NPR News: 01-29-2026 10AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: 01-29-2026, 10AM EST – Episode Summary

Brief Overview

This five-minute NPR News update, hosted by Korva Coleman, covers key headlines from across the United States, focusing on immigration enforcement in Minnesota, an FBI search of Georgia’s election offices, sharp fluctuations in the U.S. trade deficit, ongoing power outages and dangerous cold weather across the South and East, and unions’ pushback against proposed federal staffing cuts. The episode provides succinct reporting with direct quotes from officials and affected individuals.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Immigration Operations and Community Response in Minnesota

• Border Enforcement: President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, affirms the federal posture on immigration enforcement, specifically mentioning possible reduction of federal agents in Minnesota if the state authorities cooperate ([00:17]).
• Local Reaction:
  • Mixed responses within Minnesota, with some resistance and adaptation among local businesses as federal operations continue.
  • A Minneapolis café, Modern Times Cafe, has shifted to a donation-based model rather than charging customers—seen as a stance supporting the community amid heightened enforcement ([00:50]).
  • Owner Dylan Alvorson explains his radical approach as a response to an environment of “chaos,” referencing a federal shooting incident nearby ([01:13]).

Memorable Quote:

• Dylan Alvorson ([01:13]):

  "I'm just starting to think radically and say, like, if the world is chaos, then business owners have to adapt to that chaos."

2. FBI Raids Georgia Elections Office

• Seizure of Ballot Records: FBI agents confiscate 2020 election ballot records from Fulton County, Georgia—the state at the center of ongoing disputes and claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election ([01:34]).
• Local Concerns: Rob Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, voices doubts about the integrity and security of the ballots after the raid ([01:59]).

Memorable Quote:

• Rob Pitts ([01:59]):

  "So we can no longer, and I can no longer as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta, but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure. So that is a major concern that I have right now."

3. Economic Shifts: Trade Deficit and Job Market

• Trade Deficit Up: The U.S. trade deficit nearly doubled in November 2025, attributed to lower exports and higher imports amid unpredictable tariff policies ([02:34]).
• Corporate Impact: Caterpillar anticipates hefty tariff expenses (over $2.6 billion) despite record sales for the year, with much of their growth precipitated by demand from data centers ([02:34]).
• Job Market: Unemployment benefit applications remain stable and the Federal Reserve notes hints of job market stabilization, keeping interest rates unchanged ([02:34]).

Memorable Quote:

• Scott Horsley ([02:34]):

  "The trade gap has been volatile as exporters and importers try to adjust to rapid changes in the president's tariff policies."

4. Widespread Power Outages and Dangerous Cold

• Power Outages: 300,000 customers—mostly in Mississippi and Tennessee—remain without power following a severe winter storm ([03:13]).
• Fatalities and Cold Snap: At least 50 storm-related deaths reported across affected regions. Persistently low temperatures continue, with forecasters predicting another cold blast ([03:13]–[03:50]).
• State and Campus Response:
  • Mississippi’s governor highlights compounding difficulties for residents, especially those still without power or reliable water systems ([04:05]).
  • The University of Mississippi’s Oxford campus remains closed for a second week ([04:25]).

Memorable Quote:

• Gov. Tate Reeves ([04:05]):

  "It's going to be brutally cold again in the state of Mississippi. And so that creates a large number of other challenges, particularly for those have not yet gotten power back, particularly for those whose water systems are not back operating and functioning exactly the way they need to."

5. Federal Worker Unions Sue Administration Over FEMA Cuts

• Union Action: Federal employee unions are suing the Trump administration over announced plans to slash 10,000 jobs from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) ([04:33]).
• Dispute Over Scale: The unions argue the administration is understating the extent of job cuts, which could impair disaster response readiness.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dylan Alvorson, Modern Times Cafe Owner ([01:13]):

  "If the world is chaos, then business owners have to adapt to that chaos."

• Rob Pitts, Fulton County Board Chair ([01:59]):

  "I can no longer ... satisfy ... that those ballots are still secure."

• Scott Horsley, NPR ([02:34]):

  "The trade gap has been volatile as exporters and importers try to adjust to rapid changes in the president's tariff policies."

• Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves ([04:05]):

  "It's going to be brutally cold again in the state of Mississippi. And so that creates a large number of other challenges..."

