NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-29-2026 1PM EST

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The federal government is a step closer to a partial government shutdown by this weekend. Today, the U.S. Senate was unable to advance a six-bill package to keep agencies funded and operating beyond tomorrow night. President Trump addressed the prospects of a shutdown a short time ago during his first cabinet meeting of 2026. Hopefully we won't have a shutdown. We're working on that right now. I think we're getting close. the Democrats, I don't believe, want to see it either.

President Trump holding a cabinet meeting against the backdrop of public outcry over the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota and calls on the ground for change. Minnesota, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is running for governor. Now is our moment to renew our commitment to the common good. I'm asking Democrats, independents, and Republicans to join our campaign.

It is a homegrown one born in a moment like no other. Globuschard declared her campaign in a video message today after Governor Tim Waltz ended his re-election bid facing GOP criticism of widespread government services fraud on his watch. Democrats are both outspoken critics of President Trump and the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota. That's prompted mass protests and led to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Macklingood and Alex Preti. Apple CEO Tim Cook is calling for a de-escalation of tensions in Minneapolis. This coming is most leaders in Silicon Valley and the business world refrained from condemning the violence. Here's NPR's Bobby Allen. In an internal message reviewed by NPR, Tim Cook says he is heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis.

He writes that he told President Trump he was concerned following the recent killings by federal agents in Minnesota. Cook tells employees, quote, I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they're from. Hours after a fatal shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday, Cook attended a black tie event at the White House for a screening of a new documentary about Melania Trump. That prompted criticism that Cook and others hadn't spoken out about the violence. While major companies in Minnesota have condemned the turmoil, most tech and business executives have remained silent. Bobby Allen and PR News. A new poll finds two-thirds of the public say Congress should have extended the enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans.

Here's NPR, Selena Simmons-Duffin. 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. That's Selena Simmons-Stefman. It's NPR news. President Trump says his administration will reopen Venezuela airspace to commercial travel by the

end of the day. However, just weeks after the U.S. opposed President Iquolas Maduro to stand trial in New York, the State Department is advising Americans to avoid travel to Venezuela because of the potential dangers they face. More than 300,000 people across the southern U.S. are still waiting for the electricity to come back on following days of ice and record low temperatures. Poweroutage.us finds Tennessee, Mississippi, top the lists, followed by Louisiana and Texas. The Library of Congress has announced the latest additions to the National Film Registry. NPR's Net Ulibe reports a library picks 25 films every year to be preserved for posterity. More than 130 years of filmmaking are represented in the registry.

The oldest movie added this year was a silent film comedy from 1896. Other films added to the collection include two musicals starring Bing Crosby, one a holiday classic. And two more recent dramas, The La Dolfia and Glory, that star Denzel Washington. The National Film Registry also added classic films for Generation X, such as The Karate Kid and Clueless, and an iconic film for Baby Boomers, The Big Chill. Nata Ulippi, NPR News. U.S. stocks are trading lower this hour with the down-now down 162 points. The SMP is off 57, and the NASDAQ is off 357 points.

It's NPR News.