NPR News: 01-12-2026 4PM EST
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
What investigation is the Justice Department opening regarding Jerome Powell?
The Justice Department is opening a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments to Congress about renovations of the Fed's headquarters. This as the Trump administration has been pressuring the central bank to make bigger interest rate cuts. Here's NPR's Barbara Spratt.
As lawmakers return to D.C., they're reacting to this latest escalation against the Fed chair. Democrat Senator Dick Durbin said it's another example of President Trump trying to weaponize the government against opponents of his agenda. GOP Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina said it's the independence and credibility of the Justice Department that's in question and said he'll oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed until the legal matter is resolved. Republican Congressman French Hill of Arkansas praised Powell as a man of integrity and said that pursuing criminal charges creates an unnecessary distraction. Barbara Sprint and PR News, Washington.
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly suing to block the Pentagon from censuring him after the Democrat and other lawmakers told service members in a video message to defy illegal orders. Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth censured Kelly, a process that could cost Kelly his retired rank of captain and reduce his retirement pay. Iran says it's willing to negotiate but is also ready to fight. As White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt describes it, the U.S.
also prefers diplomacy but... The president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.
A human rights group says the Iranian government crackdown on mass protests has cost more than 500 lives since the demonstrations began late last month. Immigration agents are going door to door in some Minneapolis neighborhoods. NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran reports heavy enforcement activity in the area today.
There are more than 2,000 immigration agents here. And you can see them driving in unmarked cars. You can also see residents following them and alerting the community that ICE is around. I have witnessed some of these operations. In one of them, immigration agents stopped at a parking lot and asked people charging their electric cars for proof of immigration status. All of the drivers were people of color and all of them had proof. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Minneapolis.
New York City nurses on strike, thousands in a standoff with several major hospital systems for higher pay, more staffing and better security on the job. State Attorney General Letitia James joined them.
Three years ago, there was a strike and the union negotiated with management. A deal on safe staffing. They have reneged on that deal.
The affected hospitals argue the union's demands are too steep. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 86 points. This is NPR News. Paramount Skydance is suing Warner Bros. Discovery for more information into its decision to again reject its takeover bid in favor of Netflix's, even though Paramount offered more money. CBS's parent company also says it will nominate directors to the Warner Bros. board to advance the deal. Mattel has released a new version of its iconic Barbie doll, an autistic Barbie developed in partnership with members of the autistic community. And Piers Anastasios Yulkas has details.
The autistic Barbie was developed with ASAN, an advocacy organization run by and for autistic people. The Barbie has articulated elbows and wrists so the doll can make the type of gestures that some autistic people use. Its clothes are sensory sensitive and the doll's eyes gaze slightly off-center, reflecting how some autistic people avoid direct eye contact. This newest Barbie joins a lineup of dolls intended to help kids see themselves and their lived experiences in their toys. Other dolls in the lineup include Barbies with Down syndrome, type 1 diabetes, and vitiligo, and ones with prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs. Anastasia Tsilikas, NPR News, New York.
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