NPR News: 01-27-2026 1AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now: January 27, 2026, 1AM EST

Host: Giles Snyder (NPR)
Episode Theme:
A rapid roundup of major U.S. and global news from politics and immigration, to severe winter weather, transportation safety, and tech regulation, offering a snapshot of key developments affecting listeners nationwide.

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1. Presidential Call and Immigration Response in Minnesota

• [00:16–01:31]
• President Trump spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz following recent unrest.
• Both Trump and Walz took a more conciliatory approach regarding federal intervention.
• Walz announced a leadership change in Minnesota’s immigration response:
  • Trump plans to send border czar Tom Holman to Minnesota for a new approach.
  • Tom Holman is a veteran of ICE, credited by Trump with previous successes.
• Notable quote about federal enforcement efficacy and approach:

  "He pledged that, look, I'm going to send Tom Holman in. We'll do things differently. He explained to me how he thought it was very successful in Louisiana, very successful in Louisville, which I shared with him. But ICE did not shoot anybody there and the presence was much smaller and much more targeted." — Walz (00:33)

• Greg Bovino, former lead of the immigration agent surge, will leave Minnesota after controversial remarks referring to Border Patrol agents as "the victims" in the fatal shooting of Alex Preddy, a local nurse.

2. Republican Governors' Response

• [01:31–02:11]
• Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, also chair of the National Governors Association, spoke out after the Minneapolis violence.
• Stitt and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called for a "reset" in federal immigration enforcement, emphasizing involvement of states and elected officials.

  "Governors are closest to conditions on the ground and best positioned to respond to their state's matters of public safety." — Joint Governors' Statement (01:45)

• Stitt criticized Trump's advisors, noting broad American dissatisfaction:

  "Americans don't like what they're seeing right now." — Gov. Kevin Stitt on CNN (01:54)

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3. Deadly Winter Weather Sweeps U.S.

• [02:11–03:13]
• Severe winter storm impacts from New Mexico to the Eastern Seaboard, causing at least 30 deaths.
• Widespread ice, sleet, snow, and ongoing bitter cold threaten much of the U.S.
• Louisiana state meteorologist Jay Grimes warns of persistent, dangerous subzero temperatures:

  "We're still a long way from being out of the woods in terms of the cold. The dangerous and potentially deadly cold will continue through the week." — Jay Grimes (02:47)

• The storm left over a million customers without power; road travel continues to be treacherous.

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4. Plane Crash in Maine

• [03:13–03:56]
• At least six fatalities after a plane crashed taking off from Bangor International Airport.
• The plane ended up inverted and caught fire; snow and de-icing ops ongoing at the time.
• Airport director Jose Saavedra said other flights were able to land and depart amid the storm:

  "There were planes landing and departing around that time, and we had crews on site responding to the ongoing storm that we had at that time." — Jose Saavedra (03:36)

• The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

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5. Upcoming NTSB Hearing: D.C. Mid-Air Collision

• [03:56–04:39]
• The NTSB will hold a hearing Tuesday on the causes of a fatal mid-air collision between an airliner and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., which killed 67 people nearly a year ago.
• Investigators will discuss contributing factors and recommend safety changes.
• The FAA has begun implementing new separation protocols for airspace around the capital.

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6. EU Opens Investigation into Elon Musk’s X Social Media

• [04:39–04:55]
• European Union regulators have formally launched an investigation into X (formerly Twitter), focusing on allegations of illegal, sexualized AI-generated images produced by its chatbot Grok.
• The probe seeks to determine compliance with the EU Digital Services Act regarding illegal content dissemination.

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Notable Quotes

• "But ICE did not shoot anybody there and the presence was much smaller and much more targeted." — Governor Tim Walz (00:46)
• "Governors are closest to conditions on the ground..." — Joint National Governors Association Statement (01:45)
• "Americans don't like what they're seeing right now." — Gov. Kevin Stitt, CNN appearance (01:54)
• "We're still a long way from being out of the woods in terms of the cold..." — Jay Grimes (02:47)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• [00:16] Presidential call and Minnesota immigration leadership changes
• [01:31] Governors’ call for shift in immigration enforcement
• [02:11] Severe winter weather and national impact
• [03:13] Maine plane crash report
• [03:56] NTSB sets hearing on D.C. mid-air collision
• [04:39] EU investigation into X and AI-generated content

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This concise but comprehensive roundup presents the urgent, evolving stories affecting the U.S. and the globe, emphasizing political shifts, urgent public safety issues, and new regulatory challenges in tech.

