News
What’s next for Gaza. And, ICE tactics are reportedly becoming more violent
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Today’s top stories
Israel released nearly 2,000 prisoners yesterday as part of the initial phase of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Hamas also freed the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages. Some of the Palestinians who returned to Gaza were journalists, doctors and first responders who were taken from hospitals and off the streets by soldiers. NPR’s Aya Batrawy tells Up First that some of the returned Palestinians showed signs of torture on their bodies and severe malnutrition, and some struggled to walk.
One of the Palestinian prisoners released under the prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas gestures as he and others disembark from their bus upon arrival at Ramallah Cultural Centre in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on Oct. 13, 2025, coming from Ofer military prison in the Israel-occupied Palestinian territories. The initial phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal includes the release of 47 Israeli hostages, living and deceased, taken on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans held by Israel since the outbreak of the war.
Mosab Shawer/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
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Mosab Shawer/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
- 🎧 NPR’s Anas Baba witnessed the people’s return to Gaza and said he saw a mix of joy and survival as many embraced loved ones. But many of them have no homes to return to and have discovered that their families are gone. Israeli troops still occupy Gaza and won’t be withdrawing until Hamas disarms. Batrawy says it is still uncertain whether Hamas will agree to storing or handing over offensive weapons. As Gaza looks to rebuild, President Trump’s peace plan doesn’t address the West Bank or the creation of a Palestinian state, leaving the root of the conflict unresolved.
- 🎧 Trump has returned from a trip to the Middle East and is receiving a lot of credit for the ceasefire deal, says NPR’s Tamara Keith. There have previously been brief ceasefires in the war. The question now is whether this time will be different. Keith emphasizes that this is only the first phase of a multiphase peace plan for Gaza. By making the trip to the Middle East, Trump has invested political capital in the peace being a lasting one. For the agreement to hold, the president cannot just move on; he will have to stay engaged and keep applying pressure, according to Keith.
- ➡️ Here’s a look at the war in Gaza, by the numbers.
Federal immigration officers have been seen in countless videos using increasingly aggressive tactics while detaining immigrants. A majority of Americans say they disapprove of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, according to a recent survey from The New York Times and Siena University.
- 🎧 Ed Yohnka with the ACLU of Illinois tells NPR’s Meg Anderson that officers are dragging people out of vehicles and roughly taking people who are just walking on the street. Yohnka and other observers say federal agents have tear-gassed people and shot them with pepper balls while targeting immigrants, protesters and journalists. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says its officers are acting according to law and policy. Gil Kerlikowske, the former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, tells Anderson that immigration officers are not prepared to police an urban environment, and good policing in cities is about getting the public to trust you.
New 2025 testing data indicate that U.S. students in third to eighth grade scored below 2019 performance levels in reading. The data comes from the Spring 2025 MAP Growth Assessment by NWEA, a K-12 testing and research organization. The results show there is a little more room for optimism when it comes to math, where some grades showed improvement. All grades are still behind compared to pre-pandemic scores.
Cost of living
Veterinarian Janet Sosnicki, 36, checks the temperature of Theodore during a drive through veterinarian clinic at the Salem Animal Rescue League in Salem, New Hampshire on May 27, 2020. – Many veterinarian offices have been closed to the public during the pandemic and many have choses to do outside visits to reduce the spread of the covid-19 virus. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
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Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
NPR’s series Cost of Living: The Price We Pay is examining what’s driving price increases and how people are coping after years of stubborn inflation.
If you have a pet, odds are you have felt the increased cost of pet care. The Indicator from Planet Money talks with Veterinarian Adam Hechko about why prices are soaring. Here’s what he had to say:
- 🐶 The cost of operating a veterinary practice has increased with things like medication, partly due to tariffs. Hechko says the cost of a box of exam gloves is more than twice what it was a year or so ago.
- 🐶 For many practices, the cost of labor exceeds 50% of overall operating costs, because wages for these careers have to rise over time.
- 🐶 People are willing to spend more money on pet care. Hechko says this noticeable shift in the culture of pet ownership relates to pandemic lockdowns. Some people’s only social interactions or source of companionship during that time were their pets. Hechko believes that’s why more people are willing to pay more for the best care to keep their pet healthy.
Listen to what else Hechko has to say about the cost of pet care, or read the transcript from the interview. This week, the series will cover the rising cost of health care. Stay up-to-date on the latest stories here.
