NPR News Now — 8PM EST, February 2, 2026

Brief Overview: This NPR News Now episode delivers a concise roundup of the hour’s biggest stories, including federal body camera policy, a major data privacy breach in the Jeffrey Epstein case, delayed jobs reports due to a partial government shutdown, scientific advancements on infant cognition, a significant oil industry merger, and tradition-inspired weather forecasting from Punxsutawney Phil.

1. Federal Officers to Get Body Cameras in Minneapolis & National Expansion

Key Points:

• Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security announced that all federal officers in Minneapolis will immediately be issued body worn cameras ([00:15]).
• The move comes in response to rising calls for transparency after the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal agents protesting deportations in Minneapolis in 2022.
• Noem announced via social media (X) the intent to expand the body camera program nationally, pending available funding, though specific funding sources were not stated.
• Context: President Biden had previously mandated body cameras via executive order, while President Trump rescinded the order in his second term. However, Trump recently suggested support for the idea ([00:39]).

Memorable Moment:

• Kat Lonsdorf, NPR:

  "President Trump rescinded that in his second term. But over the weekend, Trump seemed to approve of the idea, saying he thought it would, quote, 'help law enforcement.'" ([00:39])

2. Jeffrey Epstein Case: DOJ Releases Unredacted Victim Info

Key Points:

• The Department of Justice mistakenly released nearly 3 million documents in the Epstein case without properly redacting the identities and images of alleged victims ([01:17]).
• Some documents included sexually explicit and nude images of young women and possibly teenagers.
• The DOJ responded, stating it takes victim protection, "very seriously" and has removed pages once notified of the breach ([01:31]).

Notable Quote:

• Jacqueline Diaz, NPR:

  "They failed to do that in some cases before releasing around 3 million documents last Friday. In some cases, even nude images of young women or possibly even teens were released." ([01:31])

3. Partial Government Shutdown Delays Jobs Reports

Key Points:

• A partial government shutdown has furloughed Labor Department analysts, delaying the release of January’s jobs and unemployment rate report ([02:08]).
• The Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover report, originally set for Tuesday, faces similar delays.
• Reminder of previous disruptions: A six-week government closure the prior fall led to late jobs reports and one month’s data lost entirely.
• Despite the shutdown, January job data was collected on time and is expected once operations resume ([02:18]).

Notable Quote:

• Scott Horsley, NPR:

  "Jobs numbers for January were collected on schedule, so they'll likely be released soon once this latest shutdown is resolved." ([02:18])

4. Brief News: San Francisco Quakes, Markets, Babies’ Recognition Abilities

Key Points:

• Minor earthquakes shook the San Francisco Bay Area for over an hour—no damage reported ([03:00]).
• U.S. stock market: S&P 500 and NASDAQ both up half a percent ([03:00]).
• Study cited in Nature Neuroscience: Babies as young as two months can distinguish between objects, earlier than previously believed. The research included brain scans of 132 infants viewing 12 familiar object categories ([03:00]).

5. Major Oil Merger Announced

Key Points:

• Devon Energy (Oklahoma City) to acquire Kotera Energy (Houston) in an all-stock transaction—one of the largest recent U.S. oil producer mergers ([03:55]).
• Approval awaits antitrust regulators and shareholders.
• Trend context: Recent boom in mergers as small shale pioneers are absorbed by industry giants.
• Market effect: As the number of acquisition targets declines, the merger wave may slow.

Memorable Moment:

• Camila Domonowski, NPR:

  "The wave of consolidation isn't finished yet, but might move slowly now because there aren't many obvious targets left for companies to buy." ([03:55])

6. Groundhog Day Prediction

Key Points:

• Punxsutawney Phil “saw his shadow,” predicting six more weeks of winter in the annual Groundhog Day tradition ([04:32]).
• Event took place at Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, just after dawn.
• Meteorological accuracy: Phil is right only about 40% of the time, per weather officials ([04:32]).

Notable Quote:

• Ryland Barton, NPR:

  "Phil's handlers say he's seen his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter." ([04:32])

Highlighted Timestamps

• Body cameras for federal officers: [00:15] – [01:17]
• Epstein files privacy breach: [01:17] – [02:08]
• Jobs report shutdown delay: [02:08] – [03:00]
• Rapid-fire updates (quakes, stocks, infant cognition): [03:00] – [03:55]
• Major oil industry merger: [03:55] – [04:32]
• Groundhog Day/Phil’s prediction: [04:32] – [04:57]

This summary captures the essential details, tone, and memorable moments from the episode, providing a cohesive overview for anyone who missed the broadcast.