NPR News: 01-22-2025 10AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: January 22, 2025, 10 AM EST

Host: Korva Coleman

---

Immigration Policy and Executive Actions

Timestamp [00:18]:
Korva Coleman opens the episode discussing President Trump's latest executive actions on immigration. Despite no major raids currently underway to detain illegal migrants, the administration asserts that federal agents now have the authority to enter previously restricted areas such as children’s schools, hospitals, and churches to remove migrants illegally present in the U.S.

These actions also include an attempt to terminate birthright citizenship, a right long protected by the U.S. Constitution. This move has sparked significant legal challenges, with New Jersey and several Democratic-led states filing lawsuits. New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew Platkin strongly opposes the executive actions, stating:

[00:54] Matthew Platkin:
"It's been upheld by the Supreme Court multiple times. This is until Monday night, not something that was ever contested by a president who signed an order that was extraordinary, unprecedented and upended the rule of law."

Energy Policies and Alaska’s Resource Development

Timestamp [01:10]:
Coleman transitions to President Trump's executive actions on energy, emphasizing the administration's push to boost resource development in Alaska. Republican leaders in Alaska have welcomed these measures, seeing them as a fulfillment of their long-standing goals.

Timestamp [01:28]:
Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media reports on the intense opposition from environmental groups. The executive order covers extensive Alaska land use issues, including:

• New oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Construction of roads across protected federal lands to facilitate logging and mining.

Ruskin highlights the controversy by noting:

"It's exactly what Alaska's all Republican congressional delegation wanted. But Alaskans who advocated for these protections are seeing years of work erased."

Furthermore, conservation advocates are preparing to challenge the order legally, particularly the decision to revert Mount McKinley's name back to its original designation, Denali. A recent poll by Alaska Survey Research indicates that a significant majority of Alaskans prefer the name Denali.

Dismantling DEI Programs and Treasury Nomination

Timestamp [02:09]:
President Trump has issued another executive order aimed at dismantling all federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Consequently, any federal employee involved in DEI initiatives has been placed on paid leave immediately.

Timestamp [02:35]:
Scott Horsley reports on the stock market reacting positively to Trump’s Treasury Secretary nominee, Scott Besant. The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw an increase of 115 points following Besant’s progress toward confirmation. The Senate Finance Committee voted 16 to 11 to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

If confirmed, Besant is expected to significantly influence the administration's policies on taxes, tariffs, and broader economic strategies. Notably, Trump has indicated that new tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico could commence as early as February 1st, potentially affecting crude oil supplies from Canada and contributing to a rise in retail gasoline prices by 4 cents a gallon in the past week.

Additionally, Netflix has seen its stock rise after reporting better-than-expected financial results, coupled with a strategic decision to increase subscription prices by $1 to $2.50 monthly.

Israel-Gaza Conflict and Ceasefire

Timestamp [03:14]:
The podcast shifts focus to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Korva Coleman reports that Israel has initiated a new operation in the occupied West Bank, resulting in arrests and deaths among Palestinians. Despite these aggressive actions, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has held firm for the fourth consecutive day, approximately 50 miles away from the conflict zone.

Timestamp [03:37]:
Eya Batrawi provides an in-depth look at the situation in Gaza. She describes the region as being in ruins due to over a year of warfare and sustained Israeli airstrikes. Key points include:

• Destruction: Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, transforming cities into "gray mounds of rubble."
• Casualties: Gaza’s health ministry reports over 47,000 fatalities caused by Israeli fire throughout the conflict.
• Recovery Efforts: Local health officials have managed to recover around 150 bodies since the ceasefire commenced on Sunday, with estimates suggesting more than 10,000 people remain missing beneath the rubble.

Batrawi emphasizes the bleak outlook for Gaza, with little respite in sight despite the temporary halt in hostilities.

Sports and Cultural News

Timestamp [04:21]:
In sports, three new members have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame:

• Ichiro Suzuki: Former Seattle Mariners star who gained fame in Japan before excelling in Major League Baseball.
• Cece Sabathia: Renowned pitcher with a distinguished career.
• Billy Wagner: Celebrated closing pitcher known for his remarkable performances.

