NPR News: 01-28-2026 8PM EST
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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theschmidt.org.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Justice Department alleges in new charges that 16 protesters in Minnesota assaulted or impeded federal immigration officers during the Trump administration's operations there. As Matt Sepik of Minnesota Public Radio reports, defense attorneys say the evidence is thin.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the names and photos of the protesters to social media before the cases were unsealed, drawing a sharp rebuke from a federal judge. The 16 are charged by complaint with obstructing or impeding federal officers. But defense attorney Kevin Rich says a grand jury must still approve the charges.
It's not that difficult to make a case past the grand jury, but the DOJ has a history of bringing bogus prosecutions, as we have seen in recent months, and the grand jury is a good bulwark.
One defendant, a Somali-American U.S. citizen, alleges agents injured her and called her a racial slur while arresting her and questioning her citizenship. For NPR News, I'm Matt Sepik in Minneapolis.
The FBI says it's executing a, quote, court-authorized law enforcement action at an elections warehouse in Georgia. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports this is the latest salvo in the ongoing fight over baseless claims of election rigging in 2020.
The FBI wouldn't answer NPR's questions about the search warrant for the Fulton County elections warehouse outside of Atlanta. But Georgia's most populous county has been the subject of baseless claims of election fraud since 2020. Last month, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to gain access to Fulton County's ballots, and a state court judge recently allowed the Republican Majority State Election Board to move forward with a subpoena for 2020 documents, too.
What recent charges did the Justice Department file against protesters in Minnesota?
This as the DOJ has sued 25 states, including Georgia, seeking access to unredacted copies of their voter rolls.
Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Atlanta. At least 50 people have died across several states as a result of the winter storm that left a good portion of the United States under snow and ice. That includes at least 10 people in Kentucky. Stan Ingold of member station W.E.K.U. has more.
Governor Andy Beshear says that most of the deaths in the state were people in their 60s and 70s. The governor announced that the state will dip into its storm relief fund and offer to pay $10,000 for the funerals of each of the dead.
First thing we do in Kentucky is grieve together, and we don't want these families to have to wait for reimbursement by FEMA.
Among the dead is an inmate at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex. Officials say he was working with a crew to remove snow and ice when he fell and hit his head. The death is being investigated by the Kentucky State Police. For NPR News, I'm Stan Engold in Richmond, Kentucky.
Organizers are planning what they anticipate will be the largest no-kings protests yet over what they call authoritarianism under President Trump. The demonstrations on March 28th will focus on the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Organizers emphasize nonviolent resistance and ongoing training to defend constitutional rights. This is NPR News from Washington. As expected, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady today, despite pressure from President Trump for much lower borrowing costs. The central bank has already cut its benchmark interest rate three times, but with inflation still elevated, most Fed policymakers voted to hold their target rate unchanged. Trump has threatened to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who pushed back hard earlier this month.
after the Justice Department launched an investigation into cost overruns at the Fed's headquarters. A new study suggests humpback whales are teaching each other how to do a complicated and very cool feeding technique. NPR's Nate Rott explains.
Bubble net feedings.
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