NPR News: 01-22-2025 1PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: January 22, 2025, 1PM EST

Hosted by NPR

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Immigration Enforcement Policy Changes

Change in ICE Operations Guidelines

At 00:14, Lakshmi Singh reported significant changes in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. The administration has authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to conduct operations in previously restricted areas such as schools, churches, and hospitals. Joel Rose elaborated, stating:

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest.” (00:31)

This shift reverses a 2011 policy that limited ICE operations in sensitive locations, allowing arrests only with prior permission. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justified the change by arguing that previous restrictions hindered ICE’s effectiveness in apprehending undocumented migrants.

DOJ Memo on Cooperation with ICE

Federal Prosecution for Non-Cooperation

Continuing the immigration discourse, Lakshmi Singh highlighted a new Department of Justice (DOJ) memo aimed at federal prosecutors. The memo instructs these prosecutors to investigate and potentially prosecute state or local officials who fail to cooperate with federal ICE operations. This move signals a tougher stance on local governments that resist federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Abortion-Related Policies and Website Issues

Stagnant Abortion Information on HHS Website

At 01:05, Selena Simmons Duffin addressed ongoing developments related to abortion policies. She noted that a search for "abortion" on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website predominantly returns information from previous years, specifically from the Trump administration era. She observed:

“The results reflect a focus on the rights of religious organizations that object to abortion.” (01:32)

Additionally, Duffin pointed out that the Biden administration’s reproductive rights website, previously launched in response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, is now a broken link. Users can still access its content through the Internet Archive, indicating potential gaps in up-to-date information dissemination on reproductive rights.

Winter Storm Impacting Gulf Coast and North Carolina

Record-Breaking Winter Storm Effects

Rachel Keith provided an update on the severe winter storm affecting the U.S. Gulf Coast and parts of North Carolina. At 02:15, she described how the storm has left tens of thousands without power. In Wilmington, NC, the National Weather Service forecasted 5 to 6 inches of snow, a rare event for the area.

Young resident Ellie Scarborough shared her excitement:

“I'm sledding with like surfboards.” (02:43)

Keith warned of ongoing threats from the storm, including rapidly melting snow that refreezes overnight, creating icy conditions on rivers and roadways. She advised drivers to exercise caution and preferably avoid traveling until conditions improve by Thursday.

President Trump's Call for Sanctions on Russia

Demand for an End to the Russia-Ukraine War

At 03:10, Lakshmi Singh reported that President Trump has called on Russia to cease its military actions in Ukraine. He has threatened imposing high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on Russian exports to the United States and allied countries if Russia does not comply. Singh referenced Trump’s historical position during his campaign:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded had Trump been president.” (03:10)

Despite Trump’s claims of being able to resolve the conflict swiftly—a promise he reiterated from his campaign—the effectiveness of additional economic penalties remains uncertain. The Biden administration has already implemented various sanctions targeting Russia’s economic sectors without halting the conflict.

FDA Approves Spravato as Standalone Depression Treatment

Expanded Approval for Depression Medication

Transitioning to health news, John Hamilton reported at 04:05 that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approval of Spravato, an antidepressant nasal spray. Initially approved in 2019 for adults with major depressive disorder unresponsive to at least two other antidepressants, Spravato can now be used as a standalone treatment. Hamilton explained:

“The drug can be used on its own. The decision came after a large study found that Spravato alone worked better than a placebo.” (04:05)

Spravato, composed of esketamine, one of the mirror image molecules of ketamine, generated approximately $780 million in sales for Johnson & Johnson in the first nine months of 2024. This expansion may increase accessibility for patients seeking effective depression treatments.

Stock Market Update

Nasdaq and Dow Show Gains

In the final segment, Lakshmi Singh provided a brief stock market update at 04:43:

“The Nasdaq composite index is up 1.4%, or 286 points. The Dow has climbed more than 100 points.” (04:43)

This positive movement in major stock indices indicates a day of gains in the financial markets.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the January 22, 2025 episode of NPR News Now, offering a comprehensive overview for listeners and readers alike.

Transcript

[Carvana Representative]

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Trump administration's giving officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement the green light to go into schools and churches to arrest migrants suspected of being in the U.S. without legal status. NPR's Joel Rose reports on the likely fallout.

[Joel Rose]

Since 2011, there has been this policy that ICE officers were supposed to avoid operations at these so called sensitive locations, schools, places of worship and hospitals, for example. Now, this was not totally an ironclad prohibition. There were exceptions. ICE theoretically could make arrests, but officers had to get prior permission. That is now changing. The acting secretary of Homeland Security has rescinded those guidelines, which the Trump administration says were hindering ICE officers from doing their job. The statement from DHS says, quote, criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest.

[Lakshmi Singh]

NPR's Joel Rose. A new Department of Justice memo tells federal prosecutors across the country to investigate and possibly prosecute state or local officials who do not cooperate with federal ICE operations. Today, a search for the term abortion on the website for the U.S. department of Health and Human Services turns up results that are several years old. And NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin finds that the top search results are from the previous Trump term.

[Selena Simmons Duffin]

President Trump did not mention abortion during his inaugural address on Monday. It was also not a focus of the dozens of executive actions he signed after being sworn in. Instead, there have been some quiet moves on this issue. For instance, a search for abortion on the website for the federal Department of Health and Human Services returns top results that are from years ago during the first Trump term. The results reflect a focus on the rights of religious organizations that object to abortion. Also, a website the Biden administration launched after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights.gov is now a broken link. People can still view it through a site called Internet Archive. Selena Simmons Duffin, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Tens of thousands of people from Texas to Florida are waiting for the lights to turn back on after a record setting winter storm engulfed much of the U.S. gulf Coast. In Wilmington, North Carolina, the National Weather Service called for 5 to 6 inches of snow. Rachel Keith with MemberStation WHQR has the latest.

[Rachel Keith]

When families woke up this morning, a white blanket appeared. Eight year old Ellie Scarborough says it's really fun.

[Ellie Scarborough]

I'm sledding with like surfboards.

[Rachel Keith]

And while the fun continues, as Wilmington hasn't seen over 4 inches of snow in 24 years. The National Weather Service says threats from the storm will continue. They expect the snow to melt throughout the day, quickly refreezing at night, leading to icy rivers, roadways. Drivers should exercise caution and avoid driving if possible. Conditions are expected to clear by Thursday.

[Lakshmi Singh]

It's NPR News. President Trump called on Russia to stop its war with Ukraine, threatening high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries. If not. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he was elected president. He would go on to claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded had Trump been president. It's unclear how much impact economic penalties would have on the Russian government. The Biden administration already imposed various sanctions on Russia's economic sectors. The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its approval of Spravato, an antidepressant nasal spray. NPR's John Hamilton reports that the drug is now cleared for use as a standalone treatment for depression.

[John Hamilton]

Spravato is made from esketamine, one of two mirror image molecules found in the anesthetic ketamine. It was approved in 2019 for use in adults with major depressive disorder who did not respond to at least two other antidepressants. The original approval required that patients on Spravato also receive an oral antidepressant. Now the FDA says the drug can be used on its own. The decision came after a large study found that Spravato alone worked better than a placebo. In the first nine months of 2024, the drug generated sales of about $780 million for its maker, Johnson and Johnson. John Hamilton, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The Nasdaq composite index is up 1.4%, or 286 points. The Dow has climbed more than 100 points. This is NPR News.

[Carvana Representative]

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.