Minnesota Protests, Zelenskyy Slams Europe In Davos, Winter Storm Approaches

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Minnesota Protests, Zelenskyy Slams Europe In Davos, Winter Storm Approaches"

Up First from NPR | January 23, 2026
Hosts: Leila Fadel, A Martinez

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the three biggest news stories of the day:

1. Escalating protests and immigration enforcement in Minnesota’s Twin Cities.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pointed critique of Europe at the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging the continent to act independently of US leadership.
3. A massive, potentially catastrophic winter storm threatening much of the United States, and how states are preparing for its impact.

The hosts, correspondents, and key speakers unpack local and global developments, with ground reporting, expert interviews, and powerful first-hand accounts.

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1. Minnesota Protests & Immigration Crackdown

Segment begins: [01:38]

Key Points and Insights

• Community Response:

  • Residents, faith leaders, unions, and local businesses in Minnesota’s Twin Cities are protesting a new federal immigration crackdown, which is described as “one of the largest and most aggressive campaigns yet targeting undocumented immigrants.”
    (Amy Martinez, [01:38])
  • Today's protests include a general strike, with organizers urging people to stay home and avoid work or shopping. Businesses throughout the area are closed, and public rallies/marches are planned—despite extreme cold, with temps around –10°F.

    “Given the strong community response we’ve seen here, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people still show up.”
    —Meg Anderson (NPR), [02:22]

• Recent Arrests:

  • Sparked by the Trump administration’s arrest of three protest organizers following a church protest in St. Paul; one arrestee is a civil rights lawyer and notable activist.
  • Federal charges relate to supposed “conspiracy to deprive religious rights.”

• Federal Position/Escalation:

  • Vice President J.D. Vance comments on legal consequences for protesting in places of worship, emphasizing harsh penalties:

    “If you go and storm a church… we are going to try very hard. We’re going to use every resource of the federal government to put you in prison, respect people’s rights.”
    —VP J.D. Vance, [03:33]

  • Distinction drawn between violent and nonviolent protest; however, most protests have remained peaceful.

• Allegations of Federal Overreach:

  • Reports of aggressive detentions, even of U.S. citizens—some allege racial profiling and use of force.
  • Nasra Ahmed, a U.S. citizen, recounts her fear and how officers made racist remarks:

    “They were just using a lot of force to arrest me… I was screaming, I was crying. I was so scared. I’ve never been arrested in my life.”
    —Nasra Ahmed, [04:33]

  • Local law enforcement reports incidents where off-duty officers of color were also profiled and had guns drawn by federal agents.

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2. Zelenskyy’s Scathing Speech to Europe in Davos

Segment begins: [05:28]

Key Points and Insights

• A Wake-Up Call for Europe:

  • President Zelenskyy delivers a blunt address, likening Europe’s inaction to a "Groundhog Day" loop and warning this passivity threatens their future.

    “Europe looks lost trying to convince the US President to change. But he will not change.”
    —Volodymyr Zelensky, [06:33]

  • He criticizes Europe’s reliance on the US for defense, especially as the US pulls back, and questions the security of NATO if the US does not intervene against Russian aggression.

    “Right now, NATO exists thanks to the belief that the United States will act… But what if it doesn’t?”
    —Volodymyr Zelensky, [07:28]

• Call to Arms and Unity:

  • Zelenskyy urges formation of a unified European armed force, including Ukraine, referencing stalled progress despite his prior advocacy.
  • Cites Ukraine’s expertise in defending against Russia, offering Ukrainian support to defend all of Europe:

    “If Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland, Ukraine can help. We have the expertise and weapons… They can sink near Greenland just as they do near Crimea.”
    —Volodymyr Zelensky, [08:07]

• Underlying Message:

  • Zelenskyy frames Ukraine as an indispensable partner for European security, warning that Europe must act now or risk losing its way—or worse.

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3. Approaching Catastrophic Winter Storm

Segment begins: [09:00]

Key Points and Insights

• National Scope and Threat:

  • Over 170 million Americans are in the storm’s path stretching from the Southwest through the Northeast.
    (Leila Fadel, [09:05])
  • The storm brings life-threatening conditions: frigid cold, heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, dangerous travel, and expected widespread power outages.

• Preparation Efforts:

  • Emergency declarations have been made in at least eight states.
  • Authorities are pre-treating roads, moving power crews, coordinating supplies, and mobilizing National Guard troops.
  • State officials, like Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, offer stern safety messages:

    “Stay off the roads… check on your plants, your pipes, your people and your pets… Ice on the road is not only dangerous, it is deadly.”
    —Gov. Jeff Landry, [11:01]

• Public Response:

  • Reports of grocery stockpiling, hardware stores selling out of shovels and ice melt.
  • Locales like Atlanta and Louisiana report shortages of basic winter supplies (propane, salt).

    “Possibly almost a foot of snow or more, maybe ice… here buying a snow shovel… I guess that's as prepared as I’m going to get.”
    —Robert Tolbane (Kentucky resident), [12:04]

• Anticipated Disruptions:

  • Widespread school closures (e.g., Chicago, Milwaukee, Tennessee).
  • Major disruptions to air travel, with cancellations and advisories issued.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Temperatures in Minnesota:

  “Afternoon temperatures will be around negative 10 degrees. But… I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people still show up.”
  —Meg Anderson (NPR), [02:22]

• On Law Enforcement Overreach:

  “[Federal agents] had their guns drawn on them.”
  —Meg Anderson summarizing local police reports, [04:44]

• On European Security Dependence:

  “NATO exists thanks to belief that the United States will act… But what if it doesn't?”
  —Volodymyr Zelensky, [07:28]

• Cold Weather Humor Amid Fear:

  “…get comfortable, cook a gumbo, please get in your homes, get warm, get safe and stay there.”
  —Gov. Jeff Landry (Louisiana), [11:01]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Minnesota protests & ICE crackdown: [01:38] – [05:19]
• Zelenskyy’s Davos critique & European security: [05:28] – [08:51]
• US winter storm preparations: [09:00] – [12:43]

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Final Thoughts

The episode balances local urgency and global stakes, highlighting the real human impact behind policy decisions, geopolitical insecurity, and natural disasters. Listeners are left with essential updates and context, delivered in NPR’s hallmark direct and compassionate tone.

Transcript

[Layla Faldel]

Residents of the twin cities are pushing back against an immigration crackdown they say is growing more aggressive.

[Amy Martinez]

Today, there's a planned general strike as the Trump administration appears to be taking a harder line against protesters.

[Layla Faldel]

I'm Layla Faldel. That's a Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News. At the World Economic Forum, Ukraine's president used his moment in Davos to call out European leaders and implore the continent to stop relying on the United States.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Europe looks lost trying to convince the US President to change, but he will not change.

[Layla Faldel]

So what is he asking for his allies in Europe to do next?

[Amy Martinez]

And a massive winter storm is threatening large parts of the US this weekend. Where's it going to hit the hardest? And how are states preparing? Stay with us. We've got all the news you need.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

To start your day.

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[Amy Martinez]

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[Layla Faldel]

Many businesses are closed and there are planned protests throughout the day. It follows the arrest on Thursday by the Trump administration of three people involved in a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul last Sunday.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Meg Anderson is in Minneapolis. Meg, what can we expect to see today?

[Meg Anderson]

Yeah, so there's a general strike. Organizers are encouraging community members to stay home from work to not shop or dine out. Many local businesses will be closed and there are going to be several demonstrations, including a march and a rally in downtown Minneapolis this afternoon. It's also extremely cold here, even by Minnesota standards. Afternoon temperatures will be around negative 10 degrees. But, you know, given the Strong community response we've seen here so far. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people still show up.

[Amy Martinez]

And you said negative 10, right? Negative 10.

[Meg Anderson]

Yes, that's right.

[Amy Martinez]

Okay. I mentioned earlier the arrests of church protesters. What can you tell us about that?

[Meg Anderson]

Yeah. So last Sunday, protesters entered a Church in St. Paul because one of the pastors there is a local official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ice. Federal officials said the three protesters were arrested on charges related to a conspiracy to deprive other people of their rights, in this case, religious rights. One of the people arrested is a civil rights lawyer and a prominent local activist. And these arrests seem to be part of a shifting, harder line the administration is taking with some protesters. Here's Vice President J.D. vance. He visited Minneapolis yesterday.

[Amy Martinez]

If you go and storm a church, if you go and insult a federal law enforcement officer, we are going to try very hard. We're going to use every resource of the federal government to put you in prison, respect people's rights.

[Meg Anderson]

Vance drew a distinction between violent and nonviolent protests. But videos of that church protest show people marching and chanting. It does not appear violent. And the vast majority of protests here have been peaceful.

[Amy Martinez]

Yeah, it's true. But I have seen cases of immigration officers deploying tear gas and pepper spray and arresting protesters.

[Meg Anderson]

Yeah, that's right. So, you know, this week, Gregory Bevino, the head of Customs and Border Protection, he blamed those instances of violence on what he called, quote, an influx of anarchist protesters. But we are hearing more and more cases of people reporting aggressive behavior from immigration officers. Some US Citizens are speaking out about being stopped or detained by immigration agents. Here's Nasser Ahmed speaking at a press conference this Wednesday. She's a U.S. citizen and was detained by immigration agents for two days.

[Debbie Elliott]

They were just using a lot of force to arrest me, and I was.

[Amy Martinez]

Screaming, I was crying.

[Debbie Elliott]

I was so scared. I've, like, never been arrested in my life.

[Meg Anderson]

She's Somali American, and she said the officers arresting her made racist remarks. While in Minneapolis, Vice President Vance told reporters the government takes allegations of racial profiling seriously. But Nasra Ahmed is hardly the only person with a story like that. This week, police leaders from three local agencies told reporters their own off duty officers were racially profiled by federal agents who demanded to see their IDs. One of the officers said the federal agents had their guns drawn on them.

[Amy Martinez]

That's NPR's Meg Anderson in Minneapolis. Meg, try to stay warm.

[Meg Anderson]

Thank you.

[Amy Martinez]

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a scorching critique of Europe, his country's most reliable ally.

[Layla Faldel]

Yeah, the Ukrainian leader said Europe was unprepared for an increasingly dangerous world, even as a war rages within its borders.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakisis is in Kyiv. Joanna, so what's the main takeaway of that speech?

[Joanna Kakissis]

Zelensky began with a reference to the movie Groundhog Day and said Ukrainians have been reliving the same day during four years of Russia's full scale war. Europe, he says, is also in a loop and it's going to kill them. He wants the continent to wake up and see the world order is changing quickly and that they risk being left behind. Now, Zelenskyy issued this wake up call after a week in which global leaders at Davos, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, raised their concerns about the historic transatlantic relationship with the U.S. now Zelenskyy implored Europe to unite and stop relying on the US Especially with an aggressive Russia at Europe's doorstep.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Instead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America's focus shifts elsewhere, Europe looks lost trying to convince the US President to change. But he will not change.

[Joanna Kakissis]

Zelenskyy made these comments right after meeting President Trump as Ukraine continues to work on a peace plan with the Americans.

[Amy Martinez]

I'm wondering though, should Zelenskyy have been so blunt with Europeans, especially since they stepped in as the US has pulled back?

[Joanna Kakissis]

Well, a Zelenskyy does see the fate of Ukraine tied to that of Europe, though he is frustrated that Europe does not do more to stop Russia's war machine. And Ukrainians have worked for many years to break away from post Soviet influence and embrace the democratic ideals of the European Union and the NATO security alliance. However, Zelenskyy suggested that the unity of NATO itself is fragile. What would happen, he said, if Russia attacked a NATO ally?

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Who will respond? Right now, NATO exists thanks to belief that the United States will act, that it will not stand aside and will help. But what if it doesn't?

[Joanna Kakissis]

He said Europe must learn how to defend itself. And because Ukraine has been defending itself for years, it can help, he said.

[Amy Martinez]

Oh, ok, so in what way?

[Joanna Kakissis]

So last year Zelensky pushed for the formation of a united European armed force, with Ukraine included. Of course, that could be up to three months million troops. And he lamented nothing had been done since he brought it up. But he said it's still not too late and described one way Europe might.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Benefit if Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland. Ukraine can help. We have the expertise and weapons to ensure not one of those ships remains. They can sink near Greenland just as they do near Crimea.

[Joanna Kakissis]

And now he's talking about how Ukraine, though it has this tiny navy, used sea drones to basically block Russia ships from using the Black Sea. Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs Europe's help today to keep its independence, but that tomorrow Europe will have to protect its own way of life. And Zelenskyy told Europeans, with Ukraine at your side, no one will wipe their feet on you.

[Amy Martinez]

That's NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kyiv. Joanna, thank you.

[Joanna Kakissis]

You're welcome.

[Amy Martinez]

A giant ice and snowstorm is bearing down on much of the US this weekend.

[Layla Faldel]

The National Weather Service says more than 170 million people are in the path of the winter storm. It's expected to move from the Southwest today and towards the Northeast by Sunday, bringing dangerous weather conditions with it.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Debbie Elliott has been looking at how states are preparing, joins us now. So Debbie, I mean, just how bad is this going to be?

[Debbie Elliott]

Well, forecasters are warning this is a potentially life threatening and catastrophic winter storm. It's going to bring frigid temperatures, dump a lot of snow, sleet, freezing rain generally that's going to make travel treacherous and could result in widespread power outages as ice coats trees and power lines, knocking out service. I spoke with the National Weather Service forecaster. He me look for heavy snow and blinding snow squalls on the northern side of this system and then crippling ice and sleet to the south.

[Amy Martinez]

All right, so everyone knows this is coming. What are people doing to prepare?

[Debbie Elliott]

Well, you know, much like we see before a hurricane strikes, governors are making emergency declarations. That's already happened in more than a half dozen states. You know, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia so far. That will free up resources so they can prepare to respond. For instance, moving power crews into position, pre treating roads and highways, getting supplies like food and water in the right places and putting out the snowplows and things like that. Also, they called up National Guard troops to be ready to respond. Ice is really what the authorities in the south are most concerned about because not only is it going to hamper driving and it will knock out power and leave people without electricity in the bitter cold days that are going to persist after this precipitation moves out. Here's what Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had to say.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Stay off the roads. Once you have checked on your plants, your pipes, your people and your pets, get comfortable, cook a gumbo, please get in your homes, get warm, get safe and stay there. Ice on the road is not only dangerous, it is deadly.

[Amy Martinez]

All right. So that's a grim message except for the part where you cook a gumbo. Does it appear, though, that people are listening?

[Debbie Elliott]

You know, well, based on the images I'm seeing of empty store shelves, it does look like people have been getting ready and stocking up for the cold days ahead. One store in Atlanta, for instance, sold out of ice, melting salt. And folks in Louisiana are saying they're having a hard time finding propane, you know, the tanks that you use for a gas grill or to put under a big pot of gumbo. In Kentucky, Justin Hicks at Louisville Public Media stopped by Keith's Hardware store to see how residents there were getting ready. Here's what Robert Tolbane was bracing for.

[Amy Martinez]

Possibly like almost a foot of snow or more, maybe ice, hopefully not, I guess I don't know, here buying a snow shovel.

[Meg Anderson]

So I guess that's as prepared as.

[Amy Martinez]

I'm going to get.

[Debbie Elliott]

So he's got his new stove, shovel and says he does have plenty of food and water at home to weather this winter storm.

[Amy Martinez]

What are other problems or disruptions that might happen?

[Debbie Elliott]

You know, Chicago schools canceled classes today. That also happened in Milwaukee and in parts of Tennessee. And the storm is disrupting air travel at some of the busiest airports in the country. Several airlines, including Delta and American, are issuing travel advisories, and some flights have already been canceled.

[Amy Martinez]

That's NPR's Debbie Elliott. Debbie, thanks a lot.

[Debbie Elliott]

You're welcome.

[Amy Martinez]

And that's up first for Friday, January 23rd. I'm Amy Martinez.

[Layla Faldel]

And I'm Layla Falded. Forty years ago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard, including a high school teacher. The nation was shocked, but a few booster rocket engineers were not surprised. They tried to stop the launch the night before. He said the Challenger's gonna blow up. Everyone's going to die. And he was beating his hands on the dashboard. He was frantic. On the Sunday Story, an NPR investigation spanning 40 years looked at why last minute warnings about the dangers to the Challenger were dismissed and what that decision meant for those who tried so desperately to stop the launch. Listen to the Sunday STORY right here on NPR's Apartment first podcast.

[Amy Martinez]

Today's episode of Up first was edited by Eric Westervelt, Villa Marx, Russell Lewis, Mohamed El Bardisi and Alice Wolfley, was produced by Ziad Buch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hynes Our technical director is Carly Strange and our executive producer is Jay Sheeler. Join us again next time.

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[Joanna Kakissis]

To ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts. Perks like sponsor free listening, bonus episodes, early access and more. So start supporting what you love [e-mail].

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

This is Ira Glass on this American Life. One thing we like is a good mystery sometimes about really big things.

[Amy Martinez]

But most times the little mysteries are the best. Our lost and found is currently filled with pants.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

I don't know. I've never seen this happen.

[Debbie Elliott]

This is true.

[Amy Martinez]

This is true.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Mysteries of every size each week. This American Life.

[Amy Martinez]

Wherever you get your podcasts.