NPR News: 02-02-2026 6AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now: February 2, 2026, 6AM EST

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode offers a concise update on significant global and national events as of February 2, 2026. Highlights include the partial reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, ongoing U.S. federal government shutdown developments, a controversial ICE operation involving a preschooler in Minnesota, harsh winter weather across the eastern U.S., New Mexico’s lawsuit against Meta, political statements at the Grammy Awards, and Costa Rica’s new presidential election results.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rafah Border Crossing and Gaza War

• [00:17] Host Korva Coleman reports Israel has "narrowly reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt," previously shut since July 2024.
• Crossings are heavily restricted: “Only 50 Palest[inians] can cross in each direction every day.”
• The context is the ongoing war with Hamas.

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2. U.S. Government Shutdown

• [00:31] Parts of the federal government remain closed due to lapsed funding.
• Senate passed legislation to reopen agencies, but Department of Homeland Security is only funded for two more weeks.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson’s statement:
  • “Our intention is by Tuesday to fund all agencies of the federal government except for that one. And then we'll have two weeks of good faith negotiations to figure it out.” (00:41)
• The need for further negotiation is highlighted as a sticking point.

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3. ICE Operation Involving a Preschooler

• [01:23] Matt Sepik reports on the release of a Minnesota preschooler and his father, who were detained in Texas.
  • The child, Liam Conejo Ramos, was used “as bait to lure other adults out of his house.”
  • “ICE flew the boy and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, to a Texas detention center.”
  • Federal Judge Fred Beery condemned the operation in strong terms, calling it a “perfidious lust for unbridled power that's bereft of human decency.” (01:51)
• The family, from Ecuador, entered the U.S. legally in 2024 to seek asylum.

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4. Severe Winter Weather

• [02:04] The National Weather Service warns of “bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills... from Florida to the northeast.”
  • Daytona Beach wind chill: “feels like 21 degrees.”
  • Rare snowfall reported in the Carolinas, hundreds of crashes, and power outages.
• North Carolina Governor Josh Stein: “We just don’t get snow like this very often.” (02:28)
• Amy Held summarizes the “entrenched Arctic air,” noting it’s “colder in parts of Texas and Florida than it was in Juneau, Alaska.” (02:57)
  • Meteorologist Bob reassures: “temperatures will start to... moderate, so they won't be quite as... below average but still colder than normal this week.” (03:06-03:08)

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5. New Mexico vs. Meta Lawsuit

• [03:13] Jury selection begins in New Mexico’s lawsuit against Meta (owner of Instagram and Facebook).
• State claims Meta “fails to protect children from sexual exploitation and mental health harm.”
• Lawsuit focuses on Meta’s algorithms targeting children, not specific online content.

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6. Immigration Advocacy at Grammy Awards

• [03:53] Report by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento: Several Grammy winners addressed immigration during their speeches.
  • Billie Eilish: “No one is illegal on stolen land.” (04:06)
  • Olivia Dean (Best New Artist), speaking about her immigrant family: “those people deserve to be celebrated.” (04:10)
  • Bad Bunny: Is recognized for the first Spanish-language Album of the Year and calls for "ICE out" (immigration enforcement reform) during the pre-show.
  • Other notable artists voicing similar themes: Kehlani and Chabuzzi.

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7. Costa Rica’s Presidential Election

• [04:36] Laura Fernandez, a conservative political scientist with a tough-on-crime platform, wins Costa Rica’s presidential election.
  • Selected by outgoing president Rodrigo Chavez as his successor.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Speaker Mike Johnson ([00:41]): “Our intention is by Tuesday to fund all agencies of the federal government except for that one. And then we'll have two weeks of good faith negotiations to figure it out.”
• Judge Fred Beery ([01:51]): Described ICE’s use of a preschooler as “a perfidious lust for unbridled power that's bereft of human decency.”
• Governor Josh Stein ([02:28]): “We just don't get snow like this very often.”
• Billie Eilish ([04:06]): “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
• Olivia Dean ([04:10]): “Those people deserve to be celebrated.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:17: Rafah border crossing reopening
• 00:31: Federal government shutdown update
• 01:23: ICE operation and judicial rebuke
• 02:04: National Weather Service’s winter storm update
• 02:26: North Carolina governor and winter storm aftermath
• 03:13: New Mexico’s lawsuit against Meta
• 03:53: Grammy Awards, immigrant advocacy
• 04:36: Costa Rica presidential election result

