MN prosecutors quit; Trump on economy; Inflation : NPR
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Today’s best stories
President Trump gave a speech yesterday at the Detroit Economic Club. He discussed the American economy but also touched on other topics. The president began traveling across the United States, addressing a major concern among voters: affordability. The economy is expected to be a top issue in this year’s midterm elections.
President Trump speaks at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Michigan on January 13, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 Throughout his speech, the president would change the subject mid-sentence and insult more than a half-dozen politicians.including former President Joe Biden, reports NPR’s Tamara Keith First. Trump said the economy was great and boasted about the low cost of groceries. He also said “affordability” is a fake word used by Democrats, but Keith says riffing on the term risks undermining his message. The president said he plans to present a proposal at the World Economic Forum next week aimed at reducing housing prices by removing private equity firms from the U.S. real estate market.
The latest inflation report from the Ministry of Labor showed that inflationOverall, the situation neither improved nor deteriorated from November to December.
- 🎧 Natural gas prices have increased more than 10% in the past yearreports the Ministry of Labor. This affects nearly half of the United States, which uses natural gas for heating, leading to higher heating bills, says NPR’s Scott Horsley. A significant amount of natural gas is used to generate electricity, driving up prices. Food prices also rose sharply last month. Most forecasters believe the Fed will keep interest rates steady when policymakers meet later this month as inflation remains above the central bank’s target.
At least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota have resigned after Justice Department leaders pressured them over the investigation. on the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good. Rather than focusing on the federal agent who shot Good last week in Minneapolis, political leaders wanted prosecutors to dig up dirt on his widow. The resignations disrupted other federal investigations, including one into social services fraud.
- 🎧 Resignations represent significant loss for DOJ career talent who pursued several major casessays Matt Sepic of Minnesota Public Radio. DOJ leaders have pressured prosecutors to investigate Good’s widow, Becca Good, for her ties to activist groups, which is not illegal, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. This source also informed Sepic that she was concerned that Trump’s focus on immigration had diverted resources from the fraud investigation.
Deep dive
People wait in front of immigration court in October 2025 in San Francisco.
Minh Connors/AP
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Minh Connors/AP
The Trump administration plans to close the San Francisco immigration court by the end of the year. The announcement comes as immigration judges have spent the last year facing pressure to speed up the processing of their cases and streamline deportations. Teresa Riley, the chief immigration judge, sent an email about the shutdown to court employees and judges last week. The email also explained that all staff would now be transferred to the immigration court in Concord, about 30 miles away. The San Francisco immigration court is among those affected by the Trump administration’s push to fire judges.
- ➡️ The Trump administration has fired nearly 100 judges in 2025, according to an NPR tally cross-referenced with those of the judges’ union and several individual courts.
- ➡️ The United States starts this year with less than half the judges from a year ago. At least two courts – in Aurora, Colorado, and Oakdale, Louisiana – no longer have judges, just the court supervisor.
- ➡️ With fewer judges and courts, immigrants are seeing their cases pushed back until 2030. Lawyers say the delays make their clients more vulnerable to arrest and deportation.
Live better
Even light to moderate exercise can improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.
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Maskot/Getty Images
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
According to a new study, movement can improve a person’s mood and actively relieve symptoms of depression. Scientists evaluated 73 randomized controlled trials involving around 5,000 people with depression, many of whom had also tried antidepressants. The results highlighted “that exercise is one of the most evidence-based tools for improving mood,” says psychiatrist Dr Stephen Mateka. Here’s how exercise mirrors some of the effects of medications:
- 🚴 Exercise improves the function of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. This benefit is how the medication provides relief.
- 🚴Physical activity can trigger the release of brain growth factors. This runs counter to how depression can decrease neuroplasticity, making it harder for the brain to adapt and change.
- 🚴 Prescribed exercises can be difficult to start for someone with depression. However, light to moderate movements can benefit you just as much as an intense workout.
3 things to know before you leave
Cartoonist Scott Adams poses with a life-size cutout of his creation, Dilbert, in 2014.
Léa Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
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Léa Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
- Scott Adams, the controversial cartoonist behind Dilbertdied at age 68. He announced in May 2025 that he had metastatic prostate cancer.
- The Federal Trade Commission yesterday filed a complaint against Pearl, an AI-powered search engine, accusing it of locking consumers into unwanted recurring fees.
- “Synergy,” the word of the week, is more than just corporate jargon. The term dates back hundreds of years and has roots in Christianity, medicine and psychology.
This newsletter was published by Yvonne Denis.
