Up First from NPR - Minnesota Protests, Zelenskyy Slams Europe In Davos, Winter Storm Approaches

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

In Minnesota, protests and business closures spread as immigration operations continue and confrontations with federal agents intensify.At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukraine’s president delivers a blunt message to Europe, warning that the continent must stop relying on the U.S. and prepare to defend itself as Russia’s war grinds on.And across the U.S., states are bracing for a massive winter storm threatening millions of people with dangerous weather conditions.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Eric Westervelt, Willem Marx, Russell Lewis, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.(0:00) Introduction(01:55) Minnesota Protests(05:28) Zelenskyy Slams Europe In Davos(09:00) Winter Storm Approaches Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Residents of the Twin Cities are pushing back against an immigration crackdown, they say, is growing more aggressive. Today, there's a planned general strike because the Trump administration appears to be taken a harder line against protesters. I'm Leila Faldi, that's A. Martinez, and this is up first from NPR News. At the World Economic Forum, Ukraine's president used his moment in Davos to call out European leaders and implore the continent to stop relying on the United States. States. Europe looks lost trying to convince the U.S. president to change, but he will not change. So what is he asking for his allies in Europe to do next? And a massive winter storm is threatening large parts of the U.S. this weekend. Where is it going to hit the hardest in how are states preparing?

Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day. This week on the NPR Politics podcast, President Trump's first year. You know, it's not just that there aren't really the guardrails on Trump's president's this term. It's that he's doing things that are just not conservative. We unpack the ongoing transformation of the Republican Party on the NPR Politics Podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Faith leaders, unions, and citizens in Minnesota's Twin Cities are pushing back today against one of the largest and most aggressive campaigns yet targeting undocumented immigrants. Many businesses are closed and there are planned protests throughout the day. It follows

the arrest on Thursday by the Trump administration of three people involved in a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul last Sunday. NPR's Meg Anderson is in Minneapolis. Meg, what can we expect to see today? Yeah, so there's a general strike. Organizers are encouraging community members to stay home from work, to not shop or dine out. Many local businesses will be closed. And there are going to be several demonstrations, including a March and a rally in downtown on Minneapolis this afternoon. It's also extremely cold here, even by Minnesota standards. Afternoon temperatures will be around negative 10 degrees. But given the strong community response we've seen here so far, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people still show up.

And you said negative 10, right? Negative 10. Yes, that's right. Okay. I mentioned earlier arrests of church protesters. What can you tell us about that? Yeah. So last Sunday, protesters entered a church in St. Paul because one of the pastors there is a local official with immigration and customs enforcement or ICE. Federal officials said the three protesters were arrested on charges related to a conspiracy to deprive other people of their rights, in this case, religious rights. One of the people arrested is a civil rights lawyer and a prominent local activist. And these arrests seem to be part of a shifting, harder line the administration is taking with some protesters. Here's Vice President J.D. Vance. He visited Minneapolis yesterday.

If you go and storm a church, if you go and insult a federal law enforcement officer, we're going to try very hard. We're going to use every resource of the federal government to put you in prison. Respect people's rights. Vance drew a distinction between violent and nonviolent protests, but videos of that church protests show people marching and chanting. It does not appear violent. And the vast majority of protests here have been peaceful. Yeah, it's true. But I have seen cases of immigration officers deploying tear gas and pepper spray and arresting protesters.

Yeah, that's right. So, you know, this week, Gregory Bevino, the head of Customs and Border Protection, he blamed those instances of violence on what he called, quote, an influx of anarchist protesters. But we are hearing more and more cases of people reporting aggressive behavior from immigration officers. Some U.S. citizens are speaking out about being stopped or detained by immigration agents. Here's Nasser Ahmed speaking at a press conference this Wednesday. She's a U.S. citizen and was detained by immigration. immigration agents for two days. They were just using a lot of force to arrest me. And I was screaming. I was crying. I was so scared. I've, like, never been arrested in my life. She's Somali American, and she said the officers arresting her made racist remarks.

While in Minneapolis, Vice President Vance told reporters the government takes allegations of racial profiling seriously. But Nasra Ahmed is hardly the only person with a story like that. This week, police leaders from three local agencies told reporters their own off-duty officers were racially profiled by federal agents who demanded to see their IDs. One of the officers said the federal agents had their guns drawn on them. That's NPR's Meg Anderson in Minneapolis. Meg, try to stay warm. Thank you.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky gave a scorching critique of Europe. country's most reliable ally. Yeah, the Ukrainian leader said Europe was unprepared for an increasingly dangerous world, even as a war rages within its borders. NPR's Ukraine correspondent, Joanna Kukisis is in Kiev. Joanna, so what's the main takeaway of that speech? Zelensky began with a reference to the movie Groundhog Day and said Ukrainians have been reliving the same day during four years of Russia's full-scale war.

