NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-13-2026 5PM EST

Episode Date: January 13, 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 Rylan Barton. President Trump is cheering on protesters who have taken to the streets in Iran at great risk of physical harm. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, Trump recently announced,

tariffs on countries doing business with Iran. In the midst of a speech about the U.S. economy, Trump paused to deliver a message to the people of Iran. Help is on its way. Keep protesting. Take over your institutions, if possible, and save the name of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you. You're being very badly abused. Trump says he has canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the killing of protesters stops. Top U.S. National Security officials. met to discuss scenarios for Iran, though Trump didn't attend. It's not clear precisely what his

policy aims are, but he says he wants to, quote, make Iran great again. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Activists say the death toll from the nationwide protests in Iran has surpassed 2,000 people. This level of violence around protests hasn't been seen there in decades. The U.S.-based human rights activist news agency says most of the dead were protesters. The organization warns that the death toll will rise. Minnesota's top federal fraud prosecutor has resigned, along with the other experienced attorneys at Minnesota's U.S. Attorney's Office. The move comes after the Department of Justice pushed the federal office to investigate the widow of the woman who was killed by an immigration agent last week. Minnesota and its two largest cities are suing the government to try to halt or limit the

enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of Renee Maclin Good. NPR's Sergio Martinez-Beltran reports demonstrations against the federal immigration crackdown continues in the Twin Cities. Tensions continue to escalate in Minneapolis with the presence of federal immigration agents. Today, chaotic scenes unfolded a block or so from where an ICE agent killed Renee Good. Federal immigration officers arrested at least two people, including a woman who was taken by force out of her car. Dozens of community members and protesters came out and attempted to block the vehicles driven by the agents. They also threw snowballs at them. Immigration agents deployed tear gas, pepper spray, and flashbanks as people dispersed.

This is the second day in a row where clashes between residents and immigration agents near the shooting happen. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Minneapolis. Inflation declined slightly last month as prices for gas and used cars fell, a sign that cost pressures are slowly easing. Even as inflation eased, the large price increases for necessities, such as groceries, rent and health care have left me. many American households feeling squeezed, turning affordability issues into high-profile political concerns. Wall Street edged back from its record highs today. The S&P 500 fell nearly two-tenths of a percent.

The Dow dropped eight-tenths of a percent. This is NPR News from Washington. The Supreme Court seems likely to uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams. Lower courts ruled for the transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia who challenged the state bans. But the conservative-dominated Supreme Court gave no indication after more than three hours of arguments that it would follow suit. Human Rights Watch says Saudi authorities executed a record number of people last year with at least 356 people put to death. NPR's Aibatrowi reports. Saudi Arabia publishes information on executions as they happen, naming the crime and the nationality of the person killed. Based on these announcements, Human Rights Watch and other rights

groups, including the UK-based reprieve, say foreign nationals convicted of nonviolent drug crimes drove the surge in executions last year. The rights groups say 240 out of 356 executions in the kingdom were for drug-related crimes, most of them foreign nationals. They say 98 people were put to death on charges solely related to hash, a concentrated resin of cannabis smoked across the region illegally. Those caught and executed are often low-level drug smugglers, and the kingdom views their sentences as effective deterrence. News, Dubai. The longest tenured head coach in American professional sports is stepping down.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's departure comes a day after the end of his 19th season with the team. Tomlin won a Super Bowl and went to another during his first four seasons with the Steelers, but then the team settled into a familiar pattern of solid but not always spectacular play. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Wise. the app for international people using money around the globe. You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get wise.

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