NPR News: 01-27-2026 7PM EST

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Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will likely not have to travel to Minnesota to testify in court this week, as Matt says. EPIC of Minnesota Public Radio reports ICE is abiding by a judge's order to release a man who's been detained for the last three weeks.

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U.S. district Judge Patrick Schiltz directed Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in court in Minneapolis personally on Friday after ICE didn't respond to orders to set a bond hearing for Juan Hugo Tobi Robles. Ice arrested the 43 year old on January 6, but his lawyer says the agency never gave a reason. On Monday, Judge Shultz wrote, quote, unquote, the court's patience is at an end. But he gave ICE an off ramp and said he'd cancel the hearing if it freed Robles. Immigration attorney Graham Ojila Barber says ICE released his client from a detention facility in Texas less than a day after the judge issued the order. For NPR News, I'm Matt Sepik in Minneapolis.

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Much of the country is dealing with frigid cold temperatures after last weekend's winter storm. And there are still nearly half a million power outages from Texas to Tennessee, which was particularly hard hit. As WPLN's Blake Farmer expl It just.

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Is so widespread and really unprecedented for the local utility here in Nashville. I mean, half the city had no power at one point. And unlike a hurricane or like a tornado, new power outages are still popping up. Talk to a utility official today who told this story about a crew fixing a line. Then they pack up, drive off, and literally in the rearview mirror, they see a branch take out the line.

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WPLN's Blake Farmer reporting. For the first time, pure electric vehicles outsold traditional gasoline vehicles in the European Union. Union this as the EU plans to cut emissions from cars by 90% by 2035. In the U.S. meanwhile, federal policy has shifted sharply against EVs. As NPR's Camilla Domonosky reports, battery powered cars are still rising globally.

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In December, for the first time ever, more pure electric vehicles were sold than traditional gasoline only vehicles across the entire eu. Now, hybrid vehicles were more popular than either traditional gas or pure electric, but plug in vehicles are rising rapidly. Sales of pure electric vehicles were up more than 50% year over year, while hybrids rose just 6% and old fashioned gas and diesel sales dropped 20%. European automakers have been facing increasingly stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers. The fastest growing automaker in Europe last year was China's byd. Camila Dominoski, NPR News.

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President Trump says trading partners will invest trillions of dollars in the U.S. but a study out today raises doubts about whether the money will actually materialize and questions how it would be spent if it did. A non partisan think tank looked at more than $5 trillion in investment commitments made last year by the EU, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and others. This is NPR News. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he stands by his comments that he wants to diversify Canada's trade away from the U.S. that's despite claims by U.S. treasury Secretary Scott Besant that Carney walked back his remarks. Trump recently threatened a 100 tariff on Canadian goods if Canada pursues a trade deal with China. Carney says Canada is making new trade arrangements across four continents. Yale University will make tuition free for students from families with annual incomes of $200,000 or less. As NPR's Alyssa Nadworny reports, the Ivy League school joined several other elite schools that have done the same.

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The university in Connecticut expanded its financial aid program for students enrolling next year. There are two significant changes. Families making up to $100,000 a year will have attendance at Yale entirely free. That number was raised up from $75,000. That's in addition to waiving the cost of tuition for those below the $200,000 threshold. Many other Ivy League schools have similar offerings, including Harvard, which announced the same thresholds last year. Across the country, about 100 other colleges offer some sort of tuition free program. Alyssa Nadworny, NPR News.

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A company called Fauna Robotics hopes customers will find its new humanoid robot named Sprout. Approachable and friendly, the three and a half foot tall robot features a soft foam exterior and expressive features with a $50,000 price tag targeting university labs and tech entrepreneurs, Fauna says it's trying to create a new industry of approachable robots for homes, schools and social spaces. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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This message comes from Indiana University, whose industry partnerships go beyond business as usual. Working side by side, they're fueling economic growth that creates jobs and supports entrepreneurs and small businesses. More at iu. Edu Impact.

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