On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term. It comes at a pivotal moment in Trump’s presidency. Approval of his performance – and policies – have hit new lows among the American people. Add to that last week’s Supreme Court ruling that overturned the administration’s tariffs — a centerpiece of Trump’s agenda — and all of a sudden, the pressure was on Trump to reset the narrative of his presidency. Especially in the face of looming f...
Feb 25, 2026•44 min
Despite a supposed personnel drawdown, the Department of Homeland Security is calling its ICE rollout in Minnesota the largest immigration operation ever. Now that thousands of federal agents are leaving, how are the state and its communities faring? We check in with the neighbors, school leaders, and small business owners keeping Minnesota running. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...
Feb 24, 2026•44 min
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has real human costs. Some 13 people have been shot by ICE and federal agents since September, two of which were fatal. The number of people held in detention centers increased by nearly 75 percent in 2025. Around 68,000 people are currently detained in these facilities, according to the latest ICE data. And those arrested with no criminal record rose by over 2,000 percent since Trump took office. That’s according to a report last month from the Ame...
Feb 23, 2026•43 min
The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo this week advising federal agents they should detain refugees and migrants who have not yet obtained a green card for an indefinite period of time for rescreening. This puts many people admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration at risk. Across the U.S., the mayors of major cities like Chicago and Los Angeles are taking steps to limit ICE’s ability to operate within their limits, vowing to prosecute agents who violate local laws. And re...
Feb 20, 2026•1 hr 28 min
Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have seen explosive growth over the last year. These platforms allow people to put money on the outcomes of everything from local elections to the Super Bowl. But an epic battle is underway between state regulators and these companies. At least 20 federal lawsuits have been filed against these companies . The cases claim these markets are simply gambling by another name and should be regulated like betting platforms. Now, the federal government is pu...
Feb 19, 2026•27 min
European leaders, national security policymakers, and reporters convened at a historic hotel in Munich, Germany, over the weekend for the annual national security pilgrimage known as the Munich Security Conference. The summit – normally a wonkish affair – made more headlines than usual last year. That’s when newly inaugurated Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a brow-beating speech to his European counterparts. But in 2026, the message from American officials at least sounded more pleasant. Wha...
Feb 18, 2026•32 min
Most Americans know who the president is. Many people also know the names of their senators and representatives in Congress. But what about the people who run the local school board? Most school board members are elected by people living in their communities. That board then works together to set the goals and performance standards for public schools in its local district. But make no mistake, school boards aren’t apolitical. Since 2021, board races have been dominated by culture war issues like...
Feb 17, 2026•33 min
Most Americans now get at least some of their news from social media. But these days, the internet can seem less a place for humans to connect and more a playground for AI-powered bots. One estimate found around 20 percent of accounts on social media are automated, while another study found that, for controversial topics, nearly half of the posts could be bot–generated. Experts are sounding the alarm. Large-scale automated social media campaigns could threaten our democracy and the next presiden...
Feb 16, 2026•41 min
Border czar Tom Homan announced the end of the ICE operation in Minnesota in the coming days following weeks of operations by federal law enforcement in the state. Customs and Border Patrol officials closed airspace around the El Paso airport this week after firing an anti-drone laser, and failing to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration. And President Donald Trump ordered pride flags at New York City’s Stonewall National Monument, a prominent site in LGBTQ history, removed as part...
Feb 13, 2026•1 hr 23 min
In his latest round of verbal attacks against Canada, Donald Trump says the country is trying to “take advantage of America.” The comments come as the president threatens to block the opening of a bridge between Michigan and Ontario. The Gordie Howe International Bridge cost about $4.7 billion dollars to build and has been under construction since 2018. The bridge is due to open this year. That’s according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the Canadian government entity behind its constru...
