Boxer, 18, died saving friend in Swiss bar fire

A young boxer died trying to save his friend from the fire that engulfed a Swiss bar on New Year's Eve.

Benjamin Johnson, 18, a member of the Lausanne Boxing Club, was hailed a hero by the Swiss Boxing federation.

"This final act of selflessness perfectly reflects his nature: he was someone who always helped others," said Amir Orfia, the president of Swiss Boxing.

"Having watched him grow up, first when I was in the ring myself, then as a coach, I will remember him as a young man who was always positive, smiling, and respectful. He was always the first to support his teammates, especially his friends."

Swiss police said on Sunday night that they had identified all the victims including that of Charlotte Niddam, who was a pupil at a British private school.

The 15-year-old, who attended Immanuel College near Watford, had not been heard from since the fire broke out.

The victims include 13 Swiss, six Italian and six French nationals as well as a Portuguese and a Belgian woman.

The Niddam family said on social media: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter and sister, Charlotte."

In anothertale of heroism, Tahirys Dos Santos, a French football player was seriously injured in the fire after he went to rescue his girlfriend, Coline, who was trapped inside the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.

Originally from Mont-Saint-Martin, the 19-year-old who plays for Metz, suffered severe burns to his body and was transferred from Switzerland to Germany by air ambulance.

His French club said it was saddened to hear the news and was working to have him transferred to a hospital closer to home as soon as possible.

"Deeply affected by this news, the club's management, players, coaches, and employees are in shock and are sending their thoughts to Tahirys as he battles his injuries," the club said in a statement on Facebook.

Christophe Hutteau, Dos Santos's agent, told BFM TV that the footballer had fled the bar but returned when he realised his girlfriend was trapped inside.

"He went back in to rescue her from the flames. He's not only a victim, he's a hero," he said.

Chiara Costanzo, a 16-year-old student from Milan, and 15-year-old Sofia Prosperi, who has Italian and Swiss citizenship were among the victims named on Sunday.

Camilla Costanzo, Chiara's elder sister, said her family was overwhelmed when they received the news.

"I have no words to describe it," Ms Costanzo, 29, told The Telegraph. "We are just devastated."

Ms Costanzo, a consultant based in Zurich, said she had contacted the emergency hotline and had called seven different Swiss hospitals in search of her sister in the days after the fire. Her father, Andrea, previously shared his anguish with the media saying his daughter had ended up at the bar by chance.

Fighting back tears, Ms Costanzo questioned how it could have happened inSwitzerland, which has a reputation for strictly enforcing regulations.

"This type of stuff never happens in Switzerland, everybody follows the rules," she said. "It should never have happened."

Three of the Italian victims have since been named as Achille Barosi, 16, from Milan, Giovanni Tamburi, 16, from Bologna, and Emanuele Galeppini, a17-year-old golferfrom Genoa who had dual citizenship and lived in Dubai.

Hundreds of people gathered in Crans-Montana on Sunday morning for a memorial Mass and silent march to honour the dead and injured.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV expressed his sympathy for the victims after his weekly Angelus blessing in St. Peter's Square.

"I wish to express once again my closeness to all those who are suffering as a result of the tragedy in Switzerland," he said. "I assure you of my prayers for the young people who have died, for the injured, and for their families."

Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, remembered her 16-year old son, Arthur Brodard, who died in the flames with a Facebook tribute on Saturday. After a days of searching for her son, she posted a photo of him saying, "Our Arthur has now left to party in heaven."

None of the victims have been officially named by Swiss police who are working to identify "all victims, both deceased and injured".

Swiss authorities have openedan investigation into the managersof Le Constellation bar, French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti, where the tragedy unfolded.

Le Parisien, the French newspaper, reported that Mr Moretti had a criminal record and had served a jail term in Savoie in 2005.

The newspaper claimed he was linked to prostitution cases dating back 20 years, but had also been associated with a kidnapping and false imprisonment case about 30 years ago.

He was sentenced to two years in prison for fraud, according to the daily.

Mr Moretti and his wife are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing fire by negligence, police said on Saturday.

As Swiss prosecutors continue to investigate the New Year's Eve fire that killed 40 and injured 119 others, police said there was no need to detain the two bar managers accused of manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.

