NPR News Now: January 11, 2026, 9AM EST

Host: Louise Schiavone
Date: January 11, 2026

Episode Overview

This concise episode delivers the latest headlines from the U.S. and abroad, focusing on national protests over ICE actions, U.S. military strikes in Syria, escalating unrest in Iran, developments in Texas’ hemp laws, and the latest in sports and entertainment. Each story is covered in a rapid, fact-driven style characteristic of NPR News Now.

Major Headlines & Key Insights

1. National Protests Over ICE Actions

[00:18 – 01:28]

• Context: Widespread protests have emerged over the death of Renee Goode in Minneapolis during an ICE operation. Demonstrations, described as mostly peaceful despite some arrests, also took place in Baton Rouge.
• Tipping Point: Bonnie Byland, Indivisible Baton Rouge, notes renewed urgency:

  “They're realizing that it's time to stand up. They can't take it anymore.”
  (Byland via Thorington, 00:58)

• Community Response: Mamie Broadhurst, local pastor, urges hope:

  “Don’t give up.”
  (Broadhurst, 01:08)

• Scale of Protests: Strong turnout credited to collaboration among pro-democracy groups and social media mobilization.
• ICE Response: Agents redeployed from Louisiana to Minnesota.

2. U.S. Military Strikes ISIS Targets in Syria

[01:28 – 02:24]

• Event: U.S. Central Command confirms large-scale strikes in response to last month’s deadly ambush in Palmyra.
• Kurdish Allies & Shifting Dynamics: While Kurdish forces were traditionally the main U.S. partner, the Syrian government has now also joined the anti-ISIS fight.
• Key Arrest: Syrian officials report capturing ISIS’s military leader for the Levant.
• Casualty Recap: The attack killed two Iowa National Guardsmen—Sergeant Edgar Bryan Torres Tovar and Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard—and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Saqat.
• Narrative Tone: Serious and somber account of ongoing conflict and retaliation.

3. Mass Protests and Crackdown in Iran

[02:24 – 03:12]

• Scale & Brutality: Hundreds reportedly killed or wounded during nationwide anti-government protests; medical staff overwhelmed.
• Internet Blackout: Despite government suppression and restricted communications, stories are emerging.
• Bahman Kalbasi’s Reflection:

  “It is different from the other protests that I've covered and have lived through. It is large scale, historic. It is across the country, across demographics, and it has faced perhaps the most brutal, the most bloody crackdown in the last 72 hours, and it hasn't died down yet. So that should tell us that we are in for possibly a different outcome than the previous protests.”
  (Bahman Kalbasi, 02:45)

• Implication: Suggests potential for significant change due to persistence of unrest.

4. Texas Moves to Outlaw Smokable Hemp

[03:12 – 04:16]

• Background: Texas legalizes hemp under a 2019 law mirroring federal rules.
• New Proposals: Regulations mandate child-resistant packaging, explicit labeling, and dramatically increased annual fees (from $150 to $20,000).
• Impact on Small Business: Local entrepreneur Estela Castro voices concern over new costs:

  “These proposed fees don't regulate small businesses, they eliminate them.”
  (Castro via Thorington, 04:01)

• Product Ban: Proposed rules would outlaw smokable hemp, leaving edibles as the legal alternative. Pending implementation by January 25th.

5. Sports and Entertainment Update

[04:16 – 04:57]

• Skiing: Lindsey Vonn, age 41, wins her second World Cup downhill of the year after major knee surgery:

  “She now has two wins in three events, the Milan Cortina Olympics open on February 6th.”
  (Louise Schiavone, 04:16)

  • Today's Austrian World Cup canceled due to weather.
• Awards: The Golden Globes ceremony is set for tonight with frontrunners:
  • Film: “One Battle After Another” (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  • TV: “The White Lotus”
  • Actor: Timothée Chalamet (potential first win)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "They're realizing that it's time to stand up. They can't take it anymore."
  — Bonnie Byland [00:58]

• "Don't give up."
  — Mamie Broadhurst [01:08]

• "It is large scale, historic...perhaps the most brutal, the most bloody crackdown in the last 72 hours, and it hasn't died down yet."
  — Bahman Kalbasi [02:45]

• "These proposed fees don't regulate small businesses, they eliminate them."
  — Estela Castro [04:01]

Segment Timestamps

• 00:18 – Protests over ICE actions in Minneapolis & Baton Rouge
• 01:28 – U.S. military response to ISIS attack in Syria
• 02:24 – Iran’s mass protests and violent crackdown
• 03:12 – Texas hemp industry under threat from new regulations
• 04:16 – Lindsey Vonn’s World Cup win & awards night preview

Tone & Delivery

The episode maintains NPR’s straightforward, measured, and fact-focused tone, with brief, humanizing moments from those affected by or involved in the news.