Europe, he says, is also in a loop and it's going to kill them. He wants the continent to wake up and see the world order is changing quickly and that they risk being left behind. Now, Zelensky issued this wake up call after a week in which global leaders at Davos, including French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, raised their concerns about the historic transatlantic relationship with the U.S. Now, Zelensky implored Europe to unite and stop relying on the U.S., especially with an aggressive Russia at Europe's doorstep. Instead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America's focus shifts elsewhere,

Europe looks lost, trying to convince the U.S. President to change. But he will not change. Zelensky made these comments right after meeting President Trump as Ukraine continues to work on a peace plan with the Americans. I'm wondering, though, should Zelensky have been so blunt with Europeans, especially since they stepped in as the U.S. has pulled back? Well, Zelensky does see the fate of Ukraine tied to that of Europe, though he is frustrated that Europe does not do more to stop Russia's war machine. And Ukrainians have worked for many years to break away from post-Soviet influence and embrace the democratic ideals of the European Union

and the NATO Security Alliance. However, Zelensky suggested that the unity of NATO itself is fragile. What would happen, he said, if Russia attacked a NATO ally? Who will respond right now? NATO exists, thanks, to believe that the United States will act, that it will not stand aside and will help. But what if it doesn't? He said Europe must learn how to defend itself. And because Ukraine has been defending itself for years, it can help, he said. Oh, okay. So in what way?

So last year, Zelensky pushed for the formation of a United European Armed Force, with Ukraine included, of course, that could be up to three million troops. and he lamented nothing had been done since he brought it up, but he said it's still not too late and described one way Europe might benefit. If Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland, Ukraine can help. We have the expertise and weapons to ensure not one of those ships remains. They can sink near Greenland just as they do near Crimea. And now he's talking about how Ukraine, though, it has this tiny Navy-used sea drum.

to basically block Russia ships from using the Black Sea. Zelensky said Ukraine needs Europe's help today to keep its independence, but that tomorrow Europe will have to protect its own way of life. And Zelenskyy told Europeans with Ukraine at your side, no one will wipe their feet on you. That's NPR's Joanna Kikis in Kiev. Joanna, thank you. You're welcome. A giant ice and snowstorm is bearing down on much of the U.S. this weekend.

The National Weather Service says more than one. 170 million people are in the path of the winter storm. It's expected to move from the southwest today and towards the northeast by Sunday, bringing dangerous weather conditions with it. NPR's Debbie Elliott has been looking at how states are preparing, joins us now. So Debbie, I mean, just how bad is this going to be? Well, forecasters are warning this is a potentially life-threatening and catastrophic winter storm. It's going to bring frigid temperatures, dump a lot of snow, sleep, freezing rain. Generally, that's going to make travel treacherous and could result in widespread power outages as ice coats, trees, and power lines knocking out service. I spoke with a National Weather Service forecaster. He told me, look for heavy snow and blinding snow squalls on the northern side of this system and then crippling ice and sleet to the south. All right. So everyone knows this is coming. What are people doing to prepare? Well, you know, much like we see before a hurricane strikes, governors are making emergency declarations.

That's already happened in more than a half dozen states. You know, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas in Virginia so far. That will free up resources so they can prepare to respond. For instance, you know, moving power crews into position, pre-treating roads and highways, getting supplies like food and water in the right places. and putting out the snow plows and things like that. Also, they've called up National Guard troops to be ready to respond. ICE is really what the authorities in the South are most concerned about, because not only is it going to hamper driving, it will knock out power and leave people without electricity in the bitter cold days that are going to persist after this precipitation moves out.

Here's what Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had to say. stay off the roads. Once you have checked on your plants, your pipes, your people, and your pets, get comfortable, cook a gumbo, please get in your homes, get warm, get safe, and stay there. Ice on the road is not only dangerous, it is deadly. All right, so that's a grim message except for the part where you cook a gumbo. Does it appear, though, that people are listening? You know, well, based on the images I'm seeing of empty store shelves, it does look like people have been getting ready and stocking up for the cold days ahead. One store in Atlanta, for instance, sold out of ice melting salt.

And folks in Louisiana are saying they're having a hard time finding propane, you know, the tanks that you use for a gas grill or to put under a big pot of gumbo. In Kentucky, Justin Hicks at Louisville Public Media stopped by Keith's Harding. store to see how residents there were getting ready. Here's what Robert Tolbane was bracing for. Possibly like almost a foot of snow or more, maybe. Ice, hopefully not. I guess, I don't know, here buying a snow shovel. So I guess that's as prepared as I'm going to give. So he's got his new stove shovel and says he does have plenty of food and water at home to weather this winter storm. What are other problems or disruptions that might happen? You know, Chicago schools canceled classes today. That also happened in Milwaukee and in parts of Tennessee. And the storm is disrupting air travel

at some of the busiest airports in the country. Several airlines, including Delta and American, are issuing travel advisories and some flights have already been canceled. That's NPR's Debbie Elliott. Debbie, thanks a lot. You're welcome. And that's a first for Friday, January 23rd. I'm A. Martinez. And I'm Leila Faldit. 40 years ago, the space shuttle challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard, including a high school teacher. The nation was shocked, but a few booster rocket engineers were not surprised. They tried to stop the launch the night before. He said the challengers going to blow up. Everyone's going to die. And he was beating his hands on the dashboard.

He was frantic. On the Sunday story, an NPR investigation spanning 40 years looked at why last-minute warnings about the dangers to the challenger were dismissed and what that decision meant for those who tried so desperately to stop the launch. Listen to the Sunday story right here on NPR's Up First podcast. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Eric Westervelt, Villa Marx, Russell Lewis, Mohamed El Bardisi, and Alice Wolfley was produced by Zad Butch, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Highness. Our technical director is Carly Strange, and our executive producer is Jay Shaler. Join us again next time.