"There is no suspicion that the defendants wish to evade criminal proceedings or the foreseeable penalty by fleeing," police from Valais canton said late Sunday.

The probable cause of the fire during the New Year's celebrations wassparklers on bottlesbeing carried too close to the ceiling, a preliminary investigation found.

Images and videos have been circulated widely on social media showing people inside the club carrying sparklers inside champagne bottles.

Witnesses have told police the fire ignited and spread very quickly, and that the sparklers may have been responsible.

"They are designed to be placed on the ground, fixed in the ground or on a support, or held in the hand," police said.

Investigators also plan to look into whether the bar complied with local construction laws, provided adequate emergency routes and complied with fire safety standards.

They said that theinvestigationwas opened on Friday night, but did not give further details.

They will examine whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and if the candles were permitted for use in the bar.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

Boxer, 18, died saving friend in Swiss bar fire

A young boxer died trying to save his friend from the fire that engulfed a Swiss bar on New Year's Eve. Benjamin Johnson, 18, a member...

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Arizona helicopter crash kills 4 after hitting slackline in canyon

A helicopter crash on Jan. 2claimed the lives of four family members from Oregon in a remote area of Pinal County, Arizona. Officials said the aircraft struck a slackline stretched across a canyon just before 11 a.m. local time.

The helicopter crashed in Telegraph Canyon, south of Superior and about 65 miles east of Phoenix,according to thePinal County Sheriff's Office.

Search and rescue teamsreached the wreckage later that evening and confirmed four fatalities, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the crash.

Who was on board the helicopter?

Family members have identified the four passengers as David McCarty, 59, Rachel McCarty, 23, Faith McCarty, 21, and Katelyn Heideman, 22. The identities have not yet been officially released by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

Public records indicate that David McCarty was the owner of Columbia Basin Helicopters, a professional helicopter service company based out of La Grande, Oregon.

The helicopter in the crash was an MD 369FF. It was not immediately clear whether McCarty's company or its aircraft were involved in the crash.

Mary Jane Heideman, Katelyn Heideman's mother and Rachel and Faith McCarty's aunt, told The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the loss of four family members has been devastating.

What caused the helicopter to crash?

An eyewitness reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of the slackline before falling to the bottom of the canyon, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"Preliminary evidence indicates a recreational slackline more than one kilometer long had been strung across the mountain range," the Sheriff's Office said.

The FAA had been informed of the aviation marked slackline and issued a notice to air missions, or NOTAM, before the crash, the International Slackline Association said in astatement.

"No highliners were on the line at the moment of the incident," the association said in a statement. "We extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to all of those affected by this tragic event."

Federal aviation recordsshow that a NOTAM had been issued to pilots warning them of a "tight rope" obstruction in the area at the time of the crash.

The notice described a flagged and lighted rope within a one-nautical-mile radius of the site at an altitude of about 600 feet above ground level.

What is a slackline?

A slackline is a narrow length of nylon or polyester webbing anchored between two points to allow individuals to balance on or walk across, according toSlackline US, a nonprofit that promotes the sport.

Highlining is the practice of balancing on a slackline at great heights, including across canyons and between cliffs.

Where was the helicopter going?

The helicopter departed from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

Officials have not released information about the helicopter's destination.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic:4 killed in Arizona crash after helicopter hits slackline

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

Arizona helicopter crash kills 4 after hitting slackline in canyon

A helicopter crash on Jan. 2claimed the lives of four family members from Oregon in a remote area of Pinal County, Arizon...

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Maduro’s case will revive a legal debate over immunity for foreign leaders tested in Noriega trial

MIAMI (AP) — Whendeposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduromakes his first appearance in a New York courtroom Monday to face U.S. drug charges, he will likely follow the path taken by another Latin American strongman toppled by U.S. forces: Panama'sManuel Noriega.

Maduro was captured Saturday, 36 years to the day after Noriega was removed by American forces. And as was the case with the Panamanian leader, lawyers for Maduro are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of foreign state, which is a bedrock principle of international and U.S. law.

It's an argument that is unlikely to succeed and was largely settled as a matter of law in Noriega's trial, legal experts said. Although Trump'sordering of the operation in Venezuelaraises constitutional concerns because it wasn't authorized by Congress, now that Maduro is in the U.S., courts will likely bless his prosecution because, like Noriega, the U.S. doesn't recognize him as Venezuela's legitimate leader.

