NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-12-2026 2AM EST

Episode Date: February 12, 2026

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This is Ira Glass. On this American life, we look for stories that are surprising. And you won't hear anywhere else. Like, for example, this one astronaut who went to the moon, you know what he's not into? Space. Was it cool to float around weightless? No, no, no. This American Life, unexpected stories, wherever you get your podcast.

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. In a rebuke to President Trump, House lawmakers voted Wednesday to strike down emergency tariffs on goods from Canada. The move is largely symbolic as NPR Scott Horsley reports. Half a dozen Republican House members join nearly all Democrats in voting to suspend President Trump's emergency declaration that provides the foundation for double-digit tariffs on goods from Canada. The vote has little practical effects since it was short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a likely presidential veto. but it does signal some GOP resistance to Trump's costly import taxes, as well as the limits of House Speaker Mike Johnson's ability to head off such votes. A more serious threat to Trump's

tariffs could come from the Supreme Court, which is weighing a challenge to Trump's taxes on imports from around the world under a statute that never uses the word tariff. Scott Horsley and Perr News, Washington. Six Democratic lawmakers who participated in a video urging members of the military to refuse illegal orders say President Trump is wielding the Justice Department to attack his political enemies. That's after federal prosecutors tried and failed to secure a grand jury indictment against them. Here's NPR Sam Greenglass. The Congress member said in the video that no one has to follow orders that violate the

Constitution. Trump called the message treasonous and federal prosecutors opened an investigation. Senator Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan says the grand jury upheld freedom of speech and the rule of law. Yesterday, 20 anonymous Americans who we will never meet, who made up that grand jury, told us more about the values of America than Janine Piro or Pam Bondi or certainly this president. Slotkin referring there to Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Janine Piro, whose office has not commented on the attempted indictments. Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington. Attorney General Bondi was on Capitol Hill Wednesday for a combative hearing before lawmakers, Democrats repeated accusations. at the Justice Department.

It's being used to go after President Trump's perceived enemies. They also clashed over the Epstein files. An American speed skater who many expected win gold at the Winter Olympics has come through in his first event in Milan. Here's Steve Futterman. 21-year-old Jordan Stolls had to come from behind, but that's exactly what he did to finish first in wing gold in the men's thousand-meter event. At the 600-meter mark, Stoles trailed by more than 3 tenths of a second.

He was able to overcome that with a blistering final 400 meters. His winning time of 1 minute 6.28 seconds set an Olympic record. Finally to have the timing right and do it at the Olympics, that's something that takes a lot of planning. And I think I did it well. Stoles, who was dominated in World Cup events, came here with a realistic chance to win four gold medals. His next race is the 500 meter event this weekend. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Milan. This is NPR. The mayor of Ecuador's largest port city remains jailed.

Prosecutors say the 41-year-old politician was arrested along with 10 others allegedly involved in organized crime activities, as NPR's Kerry-Con reports. Achilles Alvarez was arrested along with two of his brothers and bundles of cash computers and other evidence were confiscated, according to prosecutors. Alvarez is also under investigation in a separate case for a illegal sales of subsidized gasoline. He was not wearing his court-ordered ankle monitoring device at the time of his arrest. Alvarez, who was elected mayor of Guayaquil two years ago, denies all charges. He's a member of the left-wing opposition party and a vocal critic of the current president's tough crime policies. Guayaquil, Ecuador's major commercial port, is also key in cocaine shipments from South America to the U.S. and

Europe. Its murder rate has skyrocketed as rival local gangs and international crime cartels battle for control. Carrie Khan, NPR News. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is in Venezuela. He arrived in Ghracos on Wednesday for a three-day visit focused on assessing Venezuela's oil industry as the Trump administration pushes for a major overhaul following the U.S. military's ouster of President Nicolas Maduro. Actor James Vanderbeek has died. He was 48. according to a statement from his family, posted on Instagram. The statement says he died Wednesday. Fanderbeek was best known for his role as Dawson Leary on the late 90s TV show Dawson's Creek.

He shared in 2024 that he was being treated for colorectal cancer. This is MP. 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.