The Justice Department has released its final tranche of the Epstein files - we'll look at what they have and haven't included. And, the U.S. in a partial government shutdown again, although this is one is expected to be shorter than the record-breaking shutdown that happened during the fall. Plus, another winter storm is hitting the U-S this weekend, this time, hitting parts of the Southeast.
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Planet Money - Can Trump make buying a home more affordable?
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Housing is too expensive. Everyone knows this. Democrats know that talking about it plays well with voters. And now – in a midterm election year – President Donald Trump seems to be focused on it, too.
His administration has recently started talking more about affordability. And they’re taking action with two new initiatives that aim to make buying a house easier.
Today on the show, we’re gonna take a close look at these two moves. And ask: Will they work?
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This episode was produced by Willa Rubin with production help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley and Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
Music: NPR Source Audio - "No Problem,” “Fruit Salad,” “Checking In” and “Day Dreamer.”
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Housing is too expensive. Everyone knows this. Democrats know that talking about it plays well with voters. And now – in a midterm election year – President Donald Trump seems to be focused on it, too.
His administration has recently started talking more about affordability. And they’re taking action with two new initiatives that aim to make buying a house easier.
Today on the show, we’re gonna take a close look at these two moves. And ask: Will they work?
Subscribe to Planet Money+
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
This episode was produced by Willa Rubin with production help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley and Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.
Music: NPR Source Audio - "No Problem,” “Fruit Salad,” “Checking In” and “Day Dreamer.”
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Consider This from NPR - Gov. Tim Walz is skeptical about Trump’s plan to de-escalate immigration crackdown
Tensions remain high in Minnesota. Despite the Trump administration signaling a willingness to de-escalate tensions in the state earlier this week, Minnesota’s governor is now skeptical.
“I know who I'm dealing with. I know that they're not going to keep their word,” Walz told NPR.
Walz, a Democrat, sat down with All Things Considered host Juana Summers on Friday following weeks of protests, and the deadly shootings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Megan Lim, Matt Ozug and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Andie Huether. It was edited by Ashley Brown and William Troop.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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State of the World from NPR - China embraces A.I. in the classroom
While debate rages in the U.S. about the merits and risks of Artificial Intelligence in schools, in China, it’s a state-mandated part of the school curriculum. Authorities there want to create a pool of AI-savvy professionals. But like in the U.S., some parents have mixed emotions about how and when their kids use A.I.
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1A - The News Roundup For January 30, 2026
A man rushed towards Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar during an event in her home state on Tuesday, spraying the congresswoman with a liquid authorities later identified as vinegar. President Donald Trump told reporters later that evening he thought there was a chance that Omar had staged the attack herself as a stunt.
Another deadline for a government shutdown is fast approaching. And questions are mounting about whether Democrats will continue to dig their heels in over the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
And more acts are pulling out of scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center. Composer Phillip Glass announced his decision to not debut a symphony he wrote in honor of Abraham Lincoln written for the Center’s 50th anniversary.
And, in global news, President Donald Trump said this week that Iran needed to give into a list of demands related to its nuclear disarmament and that “time was running out.” The military is now moving Navy and Air Force assets to the Middle East.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he couldn’t rule out further military intervention in Venezuela during testimony before the Senate.
And traditional U.S. allies are looking elsewhere for aid and trade deals, as the president continues to demolish the old world order in favor of one that centers himself.
We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Another deadline for a government shutdown is fast approaching. And questions are mounting about whether Democrats will continue to dig their heels in over the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
And more acts are pulling out of scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center. Composer Phillip Glass announced his decision to not debut a symphony he wrote in honor of Abraham Lincoln written for the Center’s 50th anniversary.
And, in global news, President Donald Trump said this week that Iran needed to give into a list of demands related to its nuclear disarmament and that “time was running out.” The military is now moving Navy and Air Force assets to the Middle East.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he couldn’t rule out further military intervention in Venezuela during testimony before the Senate.
And traditional U.S. allies are looking elsewhere for aid and trade deals, as the president continues to demolish the old world order in favor of one that centers himself.
We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Up First from NPR - Senate Funding Deal, Border Czar Homan In Minnesota, Georgia Election Ballots Seized
Senate leaders strike a short-term funding deal to keep most of the government running, but a partial shutdown now looks imminent as the House remains out until next week.