"There's no claim to sovereign immunity if we don't recognize him as head of state," said Dick Gregorie, a retired federal prosecutor who indicted Noriega and later went on to investigate corruption inside Maduro's government. "Several U.S. administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have called his election fraudulent and withheld U.S. recognition. Sadly, for Maduro, it means he's stuck with it."

Noriega died in 2017 after nearly three decades in prison, first in the U.S., then France and finally Panama. In his first trial, his lawyers argued that his arrest as a result of a U.S. invasion was so "shocking to the conscience" that it rendered the government's case an illegal violation of his due process rights.

Justice Department opinion allows 'forcible abductions' abroad

In ordering Noriega's removal, the White House relied on a 1989 legal opinion by then-Assistant Attorney General Bill Barr, issued six months before the invasion. That opinion said the U.N. Charter's prohibition on the use of force in international relations does not bar the U.S. from carrying out "forcible abductions" abroad to enforce domestic laws.

Supreme Court decisions dating to the 1800s also have upheld America's jurisdiction to prosecute foreigners regardless of whether their presence in the United States was lawfully secured.

Barr's opinion is likely to feature in Maduro's prosecution as well, experts said.

Drawing parallels to the Noriega case, Barr on Sunday pushed aside criticisms that the U.S. was pursuing a change of government in Venezuela instead of enforcing domestic laws. As attorney general during the first Trump administration, Barr oversaw Maduro's indictment.

"Going after them and dismantling them inherently involves regime change," Barr said in a "Fox News Sunday" interview. "The object here is not just to get Maduro. We indicted a whole slew of his lieutenants. It's to clean that place out of this criminal organization."

Key differences between Noriega and Maduro in court

There are differences between the two cases.

Noriega never held the title of president during his six-year de facto rule, leaving a string of puppets to fill that role. By contrast, Maduro claims to have won a popular mandate three times. Although theresults of his 2024 reelection are disputed, a number of governments — China, Russia and Egypt among them — recognized his victory.

"Before you ever get to guilt or innocence, there are serious questions about whether a U.S. court can proceed at all," said David Oscar Markus, a defense lawyer in Miami who has handled several high-profile criminal cases, including some involving Venezuela. "Maduro has a much stronger sovereign immunity defense than did Noriega, who was not actually the sitting president of Panama at the time."

For U.S. courts, however, the only opinion that matters is that of the State Department, which considers Maduro a fugitive and has for months been offering a $50 million reward for his arrest.

The first Trump administration closed theU.S. Embassy in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and broke diplomatic relations with Maduro's government in 2019 after he cruised to reelection by outlawing most rival candidates. The administration then recognized the opposition head of the National Assembly as the country's legitimate leader.

The Biden administration mostly stuck to that policy, allowing an opposition-appointed board to run Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, even as the U.S. engaged in direct talks with Maduro's government that were aimed at paving the way for free elections.

"Courts are so deferential to the executive in matters of foreign policy that I find it difficult for the judiciary to engage in this sort of hairsplitting," said Clark Neily, a senior vice president for criminal justice at the Cato Institute in Washington.

US sanctions are a hurdle for Maduro's defense

Another challenge that Maduro faces is hiring a lawyer. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, who also was captured, have been under U.S. sanctions for years, making it illegal for any American to take money from them without first securing a license from the Treasury Department.

The government in Caracas now led by Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, may want to foot the bill, but it is similarly restricted from doing business in the United States.

The U.S. has indicted other foreign leaders on corruption and drug trafficking charges while in office. Among the most noteworthy is Juan Orlando Hernández, former president of Honduras, who wasconvicted in 2024 for drug traffickingand weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Trumppardoned Hernández in November, a move that drew criticism from even some Republicans who viewed it as undercutting the White House's aggressive counternarcotics strategy centered against Maduro.

The U.S. had requested Hernández's extradition from Honduras a few weeks after he left office. After the arrest of Noriega, who had been a CIA asset before becoming a drug-running dictator, the Justice Department implemented a new policy requiring the attorney general to personally sign off on charging of any sitting foreign president, due to its implications for U.S. foreign policy.

