Minnesota strike; Jack Smith hearing; winter storm; Oscar nominations; and more

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 7 – Minnesota Strike; Jack Smith Hearing; Winter Storm; Oscar Nominations; and More

Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Hannah Jewell
Source: The Washington Post

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Overview

In this episode of "The 7" from The Washington Post, host Hannah Jewell quickly covers the seven most pressing news stories of the day. Topics range from the widespread strike in Minnesota protesting federal immigration enforcement, to major political developments in the U.S. and abroad, a massive winter storm, headline-grabbing Oscar nominations, and a science-backed method for beating the winter blues.

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1. Minnesota Strike Against Federal Agent Deployment

[00:33–01:55]

• Theme:
  Minnesota sees a statewide strike as residents, businesses, and labor unions protest against an intensified Trump administration crackdown involving federal agents.
• Key Points:
  • Businesses closed, union members skipped work, and residents abstained from shopping.
  • Protest is directly in response to alleged detentions and racial profiling by federal agents, including ICE reportedly detaining U.S. citizens, pulling people from cars, and two shootings (one fatal).
  • Public outcry intensified after a viral image of a 5-year-old, Liam Conejo Ramos, held by ICE.
  • Minneapolis scheduled a protest march, with broad labor union backing.
  • Vice President J.D. Vance visited Minneapolis, defended ICE actions but stated President Trump directed him to work with local leaders to "turn down the chaos."
• Notable Quote:

  "Working people cannot stand aside while our neighbors are terrorized and our families are fractured because those are our families. Those are our neighbors. Those are us. They are us."
  — David Stickers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 ([01:44])

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2. U.S.-Canada Rift over Trump's Board of Peace

[01:55–03:00]

• Theme:
  The Trump administration drops Canada from their ambitious new global conflict mediation initiative after diplomatic tensions.
• Key Points:
  • The White House invited 50+ countries to join the Board of Peace, envisioned as a body to rival the UN in resolving conflicts.
  • Trump rescinded the invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney following Carney’s speech in Davos, which implicitly criticized U.S. leadership.
  • Carney’s pointed comment: “If we're not at the table, we're on the menu.”
• Memorable Quote:

  “If we're not at the table, we're on the menu.”
  — Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada (context at [02:43])

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3. Jack Smith Testifies Before Congress

[03:00–04:22]

• Theme:
  Former special counsel Jack Smith testifies publicly for the first time since his high-profile indictments against Donald Trump were derailed post-election.
• Key Points:
  • Smith led cases on Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and election interference.
  • These cases paused after Trump’s 2024 victory.
  • Smith’s testimony was contentious, with Republicans accusing him of partisan motives—claims Smith firmly denied.
• Notable Quote:

  "I am not a politician and I have no partisan loyalties. My career has been dedicated to serving our country by upholding the rule of law. Throughout my public service, my approach has always been the same. Follow the facts and the law without fear or favor."
  — Jack Smith, former special counsel ([04:00])

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4. Massive Winter Storm Sweeps Across the U.S.

[04:22–05:20]

• Theme:
  One of the most severe winter storms in years brings extreme cold, snow, and ice to much of the country.
• Key Points:
  • 202 million Americans under weather alerts.
  • Storm moves west to east, expected to last four days.
  • Crippling ice predicted from northern Texas to southern Virginia, with threats of power outages and tree damage.
  • 10–20 inches of snow expected from Oklahoma to Maine, hazardous travel likely.
  • Wind chills forecasted as low as -55°F in the upper Midwest.
• Resources:
  • City-by-city forecasts and impact ratings available via newsletter (link in show notes).

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5. National Park Service Removes Slavery Exhibit

[05:20–06:10]

• Theme:
  Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia dismantles an exhibit on George Washington's enslaved workers, citing a recent executive order.
• Key Points:
  • The exhibit highlighted enslaved people’s lives at the President’s House where Washington lived.
  • Trump’s executive order—“restoring truth and sanity to American History”—has triggered removals of exhibits on racism, sexism, LGBT rights, and climate change from federal properties.
• Context:
  • Part of a broader push to reshape historical narratives in public spaces.

