by Brittney Melton

January 23, 2026

Good morning. Oscar nominations dropped yesterday. Check out these key takeaways before the March 15 ceremony. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Tens of millions of people are bracing for a life-threatening ice and snowstorm that will slam much of the U.S., placing many under winter storm and extreme cold watches. The weather is sweeping across the country from the Southwest today to the Northeast by Sunday. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare for ice.

shopper searches for water on near-empty shelves in a grocery store ahead of winter weather.

Mike Stewart/AP

🎧 Forecasters warn of a life-threatening winter storm packing frigid temperatures and heavy ice, snow and sleet, NPR’s Debbie Elliott tells Up First. Experts are advising people to expect treacherous travel conditions and widespread power outages as ice coats trees and power lines. While the northern side of the system will face blinding snow squalls, the South is bracing for crippling ice and sleet, according to a National Weather Service forecaster who spoke to Elliott.

Community members in Minneapolis are rising up today against one of the most aggressive crackdowns yet targeting undocumented immigrants. Many businesses are shuttering their doors, and protesters plan to flood the streets, even in the cold weather, for a planned day of action. The Trump administration arrested three protesters yesterday for disrupting a church service in St. Paul last Sunday.

🎧 NPR's Meg Anderson says the arrests appear to be a shifting, harder line the administration is attempting to take with some protesters. Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis yesterday and drew a distinction between violent and nonviolent protests. However, Anderson says videos of the church protests didn't appear to be violent, and the majority of protests in the area have been peaceful.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday delivered a scorching critique of Europe at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Zelenskyy said Europe was unprepared for an increasingly dangerous world, even as a war rages within its own borders.

🎧 Zelenskyy sees the fate of his country tied to Europe even though he is frustrated that the continent doesn’t do more to stop Russia’s war, says NPR’s Joanna Kakissis. The Ukrainian leader also implored Europe to unite and stop relying on the U.S., especially since Russia is right at its doorstep.

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Rahm Emanuel speaks during an interview with NPR's Morning Edition.

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From the biggest names in their fields to experts on the most pressing topics of our time, NPR is breaking down the stories that matter through our in-depth interviews. Immerse yourself in these conversations on your favorite NPR platforms. These interviews are featured on Morning Edition, a special Up First podcast episode, the NPR App and NPR.org.

Rahm Emanuel has helped shape Democratic Party politics for over three decades, serving as a member of Congress, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, mayor of Chicago and ambassador to Japan. Now, he is exploring a presidential campaign. He argues that Democrats misdirect their focus on social issues, education and the economy. In a conversation with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, Emanuel expanded on his critique of Democrats, hammered the Trump administration and offered advice for the upcoming midterm elections.

Listen to the interview or read the article or watch the video of the discussion. You can also check out the conversation on NPR’s YouTube page.

by Michel Martin, Morning Edition and Up First host

Confession: I didn’t grow up listening to opera. Except for a snippet of a performance on TV, I don’t think I actually heard an opera until I was well into adulthood. Even then, I think I only went for the novelty of it, like, “What is this opera thing all about?”

Having said that, I somehow knew who Marian Anderson was, who Leontyne Price was and who Paul Robeson was. I knew that they did something amazing with their voices. And of course, I knew about them because they stood out in a field where few people looked like them or came from where they came from. Yet they not only survived, but soared to the highest heights.

Denyce Graves, wearing dark clothes and a black brimmed hat, rests her chin on her hand and looks off to the side as she poses.

Elias Williams for NPR

Leontyne Price opened the door to something magical for Denyce Graves — and I have no doubt that Denyce Graves has also done that for many, many others. Graves, the famed mezzo soprano from Washington, D.C., was in high school when she cut class with a friend to listen to a Leontyne Price recording in her school’s listening library. As she described it, her life changed then and there.

She grew up to not only sing in starring roles in famed opera houses all over the world, but to teach and mentor other stars and rising stars. Now she has decided her time in the spotlight of performance is coming to an end this month.

It was thrilling, but also bittersweet, to enjoy one of her last performances, to be in conversation with her and to hear her passion not just for the art but for the people who make it. She isn’t done — she’s going to continue to support and train others in the field. Maybe some other young girl is cutting class to listen to her right now ... and who knows what magic that young girl will go on to create?

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wearing law enforcement outfits in ‘The Rip.’

Claire Folger/Netflix

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck share the screen in The Rip, where a team of cops tries to take a huge stash of money from a drug cartel.

📺 TV: Netflix is reviving the hit 1980s-90s TV talent show Star Search. The reboot keeps many of the original’s hallmarks, while also letting global viewers vote in real time.

📚 Books: In the memoir The Flower Bearers, poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths reflects on her wedding day (the same day her best friend died), her marriage and her experience with dissociative identity disorder.

🎵 Music: This week comes with a slew of new albums, from Lucinda Williams’s World's Gone Wrong to Julian Lage’s Scenes From Above. Don’t miss some of the most notable songs from them with this curated playlist from NPR Music.

❓ Quiz: A strong nine out of 10 for me today! Do you think you can beat me with a perfect score? Give it a try.

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CEO Jamie Dimon, seen from the shoulders up, is wearing a dark blue suit, a light blue shirt and a patterned tie.

Win McNamee/Getty Images North America

Yesterday, President Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon, seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations that the U.S.'s biggest bank closed his account for political reasons.

After she lost her husband to a plane crash in 2020, Connie Sherburne tried to transfer his insurance to her name. The woman at the insurance company who helped her also left her with a small bit of advice. Sherburne says the unsung hero’s words made a huge difference in her life for years.

This week’s Far-Flung Postcards takes us to Kalk Bay, South Africa, a small village on the Indian Ocean with a bohemian vibe. Learn about its storied history and why it’s one of NPR’s Kate Bartlett’s favorite places.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.