Maduro may have a slightly stronger argument that he is entitled to a more limited form of immunity for official acts he undertook as at least a de facto leader since that question would not turn on whether he is a recognized head of state by the U.S.

But even that defense faces significant challenges, said Curtis Bradley, a University of Chicago Law School professor who previously served as a counselor of international law at the State Department.

Theindictmentaccuses Maduro and five other co-defendants, including Flores and his lawmaker son, of facilitating the shipment ofthousands of tons of cocaineinto the U.S. by providing law enforcement cover, logistical support and partnering with "some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world."

"The government will argue that running a big narco-trafficking operation ... should not count as an official act," Bradley said.

Tucker reported from Washington.

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

Maduro’s case will revive a legal debate over immunity for foreign leaders tested in Noriega trial

MIAMI (AP) — Whendeposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduromakes his first appearance in a New York courtroom Monday to fac...

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Venezuelan opposition leader releases letter after Maduro's capture

María Corina Machadoreleased a letter addressing the Venezuelan people after leaderNicolás Maduroand his wife were captured in a U.S. operation overnight Saturday.

Machado, an opposition leader who has mostly been in hiding over the last year, said Maduro will "face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations."

"The time for freedom has come!" Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, wrote in theletter posted on X.

It was not clear on Saturday if Machado, whoescaped to Norway in a secret missionlast month, was in Venezuela. Shetold CBS Newsin mid-December that she was "absolutely" supportive of President Trump's increasing military pressure on the Maduro regime and said she would welcome "more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go."

Read the full text of her letter, translated by CBS News, below.

María Corina Machado's letter to Venezuelans

Venezuelans, The time for freedom has come!

Nicolás Maduro from today will face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law.

The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to prevail in our country. We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.

We have fought for years, we have given it our all, and it has been worth it. What was meant to happen is happening.

This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on June 28th. Those of us who elected Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it.

Today we are ready to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is complete. A transition that needs ALL of us.

To the Venezuelans who are currently in our country, be ready to put into action what we will be communicating to you very soon through our official channels.

To Venezuelans abroad, we need you to be mobilized, engaging the governments and citizens of the world and committing them from now on to the great operation of building the new Venezuela.

In these crucial hours, receive all my strength, my confidence, and my affection. We remain vigilant and in contact.

VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE! We go hand in hand with God, until the end.

Nicolás Maduro captured, flown out of Venezuela, Trump says | Special Report

Venezuela's Maduro and wife captured, flown out of country in U.S. operation, Trump says

ISIS-inspired New Year's Eve terror attack in North Carolina was prevented, officials say

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

Venezuelan opposition leader releases letter after Maduro's capture

María Corina Machadoreleased a letter addressing the Venezuelan people after leaderNicolás Maduroand his wife were captur...

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What's next in Venezuela? Panama raid that ousted Noriega offers clues.

Gunfire in the streets of a Latin American capital. U.S. military troops swooping in by helicopter. A foreign leader, accused of drug trafficking, hauled off to America in handcuffs.

The Trump administration's Jan. 3capture of President Nicolás Madurobore some familiar echoes to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama that ousted military strongman Manuel Noriega — and marked the most direct U.S. intervention in Latin America since.

But experts say that despite some similarities, the two key moments in America's long and checkered history of interventions differ in major ways that could make achieving U.S. goals more challenging this time following a raid that has revived regional anxiety.

PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Jan. 3 that his administration will "run the country" for a time and described an apparent nation-building effort. He said it would be funded by Venezuela's vast oil reserves to be tapped by American oil companies, some of which were forced out in the 2000s.

While many in Panama view Noriega's ouster as setting it on a path to become a growing and stable democracy, despite the deaths and trauma, that result is far less certain in a much bigger and complex nation beset by poverty, crime and lingering resistance, experts said.

Shaping a post-invasion future was a much easier task in relatively tiny Panama, in part because existing American troops linked to the Panama Canal were present before and after the invasion, said Will Freeman, a Latin America fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

While details remain scant, Freeman said he doubts the U.S. will field a full Iraq-style occupation force.

"This is not going to be so simple in Venezuela," he said. "One, it's not even likely that we get to democracy. And two, many of the problems that were there with Maduro are going to remain."

Leaders seek in vain to avoid capture

Trump's announcement of the raid came 36 years after the U.S. took Manuel Noriega into custody.