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6. "Sinners" Breaks Oscar Nomination Record

[06:10–07:00]

• Theme:
  The blockbuster film "Sinners" sets a new Oscar record with 16 nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards.
• Key Points:
  • Surpassed the previous record held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land.”
  • Other top-nominated films: “One Battle After Another” (13 nominations), “Marty,” “Supreme,” “Frankenstein,” “Sentimental Value,” and “Hamnet.”
  • “Wicked for Good” (sequel to last year’s 10-time nominee “Wicked”) was completely snubbed.
  • Full nominee list and analysis provided in the newsletter.
• Oscar Ceremony:
  • Scheduled for March 15 on ABC and YouTube.

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7. How to Feel More Hopeful This Winter: The Noticing Nature Intervention

[07:00–08:40]

• Theme:
  Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank adopts a daily nature-focused mindfulness exercise to counter winter blues.
• Key Points:
  • “Noticing Nature Intervention” developed by psychologist Holly Ann Passmore: observe one natural thing daily for 14 days, then write about the feelings it evokes.
  • Study findings: Participants 68% more likely to report above-average satisfaction with life.
  • Benefits: More hope, improved confidence, feeling more connected to goals—even in winter.
  • Host encourages listeners to try the intervention and share feedback.
• Memorable Advice:

  “Whatever you do, don’t forget to wrap up warm.”
  — Hannah Jewell ([08:35])

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Notable Quotes

• David Stickers (ATU 1005):
  “Working people cannot stand aside while our neighbors are terrorized and our families are fractured because those are our families. Those are our neighbors. Those are us. They are us.” ([01:44])

• Mark Carney (Canadian Prime Minister):
  “If we're not at the table, we're on the menu.” ([02:43] by context)

• Jack Smith (Former Special Counsel):
  “I am not a politician and I have no partisan loyalties. My career has been dedicated to serving our country by upholding the rule of law…” ([04:00])

• Hannah Jewell (Host):
  “Whatever you do, don’t forget to wrap up warm.” ([08:35])

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Key Timestamps

• 01:44 – David Stickers' passionate call for solidarity in Minnesota.
• 02:43 – Mark Carney’s “on the menu” remark referenced.
• 04:00 – Jack Smith’s defense of prosecutorial integrity.
• 08:35 – Hannah Jewell’s winter wellness send-off.

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Tone and Style

• The episode maintains a brisk, informative, and compassionate tone, blending urgent headlines with empathetic storytelling. Hannah Jewell’s narration is direct, clear, and occasionally offers moments of encouragement and warmth.

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For More Information

• City-specific weather and Oscar analysis available via The Washington Post’s newsletter.
• Host invites listener feedback on the nature intervention via email.

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This summary covers all important topics in the episode, provides clear structure and context for each story, and preserves the quotes and tone of the original speakers.

Transcript

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[Hannah Jewell]

Minnesota residents are going on strike. That's where we're starting. The seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Friday, January 23rd. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. In Minnesota today, businesses will close, union members will skip work, and residents will forego shopping. It's a significant economic protest against the Trump administration's deployment of federal agents in Minnesota. Residents and officials in Minnesota say agents have been detaining US Citizens, pulling people from their cars and appearing to stop people on the basis of race. Agents have also shot two people, killing one. And this week, an image of a five year old boy held by ICE Liam Conejo Ramos went viral and fueled anger even further. A march is planned this afternoon in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Labor unions have endorsed the strike. Here's David Stickers with the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 10O5, speaking at a press conference on Monday.

[David Stickers]

Working people cannot stand aside while our neighbors are terrorized and our families are fractured because those are our families. Those are our neighbors. Those are us. They are us.

