NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-02-2026 9AM EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. At least seven protesters have been killed in Iran as tensions mount over the nation's economic collapse. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, President Trump says the U.S. will come to the rescue of Iranian citizens unless the violence stops. In a post on truth social, President Trump warns Iran that, quote, we are locked and loaded and ready to go if Iran kills peaceful protest. protesters. Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of stoking the protests. Ali Larajani, who's on Iran's National Security Council, writes on X, that the American people should know that Trump started this adventurism. The Trump administration carried out a massive bombing campaign of Iran's nuclear sites last year, and Israel is now sounding the alarm about Iran's ballistic missile program, a topic Israel's prime minister raised with Trump earlier this week. The protests in Iran are about the economy and the collapsing currency.

Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. The president of Venezuela says he's open to an agreement with the U.S. to fight drug trafficking. Nicholas Maduro says he's willing to discuss U.S. investment in the Venezuelan oil industry. The comments came the same day the Trump administration announced strikes on several alleged drug smuggling boats. The Justice Department is reviewing roughly 5.2 million files. linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The New York Times and other news outlets are reporting it could be weeks before additional documents are released.

Democratic Congressman Rokana was a co-sponsor of the law that mandates the release of the files. They've already violated the law by having this delay. They're claiming that the file is so big that they need to put hundreds of lawyers and they need the extra time. They frankly should have been doing this months ago when Massey and I introduced.

reduce the law. It's been two weeks since the DOJ missed the deadline to release all of the Epstein files. The Trump administration revoked tens of thousands of visas in 2025. NPR's Jimenez-Bustillo reports it's part of a wider effort to cut down on legal forms of migration. Eighty-five thousand visas of all categories were revoked last year. That's according to the State Department, one of the agencies that oversees visa permissions. This includes more than 8,000 student visas and the number is more than double what it was in 2024. In a statement to NPR, a spokesperson for the department said DUIs, assaults, and theft were among some of the top reasons why visas were revoked, accounting for almost half of the revocations. Last year, the State Department also moved

forward with revoking the visas of students and others whose speech they say does not align with American values. Jimenez-Bustillo, NPR News, Washington. This is NPR News. It was 10 years ago today that a group of anti-government militants took over a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. Conrad Wilson from Oregon Public Broadcasting Reports, it was a protest against the government and its role in managing public lands and how those policies affect rural communities. The arms standoff at the Malhear National Wildlife Refuge was led by folks from outside Harney County. Those who worked near the refuge, say a decade later, the occupier's message didn't. stick. I think we were moving on even when it was happening. Brenda Smith runs a nonprofit in Harney County that for years has hosted conversations between ranchers, conservation groups, and

federal land managers. Republican State Representative Mark Owens also farms in the county. Living through that and working through that, I don't think it was as impactful for the community as impactful for people watching the community. The occupation lasted 41 days and before it was over, the leaders were arrested and one was shot and killed by police. For NPR news, Conrad Wilson in Harney County, Oregon. A new legal challenge targets the Trump administration's decision to stop covering gender-affirming care under federal employee health plans. The Human Rights Campaign filed the complaint Thursday, arguing the policy amounts to sex-based discrimination. Those moves go against guidance from major medical groups, including the American Medical Association.

Stocks across Asia traded mixed today. Japan's NICA average fell. stocks in China posted slight gains. Shares in Hong Kong soared gaining more than 700 points. This is NPR News in Washington.