NPR News: 01-21-2025 12PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: January 21, 2025, 12 PM EST Summary

1. President Trump's Executive Actions

Timestamp: [00:13]

NPR's Lakshmi Singh opens the episode by highlighting President Donald Trump's first full day back in office. Following his inauguration, Trump swiftly signed a series of executive orders aimed at reversing policies implemented during the Biden administration and asserting his influence over the U.S. government.

Timestamp: [00:32]

Tamara Keith delves into one of Trump's most contentious executive orders: an attempt to terminate birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to individuals who are either in the country illegally or present legally but temporarily. Keith explains, "Birthright citizenship is written into the Constitution," emphasizing the legal challenges Trump's order might face.

Timestamp: [00:45]

An unnamed commentator responds to the order, expressing strong disapproval: "Birthright, that's a big one."

Timestamp: [00:48]

Keith further discusses Trump's admission of uncertainty regarding the legal viability of his order: "Trump admitted he doesn't know whether his order will hold up to legal challenge."

Timestamp: [00:57]

The commentator adds, "It's just absolutely ridiculous. But, you know, we'll see. We think it. We have very good ground," indicating confidence in opposing the order's legality.

This executive order was part of a broader package of actions signed by Trump in the Oval Office shortly after his inauguration, signaling his intent to make immediate and significant changes to federal policies.

2. Trump’s Pardons Related to January 6th

Timestamp: [01:12]

Lakshmi Singh reports that President Trump has taken decisive action regarding individuals charged in connection with the January 6th Capitol insurrection. Trump has pardoned, commuted the prison sentences, or pledged to dismiss cases for more than 1,500 individuals involved in the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol. This event, which occurred during the certification of the 2020 election results, resulted in multiple deaths and serious injuries, including those sustained by law enforcement officers tasked with securing the Capitol.

3. China's Reaction to U.S. Climate Policy Shifts

Timestamp: [01:45]

China's Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over Trump's immediate decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. NPR’s John Ruich reports on the Chinese government's stance:

Timestamp: [01:45]

"Climate change is a challenge for all of humanity. No country can stand aside or go it alone. China remains steadfast in its determination to combat climate change," stated John Ruich, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry. He added, "We will work with all parties to actively address the challenge and promote the transition to a green and low carbon future."

This statement underscores China's commitment to international climate efforts and its readiness to collaborate globally, despite the U.S. administration's policy reversal.

4. Severe Winter Storm Threatens the Gulf South

Timestamp: [02:01]

A significant winter storm is poised to impact the central and eastern United States, with extreme cold warnings extending from the Canadian border down to Texas. NPR’s Debbie Elliott provides an in-depth report on the situation:

Timestamp: [02:21]

Forecasts predict frigid temperatures and historic snowfall in the Gulf South, including 5 to 8 inches in New Orleans and up to 3.3 inches in Houston.

Timestamp: [02:39]

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency, warning, "We may have over 48 hours of constant below freezing temperatures along with extremely cold wind chills and what could possibly be near record amounts of snowfall in south Louisiana. This creates a very dangerous situation."

Timestamp: [02:57]

Governor Landry urges residents to avoid travel and prepare for potential water and power outages, highlighting the severity of the impending storm.

5. Southern California Wildfires and Hubble's Andromeda Galaxy Survey

Timestamp: [03:06]

Lakshmi Singh transitions to economic and environmental news, noting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen by 417 points at the last check.

a. Wildfire Threats in Southern California

Strong winds in Southern California are expected to peak today, posing a significant threat of igniting new wildfires across the region. Gusts ranging from 70 to 100 miles per hour, depending on the area, coupled with prolonged dry conditions, exacerbate the fire risk.

Recent weeks have seen the Palisades and Eaton fires, some of the most destructive and deadly in the area's history. Fire crews are actively working to expand containment lines for these blazes. Additionally, new fires have ignited near San Diego overnight, leading to evacuation orders as authorities strive to manage the escalating situation.

b. Hubble Space Telescope Completes Comprehensive Andromeda Survey

In astronomical news, the Hubble Space Telescope has successfully completed its most extensive survey of the Andromeda Galaxy to date. NPR’s Jonathan Lambert reports on this achievement:

Timestamp: [04:01]

"The spiral-shaped Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to our Milky Way, only about 2.5 million light-years away. That's made it tough for astronomers to construct a full picture of Andromeda because to see it, telescopes need to cover a relatively large swath of the sky," Lambert explains.

