DOJ Targets Minnesota Officials; Hash Ukraine Winter; AI Harmful In Child Education

Summary

Up First from NPR – Episode Summary

Date: January 17, 2026
Hosts: Scott Simon, Ayesha Rascoe
Main Topics: DOJ Investigation in Minnesota, Ukraine’s Winter Crisis, AI Risks in Child Education

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Overview

This episode of Up First spotlights three urgent headlines:

• The US Department of Justice investigation into Minnesota's Governor and Minneapolis Mayor over alleged obstruction of federal law enforcement.
• The dire impact of a harsh winter and relentless attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
• A sobering Brookings report detailing the harmful potential of generative AI on children's development.

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1. DOJ Targets Minnesota Officials

Segment Start: 02:01

Key Points

• The DOJ is investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (both Democrats) for allegedly impeding federal law enforcement, specifically during recent ICE raids.
• Minneapolis is tense, with visible precautions: residents on high alert, locked restaurants, and 2,500 federal agents in the city.
• Aggressive protest policing reported, including tear gas and flashbangs. However, a federal judge issued an injunction prohibiting federal retaliation against peaceful protesters.
• President Trump has floated, then stepped back from, invoking the Insurrection Act, which would permit military involvement in domestic policing. Experts argue current events do not justify such extreme measures.
• An anti-immigration rally is expected, organized by a controversial, previously pardoned figure from January 6th events, causing local anxiety about potential escalation.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Driving around, you’ll see people standing on the corners...ready to blow [whistles] and alert their neighbors if ICE shows up.”
  — Kat Lonsdorf (03:00)
• “I think if he does, it would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection Act unlike anything that’s ever happened before.”
  — Joseph Nunn, Brennan Center (04:14)
• "[Walz] wrote, 'Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.'"
  — Kat Lonsdorf (04:58)

Timestamps

• [02:01] — DOJ probe details
• [03:05] — Scale of federal presence, protest atmosphere
• [03:52] — Insurrection Act debate
• [04:48] — Investigation specifics, political context
• [05:32] — Upcoming rally and local fears

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2. Ukraine: Surviving Brutal Winter and Blackouts

Segment Start: 05:44

Key Points

• Russia’s sustained attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid have left civilians in freezing city apartments with no heat or power.
• Kyiv residents cope using mobile shelters, makeshift hot water bottles, and generator-powered businesses.
• Major city infrastructure damage: burst pipes in apartment buildings due to subzero temperatures.
• Energy supply at only 25% of what’s needed; significant risk of making cities uninhabitable—a deliberate strategy, experts say.
• Amid exhaustion, Ukrainians express both resilience and mounting pressure for a negotiated end to the conflict, but not on Russia's terms.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “It’s so cold indoors...windows are icing up, people can see their breath, and children are vulnerable.”
  — Joanna Kakissis (06:11)
• “Target was to freeze the city and to push...millions of people out of the city.”
  — Oleksandr Harchenko, Energy Expert (08:05)
• "We are survivors...we have to survive no matter how, and we will.”
  — Polina Lutakova, Kyiv resident (09:10)

Timestamps

• [05:44] — Conditions on the ground
• [06:11] — Coping strategies and community stories
• [07:14] — Functioning and failure of the power grid
• [08:05] — Strategic aims of Russian attacks
• [09:01] — Civilian endurance and attitudes

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3. AI Harmful in Child Education

Segment Start: 09:35

Key Points

• A Brookings Institution report finds generative AI (like chatbots) can seriously undermine children’s cognitive and social development.
• While specialized AI tools benefit some students (especially those with disabilities), most schools rely on free chatbots—raising major developmental concerns.
• Risks fall into two main categories:
  • Cognitive Growth: Young users who rely on chatbots do not learn to question, make arguments, or parse truth from fiction; over time, this stunts intellectual growth.
  • Social-Emotional Development: Chatbots' design encourages sycophancy—they “agree” with users, offering validation regardless of context, rather than challenge preconceptions or foster empathy.
• One in three US teens who use AI reportedly prefer discussing serious issues with chatbots over real people.
• Researchers advocate for regulations making AI less sycophantic and more challenging, but US policy is currently stalled. Parents and schools face a regulatory “Wild West.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “They’re not learning to parse truth from fiction. They're not learning to understand what makes a good argument...”
  — Rebecca Winthrop, Brookings (11:21)
• “The stakes are children growing into adults who never learned empathy...because they spent more time engaging with chatbots than they did with other kids.”
  — Cory Turner (12:47)
• “The report says AI...should be less sycophantic and more...antagonistic, so it pushes kids’ preconceived notions.”
  — Cory Turner (13:17)

Timestamps

• [09:35] — Study introduction
• [10:07] — Report findings and nuances
• [11:13] — Cognitive development risks
• [11:54] — Social-emotional risks
• [13:15] — Policy and regulatory landscape

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Conclusion

Today’s Up First offers a snapshot of intensifying national and international crises—legal, humanitarian, and technological—with thoughtful on-the-ground reporting and expert analysis.
Listeners are left with a sense of urgency, both about the fragility of democratic norms in the US, the resilience and suffering in Ukraine’s bitter winter, and the complex, underappreciated challenge of integrating AI into children’s lives.

