NPR News: 01-31-2026 5PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now – January 31, 2026, 5PM EST

Host: Louise Schiavone
Duration: 5 minutes
Episode Overview:
This news update delivers the latest developments across key national news stories, including immigration enforcement and legal rulings, dangerous winter weather, tech industry IPO news, box office surprises, and a partial government shutdown.

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1. Immigration Crackdown and Legal Rulings

Federal Judge Orders Release of Immigrant Father and Son

• [00:14] Louise Schiavone reports on a significant ruling from the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas, where Judge Fred Beery condemned recent immigration detentions:
  • A father, Adrian Conejo Arias, and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, were detained during an immigration surge in a Minneapolis suburb and moved to a Texas detention center.
  • Quote from Judge Beery:
    "A perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty."
    (Louise Schiavone quoting Judge Beery, 00:32)

Court Declines to Halt Immigration Enforcement in Minnesota

• [00:57] Kat Lahnstorff covers the Minnesota legal response:
  • State attorneys and the Twin Cities sought a temporary restraining order against federal immigration actions, citing "tremendous damage".
  • U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez (a Biden appointee) denied the request, recognizing the “profound and even heartbreaking consequences” of the federal surge but stated an injunction would "go too far."
  • The crackdown has led to the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents and sparked protests.

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2. Dangerous Winter Weather Across the U.S.

• [01:38] Louise Schiavone introduces risks posed by extreme wind chills nationwide.
• [01:48] Reporter Rebecca Hersher explains wind chill and safety advice:
  • Wind chill combines cold air and wind, increasing risks of frostbite and hypothermia.
  • Vulnerable groups: Outdoor workers and unhoused individuals.
  • Quote from Jessica Lee, National Weather Service:
    "Your ears, your nose, your fingers, your toes, even your cheeks and your chin. You want to keep all of your exposed skin covered and then, of course, limit or avoid time outside as well."
    (Jessica Lee, quoted by Rebecca Hersher, 02:05)

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3. OpenAI Plans for Public Listing

• [02:24] Tech segment from Bobby Allen on OpenAI:
  • OpenAI, valued at $550 billion, is now the second most valuable startup after SpaceX.
  • The company is reportedly preparing for an IPO, looking to outpace Anthropic, another AI developer.
  • Despite large infrastructure investments resulting in current billion-dollar annual losses, investor interest remains strong.
  • CEO Sam Altman's expectation:
    "He doesn't expect the company [to be profitable] until 2030, yet investment money keeps pouring into the company."
    (Bobby Allen, 02:54)

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4. Box Office News: Surprises and Documentaries

• [03:10] Louise Schiavone pivots to entertainment news.
• [03:26] Bob Mondello on the weekend’s top films:
  • "Send Help" (Disney) and indie “Iron Lung” are tied at $17 million each.
  • The surprise is the documentary “Melania” about former First Lady Melania Trump—widely panned by critics (6% on Rotten Tomatoes) but outperforming expectations with an $8 million opening.
  • Notable audio:
    Melania Trump (clip):
    "I will move forward with purpose and, of course, with style." (Melania Trump, 03:42)
  • “Melania” is a box-office standout in major red states: Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix, Las Vegas.

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5. Partial Government Shutdown

• [04:14] Louise Schiavone reports:
  • Congress missed a spending package deadline, resulting in funding expiration across nine federal departments.
  • Agencies affected include: Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, HUD, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury.
  • Congress is close to resolving the impasse; House vote expected Monday.
  • President Trump has signaled agreement with the emerging plan.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Judge Fred Beery:
  "A perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty." (00:32)
• Jessica Lee, National Weather Service:
  "You want to keep all of your exposed skin covered and then, of course, limit or avoid time outside." (02:05)
• Melania Trump (in documentary):
  "I will move forward with purpose and, of course, with style." (03:42)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:14] Immigration enforcement judicial rulings
• [00:57] Minnesota surge legal challenge
• [01:38] Winter weather and wind chill warnings
• [02:24] OpenAI IPO preparations
• [03:10] Box office, “Melania” documentary
• [04:14] Federal government partial shutdown

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Tone: Direct, urgent, and informative—typical of NPR’s news reporting. The episode succinctly delivers key updates on late-breaking national stories, reflecting the gravity of recent judicial, political, and industry events.