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:17] Immigration enforcement and local response in Minnesota (Korva Coleman, Alex V. Cipolli, Dylan Alvorson)
• [01:34] FBI searches Georgia elections office; ballot security concerns (Korva Coleman, Rob Pitts)
• [02:34] Economic report: trade deficit, tariffs, job market (Scott Horsley)
• [03:13] Severe weather, outages, and campus closings across the South (Korva Coleman, Debbie Elliott, Gov. Tate Reeves)
• [04:33] Federal unions sue Trump administration over FEMA job cuts (Korva Coleman)

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This summary delivers a comprehensive view of the episode’s major news events and voices, representing the concise, objective reporting style of NPR.

Transcript

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[Korva Coleman]

In Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. President Trump's border czar says the number of federal immigration agents can be reduced in Minnesota. But but Tom Homan says that can only happen if Minnesota officials cooperate. Homan told reporters this morning he is there to carry out Trump's border policies. People in Minnesota are reacting in different ways as immigration operations continue. One cafe in Minneapolis has announced it will no longer charge patrons. From Minnesota Public Radio, Alex V. Cipolli has more.

[Alex V. Cipolli]

Modern times Cafe bustles with regulars. Servers yell out orders and not one customer pays a bill. Instead, they make donations into a tip jar. Owner Dylan Alvorson says the decision to be free is one way to help the community. Federal agents shot and killed Renee Macklin Goode, only four blocks away. And Alex Preddy, a neighborhood over we're in wartime.

[Dylan Alvorson]

I'm just starting to think radically and say, like, if the world is chaos, then business owners have to adapt to that chaos.

[Alex V. Cipolli]

Alvorson says they've been flooded with donations from across the country. He says the cafe will operate this way until ICE leaves the city. For NPR News, I'm Alex Visipoli in Minneapolis.

[Korva Coleman]

FBI agents have searched an elections office in Georgia. Local election officials in Fulton county say agents seized ballot records from the 2020 presidential election. Georgia's been at the center of President Trump's fall fault claims that the election was stolen from him. The chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Rob Pitts, says the items that were taken yesterday include ballot signature envelopes.

[Rob Pitts]

So we can no longer, and I can no longer as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta, but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure. So that is a major concern that I have right now.

[Korva Coleman]

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit last month seeking to get access to Fulton County's ballots. 2020 stocks opened lower this morning as the Commerce Department reported a rebound in the Nation's trade deficit. NPR's Scott Horsley reports. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped about 100 points in early trading after bottoming out in October.

[Scott Horsley]

The US Trade deficit nearly doubled in November. Exports fell during the month, while imports rose. The trade gap has been volatile as exporters and importers try to adjust to rapid changes in the president's tariff policies. The heavy equipment maker Caterpillar says It expects to pay 2.6 billion do in tariffs this year. Caterpillar reported record sales for 2025, powered by strong demand from data centers. But double digit import taxes were a drag on the company's profit margins. New applications for unemployment benefits showed little change. Last week, the Federal Reserve highlighted some signs the job market is stabilizing as it decided to leave interest rates unchanged this week. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Korva Coleman]

This is npr. From Texas to New England, power is slowly being restored to homes and businesses affected by last weekend's winter storm, but 300,000 customers are still in the dark. Most of them are in Mississippi and Tennessee. At least 50 people were killed in the wintry weather, according to state and local officials. Across the country, bitterly cold temperatures still persist. It's now 25 degrees in Raleigh, North Carolina. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports. Forecasters are warning of another blast of Arctic air before the weekend.

[Debbie Elliott]

The National Weather Service says the next blast of Arctic air could result in the longest duration of bitter cold in several decades. A freeze warning will dip down into Florida. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says that complicates recovery efforts.

[Dylan Alvorson]

It's going to be brutally cold again in the state of Mississippi. And so that creates a large number of other challenges, particularly for those have not yet gotten power back, particularly for those whose water systems are not back operating and functioning exactly the way they need to.

[Debbie Elliott]

The University of Mississippi says its campus in Oxford will remain closed for a second week. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

Meanwhile, some unions for federal workers are suing the Trump administration. They're protesting President Trump's plans to cut some 10,000 workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They claim President Trump is misleading the public about how deep the cuts are to the Disaster Management Agency. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News, in Washington.

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