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For additional details, tune in or visit NPR’s Up First feed.

Transcript

[Scott Simon]

The U.S. justice Department is investigating Minnesota's Governor Tim Waltz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

The DOJ says they are impeding the work of federal law enforcement officers.

[Scott Simon]

I'm Scott Simon.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And I'm Ayesha Rascoe. And this is up first from NPR News.

[Scott Simon]

The DOJ is investigating Democratic officials in Minnesota.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Things remain tense there, with more protests planned today. We'll have the latest.

[Scott Simon]

And in Ukraine, a brutal winter there makes life during war even harder.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

It's so frigid that things are icing up indoors. We'll tell you more.

[Scott Simon]

Plus, the use of artificial intelligence and education can harm child development.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

We'll tell you more about that study, which was done by actual humans.

[Scott Simon]

What an idea. So please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend.

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[Scott Simon]

The US Justice Department has launched a probe into Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye, and tensions remain.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

High there this weekend with an anti immigration rally planned for later today.

[Scott Simon]

NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has been following these developments and joins us now from Minneapolis. Kat, thanks for being with us.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Hey, good morning.

[Scott Simon]

What's it like there?

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Well, it was relatively quiet here last night. It's really cold, it's in the single digits and it's been snowing. So it's possible folks are hunkered down inside, but people are still really on edge. Just to give you a sense, Scott, driving around, you'll see people standing on the corners and neighborhoods wearing whistles, ready to blow them and alert their neighbors if ICE shows up. There's a lot of skepticism around unfamiliar cars in the areas, especially ones with out of state license plates and many restaurants. If they're open, are keeping their doors locked, letting customers in as they come, but keeping federal agents out. It's just a pretty tense environment.

[Scott Simon]

And all of this occurs as federal immigration officers continue to arrive and. And make arrests. Yes.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Yeah, exactly. There are some 2500 federal immigration officers on the ground and more expected soon, according to dhs. That's more than four times the number of local Minneapolis police officers. And protests against that surge. And the arrests are still happening, too, many of which have been met with aggression. We've seen ICE officers using tear gas, flashbangs, pepper balls to disperse crowds. But late last night, a federal judge here issued a preliminary injunction restricting federal agents from retaliating against people, quote, engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity.

[Scott Simon]

And President Trump has at least been talking about invoking the Insurrection Act. Yeah, which has happened some 30 times in US history. Any indications this would be the latest?

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Well, it's really hard to say. The Insurrection act is a 200 year old law that, if invoked, would allow Trump to deploy the military to Minneapolis for law enforcement purposes, essentially. Many legal experts I've talked to in the past few days have told me that the situation here in Minneapolis right now just doesn't meet the criteria to justify that. Here's Joseph Nunn. He's an attorney at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.

[Scott Simon]

I think if he does, it would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection act unlike anything that's ever happened before in the history of the.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

And yesterday. Trump walked back his threat earlier this week to do so, but also made it clear he's not taking it off the table.

[Scott Simon]

If I needed it, I'd use it. I don't think there's any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I'd use it.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Trump has threatened invoking the Insurrection act many times in recent months for various situations. So we've heard this kind of talk before. If he did, it would be a highly controversial move and most definitely challenged in court.

[Scott Simon]

And of course, late last night, there was news that the Department of Justice is investigating Mayor Fry and Governor Waltz. Of course, both are Democrats. What's the latest?

[Kat Lonsdorf]

We don't know much about the investigation. It centers on public statements the two made during recent ICE raids. Here. Fry and Waltz both responded to the news in separate social media posts. Walz wrote, quote, weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic. He urged calm. One last thing, Scott. There is an anti immigration march plan later today here organized by Jake Lang. He's part of the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol, later pardoned by Trump. It's not clear how many people will show up or if there will be counter protests, but it has many here worried it could be a kind of powder keg moment in the midst of.

[Scott Simon]

All of this and bears. Kat Lansdorf in Minneapolis. Kat, thanks so much.