Border Czar Tom Homan suggested a possible drawdown of federal immigration agents in Minnesota, only for President Trump to later say there would be no pullback at all, as arrests and protests continue on the ground.
And the FBI seizes hundreds of thousands of ballots and election records from Fulton County, Georgia, as the Trump administration escalates scrutiny ahead of the midterms.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Border Czar Tom Homan suggested a possible drawdown of federal immigration agents in Minnesota, only for President Trump to later say there would be no pullback at all, as arrests and protests continue on the ground.
And the FBI seizes hundreds of thousands of ballots and election records from Fulton County, Georgia, as the Trump administration escalates scrutiny ahead of the midterms.
Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Anna Yukhananov, Gigi Douban, Ben Swasey, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, Ava Pukatch and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:53) Senate Funding Deal
(05:38) Border Czar in Minnesota
(09:51) Georgia Election Ballots Ceased
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The Indicator from Planet Money - A huge EU-India deal, Heated Rivalry, and a hefty $200k to Olympians
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: a HUGE trade deal between India and the European Union, all the hot hockey romance New Yorkers could ever want, and a heavy earnings purse for Olympic competitors, win or lose.
Related episodes:
Why the Olympics cost so much
The surprising economics of digital lending
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
Preorder Planet Money's new book here!
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On today’s episode: a HUGE trade deal between India and the European Union, all the hot hockey romance New Yorkers could ever want, and a heavy earnings purse for Olympic competitors, win or lose.
Related episodes:
Why the Olympics cost so much
The surprising economics of digital lending
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
Preorder Planet Money's new book here!
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Short Wave - Lessons and failures from the Challenger space shuttle explosion
On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA’s 25th space shuttle mission, Challenger, left the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Seventy-three seconds into flight, Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean as millions of people watched. All seven people on board died. Now, forty years later, journalist Adam Higginbotham chronicles what went wrong. His book Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space pieces together stories from key officials, engineers and the families of those killed in the explosion – and details how its legacy still haunts spaceflight today.
Consider checking out our episode speaking to an astronaut while she’s in space.
Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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Consider checking out our episode speaking to an astronaut while she’s in space.
Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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NPR's Book of the Day - Romance authors Emily Henry, Beverly Jenkins, and others on the state of their genre
To wrap up our pre-Valentine’s Day week of reads, we revisit two roundtable discussions with contemporary romance authors. First, Here & Now’s Celeste Headlee speaks with Helen Hoang and Emily Henry about the state of the genre – and how the authors approach writing sex scenes. Then, Here & Now’s Kalyani Saxena moderates a conversation between Beverly Jenkins, Jasmine Guillory, and Ali Hazelwood in front of a crowd of romance fans at WBUR’s CitySpace.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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Consider This from NPR - Sen. Ron Johnson blames state and local leaders for Alex Pretti’s killing
The civilian killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good by federal immigration agents have launched a larger debate in Washington about funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
Senate Democrats want to carve off DHS money from the broader spending package to keep the government open, and they want new limits on immigration agents, like a prohibition on masks and a requirement that officers carry ID.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says he blames the actions of state and local leaders for the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good. He insists local leaders should have done more to cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis.
NPR’s Ailsa Chang spoke with Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson to discuss his thoughts on whether ICE, and other immigration enforcement agencies, need the reforms Democrats have asked for.
At the time this episode aired, lawmakers were at an impasse regarding the federal spending package. But Senate Democrats now say they’ve reached a deal to separate DHS funding from the other five appropriations bills. You can read more details on npr.org.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata, Courtney Dorning and Kelsey Snell. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Senate Democrats want to carve off DHS money from the broader spending package to keep the government open, and they want new limits on immigration agents, like a prohibition on masks and a requirement that officers carry ID.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says he blames the actions of state and local leaders for the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good. He insists local leaders should have done more to cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis.
NPR’s Ailsa Chang spoke with Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson to discuss his thoughts on whether ICE, and other immigration enforcement agencies, need the reforms Democrats have asked for.
At the time this episode aired, lawmakers were at an impasse regarding the federal spending package. But Senate Democrats now say they’ve reached a deal to separate DHS funding from the other five appropriations bills. You can read more details on npr.org.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata, Courtney Dorning and Kelsey Snell. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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