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

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

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.

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.

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]

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]

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

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).

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.

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.”

Additional Notes

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

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.