The survey, published in the Astrophysical Journal last week, involved adding approximately 100 million stars in the southern half of Andromeda. The Hubble telescope dedicated over a decade and around 1,000 orbits around Earth to capture the necessary images. This comprehensive data will aid scientists in reconstructing Andromeda's history, particularly its interactions and collisions with smaller galaxies, enhancing our understanding of galactic evolution.

Conclusion

This episode of NPR News Now covers a wide array of pressing topics, from the immediate actions of the newly reinstated Trump administration and international reactions to U.S. policy changes, to significant weather events affecting large regions of the United States and groundbreaking astronomical research. Notable quotes and detailed reports from correspondents provide listeners with a thorough understanding of the current events shaping the national and global landscape.

Transcript

[Carvana]

This message comes from Carvana. Sell your car the convenient way, enter your license plate or vin, answer a few questions and get a real offer in seconds. Go to Carvana.com today.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Sang. President Trump is now in his first full day back in office after a whirlwind of executive actions yesterday aimed at reversing Biden era policy and rapidly putting his own stamp on the U.S. government. Here's NPR's Tamara Keith.

[Tamara Keith]

TRUMP is already testing the limits of his executive power, including with an executive order that would end birthright citizenship for the children of people who are not in the country legally or who are in the US Lawfully but temporarily.

[Unnamed Commentator]

Birthright, that's a big one.

[Tamara Keith]

Birthright citizenship is written into the Constitution. And Trump admitted he doesn't know whether his order will hold up to legal challenge.

[Unnamed Commentator]

It's just absolutely ridiculous. But, you know, we'll see. We think it. We have very good ground.

[Tamara Keith]

The order was part of a stack of executive actions signed by Trump in the Oval Office just hours after being sworn in. Tamara Keith, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

President Trump also pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or pledged to dismiss the cases of more than 1500 people charged with crimes in connection with the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol when a pro Trump mob stormed the building during the certification of the 2020 election results. The riots led to deaths and serious injuries, including to law enforcement officers responsible for securing the capital. China's Foreign Ministry says Beijing is concerned about Trump's day one decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Here's NPR's John A Foreign Ministry spokesman.

[John Ruich]

Says climate change is a challenge for all of humanity. No country can stand aside or go it alone. He says China remains steadfast in its determination to combat climate change. And he says it'll work with all parties to actively address the challenge and promote the transition to a green and low carbon future.

[Lakshmi Singh]

John Ruich reporting. A blast of arctic air is layered over the central and eastern United States. There are extreme cold warnings posted from the Canadian border down to Texas. There are also winter storm warnings from southern Texas all the way to South Carolina. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports. The rare winter storm is prompting emergency preparation along the Gulf Coast.

[Debbie Elliott]

Forecasters predict frigid temperatures and historic snowfall in the Gulf South, 5 to 8 inches in New Orleans, for instance, and up to 3. 3 inches in Houston. And in Mobile, Alabama, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency.

[Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry]

We may have over 48 hours of constant below freezing temperatures along with extremely cold wind chills and what could possibly be near record amounts of snowfall in south Louisiana. This creates a very dangerous situation.

[Debbie Elliott]

He's urging people to avoid travel and prepare for possible water and power outages. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The Dow is up 417 points at last check. This is NPR News. Strong winds in Southern California are expected to peak today, which threatened to fan small fires across the region. Gusts may be anywhere from 70 to 100 miles per hour, depending on whether it's the coast or the mountains. The terrain also ran remains dry. For the last couple of weeks, the Los Angeles area has been dealing with the Palisades and Eaton fires, the most destructive and deadliest of the fires, and fire crews are continuing to expand their containment of both. Overnight, new fires started near San Diego, prompting evacuation orders. The Hubble Space Telescope has completed the most comprehensive survey yet of The Andromeda Galaxy. NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports. The new images will help scientists understand the history of our galactic neighbor.

[Jonathan Lambert]

The spiral shaped Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to our Milky way, only about 2.5 million light years away. That's made it tough for astronomers to construct a full picture of Andromeda, because to see it, telescopes need to cover a relatively large swath of the sky. Now NASA's Hubble telescope has completed the widest look yet. In a study published last week in the Astrophysical Journal, researchers added about 100 million stars in the southern half of Andromeda. It took the telescope over a decade, about 1,000 revolutions around Earth, to collect all of the photos. The analysis will help researchers reconstruct Andromeda's history, which scientists suspect involved collisions with smaller galaxies. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.

[Carvana]

Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now. [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.