NPR News: 01-27-2025 8PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: January 28, 2025

Host: NPR
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Duration: Approximately 5 minutes

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1. President Trump Highlights Early Administration Actions

Speaker: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [00:16]

During a policy retreat in Florida, President Donald Trump addressed House Republican lawmakers, underscoring his administration's initiatives in the first week. A significant focus was on the unveiling of China's AI program, Deep Seek, which Trump described as a potential disruptor to the American aerospace market.

Notable Quote:

“The release of Deep Seek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser-focused on competing to win.”
— President Donald Trump [00:39]

Trump emphasized the importance of strategic spending, suggesting that achieving comparable results with reduced expenditures could benefit the industry. He also outlined forthcoming executive actions, which include:

• Launching a new state-of-the-art missile defense system.
• Ending what he termed as "transgender ideology" within the military.
• Reinstating service members previously expelled for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations.

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2. CDC Receives Directive to Cease Collaboration with WHO

Reporter: Gabriela Emanuel
Timestamp: [01:20]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been instructed to immediately halt its collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). This directive was disseminated via a memo to division directors and deputies.

Insights:

• The CDC and WHO have historically collaborated on numerous health initiatives, including managing outbreaks like Mpox in Africa and Tanzania, the Marburg virus, and global efforts to monitor bird flu.
• CDC officials, speaking anonymously, expressed surprise at the memo and uncertainty about its implications for future disease outbreak management.
• The action aligns with President Trump's initiation of the withdrawal process from the WHO on Inauguration Day, a process slated to take one year.

Notable Quote:

“No matter what type of surgery you're preparing for, there's likely a benefit from prehabilitation.”
— Dr. Dan McIsaac, Study Author [03:51]
Note: This quote is from a different segment but is included here as part of the transcript.

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3. Legal Developments for Oath Keepers Founder

Reporter: Ryan Lucas
Timestamp: [02:12]

Stuart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the far-right group Oath Keepers, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, faces new legal restrictions. Federal judges have lifted previous travel bans that prevented Rhodes from visiting Washington, D.C., or the U.S. Capitol without court permission.

Details:

• President Trump commuted Rhodes' sentence to time served as one of his early actions in office.
• A newly appointed acting U.S. attorney contested the travel restrictions, arguing that the commutation exempted Rhodes and seven other defendants from court supervision.
• The judge ruled in favor of Rhodes, nullifying the supervised release and associated travel restrictions.

Notable Quote:

“The new Trump-appointed acting U.S. attorney pushed back, arguing that Rhodes and seven other oath keeper defendants were no longer subject to the court supervision.”
— Ryan Lucas, NPR News [02:53]

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4. Wall Street Reacts to China's Competitive AI Model

Speaker: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [02:53]

U.S. stock markets experienced significant volatility as shares of leading AI companies saw a decline following the announcement of China's Deep Seek AI model, which rivals U.S. counterparts like ChatGPT at a lower cost. The NASDAQ plunged by 612 points, while the S&P 500 fell by 88 points. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 289 points.

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5. Prehabilitation Strategies Enhance Surgical Recovery

Reporter: Alison Aubrey
Timestamp: [03:30]

A recent study highlights the benefits of prehabilitation—pre-surgery preparation involving nutrition, physical activity, and mental readiness—in improving surgical outcomes.

Key Strategies:

1. Movement: Engaging in strength-building and physical activities in the months leading up to surgery.
2. Nutrition: Increasing protein intake to bolster the body's resilience.
3. Mental Preparation: Fostering a positive mindset to aid recovery.

Notable Quote:

“No matter what type of surgery you're preparing for, there's likely a benefit from prehabilitation.”
— Dr. Dan McIsaac, University of Ottawa [03:51]

The study, authored by Dr. McIsaac, found that these strategies can reduce the risk of complications by up to 40%, shorten hospital stays, and significantly improve patients' recovery experiences.

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6. Weather Updates and Economic Indicators

Speaker: Jack Spear
Timestamp: [04:15]

• Southern California: The recent weekend rains provided much-needed relief for firefighters combating wildfires. However, the rainwave has mostly passed, leaving behind areas still affected by fires, toxic ash, and mudflows. Over an inch of rain in some regions has raised concerns about soil erosion and debris flows.

• Energy Markets: Crude oil prices saw a decrease, dropping $1.49 per barrel to close at $73.17. The decline was attributed to ongoing concerns about tariffs and other geopolitical developments.

