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Dan Ronan
In Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. Border czar Tom Homan has said that deportation actions are underway, focusing on migrants considered a public safety threat. But he warned without legal status could be arrested. In Chicago, a sanctuary city, immigrant Communities are bracing. NPR's Jasmine Garz reports.
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Jasmine Garz
In Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, in a restaurant on the main street, every time someone opens the door, a waitress named Caridad looks up in fear. She says she worries that it's immigration agents. Caridad doesn't want her last name used. She's in the US without legal status. The potential raids have turned this immigrant neighborhood into a ghost town, people staying home out of fear. Earlier this week, Mayor Brandon Johnson told NPR the city will stand by its sanctuary policies, which prohibit Chicago police from enforcing immigration law. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, Chicago.
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Dan Ronan
Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services have been told to halt all public communications. That's according to a memo obtained by NPR. NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports.
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Dr. Dorothy Fink
The memo was sent by acting Health Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink. It instructs all health agencies to institute an immediate pause on external communication, including social media, until items can be reviewed by an appointee of the Trump administration. It asserts such a pause is, quote, consistent with precedent. The freeze on communications was first reported by The Washington Post. Dr. Georges Benjamin is the president of the American Public Health association and says he's giving the HHS team the benefit of the doubt.
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Dr. Georges Benjamin
They're simply trying to get their hands around the government. This is a big government, but it creates enormous confusion.
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Dr. Dorothy Fink
He believes the communications pause could have been avoided if there had been a smoother transition between the Biden and Trump administrations. Selena Simmons Duffin, NPR News.
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Dan Ronan
In Southern California, another wildfire is burning. It's called the Hughes Fire. It has consumed more than 9,000 acres. Steve Futterman reports.
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Steve Futterman
The fire began here just past 10 o'clock Wednesday morning. Buffeted by wind gusts of around 50 miles an hour, it spread rapidly. For a while, a number of homes and apartment buildings were in danger, but help came from above.
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Anthony Maroney
We had a very robust helicopter and fixed wing retardant response to this incident.
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Steve Futterman
LA County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney says they used tens of thousands of gallons of water and retardant.
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Anthony Maroney
It was really the aircraft, which allowed us to get the upper hand.
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Steve Futterman
Fire officials say they are hopeful the worst is over. Evacuation orders remain in effect, but the fire has moved away from homes and other structures. Interstate 5, which connects Northern and Southern California, was briefly closed. It is now reopened. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman. In Castaic, California, a rare winter storm.
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Dan Ronan
Still has its grip on the Deep south with frigid temperatures and record snowfall. This is npr. Following multiple delays due to wildfires in Los Angeles, the nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced Thursday morning. NPR's Chloe Weiner reports on the story from Los Angeles.
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Chloe Weiner
Early fires have upended Hollywood's awards season this year. Nominations were originally going to be announced last week, but the voting window was extended so academy members had a few extra days to select their picks. The annual luncheon honoring nominees was also cancelled. The Academy Awards ceremony remains scheduled for its Original Date Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with Conan O'Brien set to host. In a letter to members obtained by npr, academy leaders said this year's ceremony will acknowledge wildfire first responders as well as the resilience of Los Angeles. Chloe Weiner, NPR News, New York.
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Dan Ronan
President Donald Trump is threatening Russia with what he calls high levels of tariffs and new economic sanctions if there is no agreement to end the three year old war in Ukraine. In a social media post, Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin by name and said the two men have always had a good relationship. But he said it is time to end this, quote, ridiculous war. It's time to make a deal. No more lives should be lost. During the campaign, Trump said that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he was elected. He also claimed that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine had he been elected president. Markets closed the day in all positive territory. The Dow gained 131, the NASDAQ up 252. The S&P gained 37 points. From Washington, this is NPR News.
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