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Chapter 1: What are the key highlights of the Oscar nominations this year?
This year's Oscar nominations are here, and we are unpacking record-breaking nominations for Sinners, plus nominations for Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another, and we'll talk about some of the surprises and snubs. Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. A huge swath of the U.S. is bracing for a life-threatening winter storm over the weekend. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports tens of millions of people are under a winter storm and extreme cold watch, stretching from New Mexico into the Ohio River Valley, the South, and into the Northeast.
Frigid temperatures and significant accumulations of ice, snow and sleet are in the forecast. It will make travel conditions treacherous and could knock out power lines. Several governors are declaring states of emergency, including Texas, the Carolinas and Georgia. That allows them to pre-treat highways, open warming stations, stage supplies and equipment and call up National Guard troops.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says people should plan now.
Make sure you got the things that you need at your house to stay warm and hunker down in case you lose power for a day or two.
The storm is also likely to disrupt air travel at some of the busiest airports in the country. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.
U.S.
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Chapter 2: How is the U.S. preparing for the upcoming winter storm?
Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino says the current climate is not very favorable to federal law enforcement in Minneapolis. NPR's Sarah Ventry reports he also says there is no end in sight for the operation.
Bovino says that federal agents are being, quote, stalked and that they're encountering anarchists and rioters.
When asked by reporters when the operation will conclude, Bovino responded, We're not going to put a date or a timeline to stop this mission. This mission is ongoing until there are no more of those criminal illegal aliens roaming the streets of Minneapolis.
He also questioned the role of the Minneapolis Police Department, saying they were, quote, missing in action. Meanwhile, immigrants and people of color, including citizens and those in the country with legal status, have told NPR they are scared to leave their homes or go outside. Sarah Ventry, NPR News, Minneapolis.
Former Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith defended his investigations of Donald Trump at a congressional hearing today. He says he acted without regard to politics and he had no second thoughts about the criminal charges he brought.
Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power. After leaving office in January of 21, President Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago social club and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.
Smith's two criminal investigations shadowed Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. The Trump administration has been targeting the investigators who scrutinized him.
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Chapter 3: What challenges are federal law enforcement facing in Minneapolis?
The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge ticked up in November, and the latest sign that price increases are still up. Inflation has fallen sharply from a four-decade high in 2022. This is NPR News from Washington. Missouri gambling regulators are considering new restrictions on bets related to college athletes' performance.
Prop bets focus on individual player performances like points scored in basketball or passing yards in football. The NCAA argues these bets are vulnerable to manipulation. Last week, more than two dozen people were indicted for allegedly trying to rig college basketball games. Star Search is back. Netflix relaunched the 1980s and 90s TV talent contest this week.
NPR's Chloe Veltman reports the new series is tailored for the TikTok generation.
The Star Search reboot has many of the same ingredients as the original, including celebrity judges and a cast of talented young people, such as 10-year-old country singer Blair Koudelka.
Oh, so awesome.
But there are differences, notably, says Star Search executive producer Jesse Collins.
The audience is truly the fourth judge.
Viewers around the world get a say in who wins by voting on performances in real time with their TV remote or phone.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of Jack Smith's investigations into Donald Trump?
And unlike other more recent takes on TV talent shows, the results are in almost immediately. But New York Times TV critic James Poniewozik is sceptical.
I think people look to television for, you know, more passive experience.
The finale of the nine-episode series is scheduled for February 17th. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.
Chapter 5: How is inflation currently affecting the U.S. economy?
Layla Edwards is set to make history as the first black woman to represent the U.S. in Olympic hockey during the Milan-Cortina Games. The 21-year-old is completing her senior year at the University of Wisconsin. It's NPR.
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Chapter 6: What is the significance of Layla Edwards in Olympic hockey history?
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