NPR News: 02-01-2026 7AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now – 7AM EST – February 1, 2026

Host: Windsor Johnston
Episode Theme:
A concise roundup of national and international news, covering U.S. protests over immigration enforcement, a rare southern winter storm, urgent humanitarian concerns in Gaza, power disruptions in Ukraine and Moldova, and a surprising new box office hit.

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1. Protests Over Trump Administration’s Immigration Enforcement

[00:11 - 01:24]

• Nationwide Demonstrations:

  • Protests continue against the Trump administration’s immigration tactics.
  • Demonstrators picketed Target stores in Washington, DC, demanding the company call for an independent investigation into the deaths of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Preddy.

• Brand Pressure & Boycotts:

  • Target has faced repeated boycotts recently, including after scaling back its diversity programs.

  • Protesters call for accountability:

    “Don’t buy where you’re not respected.” — Slobo Milich, protester [00:53]

  • Another protester insisted on community solidarity:

    “I want them to see that we are not just standing idly while our neighbors are being kidnapped and we are standing up. Stand for our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis.” — Anonymous DC protester [00:56]

• Incident Video:

  • Viral videos showed federal agents detaining two Target employees near Minneapolis.
  • Target issued a statement distancing itself:

    “…doesn’t have, quote, cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency.” — Target statement [01:18]

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2. Winter Storm Sweeps the Southern US

[01:24 - 01:57]

• Arctic Air & Historic Snow:

  • Parts of the Carolinas experience rare snowfall, attributed to a strong arctic cold front pushing the storm track unusually far south.

• Expert Insight:

  “With that cold air mass, that arctic air mass entrenched, really, it leads to a more southern track because of how much cold air was in place… allows for a historical or at least near historical snowstorm in the Carolinas.”
  — Brian Hurley, National Weather Service meteorologist [01:38]

• Lingering Effects:

  • While the system is pulling away, snow and bitter cold are set to persist a bit longer.

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3. Gaza: Basic Needs Amid Big Ideas

[01:57 - 03:08]

• US Ideas vs. Immediate Needs:

  • The UN criticizes US discussions over Gaza for being long-term and theoretical, while urgent humanitarian needs go unmet.

• Rubble Crisis:

  • George Maria da Silva, head of UNOPS, highlights the scale of destruction:

    “The amount of rubble is unprecedented, 61 million tons of rubble, the equivalent of 30 tons per person in Gaza.” — George Maria da Silva [02:36]

• Dire Living Conditions:

  • Many Palestinians are living in tents, making fuel by burning plastic.
  • Da Silva calls for Israel to allow more fuel and heavy equipment into Gaza for immediate relief.

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4. Emergency Power Cuts in Ukraine and Moldova

[03:08 - 04:00]

• Widespread Blackouts:

  • Power cuts hit multiple Ukrainian cities and Moldova due to a technical malfunction on power lines, exacerbated by Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid.
  • Consequences include shutdowns of water supply, subway service, and heating for millions.

• Official Framing:

  • Ukrainian officials describe the Russian attacks as an attempt to

    “weaponize Winter.” [03:41]

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5. Entertainment: Surprise at the Box Office

[04:00 - 04:47]

• Box Office Standouts:

  • Disney’s Send Help and indie Iron Lung (by a YouTuber) are front-runners, each poised to earn about $17 million.
  • The biggest surprise is the documentary Melania, about First Lady Melania Trump.

• Critical Reception:

  • The film is panned by critics:

    “Rot Tomatoes has the film at a catastrophic 6%.” — Bob Mondello [04:20]

• Nonetheless, a Hit:

  • Despite reviews, Melania is pulling in a projected $8 million, marking the strongest documentary opening in a decade.
  • Strong performance in “red states”: Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix, Las Vegas highlighted as top cities.

