Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
Chapter 2: What tensions are rising in Minnesota regarding immigration?
Tensions are rising in Minnesota as more federal immigration agents arrive there. NPR's Kat Lonsdorff reports President Trump is backing off a threat to invoke the Insurrection Act, but hasn't ruled it out.
The Insurrection Act is a 200-year-old law that, if invoked, would allow Trump to deploy the military to Minneapolis for law enforcement purposes. He now says he doesn't think the situation as it stands warrants it, but... If I needed it, I'd use it. I don't think there's any reason right now to use it. But if I needed it, I'd use it.
Trump has threatened invoking it many times in recent months for various situations. It would be a highly controversial move. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are now at least 2,500 federal agents in Minneapolis.
Chapter 3: What is the Insurrection Act and how is it relevant now?
That's about four times the number of local police officers. Meanwhile, plans for a far-right anti-immigration rally in the city this weekend have many on high alert. Kat Lonsdorff, NPR News, Minneapolis.
A bipartisan effort is underway in the Republican-led House to bring contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi. Lawmakers say Bondi is defying a new law forcing the release of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. NPR's Claudia Grisales reports.
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massey and California Democrat Ro Khanna say Bondi has not fulfilled the law's demand. Congress approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act with near unanimous support in November. Massey and Khanna, who forced the vote that eventually led to the law's passage. say Bondi needs to comply.
So far, the Justice Department has just released a small fraction of the Epstein files. Massey and Khanna argue the clear refusal to release the remainder of those files is an obstruction of justice. Khanna says among the missing documents are FBI witness interviews that name other Epstein associates. He added, quote, DOJ is spending more time protecting the Epstein class than the survivors.
Claudia Grizales, NPR News.
Stocks on Wall Street lost ground this week as inflation held steady in December. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Federal Reserve is expected to take a break from cutting interest rates when policymakers meet later this month.
Consumer prices in December were up 2.7 percent from a year ago. That's the same annual increase as the previous month. Prices are still climbing faster than the Federal Reserve would like. The central banks expected to hold interest rates steady this month after cutting rates at its last three meetings.
President Trump has waged an extraordinary pressure campaign in an effort to get the Fed to cut rates more aggressively. Last weekend, we learned the Justice Department is investigating the central bank. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell insists he and his colleagues will not be intimidated.
For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell three-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 Index fell four-tenths, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped two-thirds of a percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
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