[Kat Lonsdorf]

Thank you.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Ukrainians are enduring an especially harsh winter with Russians repeatedly attacking Ukraine's energy grid. Residents of several cities are left without heating and electricity from for extended periods of time.

[Scott Simon]

NPR's Joanna Kakissis is there and has been talking to people in Kyiv about how they're all getting by. Joanna, thanks for being with us.

[Joanna Kakissis]

Thanks for having me on the show.

[Scott Simon]

Scott, how cold is it? How are you and everyone else managing?

[Joanna Kakissis]

It's cold and the sun is shining today, and that does make things a little better. But it's still 13 degrees Fahrenheit out. We're lucky at the bureau because we have this backup battery for electricity. However, the heating is out for long periods. So it's really cold in our house and I am wearing my coat right now. And outside, businesses are using generators to keep operating, but many homes are cold and dark. It's so cold indoors in some homes that windows are icing up, people can see their breath, and children are vulnerable. We met one mom, Inessa Rozdestvenska. She was inside a bus that had been turned into a mobile shelter. It's a place where people can keep warm, they can warm up, they can charge their phones. She sipped hot tea as her two daughters, who are 5 and 2. They're eating steaming bowls of instant ramen. She says she goes to cafes to fill up thermoses with hot water, which she then pours into hot water bottles at home to help warm the beds at night.

[Scott Simon]

Joanna, any sense of how long these power outages might last?

[Joanna Kakissis]

Well, Scott, you know, Ukrainian energy workers are remarkably efficient at getting power plants and substations operating quickly, even after repeated attacks. But it's a Sisyphean task. They rebuild them, and then there are more strikes. Also, Kyiv is filled with these enormous apartment buildings. They're like 25, 30 stories high. They're heated through a system that pumps hot water through pipes. And because Russian attacks have damaged the system during sub zero temperatures, the water is frozen in some of these pipes and burst them. So these will have to be fixed, too. I spoke with Ukrainian energy expert Oleksandr Harchenko, who said only about a quarter of the electricity needed is available to Kiev right now. And he said he believes the Russian attacks aim to make Kyiv and other cities unlivable.

[Cory Turner]

It's absolutely clear target was to kill the city. Target was to freeze the city and to push 3 million for 4 million. I don't know exactly how many people live right now in Kyiv, but to push them out of the city.

[Joanna Kakissis]

And he says the Kremlin wants to wear down Ukrainians so they will give up and make more concessions to Russia.

[Scott Simon]

Do you see signs of fatigue among the citizens?

[Joanna Kakissis]

Trying to live a normal life when you're freezing is exhausting. Inessa Rozdozvenska, the mother we met in the mobile shelter, she said that before the war, you know, when the heat wasn't disrupted like this, she used to love seeing Kyiv blanketed in snow and icicles. But now she says she will probably move to western Ukraine if this blackout situation here in Kyiv lasts much longer. Other Ukrainians we spoke to say they will stay in Kyiv no matter what. One is personal trainer and former professional volunteer Polina Lutakova.

[Cory Turner]

It came to my mind the words.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Of my mom, my mom, she said.

[Cory Turner]

To me, like, we are survivors and.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Let'S say it's a test for us.

[Scott Simon]

We have to survive no matter how, and we will.

[Joanna Kakissis]

And Scott, this is a sentiment I've heard over and over again. It shows up in public opinion surveys as well. Ukrainians want peace, and they are pressing their leaders for an end of the war, but not on Russia's terms.

[Scott Simon]

NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kyiv, thanks so much.

[Joanna Kakissis]

You're welcome.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Artificial intelligence is weaving its way into virtually every aspect of our lives, including children's education.

[Scott Simon]

But a new study has found that the use of generative AI in education can, quote, undermine children's foundational development. The report calls the extent of the damage done daunting.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

The report comes from the Brookings Institution and its center for universal education, and NPR's Cory Turner is here to tell us more about it. Hi, Corey.

[Cory Turner]

Hey, Aisha.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

The report makes things sound pretty dire. What was your take after reading it?

[Cory Turner]

Yeah, I think dire is pretty fair, although I want to start with a glimmer of hope or at least some good news. You know, some kids with disabilities, for example, are benefiting from AI improvements to things like text speech programs or imagine being in science class. Right. And because of AI, you're able to visually adventure inside a cell or zip around the solar system. The problem here is that these tools are really the exception right now because they're complex and they can cost a lot of money. That many schools just don't have. And what kids are far more likely to be using in school and at home are these free, easily accessible chatbots.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And that's the kind of AI that these researchers are worried about with kids.

[Cory Turner]

Yeah, exactly. The report lays out, really two big buckets of risk here. So first, young people who use this kind of AI aren't learning how to think for themselves. That's because most of these common chatbots don't actually supplement kids learning.

[Scott Simon]

Right?

[Cory Turner]

Students just tell them to do something, and then the chatbot does it. Here's Rebecca Winthrop. She's one of the researchers on the study.

[Joanna Kakissis]

They're not learning to parse truth from fiction. They're not learning to understand what makes a good argument. They're not learning about different perspectives in the world because they're not actually engaging in the material.

[Cory Turner]

Aisha Winthrop told me, if students rely on this kind of AI too much, it can actually stunt the kind of brain growth wiring that comes from the trying and doing and failing and trying again.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And you said there are two buckets of risk. What's the other one?

[Cory Turner]

The other is social emotional growth. So it's in childhood, right, that we learn how to get along with others, hopefully especially people who may look and think and feel differently from us. But these free chatbot tools are designed to be sycophantic. What that means is they tell the user essentially whatever the AI thinks the student wants to hear. For children and teens. Now, this can be really intoxicating because the user is always right. Again, here's Rebecca Winthrop.

[Joanna Kakissis]

So if you are on a chatbot complaining about your parents and saying, they want me to wash the dishes, this is so annoying. I hate my parents. The chatbot will likely say, you're right. You're misunderstood. I'm so sorry. I understand. You versus a friend who would say, dude, I wash the dishes all the time in my house. I don't know what you're complaining about. That's normal. That right there is the problem.

[Cory Turner]

And, Aisha, the stakes are obviously a lot higher than kids refusing to do dishes. The stakes are children growing into adults who never learned empathy or how to relate because they spent more time engaging with chatbots than they did with other kids. And Winthrop told me one in three teens in the US who use AI say they actually prefer talking about important or serious subjects with a chatbot than they do with other people.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

So what can be done about this?

[Cory Turner]

So the report says AI designed for use by children and teens, for one thing, should be less sycophantic and more what they call antagonistic. So it pushes kids preconceived notions. But one of the biggest recommendations they make is really for governments to do more to regulate the use of AI by children. And in the US we're at a really weird impasse right now. The Trump administration has issued an executive order trying to prohibit states from regulating AI for themselves. But Congress hasn't created any federal regulations so far. So it's really for parents and schools. It's kind of the Wild west right now.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

That's NPR education correspondent Cory Turner. Thank you so much.

[Scott Simon]

You're welcome. And that's up first for Saturday, January 17th, 2026. I'm Scott Simon.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And I'm Aisha Roscoe.

[Scott Simon]

Dave Misic produced today's podcast with help from Elena Torick, Fernando Naro, and Michael Radcliffe.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Our editor is Dee Parvaz. She had an assist from Nick Spicer, Eric Westervelt, Jacob Finston, Hadil Alshauchi, and Nicole Cohen. Andy Craig is our director.

[Scott Simon]

Our technical director is David Greenberg with engineering support from Zoe Van Genhoven, Zach Coleman and Simon Laszlo Jansen.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Our senior supervising editor is Shannon Rhodes. Evie Stone is our executive producer, producer and Jim Cain is our deputy managing editor.

[Scott Simon]

And tomorrow on the Great Sunday Story, Ayesha talks to NPR reporter Meg Anderson about her reporting on how an LA county public defender's office is trying to get clients with cognitive disabilities diagnosed and treat them with the aim of keeping them out of the criminal justice system.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

I mean, it's really fascinating. So tune in for that. And Scott, what else do we have for them?

[Scott Simon]

I'm so glad you asked. Okay. We have all the news you need, also all the stuff that you didn't know you were interested in but might well be once you hear it, books, movies, music, sports and so much more. You can tune in to NPR. Find your local station at stations.NPR.org.

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[Scott Simon]

Podcast, Iran, Greenland, Venezuela.

[Cory Turner]

How does all of that square up with America First?

[Joanna Kakissis]

It's not that Trump's ideology changed. Trump has really just gotten better at using the levers of power, and he's just doing a lot more.

[Cory Turner]

Listen to the NPR Politics podcast every.

[Scott Simon]

Weekday afternoon on the NPR app or.

[Cory Turner]

Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Scott Simon]

There is a lot of fear these days that AI could be a bubble. So, Nick, is it. I don't know. Right? It is hard to tell, but there are some clues that economists say might kind of sort of help us predict bubbles on the Planet Money podcast, the.

[Cory Turner]

Dark art of bubble detection.

[Scott Simon]

Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.