NPR News: 02-12-2026 11AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now: 02-12-2026 11AM EST

Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Korva Coleman

Overview

This episode provides a concise, five-minute update on the latest U.S. news, focused on key political and policy developments involving the Trump administration, state governors, market updates, and notable events in sports and current affairs.

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Key News Segments & Insights

1. Drawdown of Federal Immigration Surge in Minnesota

[00:15–00:50]

• Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, announced a near-complete withdrawal of federal agents sent to Minnesota for the immigration surge, with only a small contingent remaining.
• Earlier in the month, a drawdown of 700 agents had already been outlined, suggesting this latest departure is an expected continuation.
• Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota highlights impacts, saying:

  “Recovery work starts today to address the immigration surge’s effect on people’s lives, schools, and the Minnesota economy.”
  (Paraphrased from [00:50])

• Insight: Local and federal cooperation has been a sticking point, influencing the timing and scale of the agent withdrawal.

2. Trump Administration EPA Rollback and Coal Power Directive

[00:50–02:17]

• President Trump is moving to revoke a key scientific basis permitting the EPA to regulate fossil fuel usage via the Clean Air Act, arguing it no longer applies.
• He directs the Pentagon to shift military electricity purchases toward coal-powered plants, aiming to buttress the struggling coal industry.
• Coverage of a White House event (attended by coal executives and miners), where the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says:

  “We’re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it’s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years.”
  — Pete Hegseth [01:49]

• Context: Last year, $625 million was pledged for modernizing power plants and opening additional federal land for coal mining.

3. Governors Invited to White House Meeting

[02:17–03:07]

• The National Governors Association announces all 55 governors are now invited to the annual White House event with President Trump.
• Initially, the administration excluded Democratic governors, leading the association to remove the meeting from its agenda.
• After discussions between Trump and association chair Kevin Stitt (Governor of Oklahoma), the invitation was expanded.
• Insight: The move, typically bipartisan, became briefly contentious—a rare moment of open partisanship in a tradition of unity.

4. Other Headlines

[03:07–04:49]

• Stock Market Update:
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average dips by over 80 points.
• El Paso Airspace Incident:
  • Conflicting explanations over why the airspace closed: official version blames a cartel drone incursion, but NPR reports CBP shot down a Mylar party balloon with a laser.
• Nancy Guthrie Missing:
  • Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, remains missing (over 1.5 weeks) after a presumed abduction at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy.
• Winter Olympics Hockey Preview:
  • The U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey Team makes its Olympic debut tonight, competing against Latvia.
  • NHL players return to the Games for the first time in 12 years.
  • Auston Matthews, U.S. team captain, shares his expectations:

    “I think all of us feel the same way. I mean, I think we feel like we're up there and we should be competing for gold. You want to be obviously the best country in the world.”
    — Auston Matthews [04:24]

  • U.S. and Canada are tournament favorites; U.S. women’s team remains undefeated after four games.

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Notable Quotes

• Pete Hegseth (Defense Secretary):

  "We’re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it’s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years."
  [01:49]

• Auston Matthews (U.S. Hockey Captain):

  "I think all of us feel the same way. I mean, I think we feel like we're up there and we should be competing for gold. You want to be obviously the best country in the world."
  [04:24]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Federal Immigration Drawdown in Minnesota: 00:15–00:50
• Trump EPA & Coal Power Policy: 00:50–02:17
• Governors White House Meeting Controversy: 02:17–03:07
• Market, Airspace, Missing Person, Olympics: 03:07–04:49

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This NPR News Now episode offers a rapid yet thorough snapshot of significant policy moves, political maneuvers, and major news stories at the start of 2026, with firsthand statements from high-profile officials underscoring the major themes.

Transcript

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[Korva Coleman]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. President Trump's border czar Tom Homan says the federal immigration surge in Minnesota is going to come to an end. NPR's Meg Anderson says the announcement came this morning.

[Meg Anderson]

Homan said agents will be leaving within the next week. He said a small number will stay on the ground and he'll be here for a little while longer to oversee that drawdown. This was somewhat expected. Earlier this month, Homan announced plans to withdraw 700 of the roughly 3,000 agents that were sent to Minnesota. And he signaled then that further reductions were contingent on more cooperation from local officials.

[Korva Coleman]

NPR's Meg Anderson reporting. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls is expected to hold a press conference. Writing online, he says recovery work starts today to address the immigration surge's effect on people's lives, schools and the Minnesota economy. President Trump is poised to announce a rollback today to a key scientific finding used by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA uses the Clean Air act to regulate how fossil fuels are burned in the US to limit global warming. The Trump administration now argues that it cannot use the Clean Air act to do this anymore. The president is directing the Pentagon to use more coal powered electricity. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports. The order is part of Trump's efforts to boost the struggling coal industry.

[Franco Ordonez]

At a White House event attended by coal miners, executives and energy industry leaders, President Trump directed his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to enter into agreements to purchase electricity from coal plants to power military operations.

[Pete Hegseth]

We're going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it's going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years.

[Franco Ordonez]

The new investment comes after the administration pledged last year to invest $625 million for modernizing power plants and open 13 million acres of federal land for coal mining. Franco Ordonez, NPR News. The White House.

[Korva Coleman]

The National Governors association says that all governors are now invited to the White House next week for a meeting with President Trump. NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports. Trump had not wanted Democratic leaders to attend.

[Deepa Shivaram]

The National Governors association says all 55 governors are invited to a meeting at the White House next week. It's an annual event that's traditionally a rare showing of bipartisanship. But this year Trump only wanted Republican governors to attend the meeting at the White House. The governors association responded by pulling the White House meeting off its agenda. Trump then posted on social media that he'd invited all governors except for two Democrats, Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado. Now, after a phone call with the head of the governors association, Oklahoma Republican Kevin Stitt, the invite has been extended to all governors. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

On Wall street, stocks have turned lower. The Dow Jones industrials are down More than 80 points. This is NPR. There are conflicting accounts about why the Trump administration temporarily closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas, yesterday. Administration officials say it was to address a drone cartel incursion, but NPR has learned the Customs and Border Protection Agency was authorized to use a laser to shoot down a suspected drone. However, it appears the target was a Mylar party balloon. The search continues in Southern Arizona for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie. Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than a week and a half. Authorities believe that she was abducted at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy. The US Men's ice hockey team makes its debut tonight. It will be in a preliminary match against Latvia. Steve Futterman reports from Milan.

[Steve Futterman]

The US Enters the men's ice hockey competition with hopes of winning its first Olympic gold medal since the famous Miracle on Ice in 1980. This is the first time NHL players will compete in the Winter Games in 12 years. And the American squad is loaded with big names, including captain Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[Auston Matthews]

I think all of us feel the same way. I mean, I think we feel like we're up there and we should be competing for gold. You want to be obviously the best country in the world.

[Steve Futterman]

The US And Canada are the two favorites. Last year in a four team competition featuring many of the same players, Canada beat the U.S. meanwhile, the U.S. women's team has already played four games here and is undefeated. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Milan.

[Korva Coleman]

And I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News from Washington.

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