The famously acne-pocked military strongman was once a U.S. ally who had been recruited by the CIA to stanch the spread of communism. But he drew increasing U.S. ire for growing hostility and actions such as annulling an election and cracking down violently on opposition.

Exactly 36 years before the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an early morning military operation in Venezuela, U.S. forces took Panamanian General Manuel Noriega on Jan. 3, 1990. The arrest of Noriega shares more similarities with the Trump administration's alleged capture of Maduro than just a date on the calendar. See the impact of the U.S. operation in Panama.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Thousands of Panamanians marched towards the Vatican Embassy where Manuel Noriega has been seeking asylum on January 3, 1990. Noriega was first a CIA asset before he rose to power as Panama's military strongman leader. The U.S. indicted him on drug trafficking charges, and in late 1989, then-President George H.W. Bush dispatched tens of thousands of troops to Panama to capture Noriega and bring him to face trial in the U.S.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See photos of the US invasion of Panama, capture of Manuel Noriega

Exactly 36 years before the U.S.captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduroin an early morning military operation in Venezuela, U.S. forces took Panamanian General Manuel Noriega on Jan. 3, 1990. The arrest of Noriega shares more similarities with the Trump administration's alleged capture of Maduro than just a date on the calendar. See the impact of the U.S. operation in Panama.

In 1989, President George H.W. Bush, citing authoritarian rule, concerns about the security of the Panama Canal and U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges, ordered "Operation Just Cause." It tapped more than 20,000 U.S. troops, many already in Panama, to seize control of military and infrastructure sites. A new president was sworn in soon after.

Maduro's capture also stems from a history of conflict with the United States.

Maduro came to power as the successor to President Hugo Chávez, a socialist leader who gained leadership in the late 1990s. The nation has since faced a mix of authoritarianism and skyrocketing poverty, crime and inflation.

Like Noriega, Maduro was indicted by U.S. prosecutors in 2020 on drug trafficking charges. But he was a less significant figure in drugs than Noriega or Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, who Trump recently pardoned, said Michael Shifter, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Pressure to oust Maduro gained steam since Trump's reelection last year. And in recent months, U.S. military buildup in the region included the deployment of aircraft carriers and fatal military strikes on small boats alleged to be carrying drugs.

Air Force Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. authorities spent time tracking Maduro's daily routines and moves before the military raid in which Maduro was captured by U.S. Special forces at his compound.

As U.S. forces cut power and descended on Maduro, the military encountered some resistance, including a helicopter struck by a bullet, and returned fire. Maduro did not make it to a reinforced steel safe room he was trying to reach, Caine said.Images and videoshowed explosions, burning vehicles, plumes of smoke rising over the capital city of Caracas, and a swarm of low-flying helicopters.

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife landed in New York on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 to face several criminal charges after the United States conducted a large-scale operation in Caracas that captured the couple.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Nicolás Maduro lands in US: See the captured Venezuela leader's arrival

Venezuelan leaderNicolás Maduro and his wifelanded in New York on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026to face several criminal chargesafter the United Statesconducted a large-scale operationin Caracas that captured the couple.

By that night, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were in New York, where he stands accused of trafficking in cocaine during a 25-year career in public posts.

More than three decades earlier, Noriega also tried to slip away, driving through the streets to evade capture and eventually hiding in the Vatican embassy on Dec. 24.

Surrounded by U.S. forces, who couldn't storm the site, the U.S. military blasted constant music by Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath on loudspeakers, according toofficial accounts. He surrendered on Jan. 3, 1990.

Noriega was convicted, spending the rest of his life in U.S., French and Panamanian prisons before dying in 2017.

Interventions bring criticism and challenges

Both attacks were part of a century-long history of U.S. intervention – directly and indirectly – in the politics of Latin American countries such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

In the 1950s for example, the U.S. sought to remove Guatemala's democratically elected president amid land reforms that were affecting the U.S.-based United Fruit Company's exploitative labor practices.

The U.S. helped install a military dictatorship whose policies eventually triggered a civil war and led to mass human rights abuses during which more than 200,000 Guatemalans were killed or forcibly disappeared.

During the Panama invasion, at least 514 Panamanian soldiers and civilians were killed. However, some local reports have put the figure at double that. Twenty-three U.S. military personnel were killed. And the event was viewed by critics as yet another example of the U.S. ignoring sovereignty.

