NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-29-2026 11AM EST

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

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On NPR's Wildcard podcast, Oprah, on the Art of Being Alone. Are you good at being alone? Ooh, my God. I'm a master at it. Tell me more. I cherish it. I revel in it. I can't wait to be alone. Watch or listen to that wildcard conversation on the NPR app or on YouTube at NPR Wildcard. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Borders are Tom Homan says the federal immigration crackdown.

in Minnesota can ease, but he told reporters this morning, a reduction in federal immigration forces will depend on cooperation from state and local leaders. President Trump sent home into Minneapolis this week. That came after federal agents shot and killed a second protester this month in the city. The Justice Department is charging 16 people with assaulting or impeding federal officers. Minnesota Public Radio's Matt Sepik says this came during immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the names of all 16 and many of their photos to social media even before the cases were unsealed, drawing a sharp rebuke from a federal judge.

Twelve of the defendants made their initial court appearance as Wednesday and were freed after prosecutors declined to seek detention. Defense attorneys call the charges bogus and politically motivated. Matt Seppick reporting. Hundreds of protesters marched yesterday outside a federal immigration detention facility in southern Texas. That's where a five-year-old boy from Minnesota is being held. Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas met with a boy in his family yesterday. Castro says the child appears lethargic. A photo shows the boy lying in his father's arms. Castro says the family is in the U.S. legally waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. From Texas Public Radio Samuel Rocha reports on the protest.

For San Antonio Art Teacher Sheila Vasquez, the hour-long drive. to Dili was worth it. If it meant standing up for children held in immigration detention, Vasquez stayed up all night crafting a large white bird sculpture she calls a protector, a symbol of hope for families inside the detention center. I don't know if any of the children are going to be able to see us by thought. Maybe if I put her high enough, the kids get a glimpse. Later in the day, tensions escalated as Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers in riot

gear confronted protesters. Authorities deployed a chemical irritant for crowd control. I'm Samuel Rocha in Dilley, Texas. A new poll finds that two-thirds of the public say that Congress should have extended the enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans. NPR Salina Simmons-Duffin reports the poll surveyed attitudes toward health policies. The American people care a lot about health care and want politicians to do more to make it more affordable. That's according to a poll from KFF, a nonpartisan health research organization. Ashley Kersinger, KFF's Director of Survey Methodology, says they pulled 1,400 people earlier this month.

A significant share of them say that health care costs are going to play a major role in their decisions to vote in the midterms and which candidates they vote for. She knows that the election is still nine months away and a lot can happen in the meantime. Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR News. Stocks are lower on Wall Street. The Dow was down 350 points. It's NPR. A brand new winter storm is brewing off the east coast. It could start hitting the coast of the Carolinas later today. Forecasters say it will generate hurricane strength winds. Combined with astronomically high tides, there could be significant flooding. Parts of North Carolina and Virginia could get blizzard conditions. New York City police say last night a man rammed his car several times into the headquarters of the Orthodox Jewish sect Khabad. And Pierre Seraventry report. courts, police are investigating this as a hate crime. A video shows a car striking a rear door of the building multiple times as onlookers stand by. Immediately after that, the driver was ordered out of his car and arrested.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says that out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD has significantly increased security around houses of worship throughout the city. You will see an enhanced uniform presence, specialized patrols, counterterrorism resources, and bomb squad deployments where appropriate. No injuries have been reported. Those spokespeople for Habbat say the building was particularly crowded Wednesday night, as it marked a special observance for followers. Sarah Ventry and PR News, New York.

A nonprofit leader and TikTok influencer known for her work to feed people who are homeless has died, Shirley Raines provided food and sometimes haircuts to people out of her van. She worked in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, her organization, Beauty to the Streets announced her death at age 58, but not the cause. She won awards from the NAACP. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News.