NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-03-2026 5AM EST

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, and I'm Dave Mattockley. The Department of Homeland Security says it's now requiring all federal immigration officers on the ground in Minneapolis to wear body cameras. The move was announced yesterday by DHS Secretary Kristy Noem. President Trump was asked about the change by reporters at the White House. They generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can't lie about what's happening. So it's generally speaking, I think, 80% good for law enforcement. Mandatory body cams on federal officers in Minnesota is one of the changes Senate Democrats have been demanding before they'll agree to fund DHS long term. The federal government remains in partial shutdown.

Boats are expected today in the House to try to end that. A federal judge is temporarily blocking a Trump administration policy that bars members of Congress from making unannounced visits to detention facilities run by U.S. immigration and customs enforcement. Erica Zurich with Minnesota Public Radio sampled reaction from Democratic Congresswoman Kelly Morrison, one of the plaintiffs in the case. Representative Morrison was granted access over the weekend to enter the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where immigrants, U.S. citizens, refugees, and protesters are being held. She says it was a horrifying and heartbreaking experience, and it felt very chaotic. Morrison is also a physician. She says she was alarmed to learn that a nurse is, there occasionally. But no doctors are at Whipple. Morrison says there are no beds, no blankets, and not enough food. The temperature inside is very cold, and she saw people in leg shackles.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to questions about conditions inside the facility. The Trump administration has criticized oversight visits, saying they disrupt normal operations and calling them publicity stunts. For NPR News, I'm Erica Zurich in Minneapolis. A federal judge is blocking the Trump administration from ending temporary protections for more than 300,000 Haitians who live and work in the U.S. Those protections were scheduled to end today. Ahead of the ruling, faith leaders from across Ohio gathered in Springfield to show support to Haitian immigrants. Catherine Mobley with member station WISO reports. More than a thousand people crowded into the St. John Missionary Baptist Church, for here we stand, a faith-led

rally. Reverend Kristen Uffal White is a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. She fears ending TPS will devastate Springfield. It will remove the neighbors we depend on. It will hurt local schools and businesses. And yes, it will hurt churches. It will hurt us being who we are called to be. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says he's gotten mixed signals on if ICE agents will step up deportation efforts in the state. For NPR news, I'm Catherine Mowgli. This is NPR News. It's unclear if lawmakers in Maryland have the votes to change the state's congressional map. The state's House of Delegates has approved changes.

Majority Democrats hope will help them in the congressional midterm elections in November. But as Sarah Petrovich with member station WIPR reports, things could turn out differently in the state Senate. All but one of Maryland's Democratic delegates voted in favor of a map that could out. the state's sole Republican congressional seat following the November general election. Governor West Moore says the new map is a way for Maryland to fight back against the Trump administration and its request for red states to red draw their congressional lines in favor of the GOP. Moore is now calling on the Maryland Senate to vote on the proposed map, but Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson does not intend to bring the map to the floor for consideration,

saying lawmakers should focus on state issues. House Speaker Jocelyn Pena Melnick said her chamber, quote, did what it needed to do and hopes the Senate will reconsider. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Petrovich in Annapolis. A state appeals court in California has overturned a sex abuse conviction against a former gynecologist at UCLA. A three-judge panel determined Dr. James Heaps had been denied a fair trial when he was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison in 2023 for sexually abusing female patients. The appeals court ruled the trial judge at the time did not share a note by the court's foreman, noting one juror lacks sufficient English language skills to carry out their duties. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News, in Washington.