NPR News: 01-16-2026 7PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump now says he doesn't think he needs to use the Insurrection Act when it comes to protesters in Minneapolis. NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports the two-century-old power allows a president to call in troops to states historically to tamp down violent protests.
Earlier this week, the president proposed the idea of using the Insurrection Act to quell protests in Minneapolis that intensified after an ICE officer killed an American citizen, Renee Macklin Good. He called the protesters, quote, professional agitators and insurrectionists. and he said he could use the Insurrection Act to put an end to the backlash against ICE. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said that if Trump had invoked the act, he would challenge it in court. Now, though, Trump says he doesn't think he needs to use that rarely utilized power anymore, but added, quote, if I needed it, I'd use it. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, the White House.
Venezuela's opposition leader says she is sure she will return to her home country and that eventually there will be a transition to free elections. Maria Karina Machado spoke in Washington, D.C. today, one day after meeting President Trump at the White House and presenting him with her Nobel Peace Prize. His administration has sidelined Machado since the U.S. ousted Nicolas Maduro. NPR's Carrie Khan reports.
Machado was asked what her role will be in Venezuela, given that President Trump backs the interim president, essentially leaving the Maduro government intact. She says the acting leader, Delce Rodriguez, is a communist and runs a, quote, criminal regime. But Machado steered clear of criticizing the U.S., saying repeatedly that the moment in Venezuela is complicated. And I know that it is not the objective of President Trump or Secretary Rubio to leave the regime in place, she said. President Trump has spoken more about Venezuela's oil resources than a democratic transition. Machado insists she will have a role in Venezuela's future. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.
The U.S. is telling Mexico it wants more results in the fight against fentanyl tracking. NPR's Ader Peralta reports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke twice this week with Mexico's Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente. The State Department's readout of the most recent call was bland, saying the two countries were committed to working together to counter drug cartels. The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs took a more strident tone. It wrote on X, quote, But according to U.S. authorities, seizures of fentanyl have dropped by almost half in the past year, President Trump has repeatedly offered to attack the cartels. Mexico has always rebuffed, saying it can do the job alone. Ada Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City.
Stocks edged a bit lower on Wall Street today. This is NPR. Tens of thousands of Cubans have gathered in Havana to protest the killing of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela during the U.S. military action that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro. It follows President Trump's demands for Cuba to negotiate amid tightened sanctions and economic struggles. The crowd demands Maduro's release. The State Department announced a nearly billion-dollar deal with Malawi this week, part of its new global health strategy. NPR's Fatma Tanis reports.
The deal is intended to support Malawi's efforts to combat HIV-AIDS, malaria and shore up its disease surveillance and outbreak response. This agreement is an example of how the Trump administration is doing foreign aid, since it dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development last year. Instead of working with NGOs or the United Nations, the administration is cutting deals directly with countries, mostly in Africa. The State Department says the goal is to invest in the health ministries of low-income countries and to create opportunities for American businesses.
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