Transcript

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[Giles Snyder]

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump spoke by phone with Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz on Monday. Both struck a conciliatory tone. And speaking to Minnesota Public Radio, Walz said a leadership change is coming.

[Unnamed Interviewee or Source]

He pledged that, look, I'm going to send Tom Holman in. We'll do things differently. He explained to me how he thought it was very successful in Louisiana, very successful in Louisville, which I shared with him. But ICE did not shoot anybody there and the presence was much smaller and much more targeted.

[Giles Snyder]

Tom Holman is the Trump administration's border czar and a veteran of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is to arrive in Minnesota Tuesday to take charge. Walsh also confirmed that Greg Bevino, a top Border Patrol official who's been leading the surge of immigration agents, will be leaving the state. Bovino provoked anger when he referred to Border Patrol agents as the victims in Saturday's fatal shooting of 37 year old ICU nurse Alex Preddy. From member station KOSU, Lionel Ramsey reports that Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is among some Republicans raising concerns about Pred killing.

[Lionel Ramsey]

Stint also chairs the National Governors Association, a nonprofit aimed at helping governors find bipartisan solutions to shared issues in light of the recent violence in Minneapolis. He and vice chair and Maryland Governor Wes Moore issued a joint statement calling for a, quote, reset of federal immigration enforcement strategies to something that includes states and their elected officials. Governors are closest to conditions on the ground and best positioned to respond to their state's matters of public safety, the statement says. Meanwhile, Stitt appeared on CNN over the weekend and said Trump is getting bad advice and that, quote, americans don't like what they're seeing right now. For NPR News, I'm Lion Oramos in Oklahoma City.

[Giles Snyder]

Bitter cold is gripping much of the country after that massive winter storm swept across the US Dumping ice, sleet and snow from New Mexico to the Eastern seaboard. At least 30 deaths are now attributed to the storm. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports. It's affecting nearly half of the nation's.

[Jay Grimes]

The National Weather Service warns the frigid temperatures will persist over the eastern two thirds of the US this week, with record sub zero lows expected. Louisiana state meteorologist Jay Grimes says conditions will remain life threatening even though we're.

[Debbie Elliott]

Done with the freezing rain the sleet and the snow. We're still a long way from being out of the woods in terms of the cold. The dangerous and potentially deadly cold will continue through the week.

[Jay Grimes]

At its peak, the storm knocked out power for more than a million customers across the country and made road travel nearly impossible. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

[Giles Snyder]

This is npr. At least six people were killed in a plane crash in Bangor, Maine, Sunday night. Kaitlyn Bedion from Maine Public Radio reports.

[Kaitlyn Bedion]

The report says the plane crashed when it took off from Bangor International Airport and it came to rest, inverted and caught fire. Airport Director Jose Saavedra says snow and de icing operations were in progress at the time of the crash.

[Jose Saavedra]

The airport remained open. There were planes landing and departing around that time, and we had crews on site responding to the ongoing storm that we had at that time.

[Kaitlyn Bedion]

The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating. For NPR News, I'm Kaitlyn Bedion.

[Giles Snyder]

The National Transportation Safety Board is set to hold a hearing Tuesday on the causes of a mid air collision nearly a year ago between an airliner and a U.S. army helicopter in Washington, D.C. nTSB investigators are expected to detail the factors that contributed to the collision and will recommend changes that should be made to help prevent a similar event from happening again. The crash killed 67 people. The FAA has already taken steps to ensure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace around the nation's capital. European Union regulators have opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X social media platform following a backlash over the spread of sexualized images produced using its artificial intelligence chatbot known as Grok. The EU's executive is examining whether X disseminated content that is illegal under the EU's Digital Services Act. I'm Trial Snyder, NPR News.

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