NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-28-2026 6PM EST

Episode Date: January 28, 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 Ryland Barton. In Minneapolis, the two immigration officers involved in Saturday's deadly shooting of 37-year-old Alex Preddy are on an administrative leave. NPR's Jimenez-Bustillo reports.

Customs and Border Protection says this is standard protocol. The announcement comes after CBP's initial review found that the officers shot Prattie after he resisted their efforts to take him into custody. The agency's preliminary assessment contradicted the Trump administration's first narrative about the shooting, which accused Prattie of, quote, domestic terrorism and brandishing his weapon. It is not immediately clear how long the officers leave will last. CBP and state officials are both investigating the shooting. It is also under review by the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security.

Hemanabustillo, NPR News, Washington. Officials at the Department of Energy say they will make public a set of new rules for nuclear reactors. As NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports, the announcement came after NPR published a story about their existence. The rules are being used for the development of a new generation of nuclear reactors. They were written over the past six months, but their existence wasn't publicly known about until NPR obtained copy. The new rules appear to loosen standards for groundwater contamination and slash hundreds of pages and security requirements for the reactors. In a statement NPR, the Energy Department defended the changes, saying they reduced unnecessary regulation and helped innovation without jeopardizing safety.

The agency says it had shared the rule changes with companies as part of a, quote, iterative process, and that it intends to make them public later this year. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. New research shows how hormone therapy for menopause can affect brain health. Women who take hormone replacement therapy have faster reaction times. NPR's Alison Aubrey reports that suggests a benefit for cognitive health. Dr. Kristall Langley of the University of Cambridge analyzed data from about 125,000 women and found those who took hormone replacement to restore estrogen had less psychomotor slowing.

For example, their reaction times on memory tests or quizzes. was faster. Those women that were on HRT were able to respond much faster and much more similarly to those premenopausal women. H.R.T did not help improve anxiety or sleep issues. Research shows physical activity, healthy diet and limiting alcohol can also help manage the effects of the menopause transition. Allison Aubrey and PR News. Emergency crews and National Guard troops are working to clear cars and trucks stranded on ice-covered highways in Mississippi. Stalled traffic piled up overnight after the eastern U.S. endured what forecasters said could become its longest period of freezing cold in decades.

Traffic remained snarled on Interstate 55 and Interstate 22 in northern Mississippi today. U.S. stocks indexes closed largely flat today. It's NPR. A new report warns that the number of soldiers killed, injured, or missing in Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukraine could reach 2 million by spring. The report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that Russia has suffered the largest troop deaths for any major power since World War II. It estimates Russia suffered up to 325,000 deaths and Ukraine has had up to 140,000. The American Psychiatric Association is updating a key text on mental health conditions.

Future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will be different. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports. The DSM, which defines all mental health disorders, is key to diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. The current edition, the DSM-5, was published in 2013. Psychiatrist Dr. Maria Okendo is chair of the future of DSM's strategic committee. She told reporters at a press conference that the next edition will address critiques of the manual. There are many critiques out there. And perhaps the most salient one is the fact that the DSM doesn't reference what the cause.

of mental disorders are. She says future DSMs will factor in genetics, the environment, life experiences, and cultural identities. The details of plans are published in five papers in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Rita Chatterjee and Pierre News. Sarah Malali has been confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England. Malawi is a cancer nurse turned cleric.

The church ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. 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.