NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-23-2026 8AM EST

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. A powerful winter storm is having an unusual impact. It's affecting up to half the U.S. population. This stretches from the Rockies down to Texas and up into New England. NPR's Amy held reports officials have declared states of emergency from Texas to Virginia. Forecasters warn of a trio of hazards, snow topping a foot in parts, followed by ice, enough to snap tree limbs and power lines, then record-breaking cold. Philip Jones is with the national. The Asheville Department of Transportation. The ICE is a lot more treacherous. We'll have different emergencies to deal with. Jacqueline Thorpe in North Carolina worries for her husband, who she says needs access to life-saving care. I pray that the power don't go out, and I'm praying that they have some type of emergency assistance where they can come because he cannot go without dialysis.

Even before the worst of it, airlines had canceled hundreds of flights. And in Milwaukee and Chicago, extreme cold as low as negative 40-degree wind chill, meant no school Friday. Amy Held, NPR News. Activists in Minnesota are calling for a statewide walkout today. NPR's Meg Anderson reports from Minneapolis they're protesting the federal government's overwhelming immigration operation in the state. There's a general strike. Organizers are encouraging community members to stay home from work, to not shop or

dine out. Many local businesses will be closed. And there are going to be several demonstrations, including a March and a rally in downtown Minneapolis's after a news. It's also extremely cold here. Afternoon temperatures will be around negative 10 degrees. But given the strong community response we've seen here so far, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people still show up. NPR's Meg Anderson reporting. Thousands of activists who oppose abortion will brave the cold in Washington, D.C. today. They'll join the annual March for Life. Demonstrators will gather on the National Mall and walk to the U.S. Supreme Court. Speakers will include Vice President Vance and House Speaker. Mike Johnson, who also oppose abortion. President Trump has unveiled his Board of Peace this week during a speech in Davos, Switzerland. It's supposed to focus on Gaza initially. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, laid out a vision for a new Gaza. And Pierre's Aibetrawe reports.

Kushner says this new Gaza will be a flourishing economic zone that creates jobs and prosperity for people there, free of Hamas and heavy weapons. Kushner's plan envisions Gaza with trains an airport, advanced manufacturing zones, parks, and a coastline for tourists with high-rise towers that resemble Dubai. It also includes more than 100,000 homes, though the UN says six times that amount existed before the war. Gada Doher, a mother of four, says the plan looks nice at first glance, but it is not Gaza, that all our rights and our homes are gone. She says all we want is aid and Israel to open the border.

Ayyabot-Trawi and Pierre News Dubai with Anna's Baba in Gaza City. This is NPR. President Trump is suing financial firm J.P. Morgan Chase and its CEO, Jamie Diamond. He's accusing them of closing his accounts for political reasons. NPR's Murray Aspen has more. The president is seeking $5 billion in damages. He alleges that J.P. Morgan Chase closed his accounts in 2021, after the January 6th, the tax on the U.S. Capitol,

as a result of, quote, political and social motivations. A J.P. Morgan Chase spokesperson tells NPR via email that the lawsuit has no merit and that the bank, quote, does not close accounts for political or religious reasons. Trump has attacked several big banks over what he calls debanking conservatives. Last year, he sued Capital One over similar allegations. And in August, he issued an executive order targeting what he calls politicized or unlawful debanking. Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York. The Recording Industry Association of America says the Eagles album, called Their Greatest Hits, 1971, 1975, is now the top-selling album of all time. But the industry also says the Eagles' iconic album Hotel California is in third place.

Well, the Eagles hold the first and the third place is for all-time sales. The organization says Michael Jackson's thriller album is in second. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News.