NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-07-2026 5PM EST

Episode Date: January 7, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. An immigration officer shot and killed a woman in her car during the Trump administration's immigration action in Minneapolis. Federal officials say the shooting was an act of self-defense. Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walls says he's been warning for weeks that someone would be hurt during the crackdown. We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Christy Knoem, you've done enough.

There's nothing more important than Minnesota safety. I've issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. President Trump is defending the ICE officer who killed the woman, blaming what he called the radical left for the incident. In a social media post, Trump said ICE agents are, quote, just trying to do the job of making America safe. The FBI in Minnesota state authorities are investigating.

Russia is accusing the U.S. of violating the law of the sea with its seizure. of a Russian flagged oil tanker with ties to Venezuela. U.S. forces boarded the ship in the North Atlantic, saying it was in violation of U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports. From Moscow, Charles Mains has details. In a statement, Russia's transport ministry says the vessel had received temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag back in late December. Russia lost contact with the vessel after, according to Moscow, U.S. naval forces boarded the ship in violation of freedom of navigation principles laid out in the United Nations, Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Separately, Russia's foreign ministries calling for the safe return of Russian nationals on board, the U.S. had been in pursuit of the tanker for nearly two weeks on suspicion it was carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced new dietary guidelines for Americans focused on promoting whole foods, healthy proteins, and fats.

NPR's Alison Aubrey reports the administration has unveiled a new food pyramid with red meat, vegetables, and fruits pictured at the top. Secretary Kennedy described the new guidelines as the most significant reset on nutrition policy in history, calling for an end to policies that promote highly refined foods that are harmful to health. The guidelines will set limits on added sugars and encourage diets that include meat and dairy. Protein and healthy fats are essential, and we're wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines. We are ending the war on saturated fats. The guidelines are highly influential, determining what's served in school meals and on military bases, as well as what's included in federal food aid.

Alice Norbury and PR News. A judge has delayed Nick Reiner's arraignment in the killing of his parents, director Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer-Riner. His attorney asked to be replaced by a public defender. He did not say why. It's been more than three weeks since the Reiner's were found stabbed to death. Wall Street's strong start to the year slowed today. The S&P 500 slipped three-tenths of a percentage. It's NPR.

New York City Mayor Zeran Mamdani is supporting a new housing official amid backlash over past social media posts. Tenant activist Sia Weaver was appointed last week. Her old posts called for the seizure of private property and linked homeownership to white supremacy. Weaver expressed regret, saying the remarks are, quote, not something I would say today. Fighting in Yemen is escalating after separatists took over huge swaths of the country from Saudi-backed fighters. talks between the factions were meant to take place this week, but the leader of the southern fighters' whereabouts are unknown. NPR's Ayo-Betrawi reports the group wants to secede from the north of Yemen, where Iranian-backed Houthis hold sway.

Efforts to de-escalate the recent fighting have not succeeded. Saudi-backed forces are pushing south to win back territory from the Southern Transitional Council or STC, which says the Saudi Air Force is also carrying out deadly air strikes. Saudi Arabia says it carried out, quote, preemptive strikes in the south of Yemen to curtail the STC. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the head of the STC are unclear. A Saudi spokesperson says Aiderz al-Zubedi fled to an unknown location after failing to board a flight to the kingdom for talks. This comes the same day that Yemen's presidential council ousted the secessionist leader as a member and referred him to prosecution for treason. The STC says Elzebidi remains in the

southern Yemeni city of Aden overseeing military and civilian affairs. Aibald-Trawi, NPR News, Dubai. A winter storm system brought snow, ice, freezing rain, and dangerous driving to New England. and the region's preparing for more unpleasant conditions later in the week. The combination of rain, snow, and slush have blanketed roads and caused dozens of school districts to close. This is NPR News.