Hegseth to visit Newport News, explosion injures firefighters, Maduro in court: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Hegseth to visit Newport News, explosion injures firefighters, Maduro in court

1. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit Newport News Shipbuilding on Monday as part of his nationwide “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, according to HII, the shipyard’s parent company.

   Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to visit Newport News Shipbuilding

   Officials say the “Arsenal of Freedom” tour focuses on strengthening the Defense Industrial Base and drawing attention to the workers who support it, arguing that military readiness depends on the speed and capacity of domestic production. Currently, more than two dozen submarines and aircraft carriers are being built or are undergoing maintenance at the shipyard. Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones is appreciative of efforts to increase work at the shipyard.

   "What I would say as mayor of Newport News we need to build more ships," he told News 3 Sunday. "Whatever administration will help us do that — we are on board."

   Hegseth will tour the industrial facility and deliver remarks inside the shipyard. Invited media will be allowed to cover the remarks, though no interviews will be conducted during the visit.
   

2. Two firefighters were injured Saturday evening while responding to a residential structure fire in Perquimans County, according to county emergency officials.

   2 firefighters injured in Perquimans County house fire on Edenton Road

   Around 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 100 Block of Edenton Road Street. During firefighting operations, officials say an explosion occurred, Sentara Albemarle Medical Center. Both firefighters were treated for their injuries and later released.

   Emergency officials said the homeowner was not at the residence at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No additional details have been released. Multiple agencies were dispatched, including the Hertford, Winfall, and Bethel fire departments, along with the Perquimans County Sheriff’s Office, Perquimans County EMS, Town of Hertford Public Works, and Perquimans County Emergency Management.
   

3. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is set to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court after he and his wife were seized from their home during an overnight raid over the weekend.

   A video posted to social media by a White House account showed Maduro smiling as he was being escorted by law enforcement through a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office.

   Perp walked.pic.twitter.com/34iIsFUDdG

   — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026

   Maduro had previously been indicted in 2020 for drug-related charges. Speaking Sunday on NBC News’ "Meet the Press," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is “at war against drug trafficking organizations,” but not Venezuela specifically. Amid lingering questions about who is now in charge of the Venezuelan government, Rubio also rejected the idea that the U.S. would take over — a notion President Donald Trump floated a day earlier.

   "Here's the bottom line on it: we expect to see changes in Venezuela," Rubio said. "Changes of all kinds — long-term and short-term — we'd love to see all kinds of changes. But the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States. That's why we're involved here — because of how it applies and has a direct impact on the United States."

This morning's weather: Warming up — weekend showers expected

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says we've got a cold start with temperatures in the 20s and 30s this morning. We will see a nice mix of mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies today. Highs will warm to the low 50s, near normal for this time of year.

We will take another step warmer tomorrow with highs in the low 60s. Expect a mix of partly to mostly cloudy skies.

Wednesday may be the nicest day of the week with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low to mid 60s.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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