NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-19-2026 8PM EST

Episode Date: January 20, 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 Rylan Barton. President Trump's push for the United States to take over Greenland is escalating. NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports the Norwegian Prime Minister confirmed he received a message

from Trump about the Nobel Prize being a factor in his approach. On Saturday, President Trump announced new tariffs on eight European nations, pledging to increase the rate if a deal for the U.S. to acquire Greenland is not reached. Norway's prime minister said in a statement that he had sent a text to Trump on behalf of himself and the president of Finland to express opposition to those tariffs. In it, he urged de-escalation and proposed a call to discuss. According to the prime minister, President Trump responded by saying that because Norway did not give him a Nobel Peace Prize, he no longer feels, quote, an obligation to think purely of peace.

The Nobel Prize is awarded by an independent committee, not the Norwegian government. Barbara Sprint and Pierre News, Copenhagen. A Supreme Court decision could lead to the biggest drop in black representation in Congress. NPR's Hansi Lo Wong reports. The Supreme Court appears inclined to further weaken the Voting Rights Act. In places where voting is racially polarized, the landmark law has helped ensure districts are drawn in a way that gives racial minority voters a chance of electing their preferred candidates. An NPR analysis has found the High Court's decision in this case could affect 15 U.S. House

districts in the South that are currently represented by a black Democratic member of Congress. Republican-led states may decide to keep some of these districts for partisan reasons, but losing a handful of those districts could fuel the largest ever drop in the number of black representatives in Congress. For a century after the Civil War, that figure stayed in the single digits or at zero. But since the Voting Rights Act became law, the numbers grown to 60, 3,000. three black represented districts today. Anzi Lwang, NPR News.

Israel has launched a new military raid on the occupied West Bank. The military says it's seizing weapons in the region's largest Palestinian city, Nuha Musla, reports. The military raid is in the city of Hebron. The Israeli military says it is dismantling, quote, terror infrastructure and seizing weapons. It says the raid will last several days, and it warned explosions may be heard in the area.

This military raid is taking. place in an area where there have been days of shooting in a local dispute among members of a Palestinian family, in an area under Israeli security control. Zlika Muhtasib, a resident of the area, told NPR she has heard the sounds of shooting and explosions. She says Israeli forces have imposed a curfew and closed off all entrances to Hebron. This comes amid a recent escalation of violence in Palestinian areas involving Israeli settlers and soldiers. For NPR news, I'm NAHMUSAH in Ramallah, the West Bank.

President Trump is demanding a 10% cap on credit card interest rates by tomorrow. The White House has not detailed consequences for noncompliance. This is NPR news from Washington. Federal officials say an immigrant from Nicaragua has been found dead at a Texas immigration detention facility. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say 36-year-old Victor Manuel Diaz killed himself at the Army's Fort Bill base in El Paso. Diaz was detained in Minnesota and sent to Texas. Syrian Kurdish fighters say they have lost control of an ISIS prison after clashes with Syrian government forces and tribal fighters.

As NPR's Jane Arraf reports, the fighting could pose a risk of ISIS suspects being released. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, says it has lost control of El Shadadi prison in Haseka province, where thousands of ISIS citizens, suspects have been held since the defeat of the militant group seven years ago. Syrian President Ahmad Ashara on Sunday announced a ceasefire between government troops and Kurdish forces, but the fighting has continued in Kurdish-held areas.

The SDF says at least nine of its fighters were killed in fighting around the prison. The U.S. has warned that fighting between the two groups threatens efforts to fight ISIS. A witness near the prison told NPR that American soldiers were on the ground helping to secure it. The U.S. military has not confirmed the report. Jane Arraf, NPR News, Amman. The college football national championship is underway as Indiana University faces Miami. Indiana is trying to wrap up an undefeated season with the program's first ever national title. Miami is playing in its home stadium and looking to win its first championship since 2001.

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