NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-08-2026 2PM EST

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Minnesota Governor Tim Walts says federal officials are blocking state officials from investigating the deadly ICE shooting of a woman in her vehicle yesterday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the BCA, spent the day yesterday attempting to get that accountability. We have learned that the Trump administration has now denied the state that ability to participate in the investigation. And I just want to make this as clear as possible to everyone. Minnesota must be part of this investigation. This says tensions flare and protests continue for a second day.

After 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed, Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem defended the ICE agent's action, saying he was doing his job. These individuals had followed our officers all day, had harassed them, had blocked them in. They were impeding our law enforcement operations, which is against the law. And when they demanded and commanded her to get out of her vehicle several times, she did not. So we'll continue to allow this process to unfold. The ICE agent hasn't been identified. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says federal agents are staying in the state. The Department of Homeland Security will continue to operate on the ground in Minnesota.

Some 2,000 agents were sent to Minneapolis. President Trump continues to demand control of Greenland, saying it's a matter of national security. Greenland and its rich mineral resources is controlled by Denmark, a NATO ally. And peers Windsor Johnston, has more. Greenland holds large deposits of rare earth and critical minerals, materials used in everything from smartphones to fighter jets. Alexandra to Hoop Schaefer is with the German Marshall Fund. She says the U.S. sees those resources as part of a broader strategy to reduce dependence on China. The art region has really become one of the hottest spots on this planet for great power widely. It's a NATO issue, it's a transatlantic issue, it's a transatlantic issue,

but it's very much a global security issue. She says that growing rivalry is why Washington is eyeing Greenland, not just for its rare earth minerals, but as a key front in the broader global security landscape. Windsor Johnston and PR News, Washington. The House has voted to advance a measure to extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies. Those tax credits expired at the end of last year,

leaving millions to face sharply higher premiums. A handful of Republicans broke with party leaders to vote yes on the measure. NPR Sam Greenglass has more. The emerging deal would be a two-year extension, and in the second year, patients could choose to have funds deposited in a health savings account instead of those subsidies going to an insurance company. This is something President Trump has been pushing for. The plan would also include an income cap and other changes Republicans want, and open enrollment would likely be extended so people who drop coverage could still sign up. NPR Sam Green Glass.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. In New York City today, Mayor Zamdani and Governor Hockel announced a plan for free child care for two-year-olds in the city. It's the first step in Mamdani's fulfilling one of his trademark campaign promises, just days after he took office. Hogle says she's committed to funding the first two years of the city's existing universal pre-K program. The first year will focus on high-need areas. then expand across the city in the next several years. NASA says it's considering bringing the crew of four home early from the International Space Station because of a medical issue with one of the crew members. Central Florida Public Media's Brendan Byrne has more. The agency describes the issue as a

medical concern with a crew member aboard the orbiting lab. NASA did not share details about the issue or which crew member was affected. The agency described their condition as stable. The medical concern canceled a planned spacewalk today, and now NASA says it's exploring the possibility of bringing the crew home early. That would cut short the crew 11 mission, which launched the station back in August. Crews typically spend six to eight months living and working on the station. The crew consists of two NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut. For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando. Wall Street is trading in mixed territory at this hour. The Dow is up 271.1.

points is up more than a half percent. The NASDAQ is down more than a half percent at a loss of 139 points. The S&P 500 is down too. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.