NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-07-2026 10PM EST

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

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This message comes from Data Bricks, the data and AI company. Are your AI agents working? Most aren't reliable for business. You need AI that's accurate. Agent Bricks, AI agents grounded in your data and built for your goals. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. In Minneapolis today, an immigration officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good while ICE was conducting what it calls targeted operations.

Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome says the agent feared for his life and fired in self-defense. ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop instructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands. She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and attempted to run a law enforcement officer over. Local officials and bystanders contradict Nome's account. Matt SEPIC from Minnesota Public Radio has more on the bystander footage. Federal agents are heard telling the driver, ma'am, get out of the car. The footage taken by a witness shows one federal officer walk around the right side of the car and around the front. Moments later, two other agents walk up to the driver's side. One tries to open the door. At this point, the driver begins to reverse on the icy street. As the officer hangs on the door, the driver begins to drive away from the scene. And then an officer in front of the SUV appears to fire into the car three times. Times. Minnesota Public Radio's Matt Sepik reporting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Congress this morning on the next steps following the U.S. operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. As NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, there was a clear partisan divide as lawmakers left the briefing.

Rubio says he told Congress, step one will involve quarantine for Venezuela, which will include selling sanctioned oil and distributing the profits. Step two, recovery will restore access to the Venezuelan market in a way he described as fair. He did not offer details on how step three, transition, will work. Lawmakers have been clamoring for a briefing from the administration, which did not notify Congress until after the military operation concluded. Republican lawmakers left the briefing praising the operation, while Democrats criticized. the administration for not being forthright about what these next steps will entail. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the administration to answer questions in public hearings. Barbara Sprint and Pierre News, the Capitol. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling for a special session in April to change the state's congressional map. Doug Liss Sol of member station WSF reports. President Donald Trump has been putting pressure on conservative-led states to redraw maps to add Republicans to Congress. DeSantis says he wants Florida to wait for a U.S.

Court ruling on a Louisiana case that could change how race factors into the process. I have a very high degree of confidence that at least one or two of those districts on our current map are going to be implicated by this Supreme Court decision. But Florida's House leadership wants a new map during the state's regular session, which starts next week. Republicans currently have 20 of 28 House seats. Democrats say the effort only boost Republicans ahead of the midterms. For NPR News, I'm Douglas Sol in Tallahassee. It's NPR. The Trump administration is cutting $160 million in transportation funds for California.

Transportation officials say it's because the state delayed revoking 17,000 commercial driver's licenses for immigrants. The state notified those drivers in the fall that they would lose their licenses after a federal audit found problems. But last week, California said it would delay those revocations until March after immigrant rights groups sued. Many tour buses and RVs won't be able to travel through the car. country's second most popular national park this summer. David Condos of member station KUER reports. Starting June 7th, Zion National Park in Utah will prohibit vehicles that exceed size limits from driving on the park's main road, the nearly 100-year-old Zion Mount Carmel Highway. It features several sharp curves as it winds through Zion's famed Red Rock

Towers. Zion Transportation Manager Lisa White says the change should protect the historic road as well as improve traffic and safety. I don't care how good of a driver you are. If your vehicle physically does not fit on the roadway, you're not going to stay in your own lane. But the move will also force some of Zion's nearly 5 million annual visitors to drive the long way around the park. For NPR news, I'm David Condos in St. George, Utah. Millions of people are celebrating Orthodox Christmas today, nearly two weeks after much of the world marked the holiday. The difference stems from calendar changes made. in the 16th century, some Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, which runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. This is NPR News from Washington.