NPR News: 01-18-2026 2AM EST

Summary

---

NPR News Now: 2AM EST, January 18, 2026

Brief Overview

This episode of NPR News Now delivers concise updates on several major global and domestic developments as of January 18, 2026. The news covers escalating tensions over Greenland, immigration enforcement controversy in the U.S., the closure of a refugee camp in Qatar, the latest on U.S. military withdrawals in Iraq, NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon, U.S. airstrikes in Syria, and condemnation from Iran’s Supreme Leader towards President Trump.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tensions over Greenland and U.S.-Europe Relations

[00:19 - 01:02]

• President Trump’s Actions
  • President Trump announces a 10% tariff on European countries opposing U.S. efforts to take control of Greenland.
  • A bipartisan congressional delegation is in Denmark to try to ease tensions.
• European Response
  • Senator Chris Coons reports widespread concern among Greenlanders and European leaders.
    • Quote: “The folks we've met with are respectful but alarmed. We heard compelling comments about how families across Greenland can't sleep at night. Children are crying to their parents.” – Chris Coons [00:40]
    • He notes Denmark’s leadership is taking the U.S. moves very seriously.

2. Immigration Enforcement and Local Law Enforcement Pushback

[01:02 - 01:57]

• DHS Recruitment of Local Police
  • The Department of Homeland Security faces backlash from advocacy groups over recruiting local police to assist ICE, especially in Minnesota.
  • Local law enforcement officials are expressing frustration at the attempts to “poach” officers.
    • Quote: “Heard directly from local police chiefs and local police departments who are enraged by this attempt to poach local police officers.” – Naina Gupta, American Immigration Council [01:34]
• ICE Expansion
  • ICE has received more than 220,000 job applications recently and is on track to hire thousands of new officers, according to DHS.

3. Closure of Afghan Refugee Camp in Qatar

[01:57 - 02:54]

• Camp as Saliyah Shutdown
  • The U.S. plans to close Camp as Saliyah by March 31, 2026. The camp has sheltered Afghans who assisted U.S. forces and relatives of U.S. citizens.
  • The State Department indicates no plan to send these refugees back to Afghanistan; they may seek visas if resettled in a third country, though no country has yet been identified.
  • Support for relocating Afghan allies has waned, with the Trump administration largely halting visa processing for Afghans.
    • Summary Quote: “Advocates say about 150 people there are related to U.S. troops... The camp will be closed by March 31.” – Quill Lawrence [02:12]

4. U.S. Military Withdrawal from Iraq

[02:54 - 03:30]

• Base Closures and Continued Presence
  • U.S. forces have fully withdrawn from an air base in western Iraq under a 2024 agreement to wind down anti-ISIS operations.
  • A small contingent remains due to ongoing concerns in Syria.

5. NASA Prepares for Artemis Moon Mission

[03:30 - 04:15]

• Rocket Transport and Launch Preparation
  • NASA has moved its Artemis mission rocket to Launch Pad 39B, a four-mile journey taking much of a day.
  • The upcoming wet dress rehearsal, a comprehensive pre-launch test, is next. The lunar mission could launch as early as February.
  • The mission aims for a 10-day orbit of the Moon, with three American and one Canadian astronaut. Long-term Artemis goals include future Mars missions.
    • Quote: “The goal of the mission Artemis is to soon return Americans to the moon for research and observation. Eventually, astronauts hope to make missions to Mars.” – Alana Wise [03:30]

6. New U.S. Airstrikes in Syria & Iran’s Response

[04:15 - 04:58]

• Strikes in Response to U.S. Casualties
  • U.S. launched strikes in Syria, targeting Bilal Hassan al Jassim, tied to a December 2025 attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian.
• Iran Condemns President Trump
  • Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei publicly labels President Trump a "criminal" for supporting Iranian protesters.
    • The December protests resulted in thousands killed and many arrested; Khamenei blames demonstrators and accuses Trump of incitement.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Chris Coons on European Alarm:
  “The folks we've met with are respectful but alarmed. We heard compelling comments about how families across Greenland can't sleep at night. Children are crying to their parents.” [00:40]

• Naina Gupta on ICE Recruitment:
  “Heard directly from local police chiefs and local police departments who are enraged by this attempt to poach local police officers.” [01:34]

• Alana Wise on the Artemis Mission:
  “The goal of the mission Artemis is to soon return Americans to the moon for research and observation. Eventually, astronauts hope to make missions to Mars.” [03:30]

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------|-------------| | U.S.-Greenland Tensions | 00:19-01:02 | | DHS & Local Police for ICE | 01:02-01:57 | | Afghan Refugee Camp Closure | 01:57-02:54 | | U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq | 02:54-03:30 | | NASA Artemis Moon Mission | 03:30-04:15 | | U.S. Strikes in Syria, Iran Response | 04:15-04:58 |

---

This summary captures the essential points and distinct tone of the news updates as delivered by NPR, reflecting the fast-paced and informative style characteristic of their newsroom reporting.

