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Nora Ram
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Ram. Three women are back on Israeli soil after being held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months. Their release was part of a ceasefire that went into effect today, pausing the war that's killed tens of thousands of people. As Israeli troops troops pulled back, NPR's Ayya Betrawi reports many Palestinians are rushing to assess the damage.
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Ayya Betrawi
NPR producer in Gaza, Anas Baba saw people in cars and many on foot celebrating their return to the southern city of Rafah for the first time in eight months. Mohammad Abu Mahsen was among those running to enter Rafah, the keys of his house in hand, though it was unclear if his home was still standing. Rafah, like other areas of Gaza, has been mostly leveled by Israeli airstrikes and controlled demolitions. There are bodies and unexploded ordnance buried in the rubble, local officials say, making recovery and rebuilding a difficult task. Israel and Hamas agreed to an initial six week ceasefire to allow for hostages and detainees to be released. The deal also calls for a surge in needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Aya Baltarawi, NPR News, Dubai, with reporting by Anas Baba.
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Nora Ram
In Gaza, President Biden said the agreement that he first put forward in May has finally come to fruition.
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Joe Biden
I've worked in foreign policy for decades, and this is one of the toughest negotiations I've been part of. Many of you who follow these negotiations will attest that the road to this deal has been not easy at all and a long road. But we've reached this point today because of the pressure Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States.
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Nora Ram
Biden also referenced the Trump team's involvement in the final days of the negotiations since, saying he was pleased the US Spoke as one voice. He urged the incoming administration to support U.S. allies in the region. Donald Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States. Tomorrow. Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, are planning raids to round up and deport people in the country illegally. Congressman Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, says improving border security is a top priority because that's what the voters support.
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Jim Jordan
They want the border secure. They want people who broke the law, particularly ones who came here and did bad things. They want those people repatriated back to their native country. And then you go to the 1.3 million who've been in front of a judge in front of a court, and the court has said you do not qualify under our asylum laws. That's where Tom Holman is going to start. And I think that's exactly what the election was about and appropriate and consistent with the rule of law.
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Nora Ram
Jordan was interviewed on CNN. The video sharing app TikTok is crediting Trump for its restoration on millions of mobile devices. It was shut down last night in response to a law requiring it be sold by its Chinese parent company. Trump says he'll issue an executive order to delay the ban. The app remains unavailable in the Google and Apple app stores. This is NPR News. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Fayette county in western Tennessee, claiming it's violating the VOT Voting Rights Act. It alleges the county's map of voting districts dilutes the votes of black residents in violation of federal law. The DOJ is asking a federal court to order the county to draw a new voting map. This is one of three voting rights lawsuits filed in the final days of the Biden administration. U.S. homes and businesses are going to need a lot more electricity in the coming years, as NPR's Michael Copley reports. That could make it harder to rein in climate change.
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Michael Copley
Power demand is rising because companies are building new data centers and factories and because homes and businesses are buying things like cars and heat pumps that run on electricity. And more homes need air conditioning for utilities that have to keep the lights on. The fossil fuel, natural gas looks like a good way to meet that growing demand, and that could mean decades of additional emissions that are raising global temperatures. Market analysts say that may not lead to a spike in climate pollution since coal plants keep retiring. But scientists say the world needs to move a lot faster than to cut heat trapping emissions to avoid even more extreme impacts from climate change. Michael Copley, NPR News.
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Nora Ram
Today is the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany. Thousands of Russians observe the day by cutting holes through ice in lakes and rivers and taking a bath in the frigid water. The Associated Press is reporting that some communities are canceling the tradition this year because of the weather. An unusually warm winter has left the ice too thin for participants to bathe safely. I'm Nora Ramm, NPR News, in Washington.
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Carvana
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