How are higher prices changing the way you live? Fill out this form to share your story with NPR.
Picture show
Spaghetti Cumbia posa para un retrato en Vasquez Rocks, en el norte del condado de Los Ángeles, el 26 de marzo de 2022.
Ivan Kashinsky
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Ivan Kashinsky
Cumbia Across Latin America is a visual report covering the people, places and cultures that keep this music genre alive in six countries.
The members of the band Spaghetti Cumbia grew up listening to Latin music in their Los Angeles homes, including cumbia. Living in LA, the group became heavily influenced by classic rock, punk rock and hip-hop. They created their own style by mixing cumbia with their influences and adding a Spaghetti Western sound. The band members credit their love for music for saving them from connecting with the wrong crowd in the ’90s, when gang violence was at its peak on the city’s east side, which was a popular destination for immigrants. Spaghetti Cumbia said there was no time to spend on the streets between rehearsals and studio sessions. Learn more about how Los Angeles helped shape cumbia music and see pictures from the band’s gigs. You can also read the article in Spanish.
3 things to know before you go
Marc Maron attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Apple TV+ New Series “Stick” at AMC Century City 15 on May 29 in Los Angeles, California.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/FilmMagic
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Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/FilmMagic
- Former President Barack Obama was the final guest on actor and comedian Marc Maron’s bi-weekly podcast, which ended yesterday on episode 1,686. Obama provided insight into the current state of politics and reflected on WTF with Marc Maron‘s legacy.
- The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded yesterday to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their research on how cycles of technological innovation drive economic growth and lead to creative destruction.
- After graduating from high school in 1971, Silvana Clark enrolled at a community college after receiving guidance from her drama teacher, George Meshke, who had taken a job there. Facing financial difficulties for the next semester, she informed Meshke, who then helped her secure a scholarship. Toward the end of the school year, Clark discovered her unsung hero was actually the one responsible for paying her fees, an act she says she will never forget.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
News
Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links
Former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to give deposition Friday to a congressional committee investigating his links to Jeffrey Epstein, one day after Hillary Clinton testified before the committee and called the proceedings “partisan political theatre” and “an insult to the American people”.
During remarks before the House oversight committee, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, insisted on Thursday that she had never met Epstein.
The former Democratic president, however, flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s but said he never visited his island.
Clinton, who engaged in an extramarital affair while president and has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, also appears in a photo from the recently released files, in a hot tub with Epstein and a woman whose identity is redacted.
Clinton has denied the sexual misconduct claims and was not charged with any crimes. He also has not been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times during the early years of Clinton’s presidency, according to White House visitor records cited in news reports. Clinton said he cut ties with him around 2005, before the disgraced financier, who died from suicide in 2019, pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor in Florida.
The House committee subpoenaed the Clintons in August. They initially refused to testify but agreed after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt.
The Clintons asked for their depositions to be held publicly, with the former president stating that to do so behind closed doors would amount to a “kangaroo court”.
“Let’s stop the games + do this the right way: in a public hearing,” Clinton said on X earlier this month.
The committee’s chair, James Comer, did not grant their request, and the proceedings will be conducted behind closed doors with video to be released later.
On Thursday, Hillary Clinton’s proceedings were briefly halted after representative Lauren Boebert leaked an image of Clinton testifying.
During the full day deposition, Clinton said she had no information about Epstein and did not recall ever meeting him.
Before the deposition, Comer said it would be a long interview and that one with Bill Clinton would be “even longer”.
News
Read Judge Schiltz’s Order
CASE 0:26-cv-00107-PJS-DLM
Doc. 12-1 Filed 02/26/26
Page 5 of 17
and to file a status update by 11:00 am on January 20. ECF No. 5. Respondents never provided a bond hearing and did not release Petitioner until January 21, ECF Nos. 10, 12, after failing to file an update, ECF No. 9. Further, Respondents released Petitioner subject to conditions despite the Court’s release order not providing for conditions. ECF Nos. 5, 12–13.
Abdi W. v. Trump, et al., Case No. 26-CV-00208 (KMM/SGE)
On January 21, 2026, the Court ordered Respondents, within 3 days, to either (a) complete Petitioner’s inspection and examination and file a notice confirming completion, or (b) release Petitioner immediately in Minnesota and confirm the date, time, and location of release. ECF No. 7. No notice was ever filed. The Court emailed counsel on January 27, 2026, at 10:39 am. No response was provided.
