NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-28-2026 2AM EST

Episode Date: January 28, 2026

NPR News: 01-28-2026 2AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts, perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Jail Snyder. Some anxious moments at a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday night. Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance but carried on with the event after the agitator was subdued. Minnesota Public Radio's Andy Russell reports a man is now in police custody pending charges. The lawmaker told reporters after the confrontation that she wouldn't be intimidated.

She had been calling for the ouster of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem at the time. The man was tackled by security and led away. Omar has come under increasing criticism by Republicans, including President Donald Trump. At a rally hours earlier in Iowa, Trump mocked Omar's love for America amid booze from those in attendance. Omar is a U.S. citizen who was born in Somalia. Omar is in her fourth term in the House and is seeking re-election. For NPR News, I'm Annie Russell in St. Paul. Homeland Security Secretary, Christy Noem, is facing mounting pressure.

or at least two Republican senators are calling for her to resign. They spoke Tuesday night, days after Border Patrol agents fatally shot a U.S. citizen Saturday on a Minneapolis street. Alaska Public Media's Liz Ruskin reports. Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters at the Capitol that the agency's performance in Minneapolis disqualifies Noem from leading the department, calling her actions amateurish and terrible. They've got to de-escalate there and treat these communities with some respect. Tillis and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska say Noem lost credibility and inflamed tensions by calling Alex Preti, the nurse her agents killed, a domestic terrorist.

Both senators say she should step down. President Trump, though, says Noam is doing, quote, a very good job. For NPR news, I'm Liz Ruskin at the Capitol. French President Emmanuel Macron hosting the leaders of Denmark and Greenland Wednesday in response to the Trump administration's recent threats towards the Arctic Island. In Paris, Eleanor Beardsley reports that Paris is the first stop on a European tour. The purpose of the tour is to strengthen strategic partnerships and protect sovereignty in the Arctic after recent pressure exerted by the Trump administration. The visits to European capitals will also include talks on the geopolitical, diplomatic, and environmental challenges facing. Greenland. Danish Prime Minister

Mette Frederikson and Greenlandic Prime Minister Yens Friedrich Nielsen thanked France for its supportive stance against the recent verbal attacks. Paris has taken steps to solidify its support for Greenland. Macron visited the capital Nuke six months ago and France announced

it will open a consulate there to strengthen its diplomatic and economic presence. It will be the first diplomatic representation of a major European country in Greenland in decades. Eleanor Beardsley in Pierre News, Paris. This is NPR. A man wounded in exchange of gunfire with Border Patrol agents in Arizona is recovering from surgery.

Authorities say he was involved in a human smuggling operation and that he was a fugitive who had a previous human smuggling conviction. The incident happened near a Portertown amid tensions in Minnesota. South Carolina reporting 789 confirmed cases of measles, surpassing the West Texas outbreak last year that resulted in the deaths of two school age. children. Empires Maria Godoy reports the South Carolina outbreak is now the largest the U.S. has faced in nearly three decades. Public health officials in South Carolina have reported 89 new confirmed measles cases since last Friday. The vast majority are in unvaccinated kids and teens. The outbreak is centered in Spartanburg County, where the vaccination rate

among students is 90 percent overall. That's lower than the 95 percent threshold needed to prevent measles outbreaks. There are currently 20 people in isolation and 557 others in quarantine. That includes students in at least 19 elementary, middle, and high schools in the northwest region of the state, known as the upstate. Officials say at least 18 people, both adults and children, have been hospitalized with complications from measles since the outbreak began in October. Maria Godoy, NPR News. Investors will be keeping an eye on the Federal Reserve Wednesday, policymakers due to wrap up their late. meeting in the afternoon with an interest rate announcement. The Fed has lowered interest rates three

times in September. I'm Giles Snyder in PR News. 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. Download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.