NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-07-2026 11PM EST

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

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This message comes from Data Bricks, the data in 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 Shade Stevens. Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noam traveled to Minneapolis after an immigration officer fatally shot an American citizen. As NPR Semina Bustillo reports, the incident took place as ICE sends more agents to the city.

The 37-year-old motorist had defied orders to, quote, get out of the car and drove forward as an ICE officer reached for the door. Another officer opened fire. Secretary Nome called the driver's alleged actions, quote, domestic terrorism and said the officer was acting in self-defense. Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he's been taught to do in that situation, and took actions to defend. defend himself and defend his fellow law enforcement officers. Some Minneapolis officials and eyewitnesses dispute that account of the incident. Mayor Jacob Frye told immigration officers to leave the city and said that he didn't believe the use of lethal force was justified.

Minneapolis is the latest city to see an influx of immigration enforcement officers. Hemanabustillo, NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the administration has a three-step plan for Venezuela, including stability, recovery, and transition. Rubio briefed senators on the plan this morning, as NPR's Jackie Northam reports. Secretary Rubio said step one, stabilization involves quarantine for Venezuela's oil.

Venezuela currently can't move its oil because of sanctions. Rubio says the plan is to sell off sanctioned oil and distribute the profits. And we feel very positive that not only will that generate revenue that will be used to the benefit of the Venezuelan people, and we're insured that that's what the case is, but it also gives us an amount of leverage and influence and control over how this process is saying. Rubio says the second step will be recovery involving opening Venezuelan markets and national reconciliation. The third step will be transition, but Rubio gave no details.

Jackie Northam, NPR News. House Speaker Mike Johnson has officially invited President Trump to deliver his state of the union address on February 24th. More from NPR's Elena Moore. In a letter to the president, Speaker Johnson, praised Trump's 2025 record, saying the country stands, quote, stronger, freer and more prosperous, adding that lawmakers look forward to advancing his 2026 priorities too. And though Johnson's invitation is just a formality, Trump's upcoming state of the union does have stakes. It's a prime time opportunity to lay out his second year agenda and have it resonate with the American people

ahead of the midterms as Republicans aim to keep control of both the Senate and the House. Elena Moore, NPR News, Washington. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling for a special session of the legislature in April. DeSantis is amongst governors redrawing state districts mid-decade, but he says he wants to wait for a possible Supreme Court ruling on voting rights before proceeding. This is NPR. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced new dietary guidelines, and it flips what many Americans have long considered healthy.

The new food pyramid puts meat and dairy. at the top alongside fruits and vegetables. It backs away from recommendations to limit saturated fats. And whole grains fall somewhere near the bottom of the chart. Kennedy says the new guidelines emphasize whole foods, proteins, and healthy fats over processed foods. A spacewalk outside the International Space Station set for tomorrow morning has been postponed. NASA says it's monitoring a medical concern with a crew member. NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boise has the story.

Three NASA astronauts are living on the station, along with three Russian cosmonauts and an astronaut from Japan. NASA astronauts Mike Fink and Zena Cardman were getting everything ready to do a spacewalk that was going to last about six and a half hours. The plan was for them to install some equipment for a solar array, snap photos of external hardware, and take samples of microbes. But Wednesday afternoon, NASA said the spacewalk was called off. The agency cited a medical concern with a crew member. While saying it would be inappropriate to share more details due to medical privacy, the agency said that the situation was stable. Nell Greenfield's voice, NPR News.

Warner Brothers' discovery is saying no thank you to a nearly $78 billion takeover bid by Skydance Paramount. Warner's board is advising shareholders to stick with the lower offer from Netflix. This is NPR News. Thank you.