Transcript

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

This message comes from Intuit. TurboTax with TurboTax Expert. Full service match with a dedicated expert who will do your taxes for you from start to finish, getting you every dollar you deserve. It's that easy. Visit turbotax.com to match with an expert today.

[Dale Willman]

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump is continuing to escalate his threats to take control of Greenland. On Saturday, he announced a 10% tariff on any European countries that oppose his efforts. There's a bipartisan group of senators and House members in Denmark this weekend trying to bring down the tension. Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware says European nations are unhappy.

[Chris Coons]

The folks we've met with are respectful but alarmed. We heard compelling comments about how families across Greenland can't sleep at night. Children are crying to their parents. But here in Denmark, in Copenhagen, the serious, seasoned leaders we've met with, prime minister and defence minister, that they're taking this very seriously.

[Dale Willman]

The Department of Homeland Security is facing a backlash from immigration advocacy groups who accuse it of trying to recruit local police to join ICE. NPR's Windsor Johnston has more.

[Windsor Johnston]

The American Immigration Council says the DHS is actively working to expand its ranks in parts of the country where enforcement is ramping up, including Minnesota. Naina Gupta is the group's policy director. She says her organization has been contacted by local law enforcement officials in the state who are frustrated by the recruitment.

[Naina Gupta]

Effort, heard directly from local police chiefs and local police departments who are enraged by this attempt to poach local police officers.

[Windsor Johnston]

The DHS tells NPR that ICE has received more than 220,000 job applications in recent months and is on track to hire thousands of new officers. Windsor Johnston, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

The U.S. is planning to close a camp in Qatar that shelters hundreds of Afghan refugees. And as NPR's Quill Lawrence reports, many of the refugees say they helped U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan, while others are relatives of US Citizens.

[Quill Lawrence]

Camp as Saliyah has housed more than a thousand Afghans since the chaotic US withdrawal from Kabul in 2021. Many say they can't return home because they helped American forces during the war and would face reprisals by the ruling Taliban. Advocates say about 150 people there are related to U.S. troops. A state Department spokesman confirmed there are family of US Citizens at the camp and said they may apply for US Visas once resettled in a third country. No such country has been identified. The spokesman said there is no plan to return them to Afghanistan, but the camp will be closed by March 31. Support for Afghan former allies was once bipartisan, but the Trump administration has all but shut it down and stopped processing visas for Afghans. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

Iraqi officials say US Forces have completely withdrawn from an air base in the western part of that country. The action is part of a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad to wind down a U S Led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq. A small unit of US Military advisors and support personnel, though, are remaining because of the situation in Syria. This is NPR News. NASA has rolled out the spaceship it plans to use to send Americans around the moon. The ship's journey from vehicle assembly building to launch pad 39B was broadcast live on Saturday. NPR's Elena Weiss has more.

[Alana Wise]

The 11 million pound rocket stack was slow carted across the Kennedy Space center over the course of several hours, though the journey's only four miles. NASA says the process could take up to half a day. The trek is one of the major stages needed to eventually launch the craft into space, which could happen as early as February. The next step is a wet dress rehearsal, an intensive practice run that stops just short of throttling the craft into the skies. The goal of the mission Artemis is to soon return Americans to the moon for research and observation. Eventually, astronauts hope to make missions to Mars. The lunar orbit is scheduled to last around 10 days and will include three American astronauts and one Canadian. Alana Wise, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

The U.S. launched another round of strikes in Syria on Friday. In a social media Post Saturday, the U.S. central Command says the strikes were in response to an ambush last month that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian. They say the strikes killed Bilal Hassan al Jassim. They say he was a terrorist leader who is directly tied to that December attack. Iran's supreme leader Saturday called President Trump a criminal for his support of protesters in Iran. The protests began in December and thousands of people were killed while many others were arrested. In a speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed demonstrators for the deaths and he said that Trump encouraged seditious people to hurt the country. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

This message comes from Squarespace, a platform for building a custom on brand website. Choose from award winning templates, showcase your work and manage payments. Visit squarespace. Com, NPR to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.