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Giles Snyder
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loko Rasmussen says President Trump's text to Norway's prime minister linking his stance on Greenland to last year's decision not to award him the Nobel Peace PR was not helpful.
Lars Loko Rasmussen
It was disrupted by the statement from the president. And that's a reality of life. And that's why it's so important that all our allies in the NATO alliance in the European Union stand up for these principles to show the American president you have a desire, you have a vision, you have a request, but you will never be able to achieve that by putting pressure on us. That signal is of crucial importance in order to, I would say, to push the Americans back into the meeting room, as we agreed last week.
Giles Snyder
In the text message, Trump said he no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace. But he posted a social media message a short time ago saying he spoke by phone with NATO secretary general and agreed to a meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he is due to speak Wednesday at the World Economic Forum. Homeland Security Department Facing increasing scrutiny from immigration advocates, they say the agency is trying to recruit local police officers in Minnesota and in other states. Here's NPR's Windsor Johnston.
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Naina Gupta is policy director with the American Immigration Council. She says police departments in Minnesota have told her organization that the DHS is trying to lure officers away from local agencies to join the federal ranks.
Naina Gupta
We know that they are looking, you know, as desperately as possible to find people to join the agency. And poaching from local police agencies is a fast way to do that, especially in the areas where they're looking to scale up immigration enforcement.
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In a statement to npr, the DHS says many of its new recruits are former law enforcement officers, military or former ICE officers who retired or quit under the Biden administration. Windsor Johnston, NPR News.
Giles Snyder
In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid off the interstate of snow from the Great Lakes blanketed the state police close the highway in both directions southwest of Grand Rapids. Patrick center with member station WGVU has more.
Patrick Senter
The sprawling multi car pileup took place on Interstate I196 in West Michigan's Ottawa counties. The Michigan State Police and local authorities assisted deputies along the seven mile stretch of highway, working with ambulance and fire services to transport injured motorists to area hospitals. The local transit authority and nearby Hudsonville High School dispatched buses transporting stranded motorists away from the scene. For NPR News, I'm Patrick Senter in West Michigan.
Giles Snyder
Indiana has capped a perfect season, going undefeated and winning the school's first college football championship over Miami. This is npr. A federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to keep enforcing a new policy requiring members of Congress to give a week's notice before they can visit immigration detention facilities. Attorneys representing several Democratic members of Congress had asked a judge to temporarily block the policy that went into effect earlier this month. The judge says they used the wrong procedural vehicle to challenge it. Hackers have disrupted Iranian state television to air footage supporting the exiled crown prince and urging security forces not to target civilians. A hack came amid a crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has left more than 4000 people dead. Delegates from Vietnam's Communist Party meeting this week in Hanoi to formally choose the country's leadership and chart its economic future for the next five years. Michael Sullivan reports.
Michael Sullivan
The current general secretary, Tho Lam, is expected to keep his post and try to seek that of president as well, a controversial dual role similar to that of Xi Jinping in neighboring China. In this carefully choreographed Congress, nearly 1,600 delegates will choose the roughly 200 member Central Committee, which in turn appoints the Politburo and the new leadership. Beyond that, the Congress will also try to determine how the one party state will thrive in a fragmenting global economy amid increasing competition between its trading partners, China and the U.S. the ruling communist Party has already set a goal of becoming a high income economy within two decades. For NPR News, I'm Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai.
Giles Snyder
And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News.
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Host: Giles Snyder
Date: January 20, 2026
This five-minute NPR News Now update covers major global and national news stories as of January 20th, 2026. Reporting includes diplomatic tensions involving President Trump and NATO, U.S. Department of Homeland Security recruitment practices, a massive vehicle pileup in Michigan, legal developments on congressional access to detention centers, cyber disruptions in Iran, and the Communist Party Congress in Vietnam.
[00:16–01:07]
Context: Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loko Rasmussen responds to a controversial text from President Trump to Norway's Prime Minister. Trump linked his stance on Greenland to not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, which was seen as disruptive to NATO and EU relations.
Rasmussen's Response:
"It was disrupted by the statement from the president. And that's a reality of life. And that's why it's so important that all our allies in the NATO alliance in the European Union stand up for these principles..."
— Lars Loko Rasmussen, Danish Foreign Minister [00:32]
Rasmussen urged NATO and EU allies to remain united and not yield to pressure from the U.S., emphasizing the need for principled engagement and dialogue:
"...you have a desire, you have a vision, you have a request, but you will never be able to achieve that by putting pressure on us."
— Lars Loko Rasmussen [00:45]
Follow-up: Despite recent tension, Trump announced a phone call with the NATO Secretary General and agreed to meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
[01:07–02:21]
Reporter: Windsor Johnston
Issue: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is under scrutiny for attempting to recruit local police officers—particularly in Minnesota and other states—for federal immigration enforcement roles.
Advocate Perspective: Naina Gupta, Policy Director at the American Immigration Council, says local departments told her organization that DHS is "poaching" officers:
"We know that they are looking, you know, as desperately as possible to find people to join the agency. And poaching from local police agencies is a fast way to do that..."
— Naina Gupta [01:49]
DHS Response: A statement to NPR clarified that many recruits are former law enforcement or military who left during the Biden administration.
[02:21–03:08]
Reporter: Patrick Senter (WGVU)
"The local transit authority and nearby Hudsonville High School dispatched buses transporting stranded motorists away from the scene."
— Patrick Senter [02:54]
[03:08]
[03:11–03:31]
[03:31–04:06]
[04:06–04:52]
Reporter: Michael Sullivan
Occasion: Delegates are convening in Hanoi to select new leadership and set the country's economic direction for the next five years.
Key Developments:
Notable Quote:
"Beyond that, the Congress will also try to determine how the one party state will thrive in a fragmenting global economy amid increasing competition between its trading partners, China and the U.S."
— Michael Sullivan [04:39]
Lars Loko Rasmussen (Denmark FM) [00:45]:
"...you will never be able to achieve that by putting pressure on us. That signal is of crucial importance..."
Naina Gupta (American Immigration Council) [01:49]:
"...poaching from local police agencies is a fast way to do that, especially in the areas where they're looking to scale up immigration enforcement."
Michael Sullivan (on Vietnam Party Congress) [04:39]:
"...the Congress will also try to determine how the one party state will thrive in a fragmenting global economy..."
This concise news update offers a window into rapidly evolving political, legal, and social events both in the U.S. and abroad, reflecting NPR’s commitment to in-depth reporting within a short format.