At that time, the U.S. sought to have a relatively quick intervention at a time when leaders were keen to avoid a quagmire, said Eduardo Gamarra, a professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University.

In contrast, the Trump administration has turned away from the post-Cold War international order in actions and policies that have also drawn comparison toPresident Theodore Roosevelt's takeon the Monroe Doctrine that the U.S. should "exercise international police power" to end what Roosevelt called "chronic unrest or wrongdoing" in the hemisphere.

And it comes as some countries in Latin America have made a move to right-leaning governments. More were heading away from authoritarian leadership during the time of the Panama invasion, Gamarra said.

Trump has criticized Venezuela, which nationalized its oil industry in the 1970s, for added expropriations and other changes in the 2000s that forced many major U.S. oil companies out and led to legal battles over compensation.

While Trump said his administration plans to oversee Venezuela, U.S. forces have no control over the country itself, Reuters reported, though Trump didn't rule out having some "boots on the ground."

"We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said during a Jan. 3 press conference.

While Trump said Venezuelan Vice PresidentDelcy Rodriguezhad no choice but to be cooperative, Rodriguez appeared on Venezuelan television Saturday afternoon with other top officials to decry what she called a kidnapping.

Those efforts will face complexities not present in Panama decades ago, such as the presence of large oil reserves and security challenges from criminal groups to illegal mining interests, Shifter said.

This file photo shows a group of U.S. sailors from the battleship Connecticut and a gun they captured at Cape Haitien during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Officers at Jacmel, Haiti, during the U.S. occupation in 1915.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A group of Cuban revolutionaries with Fidel Castro are seen with artillery after routing the U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Children cheer on the U.S. Marines following offensive in Vecca Monte west of Panama City, during "Operation Just Cause," the U.S. invasion to remove Manuel Noriega, which lasted from December 1989 through January 1990.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A U.S. Marine corps crew takes up position on the outskirts of Santo Domingo, on May 2, 1965, during the Dominican Civil War.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The U.S. Army Airborne troops drive down a street in Santo Domingo during the occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. troops in full combat gear run on the docks of Port-au-Prince harbor, on Sept. 19, 1994, after arriving on an assault helicopter. Thousands of U.S. soldiers arrived in Haiti on Sept. 19, 1994, as part of "Operation Uphold Democracy," to pave the way for the restoration of the elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Hundreds of local residents run towards the U.S. Chinook helicopters, on Sept. 24, 1994, as a detachment of over 100 U.S. troops arrive in this small southern coastal town, 120 km south of Port-au-Prince, as part of the "Operation Uphold Democracy."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America

This file photo shows a group of U.S. sailors from the battleship Connecticut and a gun they captured at Cape Haitien during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.

Uncertainty also stems from mixed reactions – some celebrating hopes for new freedom and others saying a line had been crossed – in a region where the military action revived anxieties about past U.S. interventions.

In Panama, which has drawn the spotlight of the Trump administration over immigration and canal oversight, Panama's president, José Raúl Mulino, weighed in onsocial mediathat included support of the "democratic process and the acceptance of the legitimate wishes of the Venezuelan people."

While the invasion of Panama 36 years ago wasn't widely seen as a precursor to other interventions, Trump's rhetoric aimed atColombia, Mexico and Cubaover various issues including illegal drugs has left some countries on edge.

"U.S. military intervention in the region has not always had a very happy record. And so I think that creates a lot of anxiety and a lot of apprehension," Shifter said. "If there are no limits and no rules, you know, why can't Trump do the same to them?"

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard of USA TODAY, Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Venezuela raid echoes Panama invasion that captured Manuel Noriega

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

What's next in Venezuela? Panama raid that ousted Noriega offers clues.

Gunfire in the streets of a Latin American capital. U.S. military troops swooping in by helicopter. A foreign leader, acc...

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James Austin Johnson can't get his best impression on “SNL”: 'It's always a resounding no'

Jamie McCarthy/NBC

Saturday Night Live's resident master impressionist isn't allowed to do his best impression on the show.

James Austin Johnson, who regularly portrays President Donald Trump, has one impersonation that he's repeatedly attempted to do onSNL, but he keeps getting shot down because it's just too obscure.