In cultural news, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jules Pfeiffer has passed away at the age of 95. Pfeiffer was best known for his long tenure at the Village Voice and for illustrating the beloved children’s book, The Phantom Tollbooth. His wife confirmed his passing, marking the end of a significant era in political and children's illustration.

---

Note: Advertisements and non-content sections have been excluded from this summary to focus solely on the informative segments of the podcast.

Transcript

[NetSuite Ad]

This message comes from NetSuite by Oracle, the number one Cloud ERP, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory and HR into one platform. Download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning for free at netsuite.com story.

[Korva Coleman]

Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. There's no indication that immigration authorities have started major raids to detain migrants in the US Illegally. But the Trump administration says federal agents can now go into places previously off limits to remove migrants. That includes children's schools, hospitals and churches. It's part of Trump's executive actions on immigration that includes his move to end birthright citizenship, a right protected by the US Constitution. New Jersey and several Democratically led states are suing over the issue. New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew Platkin says birthright citizenship is settled law.

[Matthew Platkin]

It's been upheld by the Supreme Court multiple times. This is until Monday night, not something that was ever contested by a president who signed an order that was extraordinary, unprecedented and upended the rule of law.

[Korva Coleman]

He spoke to NPR's Morning Edition. President Trump's executive actions on energy also call for boosting resource development in Alaska. Republican leaders in Alaska are praising these. But Alaska Public Media's Liz Ruskin reports environmental groups are pledging to fight the president's actions.

[Liz Ruskin]

The order covers nearly every Alaska land use controversy this century. It calls for new oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and roads across protected federal land to help logging and mining. It's exactly what Alaska's all Republican congressional delegation wanted. But Alaskans who advocated for these protections are seeing years of work erased. Conservation advocates are ramping up for lawsuits after Trump's order to restore the name Mount McKinley. A new poll by Alaska Survey Research found Alaskans by a wide margin favor the mountain's current name, Denali. For NPR News, I'm Liz Ruskin.

[Korva Coleman]

President Trump has also issued another executive order to dismantle all federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Any federal employee involved in DEI programs has been put on paid leave immediately. Stocks opened higher this morning as President Trump's pick for treasury secretary moves toward confirmation. NPR Scott Horsley reports. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 115points.

[Scott Horsley]

Treasury nominee Scott Besant won a measure of bipartisan support in the Senate Finance committee, which voted 16 to 11 Tuesday to send his nomination to the full Senate. If confirmed, Bessant will play a leading role in pushing the president's agenda on taxes, tariffs and other economic policies. Trump has suggested February 1st could be a start date for stiff new tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico Canada is a major supplier of crude oil to the US retail gasoline prices have already jumped 4 cents a gallon in the last week. Stock in Netflix is up after the video streaming service announced better than expected financial results. Netflix is also raising prices by between a dollar and $2.50 a month.

[Korva Coleman]

NPR's Scott Horsley. It's NPR. Israel has launched a new operation in the occupied west bank with arrests and deaths reported among Palestinians there. But about 50 miles away in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is holding for the fourth day. NPR's Eya Batrawi reports.

[Eya Batrawi]

From the southern city of Rafah to the edges of northern Jabalia, the Gaza Strip lies in ruins, the result of more than a year of war and sustained Israeli airstrikes. Palestinians are able to see now what's left of their homes in areas Israeli forces have withdrawn from. But there's little reprieve here. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, turning cities into gray mounds of rubble as far as the eye can see. Gaza's health ministry says more than 47,000 people were killed by Israeli fire in the war. Local health officials say They've recovered around 150 bodies from the rubble and decay of different parts of Gaza since the ceasefire began Sunday, and they estimate more than 10,000 bodies remain missing under the rubble. Aya Baltrawi, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

There are three new elected members of the Baseball hall of Fame. They include former Seattle Mariner star Ichiro Suzuki. He first rose to fame in his home nation of Japan. Also included are pitcher Cece Sabathia and closing pitcher Billy Wagner. Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Jules Pfeiffer has died at his home in New York, according to his wife. He was 95 years old. Pfeiffer worked for years for the Village Voice, but he was best loved for illustrating the beloved children's book the Phantom Tollbooth. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.

[Squarespace Ad]

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Squarespace. Measure your end to end online performance with powerful website and seller analytics. Get insights, track sales metrics and more. Go to squarespace.com NPR for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.