Transcript
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Jeanine Herbst (0:15)
See Terms live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. The Pentagon is telling 1500 active duty troops in Alaska to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota. NPR has confirmed this amid protests after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has opened criminal investigations into the state's governor and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry.
Unidentified Official (0:45)
Of course we will comply, but at the same time, we need to be understanding how wild this is and whether it's Senator Slatkin or Governor Walz or myself. This is not the way that we conduct ourselves in America.
Jeanine Herbst (1:00)
Speaking there on ABC's this Week, President Trump is expected to announce a plan letting Americans use their retirement savings for down payments on homes. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that starts tomorrow, Trump offered few details on how it will work, but the White House says he will present a final plan in Davos this week. Meanwhile, President Trump's approval rating hovers slightly above 40%, and he's been working to communicate to voters his plans to make life more affordable. Implementation, that's another matter. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports.
Danielle Kurtzleben (1:36)
Some of Trump's ideas he has been able to enact himself, like pulling back tariffs he himself instituted on some foods and beverages. Some he would need Congress to pass, like the outline of a health care plan he pitched, which would give Affordable Care act subsidy money directly to consumers. Speaker Mike Johnson has given a tepid response to another new Trump idea to cap credit card interest rates at 10%. Trump has been putting more energy into the affordability message since Democrats won November elections by leaning into that topic. However, his administration's attack on Venezuela, ICE troops in Minneapolis, and threats to Greenland have often overshadowed that message. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News.
Jeanine Herbst (2:16)
Syrian government forces have taken control of another major city in northern Syria. NPR's Emily Fang reports.
Emily Fang (2:22)
On Sunday, Israel's energy minister wrote on the social media site X that he'd moved to implement legislation passed in December to cut off utilities to unrwa. That's the agency that for decades has provided many social services in Palestinian communities in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, though in 2024 Israel banned it from Israeli territory. Israel has accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas, and while the agency has denied the allegations, it fired around two dozen of its employees. As a result, last week, Israeli security forces raided an UNRWA health care center in East Jerusalem. UNWILL still runs facilities in the occupied west bank, but says that those schools and healthcare facilities will close down soon if their water and power are cut. Emily Fang, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
