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Today’s top stories
A massive portion of the federal government has ground to a halt after Congress missed Friday’s deadline to fund the government. Senate Democrats triggered the partial shutdown by demanding immigration enforcement reforms as a condition for funding the Department of Homeland Security. Employees at other key agencies, such as the Pentagon and the Department of Transportation, are currently either furloughed or working without pay. The White House and lawmakers say the shutdown will be short-lived.
The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown on Jan. 31 as a midnight funding deadline passed without Congress approving a 2026 budget, though disruption was expected to be limited with the House set to move early next week to ratify a Senate-backed deal.
Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images
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Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 The Senate has advanced a funding package to reopen the government, but the deal keeps DHS on a short leash with only two weeks of funding, NPR’s Luke Garrett tells Up First. The timed funding is meant to force lawmakers to negotiate over department policy. The deal faces some sticking points in the House. Some Republicans don’t want any reforms to DHS, and they want to include election integrity legislation, which could send the bill back to the Senate. Some House Democrats don’t want to support even a short period of DHS funding.
A federal judge’s Saturday ruling has cleared the path for the Trump administration to continue its immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. The decision comes just after border czar Tom Homan announced last week that there were plans to scale back the federal government’s operation there. Thousands of people in Minneapolis continued to protest the presence of immigration enforcement agents on Friday.
- 🎧 Attorneys for Minnesota and the Twin Cities argued that the federal immigration actions violated constitutional protections and asked for a temporary restraining order. U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez, a Biden appointee, said she didn’t think the case would succeed in court, but acknowledged that her ruling has significant constitutional stakes and implications for the federal government. She also wrote that the immigration crackdown in the city has already had and will likely continue to have profound and heartbreaking consequences for Minnesota.
- ➡️ Independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort vow to keep reporting after federal authorities arrested them for covering an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church. Officials released them from custody on Friday, following criticism from human rights advocates and press freedom groups.
- ➡️ A Minneapolis knitting shop has resurrected a Norwegian cap design once used to protest Nazi occupation. The owner is donating all proceeds from the hat patterns to support the local immigrant community.
President Trump announced in a social media post last night that he wants to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years, starting this summer. He says closing the performing arts center will allow for a massive renovation project to transform the location.
- 🎧 The center has faced a number of challenges since the president renamed the building the Trump Kennedy Center in late December. A lawsuit challenges the legality of the name change, and artists have pulled out of performances at the center, NPR’s Tamara Keith says. Patrons have canceled their memberships and refused to buy tickets, fueling questions around how the center will continue to sustain itself.
The Trump administration’s attempt to fire staff at the U.S. Department of Education cost taxpayers up to $38 million, a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report reveals. The administration wanted to fire more than half of the department’s Office for Civil Rights attorneys and staff. However, when courts blocked the move, the Education Department had to retain the workers and continue paying them, even though the department prohibited them from returning to work.
Bad Bunny made history at the Grammy Awards last night when his genre-bending DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS became the first Spanish-language album to win album of the year. He dedicated his award “to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.” The 31-year-old singer was not the only artist who won big at the award show. Check out the complete list of this year’s winners and nominees.
Life advice
People often say it takes a village to raise a child, sustain a community and more. But they don’t often talk about what it takes to be a villager. Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says the key to creating meaningful connections is putting yourself out there. She shared tips with Life Kit on how you can cultivate community where you live.
- 👭 Host gatherings you want to attend. This will help you create the community you want to be a part of.
- 👭 Find “yes” friends. These people are reliable and are game to try something new with you.
- 👭 Become a regular at spaces you love, like the gym or your favorite bookstore. People will then remember you, and you can make friends.
For more guidance on how to build a village, listen to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
Picture show
Mary Freuer stands outside of her teal converted school bus, also known as a skoolie.
Cassidy Araiza for NPR
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Cassidy Araiza for NPR
Every January, a sea of vans, buses, and RVs gather in Quartzsite, Ariz., for the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. The meetup isn’t the #vanlife you might see on social media. It is an event where participants with similar interests can swap practical tips and share resources. They even help each other fix their modes of transportation. Launched in 2011, the desert gathering serves as a lifeline for those who live untethered from a physical address. This year, NPR’s Alina Hartounian went along and discovered why many people are drawn to this lifestyle. Read more about it and see the photos from the event.
3 things to know before you go
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft are seen at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sunday.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images
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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images
- Fuel testing begins today for Artemis II, the mission sending four astronauts around the moon. This fueling phase is critical testing for the NASA spacecraft. Here’s what to know about the preparations.
- Catherine O’Hara, the actress known for her memorable roles in Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, has died at the age of 71.
- Eight years ago, a car slammed into Joann Moschella as she rode her bicycle. She moved herself and her bike to the sidewalk, but lost her glasses in the fall. When she went to look for them, a young man in a lavender bunny suit appeared and helped her. This unsung hero’s actions reminded Moschella of what she loves about San Francisco: the kindness and spirit of community.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.