NPR News: 01-22-2026 7PM EST

This message comes from Live Wright, publisher of the Mattering Instinct. Drawing on biology, psychology and philosophy, Rebecca Neuberger Goldstein argues that the primal need to matter is the source of humans greatest progress and their deepest conflicts.

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Available now live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Ryland Barton. A huge swath of the US Is bracing for a life threatening winter storm over the weekend. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports. Tens of millions of people are under a winter storm and extreme cold watch stretch from New Mexico into the Ohio River Valley, the South and into the Northeast.

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Frigid temperatures and significant accumulations of ice, snow and sleet are in the forecast. It will make travel conditions treacherous and could knock out power lines. Several governors are declaring states of emergency, including Texas, the Carolinas and Georgia. That allows them to pre treat highways, open warming stations, stage supplies and equipment and call up National Guard troops. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says people should plan now.

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Make sure you got the things that you need at your house to stay warm and hunker down in case you lose power for a day or two.

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This storm is also likely to disrupt air travel at some of the busiest airports in the country. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

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U.S. border Patrol Chief Greg Bevino says the current climate is not very favorable to federal law enforcement. In Minneapolis, NPR's Sarah Ventri reports. He also says there is no end in sight for the operation.

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Bovino says that federal agents are being, quote, su stalked and that they're encountering anarchists and rioters. When asked by reporters when the operation will conclude, Bovino responded, we're not going.

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To put a date or a timeline to stop this mission. This mission's ongoing until there are no more of those criminal illegal aliens roaming the streets of Minneapolis.

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He also questioned the role of the Minneapolis Police Department, saying they were, quote, missing in action. Meanwhile, immigrants and people of color, including citizens and those in the country with legal status, have told NPR they are scared to leave their homes or go outside. Sarah Ventri, NPR News, Minneapolis.

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Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith defended his investigations of Donald Trump at a congressional hearing today. He says he acted without regard to politics and he had no second thoughts about the criminal charges he brought.

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Rather than accept his Defeat in the 2020 election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power. After leaving office In January of 21, President Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar A Lago social club and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.

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Smith's two criminal investigations shadowed Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. The Trump administration has been target targeting the investigators who scrutinized him. The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge ticked up in November and the latest sign that price increases are still up. Inflation has fallen sharply from a four decade high in 2022. This is NPR News from Washington. Missouri gambling regulators are considering new restrictions on bets related to college athletes performance. Prop bets focus on individual player performances, like points scored in basketball or passing yards in football. The NCA argues these bets are vulnerable to manipulation. Last week, more than two dozen people were indicted for allegedly trying to rig college basketball games. Star Search is back. Netflix relaunched the 1980s and 90s TV talent contest this week. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. The new series is tailored for the TikTok generation.

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The star Search reboot has many of the same ingredients as the original, including celebrity judges and a cast of talented young people such as 10 year old country singer Blair Kudelko.

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Oh, so lonesome for you.

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But there are differences. Notably, says Star Search executive producer Jesse.

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Collins, the audience is truly the fourth judge.

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Viewers around the world get a say in who wins by voting on performances in real time with their TV remote or phone. And unlike other more recent takes on TV talent shows, the results are in almost immediately. But New York Times TV critic James Poniewozic is skeptical.

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I think people look to television for.

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You know, a more passive experience.

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The finale of the nine episode series is scheduled for February 17th. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.

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Leila Edwards is set to make history as the first black woman to represent the US in Olympic hockey during the Milan Cortina Games. The 21 year old is completing her senior year at the University of Wisconsin.

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