NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-29-2026 4PM EST

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump has held his first cabinet meeting of 2026, touting what he counts as the major accomplishment so far in his second term in office. NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben reports Trump leaned into his economic message at a time when polling suggests voter dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy. Trump highlighted lower gas prices and rising stock indexes, in addition to tax cuts that will affect federal income tax bills this year. It's a Republican version of the new deal right behind you is a nice picture of FDR. This is a much better deal than the FDR deal. But we have the great big, beautiful bill, and it's given tremendous tax cuts and a lot of other things. Polls aggregated by real clear polling show that Trump's net approval on the economy is currently at negative 14 percentage points.

Trump did not take questions from the press after the meeting, which lasted around 80 minutes. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House. President did not directly address public anger over the aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota or the resulting deaths of two U.S. citizens this month. But his border czar, Tom Homan, is now in Minneapolis, looking to reduce the number of federal agents on the ground. Estelle, Timar Wilcox of Minnesota Public Radio has more. Homan took over the operation in Minnesota on Monday. So far, he's met with Governor Tim Walz and other local leaders. We didn't agree on everything. I didn't expect to agree on anything. I didn't come to Minnesota for

photo ops or headlines, you haven't seen me. I came her to seek solutions, and that's what we're going to do. Homan says agents will focus on targeting people with criminal records and that the Minnesota operation got away from that. He didn't say exactly how many agents have left or when the operation might end. Local officials say federal agents are still making arrests and many residents are still afraid. For NPR news, I'm Estelle Timar Wilcox in Minneapolis. Today, Senate Democrats demanding changes to immigration enforcement policies blocked a funding package ahead of tomorrow night's partial government shutdown deadline. Travel on highways and interstates has improved in parts of Kentucky, however, the areas hit hardest are still digging out of snow. More in the forecast. Kieran Tsar with W. W.UK.K.Y. reports. Roadways in Kentucky were seriously impacted by ice and snow accumulations from this past weekend's winter storm.

Governor Andy Bashir said, despite below freezing temperatures, the state did, quote, get a little luck, allowing the Kentucky Transportation Department to make enough headway to assist city and county crews. The way the sun came out for two straight days, got the temperature of the roadways warm enough, even though the regular temperature out there wasn't for our salt and brine to be effective. The National Weather Service is predicting dangerously low temperatures and more snow in Kentucky through the weekend. That's Karen Zah. It's NPR News. President Trump says his administration will reopen Venezuela and airspace to commercial travel.

But just weeks after the U.S. opposed President Nicolas 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. If you live somewhere with air pollution, you're more likely to deal with heart problems. New research finds that despite improvements to air quality in the U.S. gains in air quality are not spread evenly. NPR's Alejandro Burunda reports. Air quality in the U.S. has improved in recent decades. Policies like the Clean Air Act helped drive down pollution from sources like power plants and cars. A new study published in the

journal science advances finds that overall, cardiovascular disease-related deaths from air pollution have also dropped. They've dropped the most for white Americans, while black and Hispanic residents are still being affected much more. Low-income people, and people of color often live in the most polluted areas. The Environmental Protection Agency, under the Trump administration, has announced its intention to weaken regulations that have helped clean up American air. Alejandro Burunda, NPR News. U.S. gymnasts Jordan Childs may reclaim the bronze medal she lost when Romania appealed the outcome

of the women's floor exercise competition in the 2024 Olympics. Today, Switzerland's Supreme Court said the Court of Arbitration for Sport will examine new evidence. U.S. talks have ended the day mixed. The Dow closed up 55 points, and NASDAQ was down 172 points. This is NPR.