NPR News: 02-05-2026 3PM EST
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Why are Americans concerned about crime despite declining rates?
Americans are seemingly always worried about crime, even when crime rates are dramatically declining. And while politicians for both parties always vow to do something about it, President Trump has really leaned into it. Taking down the worst of the worst, getting criminals off the street, all of that is like linking crime and immigration. Listen to Code Switch in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. There are a record number of people in immigration detention in the U.S., according to the most recent statistics released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
What are the latest statistics on immigration detention in the U.S.?
NPR's Jasmine Garst has more.
Immigration detention numbers reached a new high in January, over 71,000 people. There were around 40,000 at the beginning of the Trump administration. Of the current detainees, 74% have no criminal conviction and almost half have never even been charged. The administration has come under increased scrutiny for its immigration operations in Minneapolis following the killings of two American citizens by federal agents. In response, Border Czar Tom Holman has said these are highly targeted operations seeking out criminals. Immigrant rights advocates say the operations are casting wide nets and racially profiling people with no records. Jasmine Garst, NPR News, New York.
The bipartisan budget just passed into law will restore a lot of funding and programs in the federal health agency. Congress also created new guardrails for the agency after a chaotic year. NPR's Selina Simmons-Duffin has more.
Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last year, tens of thousands of staff quit or were fired, grants were canceled with no notice, and congressionally required programs were hollowed out. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, says she helped write the new health budget with this goal.
How do we rein in an agency that has gone rogue?
The new bipartisan law includes detailed instructions to fund specific centers, to fully staff them, to pay grantees promptly, and more.
It's very, very specific. It is law. And by the way, the president just signed it.
HHS did not respond to a request for comment about the new budget. Selina Simmons-Duffin, NPR News, Washington.
A federal judge struck down a Texas law barring the state from working with investors suspected of boycotting the fossil fuel industry. NPR's Michael Copley has more.
In 2021, Texas lawmakers prohibited state retirement funds for investing or contracting with firms that limit their exposure to fossil fuel companies or that take any action to hurt the industry. U.S. District Judge Alan Albright in Austin ruled the law as unconstitutional because it violates the rights to free speech and to due process. The case was brought by the American Sustainable Business Council. The group said the law punished companies for their investment decisions or for speaking out about climate risks. Texas Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said the state will appeal the ruling. Michael Copley, NPR News.
Wall Street's trading lower at this hour. The Dow is down 473 points. The Nasdaq is down 288. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Pop star Harry Styles is back with a new single called Aperture. This week, the song debuts at number one on the Billboard singles chart. And here's Stephen Thompson has more.
Harry Styles' last album, Harry's House, won the Grammy for Album of the Year and spawned one of this decade's biggest hits with As It Was. This week, his new song hits the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number one. It's the lead single from a forthcoming album called Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally. The song is called Aperture, and it signals a more textured and electronic approach for the former One Direction star. Aperture will face strong competition in the coming weeks, but for now, his new cycle is off to a chart-topping start. Stephen Thompson, NPR News.
The number of people filing for first-time unemployment benefits jumped last week. The Labor Department says claims rose 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 231,000, much more than economists were expecting.
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