NPR News: 02-10-2026 12PM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now: February 10, 2026, 12PM EST

Host: Jeanine Herbst
Duration: ~5 minutes
Summary by: NPR News Now

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a concise roundup of leading national and international news stories, economic updates, health research, and highlights from the Winter Olympics. Important topics include Department of Homeland Security oversight and funding, a key election study refuting noncitizen voting claims, resumed Russia-France diplomacy, economic indicators, new dementia prevention research, and record-breaking U.S. Olympic performances.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Homeland Security Scrutiny and Funding Deadline

• Segment Start: [00:14]
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials testified before a House committee due to criticism over the recent shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.
• DHS faces a funding deadline as government funding for the agency is set to expire Friday night.

2. Study Dismisses Noncitizen Voting Claims

• Segment Start: [00:14]

• NPR’s Miles Parks covered a new report from the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation Research (CEIR), which refutes allegations of widespread noncitizen voting.

• The report finds such allegations are largely due to misunderstandings or intentional misrepresentations of voter data.

  Quote:
  “Allegations about non-citizens voting, quote, arise from misunderstandings, mischaracterizations or outright fabrications about complex voter data.”
  — Miles Parks referencing CEIR, [00:40]

• CEIR’s Executive Director David Becker confirms the rarity:

  Quote:
  “It is extremely rare that noncitizens get registered and then it is infinitesimally rare that they vote.”
  — David Becker via Miles Parks, [00:52]

• Example: Only 35 noncitizen votes were found in the 2024 Iowa election (out of 1.67 million votes).

• President Trump’s recent calls to “nationalize” U.S. election systems are based on claims the report deems false.

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3. Russia and France Re-Establish Diplomatic Relations

• Segment Start: [01:24]

• NPR’s Charles Main(z) reports: Diplomatic relations between Russia and France are returning at a technical level, after a four-year hiatus caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated higher-level talks could follow soon.

• President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for dialogue to ensure Europe isn’t sidelined from U.S.–Russia peace talks over Ukraine.

  Quote:
  “French President Emmanuel Macron...has argued for a resumption of dialogue lest Europe be cut out of ongoing U.S.–Russian peace negotiations over Ukraine that impact Europe’s future.”
  — Charles Mainz, [01:44]

• Macron recently sent a senior advisor to Moscow; his takeaway was that Russia currently "doesn’t want peace."

  Quote:
  “Confirmation that Russia doesn’t want peace right now.”
  — Emmanuel Macron, via Charles Mainz, [02:09]

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4. Retail Sales Report: Economic Snapshot

• Segment Start: [02:17]

• NPR’s Scott Horsley delivers news of stagnant retail spending in December, per the Commerce Department:

  • Spending on cars, furniture, and electronics fell.
  • Grocery and gasoline spending slightly up.

• Coca-Cola’s stock dipped after projecting slower sales growth than analysts expected; the company recently raised North American prices by 4% and is marketing smaller cans as a cost-saving option for consumers.

  Quote:
  “For those who are thirsty for savings, the company began offering smaller cans.”
  — Scott Horsley, [02:46]

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5. Wall Street Market Update

• Segment Start: [02:55]
• Mixed performance in major U.S. stocks:
  • Dow Jones up 230 points (+0.4%)
  • NASDAQ down 24 points
  • S&P 500 up 1 point

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6. Brain Training May Reduce Dementia Risk (New Study)

• Segment Start: [03:26]

• NPR’s John Hamilton covers research from the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia:

  • Over 2,800 adults studied from a 1998 brain training experiment.
  • “Cognitive speed training” led to participants being 25% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s or dementia, with effects lasting at least 20 years.

  Quote:
  “The fact that it’s lasted and had an impact over 20 years is astonishing.”
  — Marilyn Albert, Johns Hopkins University, [03:46]

• Protective benefit seen with about 10 hours of initial speed training and later "booster" sessions. Speed training helps participants gain automatic skills (e.g., like riding a bike).

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7. Winter Olympics: Milestones for U.S. Athletes

• Segment Start: [04:06]
• U.S. cross-country skier Ben Ogden (VT) wins silver—first U.S. men's medal in the event in 50 years, at age 25 in his third Olympics.
• Alpine Team Event: Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzen secure bronze for Team USA’s women. Superstar Mikaela Shiffrin missed the podium by just 0.06 seconds.
  • Shiffrin has seven World Cup slalom titles this season, and 71 in her career.
• The Alpine team event combines a downhill skier and a slalom skier, melding speed and technical prowess.