After show alumFred Armisenrevealed during a panel for the Television Academy earlier this year that his own impression ofThis American Lifehost Ira Glass never made it pastSNLdress rehearsal because "it was explained to me that he wasn't famous enough," the current cast member piped up that he could relate.

"Fred, I get that a lot at the table," Johnson said, referring to the meeting where writers and cast members read through potential sketches to see what gets the best reception from the staff. "I get that a lot. 'Why are we doing this, honey?' Because I do the voice. 'Yeah, nobody gives a s---.'"

Todd Williamson/NBC

Johnson was joined on the June 2 panel by hisSNLseason 50 costars Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, and Chloe Fineman. (Nwodim and Gardner later left the show ahead of the current 51st season.)

Sherman urged the comedian to reveal to the live audience what voice he was talking about.

"LongtimeRolling Stoneeditor David Fricke," Johnson declared, naming the music journalist who has had an illustrious career but may not be a familiar voice to the averageSNLviewer.

"Wait, did you really, did you really do it?" Armisen asked, amused at the reference, as Johnson's colleagues nodded that he had.

"I've done it so many times. It's always a resounding no from everyone in the room," Johnson replied.

"We laugh," several of his costars insisted.

"You laugh, you laugh because it's like, 'Oh, look at James, he's doing his little cartwheel for us,'" he retorted, insisting, "It's my best voice. It's my best impression. I nailed that guy. It's just, you know, that people don't want to see it."

After the group egged him on to do the impression, he warned, "It's the most boring voice you've ever heard in your life," before providing a demonstration of Fricke discussing Paul McCartney.

Check out Johnson's impression of Fricke below:

Armisen asked if the impression had ever made it to a sketch performed at dress rehearsal.

"No, no, no, no," Johnson replied. "Every single time they've been like, 'You gotta stop submitting that s---. You gotta stop. There's no time.'"

For comparison, you can watch the real Fricke discussing McCartney himself below:

Saturday Night Liveis currently on winter hiatus before making its expected return sometime in January with new episodes.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

James Austin Johnson can't get his best impression on “SNL”: 'It's always a resounding no'

Jamie McCarthy/NBC Saturday Night Live's resident master impressionist isn't allowed to do his best impression on the show. Ja...

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Billy Joel performs live for first time since brain disorder diagnosis

Billy Joelmade a New Year's surprise return to the stage for the first time since revealing he was diagnosed with thebrain disorder known as normal pressure hydrocephalus.

The "Vienna" singer paid a band that covers his music the ultimate compliment on Friday, Jan. 2, sitting in with them for a few songs at Wellington, Florida's 30th-anniversary celebration.

Joel, 67, who owns theMiddlesea Farmsproperty in the village, took the stage for a two-song concert during the tribute band Turnstiles' show at the village amphitheater.

He wore a winter jacket and a black cap and walked with a cane. There was no mistaking his voice, however, as he launched into his 1989 hit, "We Didn't Start The Fire," followed by "Big Shot," which he recorded in 1978.

"I wasn't planning on working tonight," Joel said with a laugh as he sat at the keyboard before the band, which takes its name from an album Joel released in 1976, and began to play. His daughters Della and Remy danced alongside during the two-song set.

Joel cancelled all upcoming shows after diagnosis

The "Piano Man" singercancelled all his upcoming concertson May 23 as his representatives confirmed that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH.

The disorder refers to when excess fluid accumulates in the brain, causing issues with thinking and reasoning as well as sometimes walking and bladder control,according to the Alzheimer's Association.

"This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance," astatement posted to Joel's Instagram said. "Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period."

On a July 21 episode ofBill Maher's "Club Random" podcast, Joel said he was feeling "fine" but was having issues with his balance, adding, "It's like being on a boat." He said he initially thought his balance issues were from drinking, noting that he used to drink "like a fish."

"I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling," Joel said.

Joel's career in music spans more than 50 years. He released his first albums in the early 1970s and became one of pop music biggest acts with the release of "The Stranger" in 1977.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Billy Joel delivers first performance since brain disorder diagnosis

byDaniel Coleman

in

January 04, 2026

Billy Joel performs live for first time since brain disorder diagnosis

Billy Joelmade a New Year's surprise return to the stage for the first time since revealing he was diagnosed with ...

Read More