Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder.
Chapter 2: What recent events are impacting immigration enforcement in Minneapolis?
President Trump spoke about de-escalating tensions in Minneapolis after a second deadly shooting by federal immigrations, but there has been little evidence of any significant changes as immigration enforcement operations and confrontations with activists continue in the Twin Cities. NPR's Ariel Martinez Beltran has the latest.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, two of the federal agents involved in the killing of Alex Bredy have been placed on administrative leave, something the department says is standard protocol. Here in Minneapolis, people continue to express their frustration and anger against ICE agents They want them out of their city.
At the makeshift memorial for Pretty, people continue to gather. They have expressed how they want justice for Pretty and for Renee Macklin Goode. They also say they want more action from their state and local leaders.
Chapter 3: What charges have been brought against individuals during the immigration crackdown?
fighting this surge in their state. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Minneapolis.
Also in Minneapolis, the Justice Department has charged 16 people with assaulting or impeding federal officers during their immigration crackdown. Matt Sepik of Minnesota Public Radio has more.
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the names of all 16 and many of their photos to social media even before the cases were unsealed, drawing a sharp rebuke from a federal judge. Twelve of the defendants made their initial court appearances Wednesday and were freed after prosecutors declined to seek detention. Defense attorneys call the charges bogus and politically motivated.
FBI agents were in Georgia Wednesday conducting a search of the elections office in Fulton County. The site was at the center of President Trump's false allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden. Tens of thousands of residents across Mississippi are still without power or heat following that winter storm that swept through parts of the Deep South over the weekend.
Chapter 4: How are recent winter storms affecting Mississippi residents?
Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Will Stribling reports.
Oxford, Mississippi is known as a vibrant college town, but much of the area is currently quiet and isolated, with ice-covered roads, fallen trees, and downed power lines. University of Mississippi assistant professor Summer Hill Vinson was in the area when it was hit by a major ice storm in 1994. She says this storm brought back old fears and memories.
Listening to the trees popping and crashing and You know, it's disorienting because you can't see anything. You just hear it. Every time the wind would come through, I would just think, oh my gosh, one of these trees is going to crush us.
The University of Mississippi says the campus will remain closed through next Sunday. National Guard troops are now arriving in Oxford to assist with logistics and recovery. For NPR News, I'm Will Stripling in Jackson.
Mississippi and Tennessee account for the majority of power outages from last weekend's storm, and forecasters are warning of another storm expected to move into the region this weekend.
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Chapter 5: What is the current status of government funding related to Homeland Security?
This is NPR News. Partial government shutdown seems increasingly likely as the Senate heads towards a crucial vote Thursday on legislation that would fund the Homeland Security Department and other government agencies. Senate Democrats say they will not agree to extend DHS funding without enforceable limits on President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Republicans will need Democratic votes to keep the government open when funding runs out on Saturday. Amazon is cutting about 16,000 jobs in the latest round of tech industry layoffs. The layoffs were announced in a blog post Wednesday. They affect nearly 10% of Amazon's corporate workforce. Amazon laid off some 14,000 workers in October.
Meanwhile, Facebook parent company Meta posted stronger than expected fourth quarter results Wednesday thanks to a surge in advertising revenue. Microsoft also beat Wall Street expectations. A new study suggests humpback whales are teaching each other how to do a complicated feeding technique.
Chapter 6: How are major tech companies responding to economic challenges in 2026?
NPR's Nate Rott reports.
Bubble net feeding is when a humpback whale dives below a shoal of tiny krill or fish and starts to swim in a circle beneath. It then releases air from its blowhole, creating this ever tightening ring of bubbles that makes its prey gather in tight clusters that are easier to eat.
The new study looked at a specific population of humpbacks over 20 years and found that whales that did not bubble net feed were more likely to start the more time they spent with one that did, suggesting, the study says, that their social bonds are helping spread the behavior through the population, making it more resilient into the future. Nate Rott, NPR News.
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