NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-23-2026 10PM EST

Episode Date: January 24, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. A massive ice and snowstorm will blanket much of the country this weekend. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports more than 200 million people are in the path of the storm from the Rocky Mountains to New England. Forecasters are predicting widespread travel disruptions, prolonged power outages, and frigid temperatures over nearly two-thirds of the eastern U.S. More than a half dozen governors from Texas to New York have declared states of emergency. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein says it's a serious and dangerous storm. Between snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain, and bitterly cold temperatures, this storm is expected to cause major disruptions to your daily life, possibly for days. States are staging power crews and pulling up National Guard troops, while local governments are opening inclement weather shelters, and warming stations. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. The U.S. military has carried out another lethal strike on a small boat, allegedly carrying drugs. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports the White House says it's at war with drug cartels.

Since September, the U.S. military has killed more than 100 people and destroyed dozens of small boats transiting what the Pentagon claims are known drug trafficking routes. The Trump administration says it can kill the crews of these boats on suspicion, even if they're unarmed, because it has declared war. on transnational drug cartels. Critics say that's extrajudicial killing or simply murder. In the latest strike, U.S. Southern Command posted a grainy video on social media showing a small boat exploding into flames.

Southcom said two crew were killed. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to NPR that it was engaged in a search and rescue operation for one survivor. Quill Lawrence NPR News. TikTok's U.S. operation officially has new owners. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, there are still questions about how. how the app's algorithm could change. If you ask social media engineers, they'll tell you algorithms are just linear algebra,

a math equation deciding what you like and what you'll see more of. But algorithm questions are now dogging TikTok, since it's now run by President Trump ally Larry Ellison's tech firm, Oracle, and other investors. Will the app used by half of America now be more political, favor right-wing content, push more misinformation? It's too early to tell, but experts say TikTok's new owners will have the ability to reshape what the app amplifies, and China isn't going away altogether. TikTok's parent company Bite Dance will retain a minority stake, and the new U.S. entity will

license a version of the Chinese algorithm for American use. Bobby Allen and PR News. Philadelphia is suing the Trump administration for removing an exhibit on slavery at Independence National Historic Park. It's the site of the mansion where George and Martha Washington lived with the people they enslaved. The Interior Department cited President Trump's executive order, saying it's, quote, restoring truth and sanity to American history. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A federal judge says the Trump administration must keep the money flowing to programs aimed at helping low-income families with children in five Democratic-led states. The ruling extends in order to

continue funding the programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The Trump administration said it was withholding the money because it had reason to believe there was fraud in those States. The Justice Department has arrested a former Olympic snowboarder wanted on drug trafficking and other charges. Authorities say Ryan Wedding was arrested yesterday in Mexico City after being placed on the FBI's most wanted list. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. Ryan Wedding represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was indicted in the United States in 2024 on federal criminal charges including cocaine conspiracy and murder. Prosecutors allege that Wedding heads a drug trafficking network that has shipped massive amounts of cocaine to the United States in Canada

and has orchestrated multiple murders to further its drug business. The FBI added wedding to its top 10 most wanted fugitive list in March, and in November, the State Department up the reward money for information leading to his arrest to $15 million. Now Attorney General Pam Bondi says wedding is in custody and has been flown to the United States to face justice. Ryan Lucas NPR News, Washington. Scientists have uncovered mummified remains of cheetahs from caves in northern Saudi Arabia. The seven mummies are up to 1,800 years old. Scientists also peeked at the cheetah's genes.

It could help with efforts to reintroduce the cats to places where they no longer live. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.