NPR News Now – Summary

Episode: NPR News: 01-17-2026 9PM EST
Date: January 18, 2026
Host: Jeanine Herbst
Duration: 5 minutes

Overview

This NPR News Now episode delivers concise coverage of the latest national and global news. Major focus areas include the National Guard mobilization in Minnesota after a police shooting, President Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland, ongoing changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, NASA’s lunar mission progress, Uganda’s contested election, and the forecast of a winter storm in the U.S. Northeast.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Minnesota National Guard Mobilization

[00:15 – 01:18]

• Following the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good by an ICE officer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the National Guard to support local law enforcement.
• Army Major Andrea Suchia clarified troops are not yet deployed to city streets but are “staged and ready to respond across the city.”
• The Minnesota Guard announced that, if deployed, troops will wear bright yellow reflective vests to distinguish themselves from other agencies—a measure in response to confusion seen during previous deployments in other U.S. cities.
• Memorable quote:
  • Army Major Andrea Suchia (via Kat Lonsdorf): “Troops are, quote, staged and ready to respond across the city.” [00:49]
  • Kat Lonsdorf: “This is different from other places in the country where National Guard troops have been federalized by President Trump and deployed to cities. And local residents have often said it’s difficult to tell them apart from federal agents.” [01:10]

2. Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland

[01:18 – 01:58]

• President Trump is threatening an extra 10% import tax on goods from eight European allies in response to their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland.
  • Targeted countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Finland.
• The tariff could rise to 25% on June 1 unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland; Denmark flatly states Greenland isn’t for sale.
• Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, mostly Democrats with a couple of Trump-administration critics, is visiting Copenhagen to “listen and hear the concerns” of Danish and Greenlandic leaders and business figures.
• Notable quote:
  • Barbara Sprunt: “At its core, a reassurance tour. You know, they were coming to listen and hear the concerns of politicians of both Denmark and Greenland, as well as some Danish business leaders.” [01:58]

3. CFPB Under Threat

[02:17 – 03:09]

• The Trump administration’s actions to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are affecting affordability for Americans, according to former director Rohit Chopra.
• Courts have temporarily blocked many of the administration's moves, but the agency is “hanging by a thread.”
• Chopra, who was dismissed early in Trump’s term, emphasized that the CFPB protects “people’s pocketbooks.”
• Memorable quote:
  • Rohit Chopra: “When you do not make sure that financial companies are following the law, that is a tax on every single American with a bank account or credit card or student loan.” [02:54]
  • Rohit Chopra: The CFPB is “...hanging by a thread.” [02:45]

4. NASA’s Artemis 2 Launch Preparation

[03:09 – 03:43]

• NASA’s Artemis 2 moon rocket, after a slow roll from the assembly building, is now on its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.
• The rocket moved at just one mile per hour, taking most of the day for the journey.
• Artemis 2 is set to launch as early as next week, sending four astronauts around the moon and back—the first such mission since the Apollo program ended in 1972.

5. Uganda’s Contentious Election

[03:43 – 04:47]

• President Yoweri Museveni, 81, declared winner of Uganda’s presidential election, extending his four-decade rule.
• The election was marred by a government shutdown of the internet and deadly violence.
• Museveni’s main challenger, Bobby Wine, alleges voter fraud and says dozens of his supporters were killed; police dispute the numbers.
• Notable quote:
  • Emmanuel Akinwotu: “Museveni’s main challenger, 43 year old Bobby Wine, said the results were fake. Police raided the former pop singer’s home on Friday night, but Wine escaped to a safe location, he said in a video posted on social media.” [04:21]

6. Winter Storm Alert

[04:47 – 04:57]

• A winter storm is predicted to bring snow to Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston tomorrow.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [00:49] Army Major Andrea Suchia (via Kat Lonsdorf): “Troops are, quote, staged and ready to respond across the city.”
• [01:10] Kat Lonsdorf: “This is different from other places in the country ... local residents have often said it's difficult to tell them apart from federal agents.”
• [01:58] Barbara Sprunt: “At its core, a reassurance tour. You know, they were coming to listen and hear the concerns of politicians of both Denmark and Greenland, as well as some Danish business leaders.”
• [02:45] Rohit Chopra: The CFPB is “...hanging by a thread.”
• [02:54] Rohit Chopra: “When you do not make sure that financial companies are following the law, that is a tax on every single American with a bank account or credit card or student loan.”
• [04:21] Emmanuel Akinwotu: “Police raided the former pop singer’s home on Friday night, but Wine escaped to a safe location, he said in a video posted on social media.”

Key Timestamps

• [00:15] – Minnesota National Guard mobilization after ICE shooting
• [01:18] – Trump’s threatened tariffs over Greenland
• [02:17] – Legislative reassurance visit to Denmark/Greenland
• [02:35] – CFPB’s weakening and court defense
• [03:09] – NASA’s Artemis 2 placed on launchpad
• [03:43] – Uganda election aftermath and opposition suppression
• [04:47] – Northeast U.S. winter storm warning

This NPR News Now broadcast efficiently covers critical domestic and global headlines, balancing governmental developments, international tensions, election crises, and science updates in five minutes, maintaining NPR’s clear and informative journalistic tone.