NPR News: 02-17-2026 12AM EST

Summary

---

NPR News Now – 02-17-2026 12AM EST

Host: Giles Snyder (NPR News Anchor)
Date: February 17, 2026
Episode Length: 5 minutes

---

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode delivers concise updates on breaking news in the U.S. and globally. Highlights include the fallout from an FBI raid in Georgia, a partial government shutdown, notable victories at the Winter Olympics, a closed manhunt in Indiana, the passing of documentary legend Frederick Wiseman, and tributes to actor Robert Duvall.

---

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. Fulton County Elections Raid – Concerns Over Voter Data

[00:12 – 01:14]

• Story: The NAACP and allied groups have petitioned a judge to restrict how federal authorities can use voter information seized during an FBI raid at the Fulton County elections hub near Atlanta.
• Details:
  • Advocacy groups are asking for a ban on using the data for anything beyond the specified criminal investigation (election administration or immigration enforcement in particular).
  • They demand an inventory of the seized materials and a list of everyone with access to them.
  • The records were taken as the DOJ sues states for unredacted voter info; FBI’s search targeted 2020 election records.
  • Quote:

    "President Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the Fulton county records will reveal fraud."
    — Christopher Alston (01:05)

  • DOJ has not commented.

2. Partial Government Shutdown – No Resolution in Sight

[01:14 – 02:19]

• Story: The shutdown reaches day four, with Homeland Security’s funding expired and gridlock between parties.
• Discussion:
  • The pattern of crisis-driven politics is noted, referencing previous shutdowns and legislative deadlocks.
  • Example events include shootings by immigration agents and expiring health subsidies.
  • Bipartisan negotiations, such as those led by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, collapse at the last moment.
  • Quote:

    "A bipartisan deal to save the subsidies was in the red zone only for talks to fizzle, leaving both sides pointing finger Democrats demanding curbs on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown."
    — Sam Greenglass (01:50)

3. Winter Olympics – American Moms Achieve Historic Bobsled Wins

[02:19 – 03:03]

• Story: Elana Myers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries, both moms in their 40s, win gold and bronze in the women’s monobob.
• Highlights:
  • Both women have been long-time teammates, often discussing the dual challenges of elite competition and parenting.
  • Myers Taylor wins gold by 0.04 seconds; she is now the most-decorated Black athlete in Winter Games history.
  • Humphries repeats her gold medal performance from four years prior, taking bronze this year.
  • Quote:

    "They put their deep experience on the line... Myers Taylor came from behind to edge out a German sledder by 4/100 of a second..."
    — Brian Mann (02:32)

4. Women's Hockey Final Set: USA versus Canada (Again)

[03:03 – 03:11]

• Story: The gold medal match in women’s hockey will feature the U.S. facing Canada for the seventh time since 1998.
• Context: The rivalry continues to be a hallmark of the Winter Olympics.

5. Indiana Manhunt Concludes – Officer Killed, Suspect in Custody

[03:11 – 03:32]

• Story: Indiana authorities confirm the capture of a suspect wanted for shooting two police officers in Beech Grove; one officer died, the other is stable.

6. Documentary Legend Frederick Wiseman Dies at 96

[03:32 – 04:36]

• Overview:
  • Wiseman, renowned for candid films exploring institutional life, passes away at 96.
• Career:
  • Directed ~50 documentaries, focusing on institutions like legislatures, libraries, and schools.
  • Oscar-winner Errol Morris likened his observational style to absurdist theater.
  • Notable Quote:

    "He has a way of finding in reality some of the most surreal absurd moments that I've ever seen anywhere."
    — Errol Morris (04:07, quoted by Sam Greenglass)

  • Wiseman’s 1967 “Titicut Follies” exposed abuses at a Massachusetts prison and was banned for more than 20 years due to its shocking content.

7. Hollywood Tribute: Robert Duvall Remembered

[04:36 – 04:56]

• News: Legendary actor Robert Duvall dies at 95.
• Tributes:
  • Al Pacino calls working with Duvall an "honor."
  • Jamie Lee Curtis labels him “the greatest consulari the screen has ever seen.”
  • Duvall’s death was announced on Facebook.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Christopher Alston on Trump’s fraud claims:

  "President Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the Fulton county records will reveal fraud." (01:05)

• Sam Greenglass on repeated Congressional gridlocks:

  "A bipartisan deal to save the subsidies was in the red zone only for talks to fizzle..." (01:50)

• Brian Mann on the triumph of U.S. bobsledders:

  "Myers Taylor came from behind to edge out a German sledder by 4/100 of a second, capturing gold." (02:32)

• Errol Morris (via Sam Greenglass) remembering Wiseman:

  "He has a way of finding in reality some of the most surreal absurd moments that I've ever seen anywhere." (04:07)

• Tribute to Duvall by Jamie Lee Curtis:

  "The greatest consulari the screen has ever seen." (04:46)

---

Segment Timestamps

• Fulton County, Voter Data Raid: 00:12 – 01:14
• Partial Government Shutdown: 01:14 – 02:19
• Winter Olympics — Bobsled: 02:19 – 03:03
• Women’s Hockey Final USA v. Canada: 03:03 – 03:11
• Indiana Manhunt Concludes: 03:11 – 03:32
• Frederick Wiseman Obituary: 03:46 – 04:36
• Robert Duvall Tribute: 04:36 – 04:56

---

Summary

In a packed five-minute update, NPR News Now covers pressing national political disputes, significant sports feats, and remembrances of two cultural giants. From legal challenges surrounding electoral data and ongoing political brinkmanship in Congress to poignant Olympic achievements and the legacies of Frederick Wiseman and Robert Duvall, this episode delivers impactful stories succinctly and informatively.

Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

This message comes from Amazon Business with Smart Business Buying. Get everything you need to grow in one familiar place, from office supplies to IT essentials and maintenance tools ready to bring your visions to life?

[NPR News Anchor]

Learn [e-mail] live from NPR News. I'm Giles Snyder. The NAACP and allied groups are asking a judge to limit how the federal government uses voter data seized in the FBI raid of the Fulton county elections hub near Atlanta. For member station wabe, Christopher Alston has more.

[Christopher Alston]

The groups are asking the judge to bar any use beyond the stated criminal investigation, including using the data for election administration or immigration enforcement. They also want an inventory of what agents took during the Jan. 28 seizure and the identities of those who accessed it. The motion notes that the records were taken as the Justice Department has been suing some states to obtain unredacted voter information. The FBI's warrant sought 2020 election records. President Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the Fulton county records will reveal fraud. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For NPR News, I'm Christopher Alston in Atlanta.

[NPR News Anchor]

The latest partial government shutdown is now moving into its fourth day after funding for the Homeland Security Department ran out at the end of last week. There is still no deal between Republicans and Democrats and what NPR Sam Greenglass says has a familiar situation.

[Sam Greenglass]

This latest effort seems to be following a familiar cycle. A crisis captures national attention, in this case the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis or recently, health subsidies expiring and spiking premiums. A number of Democrats and Republicans suggest that they will respond like when Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said last month that a bipartisan deal to save the subsidies was in the red zone only for talks to fizzle, leaving both sides pointing.

[NPR News Anchor]

Finger Democrats demanding curbs on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Two American moms, Both in their 40s, have won golden bronze and women's bobsled at the Winter Olympics. The two reach the podium after a close contest against top German sliders. As NPR's Brian Mann reports, Elana Myers.

[Sam Greenglass]

Taylor and Kaylee Humphries have been teammates for years, talking publicly about the challenges of being elite athletes who are also parents moving into middle age. On the winding ice track, they put their deep experience on the line in the monobop race, where each athlete pushes and drives a solo bobsled. Myers Taylor came from behind to edge out a German sledder by 4/100 of a second, capturing gold. Myers Taylor has the most medals of any black athletes in the winter Games with gold, three silver and a bronze. Humphries won gold in this event four years ago and slid a clean line here to win bronze. Both women will have another shot at the podium in two woman bobsled races later in the week. Brian Mann, NPR News, Cortina d', Ampezzo, Italy.

[NPR News Anchor]

Thursday's gold medal final in women's hockey has decided the US Will face Canada for gold for the seventh time since women's hockey debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1998. This is NPR. A manhunt in Indiana is over. Authorities say the suspect wanted in connection with the shooting of two police officers is in custody. Earlier Monday evening, the police chief in Beech Grove, Indiana, said one of the officers died and that the other is in stable condition. American filmmaker Frederick Weissman has died. He was 96. As a documentarian, he was a master of unscripted, unstaged storytelling that nonetheless embodied a point of view. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports.

[Chloe Veltman]

Frederick Wiseman was extremely prolific. He made roughly 50 documentaries. Many of them chronicled the inner workings of institutions like the Idaho state Legislature, the New York Public Library and a high school in Philadelphia. But Oscar winning filmmaker Errol Morris says Wiseman has more in common with the theatre of the absurd than documentary filmmaking.

[Sam Greenglass]

He has a way of finding in reality some of the most surreal absurd moments that I've ever seen anywhere.

[Chloe Veltman]

Wiseman's first and most notorious work, titic at Follies, captures the mistreatment of inmates at a Massachusetts prison facility for the criminally insane. The 1967 film was so shocking, the state of Massachusetts managed to get it band for more than two decades. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.

[NPR News Anchor]

Hollywood is paying tribute to actor Robert Duvall. Duvall's Godfather co star Al Pacino, says it was an honor to have worked with him. In an Instagram post, actor Jamie Lee Curtis called him the greatest consulari the screen has ever seen. According to a statement on Duvall's Facebook page, he died Sunday at age 95. This is NPR News.

[Commercial Announcer]

This message comes from Jerry. Noticing your car insurance rate creep up even without tickets or claims, you're not alone. That's why there's Jerry. Jerry handles the legwork by comparing quotes side by side from over 50 top insurers so you can confidently hit buy no spam calls, no hidden fees. Jerry even tracks rates and alerts you when it's best to shop. Drivers who save with Jerry could save over $1,300 a year. Don't overpay, download the Jerry app or visit Jerry AI NPR today.