1A

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 by the Trump administration.The relationship between religion and social activism is far from new. But how is that relationship evolving in the current political moment? Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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.’ They can build up in the environment and our bodies over time.These chemicals were used for years in the production of carpets in northwest Georgia. And the long-term environmental and human cost in the region is high.In this installment of our Local Spotlight series, we head to the “carpet capital” of the world to examine its chemical problems.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Trump’s repeated, false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.In late January, the FBI seized boxes of 2020 election ballots and other voting records in Fulton County, Georgia, which for years has been the focus of his baseless conspiracy theory that the election was rigged.In this installment of our weekly politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” we explore what the president’s latest attacks on election integrity mean for the future of our democracy.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 financier and several public figures, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk.Talks between the U.S. and Iran got off to a stuttering start this week, one moment being tabled, and the next moment being back on. Arab leaders lobbied the White House on Wednesday to not walk away from the table entirely.The Trump administration revealed a plan to create a critical mineral reserve and a new trade alliance, aimed at taking away China’s ability to use its near monopoly of the rare metals as leverage in trade negotiations.Spain is set to follow Australia’s lead and implement a ban on social media use for minors.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 who rely on TPS, who could go from integral parts of their community to undocumented immigrants? Even if they never crossed a border illegally or overstayed a visa?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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’s shifting media landscape?Local reporters on the ground are crucial. But nearly 40 percent of local newspapers in the U.S. have disappeared since the early 2000s. Even the largest newspapers — providing national coverage out of major cities — are on shaky ground. Layoffs are expected at The Washington Post in the coming weeks.What does it all mean for how news gets made and who gets heard? What’s at stake for our democracy? And who is trying to chart a new path forward?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 immigration agenda.And more acts are pulling out of scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center. Composer Phillip Glass announced his decision to not debut a symphony he wrote in honor of Abraham Lincoln written for the Center’s 50th anniversary.And, in global news, President Donald Trump said this week that Iran needed to give into a list of demands related to its nuclear disarmament and that “time was running out.” The military is now moving Navy and Air Force assets to the Middle East.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he couldn’t rule out further military intervention in Venezuela during testimony before the Senate.And traditional U.S. allies are looking elsewhere for aid and trade deals, as the president continues to demolish the old world order in favor of one that centers himself.We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 is about immigration enforcement, transformed into something else. Then, we turn to Congress and its lack of oversight of the Trump’s agenda. And we hear from a Democratic member of Congress about what she wants her colleagues to do in this moment.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after the pair ignored a summons to appear before a panel, saying it was politically-motivated.And, in global news, President Donald Trump claims he has the framework of a deal in place with NATO for control of Greenland.Despite that possibility, the president heavily criticized European leaders in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. Now, America’s traditional allies are reportedly grappling with what the future might hold for the West.President Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, touted the progress his team has made with Russian leaders in finding a solution to the war in Ukraine.We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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. Writer Eve L. Ewing argues that experience could also be shaped by who you are.We sit down with Ewing to talk about her new book, "Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism."What has school meant for students, and who influenced how schools function the way they do? And what are alternatives for how school could work for students?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 — especially women — are being diagnosed than ever before. In this installment of our series “In Good Health,” we focus on ADHD – from symptoms, to diagnoses, to treatments.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 safety that still has reverberates through our country today.It’s also the subject of Elliot Williams' new book, “Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive 80s, and the Subway Vigilante that Divided the Nation.” Williams is a CNN legal analyst and 1A guest host. He joins us to talk discuss the book.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 their demonstrations against the country’s theocracy after a week of bloody crackdowns by authorities.In an interview with Reuters this week, Donald Trump says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the one holding up peace negotiations for the war in Ukraine, not Russian President Vladimir Putin.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Vice President JD Vance.What could a takeover of Greenland mean for its people, NATO, and the U.S.? And what’s in store for the future of the Arctic as it continues to warm faster than anywhere else in the world?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 increasingly aggressive tactics.What are people on the ground in Minneapolis seeing in their city? What might the way forward look like?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 nature of U.S. intervention abroad. Last week, the Senate advanced a measure limiting Trump’s power to take further military action in Venezuela.Now, the president is threatening intervention in Iran amid crackdowns on protests across the country. And here in the U.S., federal agents shot three civilians last week, injuring a man and woman in Portland and killing a woman in Minneapolis.What does President Trump’s military intervention abroad mean for issues at home? And for our allies and enemies abroad?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Human Services froze $10 billion in five states including Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois and Colorado. That funding covers childcare subsidies, cash support for low-income families, and other social services.Meanwhile, its been nearly one week since Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by U.S. forces and brought to face charges of narco-terrorism on American soil.And the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela are having ripple effects across the globe. Europe is on edge as the U.S president this week suggested the territory could be in his crosshairs next, raising questions about America’s relationship with NATO.Also this week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending U.S. support for global 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions, following his administration’s review of participation in and funding for all international organizations.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy