NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-20-2026 11PM EST

Episode Date: January 21, 2026

NPR News: 01-20-2026 11PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News, I'm Jail Snyder. The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to Minnesota Governor Tim Wal, State Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry. The Trump administration claims the Democratic officials are getting in the way of the federal immigration crackdown in the state. In Pierce Meg Anderson reports on their response. In a statement, Mayor Frye accuses the federal government of weaponizing its power in order to try to intimidate local leaders. He says, quote, we shouldn't have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics. State Attorney General Ellison points out that the subpoena came shortly after his office sued the Trump administration over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in the state. He says, quote, let's be clear about why this is happening. Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I'm standing in his way. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Meg Anderson, NPR News. U.S.S. forces have seized a seventh sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela.

In a social media post, U.S. Southern Command says that U.S. forces apprehended the tanker Tuesday without incident. Two members of the Doge initiative assigned to the Social Security Administration may have violated the Hatch Act. NPR Stephen Fowler has more on the latest court refiling. Court filings say the Doge employees were secretly in touch with an advocacy group seeking to overturn election results. That potentially violates the law preventing government employees from using their jobs for political purposes. The matter is now in the hands of the Office of Special Counsel. This update is one of many revisions to testimony made last year by Social Security Administration officials in a case over Doge data access. The document also reveals Doge employees may

have inappropriately transferred sensitive data outside the organization, both through email and an unauthorized third-party server. Stephen Fowler in PR News. suspect accused of setting fire to Jackson, Mississippi's only synagogue pleaded not guilty to a felony arson charge in federal court today, but remains in federal custody. Mississippi Public Radio's Shamir Muhammad has more. An attorney for Stephen Spencer Pittman argued his client poses no serious danger to potential witnesses and should be deemed eligible for bond with conditions. Attorneys for the government argued the 19-year-old does pose a risk to witnesses from Beth Israel and his parents.

A federal judge denied him bond. Zach Schimper is president of the Beth Israel congregation. For the judge to detain him until the hearing, I think it's the right call. I don't think anybody wants or needs him out. I think he is a risk to those around him. And frankly, I don't know if he has anywhere to go because it doesn't sound like his parents want him at home either. A trial has been set for February 23rd.

For NPR News, I'm Shemir Mohamed in Jackson, Mississippi. And this is NPR News. A judge in New Mexico has ordered that actor-director Timothy Busfield be released from jail. The order came during attention hearing Tuesday on child sex abuse charges. Busfield denies allegations of inappropriate touching while working as a director on the set of the series The Cleaning Lady. Our preliminary hearing in the case is set for January 29th. A year ago today, President Trump froze almost all U.S. foreign aid, one area that has shrunk dramatically, as maternal and child health. And Pierce Gabriela Emmanuel reports.

A report from the Women's Refugee Council found that one year after the cuts, 88% of U.S. funding for maternal and child health has been cut. That's in addition to gutting nearly all funding for sexual and reproductive health. Elisha Dungeo, head of the advocacy group Global Health Council, says she's worried these issues have not been a focus of President Trump's new global health strategy. I'm concerned that maternal newborn and child health is nowhere, and nobody seems to be making any noise about it. The report says hundreds of clinics have been forced to close as a result of the cuts, and that's left millions of women without easy access to medical care.

Gabriela Emmanuel and PR News. Wall Street was hit today by the global sell-off linked to escalating tensions over President Trump's push to assert control over Greenland. All three major U.S. stock markets closed down with the S&P 500 falling 2.1 percent, the biggest drop since October. The doubt was down 1.8%. I'm Giles Snyder. NPR News. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR NewsNowplus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.