Transcript

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[Louise Schiavone]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. A federal judge has ordered the government to release a father and his five year old son who were taken into custody during the crackdown on immigration in a Minneapolis suburb last month. Little Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by officers at at the same time his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, was arrested, with both moved to an immigration detention center near San Antonio. At Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas, Judge Fred Beery condemned what he called a perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty. A federal judge in Minnesota has declined to order a halt to President Trump's immigration enforcement surge there. Kat Lahnstorff reports.

[Kat Lahnstorff]

Attorneys representing Minnesota and the Twin Cities argued in court that the federal actions on the ground were causing, quote, tremendous damage and asked the court to immediately halt the immigration surge with a temporary restraining order. U.S. district Judge Kate Menendez, president Biden appointee, denied that request while acknowledging that the surge, quote, has had and will likely continue to have profound and even heartbreaking consequences for the state of Minnesota. But she said that an injunction halting the operation would go too far and harm the federal government's efforts to enforce immigration laws. The operation has sent thousands of immigration agents to the city, sparking weeks of protests and and the killing of two US Citizens by federal agents. Kat Lansdorf, NPR News, Minneapolis.

[Louise Schiavone]

Many parts of the US Are seeing wind chill temperatures in the single digits or even below zero this weekend. NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports. Windchill can be dangerous.

[Rebecca Hersher]

Wind chill is basically how cold it feels outside. When you combine the air temperature with wind, it can cause frostbite and hypothermia. Dressing warmly can help protect people from wind chill conditions. That includes covering all exposed skin, says Jessica Lee from the National Weather Service.

[Jessica Lee]

Your ears, your nose, your fingers, your toes, even your cheeks and your chin. You want to keep all of your exposed skin covered and then, of course, limit or avoid time outside as well.

[Rebecca Hersher]

People who work outside or don't have reliable housing are at particular risk in severe wind chill conditions. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.

[Louise Schiavone]

ChatGPT maker OpenAI is preparing for an initial public offering this year. NPR's Bobby Allen has details.

[Bobby Allen]

OpenAI's 5,500 billion dollars valuation makes it the second most valuable startup in the world behind only SpaceX. And OpenAI is now taking steps to go public this year. It's according to a company source, not authorized to speak publicly. The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI is rushing to beat its AI rival, Anthropic, which is also planning an IPO this year. OpenAI denies this. There are, however, real questions about OpenAI's business model. Its massive infrastructure spending on AI data centers has meant it's losing billions of dollars a year. And OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said he doesn't expect the company until 2030, yet investment money keeps pouring into the company. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Louise Schiavone]

This is NPR News in Washington. The suspense thriller Send Help is narrowly beating the video game spinoff Iron Lung at the box office this weekend, but NPR's Bob Mondello says it's the third place finisher that's got everyone talking.

[Bob Mondello]

Both of the week's front runners, the genre flick Send Help from Disney and the scrappy indie Iron Lung made by a YouTuber, are poised to take in about 17 million through Sunday. But the surprise of the weekend is the documentary Melania, about first lady Melania Trump.

[Melania Trump (clip)]

I will move forward with purpose and, of course, with style.

[Bob Mondello]

Critics were brutal. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has the film at a catastrophic 6%. But while its box office prospects had been largely written off, Melania is now expected to earn $8 million this weekend, the best opening for a non concert documentary in a decade. Predictably, it's playing especially well in red states. The top grossing cities include Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Bob Mondello, NPR News.

[Louise Schiavone]

The federal government has entered a partial shutdown after Congress failed to meet a deadline to complete work on a spending package to prevent funding from expiring across nine federal departments. While funding has technically expired with Senate action yesterday, Congress appears within striking distance of breaking the impasse that has led funds to expire at the Department's of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, State, Transportation and Treasury. The House returns Monday and is expected to vote. President Trump has agreed to the plan. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.

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