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7. Upcoming Changes in Healthcare Collaboration

Note: This section refers back to earlier segments but is included for comprehensive coverage.

President Trump's directive for the CDC to cease cooperation with the WHO marks a significant shift in U.S. health policy. The ramifications of this move are still unfolding, with health officials assessing how it will impact global and domestic efforts to manage and prevent disease outbreaks.

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the January 28, 2025, episode of NPR News Now, providing listeners with an extensive overview of the topics covered.

Transcript

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[Jack Spear]

News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat in Florida, President Donald Trump highlighted some of his actions during his first week in office. Trump also talks about ongoing events, including China's unveiling of a less expensive AI program called Deep Seek, which threatens to upend the air market, though he said that could have positive results.

[Donald Trump]

The release of Deep Seek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake up call for our industries that we need to be laser focused on competing to win.

[Jack Spear]

Trump saying not spending as much and getting a similar result could be positive for the industry as president. He also said he plans to sign executive actions calling for a new state of the art missile defense system, an end to what he called transgender ideology in the military, and reinstatement of service members expelled for refusing COVID vaccinations. Public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been told to immediately stop working with the World health organization. As NPR's Gabriella Manuel reports, the memo was sent to division directors and deputies.

[Gabriela Emanuel]

The WHO and CDC collaborate on a wide range of health efforts, including a major MPOX outbreak in parts of Africa and in Tanzania, an outbreak of Marburg virus, which is Ebola's cousin. They're also also global efforts to monitor and contain bird flu. CDC officials, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak, said the memo came as a surprise and they haven't seen an order like this before. They're still trying to understand what the implications might be for fighting disease outbreaks. President Trump started the process of withdrawing from the WHO on Inauguration Day. That process takes a year. Gabriela Emanuel, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

Federal judges lifted travel restrictions barring the founder of the far right Oath Keepers extremist group from visiting Washington, D.C. or the U.S. capitol without the court's permission. More from NPR's Ryan Lucas.

[Ryan Lucas]

Oathkeepers founder and leader Stuart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and sentenced to 18 years in prison. President Trump, in one of his first acts back in office, commuted Rhodes sentence to time served. On Friday, a judge barred rhodes from visiting D.C. the U.S. capitol or its grounds without the court's permission. The new Trump appointed acting U.S. attorney pushed back, arguing that Rhodes and seven other oath keeper defendants were no longer subject to the court supervision. Now the judge has agreed that Trump's act of clemency does away with the defendant's supervised release, and they are not bound by the travel restrictions. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

[Jack Spear]

Shares of some of Wall Street's loftiest AI stocks took a tumble today amid word of a new China AI learning model that can reportedly with U.S. giants like ChatGPT, at a fraction of the cost. The NASDAQ plunged 612 points. The S&P was down 88 points. The Dow rose 289 points. You're listening to NPR. A new study finds people who take time to prepare before major surgery by focusing on good nutrition and other steps can significantly increase the likelihood of a positive recovery. NPR's Alison Arbery reports on the top three prehabilitation strategies.

[Alison Aubrey]

If you're getting ready for a surgery, such as a joint replacement or another major operation, you may want to ask your healthcare providers about pre habilitation. The new study finds a combination of movement, increasing your protein intake and mentally preparing for surgery can significantly reduce the risk of complications, says study author Dr. Dan McIsaac of the University of Ottawa.

[Dr. Dan McIsaac]

No matter what type of surgery you're preparing for, there's likely a benefit from prehabilitation.

[Alison Aubrey]

For instance, the research shows people who do strength building and other forms of physical activity and the month or two before surgery can reduce their risks by as much as 40%, often decreasing hospital stays and making a meaningful improvement in how they experience their recovery. Alison Aubrey, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

Some much needed rainfall for Southern California, though. While the weekend downpour helped firefighters battling wildfires, there may have been a brief respite. The rain has mostly moved out of the area scorched by fires, while some toxic ash and mud flowed across streets. There were major debris flows reported. More than an inch of rain fell in some areas, causing concerns about loosening. Los Angeles hillside scarred by recent wildfires. Crude oil futures prices took a drop today, oil trending down amid continued worries about tariffs and other developments. Oil fell $1.49 a barrel to end the session at $73.17 a barrel. In New York, I'm Jack Speier, NPR News, in Washington.

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