NPR News: 01-31-2026 12AM EST
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What led to the partial government shutdown?
Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C., I'm Dale Willman. The Senate has voted to fund large parts of the federal government that was set to run out of money at midnight, but the House still needs to return to Washington to greenlight the final deal. That means a partial government shutdown begins tonight. NPR's Sam Greenglass explains.
Congress had been on track to avert a shutdown, but after a second deadly shooting of a U.S. citizen by immigration officers in Minneapolis, Democrats pledged to oppose the Department of Homeland Security funding bill. That money, though, was tied with more than a trillion dollars for other departments, including defense, health and human services, and housing. Republicans agreed to isolate DHS funding from the rest and only extend it for two weeks. allowing lawmakers to negotiate guardrails to rein in immigration enforcement tactics. With the House not back until Monday, funding will lapse at least over the weekend, but will not be as widespread as the last record-long shutdown when all government funding had expired.
How is the southern U.S. preparing for the new storm?
Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington.
A new storm is expected to hit the southern U.S. Saturday. It will arrive as tens of thousands of homes across the region are still without power following last weekend's major storm. In Tennessee, officials with Nashville Electric Service say they're doing all they can to get the lights back on, but Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell says it's not enough.
No, I am not satisfied, have not been satisfied, and continue to expect them to do better. Our communications team remains in close contact with their communications team, our executive leadership, pressing them to share more, do more, offer more, show visualization, share data, talk about performance, all of those things.
The latest storm is expected to bring near-hurricane-force winds to the east coast and Arctic air into the southeast. The U.S. is pressing ahead with the military buildup for a new round of strikes against Iran.
What military actions is the U.S. taking regarding Iran?
Officials in Tehran, meanwhile, say if the country is attacked, it will hit hard at U.S. interests in the Middle East. NPR's Greg Myhre looks at the possible showdown.
The U.S. military now has an aircraft carrier, additional ships, and dozens of warplanes within striking distance of Iran. President Trump remains noncommittal about whether he'll order an attack. But speaking of Iran, he said, quote, We'll see what happens. I can say this. They do want to make a deal. However, Iran's foreign minister says his country won't negotiate while it's being threatened.
What are the implications of Trump's Federal Reserve nomination?
Iran has an arsenal of ballistic missiles and says that if attacked, it will strike U.S. targets in the region. The U.S. and Israel bombed Iran's nuclear facilities for 12 days last June. Trump is not saying what the U.S. might hit in a future attack. Greg Myhre, NPR News, Washington.
President Trump Friday said he'll nominate Kevin Walsh to replace Jerome Powell as the chair of the Federal Reserve. The news sent stocks dropping as investors try to understand what that may mean for interest rates. The Nasdaq dropped more than nine-tenths of a percent.
How is the United Nations addressing its financial crisis?
This is NPR News. The head of the United Nations says the world body is facing a possible financial collapse. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says cash for operations could run out by July and that could dramatically affect operations. In a letter sent to member states that was obtained by the Associated Press, Guterres says financial rules must be overhauled or all member states must pay their dues to help with a potential crisis. Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, is suspending flights of its suborbital New Shepard spacecraft. The ship has been taking paying customers to the edge of space and back. Central Florida Public Media's Brendan Byrne has more.
The company is suspending the space tourism flights of its New Shepard rocket to focus on developing a lunar lander. The rocket will remain grounded for at least two years. New Shepard flights have carried 98 humans above the Kármán line, the widely accepted boundary of space about 62 miles above Earth, and then safely back in a capsule.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What led to the partial government shutdown?
0:00–0:59
2
How is the southern U.S. preparing for the new storm?
0:59–1:50
3
What military actions is the U.S. taking regarding Iran?
1:50–2:24
4
What are the implications of Trump's Federal Reserve nomination?
2:24–2:57
5
How is the United Nations addressing its financial crisis?
2:57–3:56
6
What changes is Blue Origin making to its spaceflight program?
3:56–4:38