Chapter 1: What are the highlights of this year's Oscar nominations?
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. The Trump administration continues to face public backlash over its ongoing immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, and courts in Minnesota are expressing frustration with the operation. NPR's Ryan Lucas has more.
Last night, the Minnesota federal court's chief judge, Patrick Schiltz, he's a George W. Bush appointee, he issued an order that really took the government to task. The judge identified and documented 96 court orders that he said ICE had violated in 74 cases since January 1st. Judge Schiltz said that number is certainly understated.
And he said, quote, ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.
NPR's Ryan Lucas reporting. A newly surfaced video shows 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Preddy in a heated confrontation with federal officials 11 days before his killing in Minneapolis. He's seen kicking a car's taillight and damaging it before officers exited the vehicle and pushed him to the ground. There is no connection between the two confrontations.
Massachusetts is joining a growing number of Democratic-led states pushing for limits on immigration enforcement. Governor Mara Healey is moving to stop ICE from carrying out warrantless arrests on state property. From member station WBUR, Simone Rios reports.
Governor Healy signed an order that blocks law enforcement from signing agreements to partner with ICE. She also filed legislation to require judicial warrants when ICE makes courthouse arrests. The Massachusetts Democrat cited cases where serious criminal charges have been dropped because victims are afraid to testify.
And then violent criminals left to roam free as a result. Domestic abusers, people who commit rape and assault. When that happens, guys, it makes everyone less safe.
States including Illinois and Connecticut have enacted similar measures.
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Chapter 2: How is the Trump administration's immigration policy facing backlash?
ICE's own policy on courthouse arrests dictates that agents must observe local laws. For NPR News, I'm Simone Rios in Boston.
The European Union has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. Terry Schultz reports that means the elite military unit will now be put under sanctions.
It's a move that's been considered for many years, but the recent deadly crackdown by the Iranian regime on anti-government protesters brought all 27 EU governments into alignment in declaring the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaya Kallis led the meeting of foreign ministers who made the decision.
When the atrocities were clear, then also it was clear that there has to be a very strong response from the European side. The designation freezes all bank accounts of the IRGC held in the EU, criminalizes any interaction with the group, and bans its members from entering the bloc. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels.
And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Life expectancy has hit its highest mark in American history. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was 79 years in 2024. It's the result of the dissipation of the COVID-19 pandemic and also waning death rates from the nation's top killers, heart disease, cancer, and drug overdoses.
The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence in the classroom is challenging educators to make sure their students are learning and not leaning on AI. Lee Gaines has more.
Shanae Bond teaches English at Southwest High School in Fort Worth. Her students rarely use laptops. Instead, they write nearly everything by hand.
They are constantly and consistently doing everything with a pen or a pencil.
It's part of Bond's strategy to keep AI out of her classroom. But she may be in the minority. Roughly 60 percent of surveyed teachers said they used AI at least a little in their classroom. That's according to a July 2025 poll from the Ed Week Research Center. Bond says she's open to changing her mind about AI, but right now she doesn't see much value in it for her students.
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