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NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-01-2026 3AM EST

01 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.571 - 19.612 Unknown

On Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, it's not so much we get to talk to celebrities, it's that we get to talk to celebrities about other celebrities, like we did with actor Nathan Lane. I remember having to tell George C. Scott that I was leaving the show to do this musical, and he said to me, you're leaving me to do a f***ing magic show?

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Listen to Wait, Wait in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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25.85 - 44.847 Dale Willman

Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C., I'm Dale Willman. Democrat Christian Menefee has won the special election runoff in Houston to fill out the term of the late Congressman Sylvester Turner, who died last March. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had long delayed the election and has been accused by Democrats of trying to help Republicans hold on to their slim majority in the U.S.

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44.867 - 48.15 Dale Willman

House of Representatives. Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider reports.

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48.331 - 59.441 Andrew Schneider

Menefee defeated fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards by a margin of more than 2-1. In a victory speech, Menefee told President Trump he would be hearing from Texas' 18th congressional district.

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The results here tonight are a mandate for me to work as hard as I can to oppose your agenda, to fight back against where you're taking this country, and to investigate your crimes.

72.614 - 90.737 Andrew Schneider

Menefee will almost immediately have to pivot to defend the seat in a Democratic primary against Congressman Al Green, the incumbent in Texas' 9th congressional district. Green was drawn into the 18th during Texas' mid-decade redistricting last year. For NPR News, I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston.

91.177 - 106.38 Dale Willman

A partial government shutdown is continuing this weekend. In a bipartisan vote, the Senate passed several spending bills that would keep most of the government open through September. One other bill would extend Homeland Security funding for two weeks, allowing for congressional debate over ICE tactics.

106.36 - 112.708 Dale Willman

The House could vote on the measures as soon as Monday, but NPR's Jimena Bustillo says it's a difficult path forward.

Chapter 2: What recent political developments occurred in Houston?

152.139 - 173.732 Kristen Wright

Ice out! Protesters picketed each of Washington, D.C. 's Target stores, demanding the company publicly call for an independent investigation into the killings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Preddy. Target's been faced with repeated calls for boycotts in recent years, including after its rollback of diversity programs. Slobo Milic held a sign saying, don't buy where you're not respected.

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I want them to see that we are not just standing idly while our neighbors are being kidnapped, and we are standing for our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis.

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183.621 - 201.157 Kristen Wright

Videos widely shared earlier this month show federal agents tackling and briefly detaining two Target employees at a store near Minneapolis. In a statement to NPR, Target said it doesn't have, quote, cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency. Kristen Wright, NPR News.

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201.518 - 218.542 Dale Willman

And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Thousands of Danes, many of them military veterans, marched through downtown Copenhagen this weekend to protest President Trump's comments belittling allies' contributions during the war in Afghanistan. Terry Schultz reports.

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218.562 - 230.159 Terry Schultz

No words was the theme given to the march that wrapped up in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen. There, the names were read of the 44 Danish service members who lost their lives in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

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Morten Kroh Jensen, Jens Matthias Pedersen,

235.471 - 254.701 Terry Schultz

Trump said allies had stayed a little off the front lines in the war, infuriating Denmark, which lost the highest number of soldiers per capita after the U.S. A flag with each soldier's name was planted in front of the embassy in Copenhagen earlier this week, then removed by embassy staff. That action caused such heated backlash that the U.S.

254.821 - 262.373 Terry Schultz

ambassador on Friday restored the 44 flags, saying there'd been a misunderstanding. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz.

262.673 - 285.087 Dale Willman

Some air travelers in the U.S. could face major delays starting on Sunday. That's when the TSA will require any passengers not using a real ID or another acceptable form of identification to pay a $45 fee and submit to a new alternate identification option. The option could take as long as 30 minutes for verification and could cause travelers to miss their flight.

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