Feb 12, 2026•11 min
Thousands of people protested the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota last month, including hundreds of religious leaders. At least a hundred clergy were arrested during a demonstration at Minnesota’s largest airport. Meanwhile in Maine, local religious leaders have been lining up outside of businesses targeted by ICE to form a “spiritual shield” to protect immigrant workers. But the actions of these faith leaders is a stark contrast to the conservative Christianity touted ...
Feb 12, 2026•38 min
Northwest Georgia is a picturesque place, with rolling hills and open farmland. Its creeks and rivers have sustained families for generations. On the surface, the environment looks pristine. But something toxic lurks within the lush landscape that you can’t see, smell, or taste. For many years, locals weren’t aware of its presence. PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used to repel water and stains. Many of them don’t break down in nature, which is why they’re often called ‘forever chemicals....
Feb 11, 2026•33 min
We’re just a few weeks out from the very first state primary elections of the year. And President Donald Trump and the GOP are, at the moment, unpopular. As people around the country prepare to head to the polls to decide who will run in this year’s midterms, the president is once again trying to undermine the most basic functions of elections. He’s still spreading lies about past elections he lost and is now sowing seeds of doubt in the local elections process. There is no evidence to support T...
Feb 09, 2026•44 min
The Trump administration now says a “softer touch” might be required when it comes to their immigration agenda in Minnesota. Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border head, says that 700 ICE agents will leave the state. In another warning sign for Republicans in Washington, a Democratic candidate won an upset in a special election for a Texas State Senate seat. And the Department of Justice released another round of Epstein emails on Friday, revealing communications between the late New York fi...
Feb 06, 2026•1 hr 27 min
Immigration enforcement is arresting a growing number of refugees and detaining them in Texas. It’s a strategy immigration lawyers call a conveyor belt. The number of children in ICE detention has also grown sixfold under the Trump administration – with most being held in Texas. The ICE detention budget grew by billions last year. What’s the effect on refugees? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...
Feb 05, 2026•28 min
This week, 330,000 Haitian immigrants who’ve lived and worked in the U.S. legally, sometimes for decades, were set to lose their immigration protections. That’s after the Trump administration announced it would end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians on Feb. 3. After a federal court order on Monday, the program remains in place for now, but could still be undone. The administration says it will appeal the ruling, potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court. What does it mean for Haitians ...
Feb 04, 2026•37 min
Thousands of people have signed up to document and protest the actions of immigration agents in Minnesota. They say they are legal observers, exercising their constitutional rights. The government claims they’re impeding the lawful work of a federal agency. Where is the line between observer and disrupter? And what are the limits to how federal agents can respond? Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a . See pcm.adswizz.com for in...
Feb 03, 2026•32 min
The biggest news stories, the ones that shape our democracy, don’t just play out in Washington. They unfold in neighborhoods, on street corners, and around the country. In many cases, the first images and explanations of what’s happening don’t come from national news outlets, but the people who are there with cellphones and cameras in hand. That includes local journalists who are out in their communities. Journalists are trained to confirm and contextualize, but what does that look like in today...
Feb 02, 2026•43 min
A man rushed towards Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar during an event in her home state on Tuesday, spraying the congresswoman with a liquid authorities later identified as vinegar. President Donald Trump told reporters later that evening he thought there was a chance that Omar had staged the attack herself as a stunt. Another deadline for a government shutdown is fast approaching. And questions are mounting about whether Democrats will continue to dig their heels in over the Trump administration’s imm...
Jan 30, 2026•1 hr 26 min
On Saturday, Border Patrol and ICE agents deployed to Minneapolis wrestled a member of the public to the ground and then shot him multiple times. Alex Pretti, 37, died as a result. Pretti was a Minneapolis resident and an ICU nurse at a local VA hospital. It’s the second killing by federal agents in the state this month, and the third shooting. The message from elected officials in Minneapolis and in Minnesota was simple: enough. We look at how this operation, one the Trump administration says i...
Jan 26, 2026•43 min
ICE is continuing its Minnesota crackdown. This week, agents were reportedly targeting members of the public based on race. Now, state officials are asking federal judges to end the agency’s campaign in their communities, despite the administration asking those same judges to let them keep going. The Department of Justice said in a recent court filing that Elon Musk’s DOGE team may have accessed private and off-limits social security data. And the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Bill and...
Jan 23, 2026•1 hr 25 min
What's your most vivid school memory? Do you remember it as a time of exploration? Was it a place where you could figure out who you were and what you wanted to become? Or did it feel like it wasn't made for you? Did it feel constricting, or like a place with lots of rules about how you had to act and what you couldn't do? Your experience of schools likely depended on the administrators, who your teachers were, how your city or state set up the curriculum, and the resources your school received....
Jan 22, 2026•33 min
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, affects tens of millions of people in the U.S. About one in nine children and one in 16 adults have ADHD. That’s according to an analysis from the nonprofit Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD. As researchers learn more about the brain and its complexities, they’re also gaining new insights into what the condition looks like across different ages, genders, and races. In recent years, more adults — especial...
Jan 21, 2026•38 min
On Dec. 22, 1984, Bernard Goetz, a white man, shot and seriously wounded four Black teenagers in a New York City subway car. Their names were were Barry Allen, Darrell Cabey, Troy Canty, and James Ramseur. Goetz fled the scene resulting in a manhunt. In the meantime, New Yorkers dubbed him the “subway vigilante.” The city was experiencing a crime wave and some residents championed the man who took matters into his own hands. The case sparked a conversation about race, vigilantism, and public saf...
Jan 21, 2026•34 min
The Trump administration sent hundreds more ICE agents to Minnesota this week as protests continue. President Donald Trump referred to the demonstrators as “professional agitators” and threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act. Diplomats from Denmark and Greenland traveled to the White House to meet with Vice President JD Vance after President Trump once again threatened to annex Greenland following major foreign intervention in Venezuela. Meanwhile, protesters in Iran are attempting to keep up ...
Jan 17, 2026•1 hr 25 min
Life can bring major, unexpected changes without warning. How can we adapt when our best-laid plans are suddenly upended? Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist. Her latest book, “The Other Side of Change,” attempts to answer this question by looking at how change affects the brain and our identities. She joins us to talk about the neuroscience behind how we deal with different circumstances. Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a ...
Jan 15, 2026•33 min
The Trump administration’s recent evisceration of Venezuela’s government has leaders in Washington wondering where else they can meddle. And President Donald Trump’s eyes have wandered back to a familiar target: Greenland. Trump has said he wants to buy the island or control it. Now, he could look to follow through on that threat. This renewed focus caused Denmark and Greenland to send their foreign ministers to Washington D.C. on Wednesday for a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and V...
Jan 14, 2026•30 min
Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Monday in order to end the surge of immigration enforcement officers in the state. A thousand more ICE officers are being deployed to the city in the coming days. That’s on top of 2,000 federal agents reportedly in the area already. These moves follow days of protests in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last Wednesday. Since then, the agency’s officers have continued to ramp up raids and use i...
Jan 14, 2026•35 min
In the space of just one week, President Donald Trump ordered the seizure and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, asserted control over the country’s government, and took over its crude oil industry. According to Venezuela’s interior minister, 100 people died during the U.S. abduction of Maduro. Since September, the administration has killed at least 115 people in 30 boat strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific. These military actions in the region are raising questions about the nat...
Jan 12, 2026•27 min
We start the week in Minneapolis where a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Wednesday. Authorities claim the woman attacked officers while they were digging their car out of the snow, but video from the scene and the municipal officials heavily dispute that claim. This week GOP lawmakers from Minnesota testified at a hastily-scheduled House Oversight Committee hearing about welfare fraud scandal allegations in their state. And on Tuesday, the Department of Health and Huma...
Jan 10, 2026•1 hr 25 min