[Hannah Jewell]

That audio comes from the Minnesota Star Tribune on YouTube. Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. vance visited Minneapolis yesterday. He defended the actions of ICE officers and in a tonal switch, he said President Donald Trump had urged him to work with local leaders to turn down the chaos. President Trump rescinded Canada's invitation to join his Board of peace. That's number two. The White House has sent invitations to at least 50 countries to join the Board of Peace. Trump officials envisage it as a sweeping body intent on resolving global conflicts with a scope rivaling the United Nations. But it appears one nation that won't be joining is Canada. Late last night, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was rescinding Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation to join the board. Trump didn't explain his reasoning, but the move follows a fiery speech from Carney in Davos, Switzerland, this week. In his speech, Carney urged medium sized powers like Canada to act together, saying, if we're not at the table, we're on the menu that was seen as a veiled swipe at his American counterpart. Three Former special counsel Jack Smith testified in Congress yesterday. Smith was the prosecutor who charged Trump in two felony indictments. The first focused on his alleged mishandling of classified documents and the second on his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Those cases were derailed after Trump won the 2024 election. Yesterday, Smith offered his first public testimony since then, and he offered a robust defense of his efforts to prosecute Trump.

[Jack Smith]

I am not a politician and I have no partisan loyalties. My career has been dedicated to serving our country by upholding the rule of law. Throughout my public service, my approach has always been the same. Follow the facts and the law without fear or favor.

[Hannah Jewell]

Much of the hearing descended into a jousting match between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans tried to portray Smith as part of a broader Democratic conspiracy intent upon putting Trump and his allies in prison. Four. One of the biggest winter storms in years stuck starts today. Around 202 million people across the country are currently under weather alerts for snow, ice or extreme cold. The storm is developing over the Rockies and Plains today and will sweep the country west to east before it leaves the Northeast on Monday night. Over four days, potentially crippling ice will hit dozens of cities in a stretch from northern Texas to southern Virginia that will likely cause tree damage and long lasting power outages. North of that stretch from Oklahoma to Maine, people can expect 10 to 20 inches of powdery snow, making some roads impassable. And across the upper Midwest, wind chills today will nosedive to minus 40 to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit. For a detailed city by city forecast of the weather and the post storm impact rating, click the link to our newsletter. You can find that, as always, in our show notes. The National Park Service removed a slavery exhibit in Philadelphia. That's our fifth story. Yesterday, staff at Independence National Historical park dismantled an exhibit on George Washington's slave ownership. The informational panels included details about the lives of those who Washington enslaved and the broader history of slavery. It had been on display at the President's House site where George Washington lived as president. President Trump signed an executive order last year, which he called restoring truth and sanity to American History. Ever since, the Park Service has been removing information on historic racism, sexism, LGBT rights, slavery and climate change. Sinners broke the record for the most Oscar nominations. That's number six. Ryan Coogler's box office smashing vampire film Sinners broke yet another record yesterday when it landed 16 Oscar nominations. That's two more than the previous record, which was held by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land. Following close behind Paul Thomas Anderson's action packed thriller. One battle after another racked up 13 nominations. Marty, Supreme, Frankenstein, Sentimental Value and Hamnet also picked up a number of nods, but for Wicked fans, it was another story. Last year, the musical's first part got 10 nominations. This year, Wicked for Good was entire snubbed. You can see a full list of nominees and all of our analysis in our newsletter. Today. The oscars ceremony airs March 15 on ABC and YouTube. And at number seven a 14 day exercise could help you feel more hopeful this winter Winter can be a demoralizing time for many of us. Post columnist Dana Milbank used to spend the season counting down the days until springtime. But this year he decided to take a different approach. He's doing an exercise known as the Noticing Nature Intervention, developed by researcher Holly Ann Passmore. It's a plan in which people try to observe one thing in nature every day for 14 days straight and write about how it makes them feel. Those who completed it were 68% more likely than a control group to report above average levels of satisfaction with life. Feeling more connected to nature can also help you feel more confident pursuing your goals and more hopeful, even in winter. If you decide to give it a try, email me and tell me if it worked. Are you more hopeful? Is life better? Whatever you do, don't forget to wrap up warm. That's the show for this week. The associate producer of the Seven is Taylor White. The staff writers are Jamie Ross, Izzan Ekobaugh and me. Special thanks to Rennie Svirnovski. John Taylor is our editor. Additional editing by Christina Quinn Copy editing by Melissa Ngo and Thomas Haliba Mixing and sound design is by Jim Briggs and Justin Gerrish. Our theme music is by Edith Mudge. I'm Hannah Jewell. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend. I'll meet you back here on Monday. Foreign.

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