hands," Scott said. "I was full of emotions. I think I took a little moment to peek at the [Ohio State] sideline and look at everybody and let them know what was going on. So that was a pretty cool moment. ... Just having fun. At the end of the day, that's what this team relies on -- just going out there, playing free and just having fun."