Adriana M.Y.M. v. David Easterwood, et al., Case No. 26-CV-213 (JWB/JFD)
On January 24, 2026, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and ordered Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release, or anticipated release, within 48 hours. ECF No. 12. Respondent was not released until January 30, and Respondents never disclosed the time of release, instead describing it as “early this morning.” ECF No. 16.
Estefany J.S. v. Bondi, Case No. 26-CV-216 (JWB/SGE)
On January 13, 2026, at 10:59 am, the Court ordered Respondents to file a letter by 4:00 pm confirming Petitioner’s current location. ECF No. 8. After receiving no response, the Court ordered Respondents, at 5:11 pm, to immediately confirm Petitioner’s location and, by noon on January 14, file a memorandum explaining their failure to comply with the initial order. ECF No. 9. Respondents did not file the memorandum, requiring the Court to issue another order. ECF No. 12. On January 15, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and required Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release within 48 hours. ECF No. 18. On January 20, having received no confirmation, the Court ordered Respondents to comply immediately. ECF No. 21. Respondents informed the Court that Petitioner was released in Minnesota on January 17, but did not specify the time. ECF No. 22.
5
News
Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin
James Hickman holds a photo montage of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
CHICAGO — A line of mourners streamed through a Chicago auditorium Thursday to pay final respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. as cross-country memorial services began in the city the late civil rights leader called home.
The protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate will lie in repose for two days at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition before events in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born.
Family members wiped away tears as the casket was brought into the stately brick building. Flowers lined the sidewalks where people waiting to enter watched a large screen playing video excerpts of Jackson’s notable speeches. Some raised their fists in solidarity.
The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
Inside, Jackson’s children, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Rev. Al Sharpton were among those who stood by the open casket to shake hands and hug those coming to view the body of Jackson, dressed in a suit and blue shirt and tie.
“The challenge for us is that we’ve got to make sure that all he lived for was not in vain,” Sharpton told reporters. “Dr. King’s dream and Jesse Jackson’s mission now falls on our shoulders. We’ve got to stand up and keep it going.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks as Jesse Jackson Jr. listens after the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
Jackson died last week at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.
Remembrances have already poured in from around the globe, and several U.S. states, including Minnesota, Iowa and North Carolina, are flying flags at half-staff in his honor.
But perhaps nowhere has his death been felt as strongly as in the nation’s third-largest city, where Jackson lived for decades and raised his six children, including a son who is a congressman.
Bouquets have been left outside the family’s Tudor-style home on the city’s South Side for days. Public schools have offered condolences, and city trains have used digital screens to display Jackson’s portrait and his well-known mantra, “I am Somebody!”
People wait to enter the security checkpoint for the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
His causes, both in the United States and abroad, were countless: Advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues including voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.


“We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” the mayor said in a statement.
Next week, Jackson will lie in honor at the South Carolina Statehouse, followed by public services. According to Rainbow PUSH’s agenda, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to deliver remarks; however, the governor’s office said Thursday that his participation wasn’t yet confirmed. Jackson spent his childhood and started his activism in South Carolina.
Details on services in Washington have not yet been made public. However, he will not lie in honor at the United States Capitol rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied by the House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
The two weeks of events will wrap up next week with a large celebration of life gathering at a Chicago megachurch and finally, homegoing services at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Family members said the services will be open to all.
“Our family is overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amazing amount of support being offered by common, ordinary people who our father’s life has come into contact with,” his eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said before the services began. “This is a unique opportunity to lay down some of the political rhetoric and to lay down some of the division that deeply divides our country and to reflect upon a man who brought people together.”
The family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives as Yusep Jackson wipes his eyes before public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
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Nam Y. Huh/AP
The services included prayers from some of the city’s most well-known religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. Mourners of all ages — from toddlers in strollers to elderly people in wheelchairs — came to pay respects.
Video clips of his appearances at news conferences, the campaign trail and even “Sesame Street” also played inside the auditorium.
Claudette Redic, a retiree who lives in Chicago, said her family has respected Jackson, from backing his presidential ambitions to her son getting a scholarship from a program Jackson championed.
“We have generations of support,” she said. “I’m hoping we continue.”
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