Influencer, White House welfare fraud claims are distorted, but the system has risks

Child care advocates speak at a news conference last month in the Minnesota state capitol building in St. Paul.

Federal officials are targeting Democratic-led states over alleged safety-net fraud. Critics worry a drumbeat of unfounded accusations could undermine public trust.

(Image credit: Giovanna Dell'Orto)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 8:59 PM

RFK Jr. cast doubt on a key vaccine. This country can't wait to get it

The first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is delivered to newborns for maximum protection. The U.S. has taken the vaccine off its list of recommended vaccines while other countries are

The U.S. is cutting the Hepatitis B vaccine from its recommended list. But here's a place where the medical establishment — and a rapper — are eager to obtain it.

(Image credit: BSIP/Universal Images Group)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 8:23 PM

U.S. Figure Skating Championships will determine who's going to the Olympics

Ilia Malinin competes during the men

This week's competition in St. Louis will skaters tickets to the Milan-Cortina games in February

(Image credit: Stephanie Scarbrough)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 8:19 PM

How the ICE shooting in Minneapolis and calls to deport Nicki Minaj are related

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How are the calls to deport Nicki Minaj to Trinidad and the ICE shooting in Minneapolis related? They illustrate the contradictions that come up when people try to cherry pick applications of the law.

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 8:06 PM

The CDC just sidelined these childhood vaccines. Here's what they prevent

A bandage is seen on a child

The childhood vaccines that the CDC is dropping from the recommended scheduled have successfully beat back illness and death in children from rotavirus, hepatitis and other pathogens.

(Image credit: David Ryder)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 6:41 PM

Federal agents shoot 2 in Portland after an ICE agent killed a woman in Minneapolis

People observe a moment of silence in Minneapolis at a news conference organized by the group Minneapolis Families for Public Schools. Protesters across the country are expressing outrage over the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent, as well as a shooting by Border Patrol agents in Portland, Ore.

Officials are calling for transparent investigations into controversial shootings involving federal agents. Here's a recap of the latest developments in Portland and Minneapolis.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 2:33 PM

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council says it will dissolve after its head fled to UAE

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa.

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council and its institutions will be dismantled after weeks of unrest in southern areas and a day after its leader fled to the United Arab Emirates.

(Image credit: AP)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 1:57 PM

National Park updates guidelines to stop visitors defacing Trump picture on pass

The Interior Department

(Image credit: Department of Interior)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 1:49 PM

Hiring slows in December to end the weakest year of job growth since the pandemic

U.S. employers added 50,000 jobs last month, as the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%. Retailers cut jobs in December, despite the busy holiday shopping season.

U.S. employers added 50,000 jobs in December, according to a report from the Labor Department Friday. Measured annually, job gains in 2025 were the slowest since 2020.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 12:22 PM

Venezuela releases imprisoned opposition figures, which Trump says U.S. requested

A relative of a political prisoner waits outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners.

Venezuela released a number of imprisoned high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists, in what the government described as a gesture to "seek peace".

(Image credit: Matias Delacroix)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 12:12 PM

Poll: Fewer Americans see U.S. as moral leader. And, FBI takes over ICE shooting case

People march during a protest after the killing of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Many Americans say the U.S. is not a moral leader but want it to be, according to an NPR/Ipsos poll. And, the FBI is taking over the investigation into the fatal Minnesota ICE shooting.

(Image credit: Stephen Maturen)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 10:05 AM

We're going to the Olympics! What do you want to know?

Annika Sieff of Team GS Fiamme Oro competes during the Italian National Championship Open - Ski Jumping at Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium on December 23, 2025 in Predazzo, Italy.

Here's how to send your questions and curiosities to the NPR team covering the Winter Olympics in Milan.

(Image credit: Mattia Ozbot)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 10:01 AM

Maduro is out, Congress is in and the quiz is back! Start 2026 with a perfect score

From left: Cynthia Erivo, Nancy Pelosi, Mike Johnson.

Plus: What's up with Wicked, Greenland, quarters and Jan. 6?

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 10:00 AM

Many Americans say the U.S. is not a moral leader but want it to be: NPR/Ipsos poll

The U.S. Capitol Building seen on December 18, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Commissioned by NPR in December in partnership with Ipsos, the share of people who believe the U.S. is a moral leader dropped to 39% from 60% in a similar poll conducted in 2017.

(Image credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 10:00 AM

Your next primary care doctor could be online only, accessed through an AI tool

Tammy MacDonald is a director at Blue Hills Adult Education in Dedham, Mass. When she needed a new primary care doctor, she was turned away by ten practices. A few told her she could get an appointment after waiting a year and a half, or even two years.