• Memorable Moment:

  “I will move forward with purpose and, of course, with style.”
  — Melania Trump, from the documentary [04:15]

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Key Quotes & Timestamps

• “Don’t buy where you’re not respected.”
  — Slobo Milich, protester [00:53]
• “With that cold air mass, that arctic air mass entrenched, really, it leads to a more southern track…”
  — Brian Hurley [01:38]
• “The amount of rubble is unprecedented, 61 million tons… the equivalent of 30 tons per person in Gaza.”
  — George Maria da Silva [02:36]
• “I will move forward with purpose and, of course, with style.”
  — Melania Trump, Melania documentary [04:15]
• “Rot Tomatoes has the film at a catastrophic 6%.”
  — Bob Mondello [04:20]

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End of summary.
This five-minute update hits top headlines in U.S. activism, weather, Middle Eastern humanitarian needs, eastern European crises, and an unlikely pop culture phenomenon.

Transcript

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[Windsor Johnston]

[e-mail] live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Protests against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics are continuing across the Nation this weekend. NPR's Kristen Wright reports. Some demonstrators are once again calling for a boycott of Target, which headquartered in Minneapolis.

[Kristen Wright]

Ice out protesters picketed each of Washington, DC's Target stores, demanding the company publicly call for an independent investigation into the killings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Preddy. Target's been faced with repeated calls for boycotts in recent years, including after its rollback of diversity programs. Slobo Milich held a sign saying, don't buy where you're not respected.

[Protester]

I want them to see that we are not just standing idly while our neighbors are being kidnapped and we are standing up. Stand for our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis.

[Kristen Wright]

Videos widely shared earlier this month show federal agents tackling and briefly detaining two Target employees at a store near Minneapolis. In a statement to npr, Target said it doesn't have, quote, cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency. Kristen Wright, NPR News.

[Windsor Johnston]

A rare winter storm is sweeping across parts of the southern US Arctic air pushed the storm track far below its usual path, setting the stage for snow across the Carolinas. Brian Hurley is is a meteorologist with a weather prediction center.

[Brian Hurley]

With that cold air mass, that arctic air mass entrenched, really, it leads to a more southern track because of how much cold air was in place, cold, dense air, you know, that kind of helps push the transition zone well south, and it allows for a historical or at least near historical snowstorm in the Carolinas.

[Windsor Johnston]

Forecasters say the system is pulling away, but the snow and bitter cold will linger a bit longer. A top official at the United nations says he's heard a lot of big ideas from the US about the future of Gaza, but not much action yet. NPR's Michelle Keleman reports. While discussions over those plans continue, there are urgent basic needs that are less costly and can help Palestinians quickly.

[George Maria da Silva]

As head of UN ops, the United nations office for Project Services, George Maria da Silva focuses on practical solutions. And one of the big issues he sees in Gaza is the enormous amount of rubble.

[Protester]

And the amount of rubble is unprecedented, 61 million tons of rubble, the equivalent of 30 tons per person in Gaza.

[George Maria da Silva]

He says the international conversations have focused too much on long term development. But what he saw on his most recent trip to Gaza alarmed him. With many Palestinians living in tents and making their own fuel by burning plastic, he's urging Israel to allow in more fuel and heavy equipment. Michelle Keleman, NPR News, NPR News, Washington.

[Windsor Johnston]

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Emergency power cuts have hit several Ukrainian cities and parts of neighboring Moldova. Ukraine's energy minister says a technical malfunction disrupted power lines between the two countries. Blackouts in Kyiv and other cities have knocked out water, suspended subway service and left millions of people without heat. Moldova is also reporting widespread outages. The disruption followed Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid, part of what officials call a campaign to, quote, weaponize Winter. The suspense thriller Send Help is narrowly beating the video game spin off Iron Lung at the box office this weekend. But NPR's Bob Mondello says it's the third place finisher that everyone is talking about.

[Bob Mondello]

Both of the week's frontrunners, 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. But the surprise of the weekend is the documentary Melania, about first lady Melania Trump.

[Windsor Johnston]

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

[Bob Mondello]

Critics were brutal. The review aggregator Rot 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 Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Bob Mondello, NPR News.

[Windsor Johnston]

I'm Windsor Johnston, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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