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes (by Timestamp)

• [00:40] Miles Parks: “Allegations about non-citizens voting...arise from misunderstandings, mischaracterizations or outright fabrications.”
• [00:52] David Becker (via Parks): “It is extremely rare that noncitizens get registered and then it is infinitesimally rare that they vote.”
• [01:44] Charles Mainz: “Macron...has argued for a resumption of dialogue lest Europe be cut out of ongoing U.S.–Russian peace negotiations over Ukraine.”
• [02:09] Emmanuel Macron, via Mainz: “Confirmation that Russia doesn’t want peace right now.”
• [02:46] Scott Horsley: “For those who are thirsty for savings, the company began offering smaller cans.”
• [03:46] Marilyn Albert, Johns Hopkins: “The fact that it’s lasted and had an impact over 20 years is astonishing.”

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Additional Notes

• No advertisements are included in this summary.
• All times are in MM:SS format, relative to content start, excluding promo/intro.

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This concise yet thorough five-minute episode provides a compressed yet insightful snapshot of the day’s major policy, international, economic, health, and sporting news—all in the familiar measured, informative tone of NPR.

Transcript

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[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. On Capitol Hill, top officials from the Department of Homeland Security are testifying before a House committee as the agency comes under fire for the recent shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota. DHS funding runs out Friday night. A new report is dismissing President Trump's claims of widespread non Citizen voting in U.S. elections. NPR's Miles Parks has more.

[Miles Parks]

The nonpartisan center for Election innovation research, or CEIR, tracked data from all 50 states and found that allegations about non citizens voting, quote, arise from misunderstandings, mischaracterizations or outright fabrications about complex voter data. CEIR Executive Director David Becker it is extremely rare that noncitizens get registered and then it is infinitesimally rare that they vote. In Iowa, an exhaustive search there found 35 non citizen votes in 2024 out of the state's 1.67 million cast. Still, just last week, President Trump again falsely described the problem as widespread as he argued to, quote, nationalize the country's election systems. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Russia and France have reestablished low level diplomatic relations some four years after Paris cut relations with Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NPR's Charles Mainz reports.

[Charles Mainz]

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said contacts between Russia and France were operating at a technical level for now, but suggested talks between heads of state could be arranged in short order. French President Emmanuel Macron, who enjoyed good relations with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin before the war in Ukraine, has argued for a resumption of dialogue lest Europe be cut out of ongoing U. S. Russian peace negotiations over Ukraine that impact Europe's future. French re engagement began earlier this month when Macron dispatched a senior advisor to Moscow. When asked by journalists what he'd learned from his envoy's visit, Macron responded, confirmation that Russia doesn't want peace right now. Charles Baines, NPR News, Moscow.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Investors got a lackluster report on retail sales this morning. NPR Scott Horsley has more.

[Scott Horsley]

The retail report from the Commerce Department shows overall spending at stores and restaurants didn't budge in December as cautious shoppers watched their pennies. Spending on cars, furniture and electronics fell while spending on groceries and gasoline was slightly higher. Stock in Coca Cola lost a little fizz after the company projected slower sales growth than forecasters were expecting this year. Coke raised prices in North America by 4% in its most recent quarter. For those who are thirsty for savings, the company began offering smaller cans. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Wall street is trading in mixed territory at this hour. The dow is up 230 points. That's up about 0.4%. The NASDAQ is down 24 points. The S&P 500 is up 1. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. New research suggests a little mental exercise can reduce the risk of dementia for at least 20 years. NPR's John Hamilton on a study in the Alzheimer's and Dementia Journal.

[John Hamilton]

The study used Medicare records to track more than 2,800 people who took part in a brain training experiment that started in 1998. Marilyn Albert of Johns Hopkins University says participants who did something called cognitive speed training were about 25% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.

[Marilyn Albert]

The fact that it's lasted and had an impact over 20 years is astonishing.

[John Hamilton]

The people who got long term protection completed about 10 hours of speed training, then got booster sessions many months later. Speed training is designed to help people acquire automatic skills, like riding a bike. John Hamilton, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

At the Winter Olympics in Italy, U.S. cross country skier Ben Ogden won silver, becoming the first US man to win a medal in that sport in 50 years. This is the 25 year old from Vermont, third Olympics. Meanwhile, the American women's team, Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzen, won bronze in the Alpine team event, although Mikayla Shiffrin missed the podium by just six hundredths of a second. She's won seven World cup slalom races this season and 71 in her career. That event pairs two skiers, one racing the downhill, while the second races the slalom as a way to marry the two sides of competitive alpine skiing, speed and technical together. I'm Jeanine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.

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