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This tightly-packed NPR News Now episode covers international and domestic headlines with direct reporting and poignant quotes from officials and news subjects, offering listeners essential context on each evolving story.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Odoo. How many streaming subscriptions do you have? Is it the same for your business? Avoid it by having all of your business on one platform. Try Odoo for [e-mail] that's O D O O.com live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Israel has narrowly reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. It's been entirely closed since July 2024. In the midst of the war with Hamas, Israel is limiting crossings. Only 50 Palest can cross in each direction every day. Parts of the federal government are still shut down this morning. Congress didn't fund all agencies by last week's deadline. On Friday, the Senate passed a huge bill to reopen them, but it only funded the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks. Speaker Mike Johnson says the House now needs to meet and pass the bill in order to end the shutdown. Our intention is by Tuesday to fund all agencies of the federal government except for that one. And then we'll have two weeks of good faith negotiations to figure it out. He spoke to NBC's meeting. A preschooler and his father arrested in Minneapolis and moved to detention in Texas are now back home. A federal judge ordered their release. Officials at the boy's school say federal agents used the boy as bait to lure other adults out of his house. From Minnesota Public Radio, Matt Sepik has more.

[B]

Liam Conejo Ramos was photographed wearing a blue hat with bunny ears and a Spiderman backpack when masked ICE agents pulled him from his dad's car on January 20th after school. Local school officials say agents 5 year old, to his front door and directed him to knock to see if anyone else was home. ICE flew the boy and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, to a Texas detention center. In ordering their release Saturday, Judge Fred Beery called the move a perfidious lust for unbridled power that's bereft of human decency. Attorneys say the family from Ecuador is focusing on finding peace. They entered the US legally in 2024 to seek asylum, their lawyers said. For NPR News, I'm Matt Sepik in Minneapolis.

[A]

The National Weather Service says bitterly col temperatures and dangerous wind chills persist this morning from Florida to the northeast. The wind chill makes it feel like 21 degrees in Daytona Beach, Florida right now. Back to back weekend winter storms also brought rare snowfall to parts of the Carolinas. NPR's Amy Held has more.

[C]

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein.

[B]

We just don't get snow like this very often.

[C]

They got it this weekend and hundreds of crashes throughout the region. In Charlotte, firefighters plucked a pickup driver from a pond after skidding. Not far away, a semi got stuck on tracks and struck by a train. That driver also okay this as a massive storm that swept more than half the country the weekend before left lingering snow, ice and headaches from travel delays to power outages. Entrenched Arctic air had made it colder in parts of Texas and Florida than it was in Juneau, Alaska. Topsy turvy temperatures that should turn around. Meteorologist BOB or temperatures will start to.

[B]

Moderate, so they won't be quite as.

[C]

Below average but still colder than normal this week. Amy Held, NPR News.

[A]

You're listening to npr. Jury selection starts today in New Mexico. The state is suing big tech company Meta. State officials claim the parent company of Instagram and Facebook fails to protect children from sexual exploitation and mental health harm. The lawsuit targets how Meta sends its content to children or how it uses its algorithm to appeal to them. The lawsuit does not target the online content itself. During last night's Grammy Awards, several musicians addressed the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrant communities. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento reports that included some of the night's biggest winners.

[D]

Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Olivia Dean took home some of the most notable awards at the Grammys. All three artists used their acceptance speeches to speak out in favor of immigrant communities. Here's Eilish accepting the award for song of the year.

[A]

No one is illegal on stolen land.

[D]

Olivia Dean, who won best new artist and spoke about coming from an immigrant family, adding, quote, those people deserve to be celebrated. And Bad Bunny, who made history for taking home the first album of the year award given to a Spanish language record called for quote, ice Out. Earlier in the day during a pre show ceremony where most of the awards are handed out. A handful of other artists expressed similar sentiments, including Kehlani and Chabuzzi. Isabela Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.

[A]

Voters in Costa Rica have elected a new president. Laura Fernandez is a conservative political scientist. She ran tough on crime platform. She was also selected by the outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chavez as his successor. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.

[E]

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