The shortage of primary care doctors is a national problem. To cope, a large health system in Massachusetts is using an AI tool to screen patients and refer them to other care.

(Image credit: Jesse Costa)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 9:41 AM

The Golden Globes are this weekend. Hear from some of the nominees

The Golden Globe are Sunday night. Revisit some of the nominees that have appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" this past year.

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 9:40 AM

An look at how the cocaine trade works

The business of cocaine trafficking has changed over the years, with different players and routes. A look at how the trade really works.

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 9:40 AM

ICE shootings are a 'direct byproduct' of tactic shift, ex-ICE acting director says

There have been several incidents of ICE agents fatally shooting or injuring people in U.S. cities. After a shooting in Portland on Thursday, city officials there called it a "pattern of violence."

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 9:39 AM

2 friends share how the COVID pandemic put a strain on their relationship

Two friends with opposing viewpoints talk about the strain the COVID-19 pandemic put on their relationship and how they can move forward.

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 7:55 AM

Russia says it used new Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine

Rescue workers put out a fire at a residential building damaged by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.

Russian media said the Oreshnik targeted a huge underground natural gas storage in Ukraine's western Lviv region. Ukrainian officials said four people were killed in Kyiv overnight.

(Image credit: Efrem Lukatsky)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 7:35 AM

Protests sweep Iran despite internet shutdown as state TV warns of casualties

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran.

Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets into Friday morning, despite Iran's theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls.

(Image credit: AP)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 7:35 AM

Iran's supreme leader says protesters are 'ruining their own streets' to please Trump

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran.

Iran's supreme leader signaled Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters after they screamed from windows and marched through the streets overnight, directly challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to support those peacefully demonstrating.

(Image credit: AP)

NPR NewsJan 9, 2026, 7:22 AM

After delays, the missing Jan. 6 plaque will be displayed at the Capitol

A replica plaque commemorating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot stands outside the office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

This week, senators stepped up after learning the plaque, which had been approved by Congress more than three years ago, was nowhere to be found at the Capitol.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 11:22 PM

AI images and internet rumors spread confusion about ICE agent involved in shooting

An original still image from an eyewitness video shows the masked ICE agent who shot Renee Nicole Good (Left). Users on social media "unmasked" the agent using Grok (Right). Experts warn AI cannot "unmask" individuals. NPR is publishing both images to show how AI is being used to manipulate images of news events.

While the agent wore a mask in videos taken of the event, he appeared to be unmasked in many social media posts. That image appeared to have been generated by xAI's generative AI chatbot, Grok.

(Image credit: Screenshots by NPR/Image by Courtney Theophin)

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 10:44 PM

Photos: Protests grow over the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Young students march near Kenny Community School in Minneapolis, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, a day after an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman.

In cities across the country, demonstrators have expressed grief and outrage over the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday morning.

(Image credit: Kerem Yucel/MPR)

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 10:02 PM

Doctors says 'The Pitt' reflects the gritty realities of medicine today

From left: Noah Wyle plays Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, the senior attending physician, and Fiona Dourif plays Dr. Cassie McKay, a third-year resident, in a fictional Pittsburgh emergency department in the HBO Max series The Pitt.

The Pitt is back for a new run, evoking the tensions health care providers face in the U.S. today. Here's what one doctor says to watch out for this season.

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 9:26 PM

Why is the U.S. pulling out of 31 U.N. groups? And what's the impact?

The United Nations headquarters building in New York City. This week the U.S. announced it will withdraw from 31 U.N. agencies, including the U.N. Women and the U.N. Population Fund.

The Trump administration is withdrawing from 66 global groups, including U.N. entities that focus on climate and health issues.

(Image credit: Daniel Slim/AFP)

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 9:17 PM

Mamdani says New York child care expansion a real step to fulfilling campaign pledge

FILE - New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani Tuesday, Jan. 6 in New York.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani says a plan unveiled Thursday to take the first steps toward universal childcare for kids under five shows New Yorkers that "democracy can actually deliver for them."

(Image credit: Yuki Iwamura)

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 9:13 PM

Who was Renee Nicole Good?

We're continuing to learn more about the 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

NPR NewsJan 8, 2026, 9:09 PM

A 'medical situation' is forcing NASA to end mission at the space station a month early

NASA announced it would bring the four members of its Crew-11 mission back to Earth early. One of them has a medical condition. The crew, shown here at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on August 1, 2025, is (from left): Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, NASA astronaut and mission commander Zena Cardman and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui.

NASA says a crew member on the International Space Station is unwell. The agency canceled a planned spacewalk for Thursday and is taking the rare step of ending the Crew-11 mission early.

(Image credit: Gregg Newton)