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Crowds gather in Minneapolis at the site where US federal immigration agents shot dead 37-year-old Alex Pretti. We'll hear from a friend and colleague.
Also on the programme: the weirdness of election day in Myanmar from our correspondent there; and has Saudi Arabia's hugely ambitious mega city project run into the sand?
(Photo: A woman chants 'peace' at a makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 25 January 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
There's been renewed protests and anger in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a man by federal immigration agents; the second such incident in the US city in three weeks. Also on the programme, a third and final stage of voting is taking place in Myanmar in what are widely viewed as sham elections; and, a new record for sailing round the world.
(Photo: A federal agent fires a munition toward demonstrators near the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026.REUTERS/Tim Evans)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seemed to challenge Donald Trump in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, declaring that “the old world order is not coming back” and urging fellow “middle powers” to come together. In response, Trump said Canada gets “a lot of freebies” from the United States and “they should be grateful”. After striking a major trade and tariff deal with China – the US’s rival superpower – is Carney emerging as the leader of a global resistance to Trump? And does he have an alternative vision for the world? We speak to Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s chief international correspondent.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Aron Keller, Hannah Moore, Sam Chantarasak and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: James Shield Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins (Photo: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Credit: Jessica Lee/EPA/Shutterstock)
A massive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis has turned the city into a tinderbox and renewed questions about ICE’s growing power. WSJ reporter Michelle Hackman discusses how the agency is shifting tactics, from cutting training requirements to entering homes without warrants signed by a judge. Plus, the legal challenges that lie ahead. Alex Ossola hosts.
Further Reading:
ICE Moves to Enter Homes Without Warrants Signed by a Judge
We Spent Six Hours at ICE Training School. Here’s What We Learned.
Target’s Stores Become an ICE Battleground in Hometown Minneapolis
The ICE Standoff in Minneapolis Has Become the Political Issue CEOs Can’t Ignore
Four Immigration Cases Are Testing the Limits of Trump’s Power
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Forty years ago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. Seven astronauts were killed, including teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe. It was a devastating blow to the U.S. space program and a national tragedy for the country. In the days after the explosion, the search for answers began. Two NPR reporters, Howard Berkes and Daniel Zwerdling, focused their reporting on the engineers who managed Challenger’s booster rockets. On February 20, 1986, Berkes and Zwerdling broke a major story, providing the first details of a last-minute effort by those engineers to stop NASA from launching Challenger.
In this special NPR documentary, Howard Berkes unfolds an investigation spanning forty years, from those desperate efforts in 1986 to delay the launch, to decades of crushing guilt for some of the engineers, and to the lessons learned that are as critical as ever as NASA’s budget and workforce shrink.
Masked ICE agents in Minneapolis have shot a US citizen dead -- the second such killing this month - sparking further protests in the city. The Department of Homeland Security says he was violent and armed with a gun. Also, we report from Myanmar on the final stage of elections, with the dominant pro-military party on course for a landslide victory; Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has described the first three-way peace talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, as "constructive"; and an exhibition at Britain's National Archives of Love Letters across the generations.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.
Even before this latest war in Gaza, NPR’s Jerusalem-based Correspondent Daniel Estrin and Gaza reporter Anas Baba had spent years working together in challenging circumstances. Once war broke out, they had to adapt to a situation that made reporting together even more difficult.
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 Linah Mohammed.. It was edited by Adam Raney and James Hider. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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For the second time this month, there's been a fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in the US city of Minneapolis. Local police said a thirty-seven year old man, who's believed to be an American citizen, had been killed.
Also in the programme: surviving the cold and war in Kharkiv; and why a beautiful Venetian palazzo is failing to sell.
(Picture: A person holds a placard as federal agents use tear gas to disperse people gathered near the scene where federal agents fatally shot a man while trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters)
Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko has urged people to leave the city if they have somewhere else to go while the freezing conditions last. We hear from a resident of Kharkhiv in eastern Ukraine after overnight strikes on the city.
Also on the programme: Under a severe crackdown, Iran's protesters question if enough international pressure has come to bear on Tehran's government; and the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets.
(Photo: Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters/Sofiia Gatilova)