NPR News: 01-30-2025 10PM EST

Summary

NPR News: January 30, 2025, 10 PM EST - Detailed Summary

Published on January 31, 2025

NPR News Now delivers the latest updates across various sectors, including transportation, government appointments, public health, international relations, space exploration, and economic indicators. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode released on January 31, 2025.

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1. Fatal Midair Collision in Washington, D.C.

[00:15 - 00:35]

Jack Spear reports a tragic midair crash involving an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, resulting in 67 fatalities. Both aircraft descended into the Potomac River. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is spearheading the investigation.

Key Quote:
Todd Inman of the NTSB stated, "Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again." [00:35]

Updates:

• Crash victims and black box recorders have been retrieved from the Potomac River.
• The investigation will focus on collecting perishable evidence to determine the probable cause.

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2. Resignation of U.S. Census Bureau Director

[00:55 - 01:22]

Hansi Luang reports that Robert Santos, the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau appointed by President Biden, is resigning ahead of the crucial 2030 census preparations. This resignation opens the door for President Trump to nominate a successor.

Key Details:

• Santos is stepping down after a five-year tenure.
• The Census Bureau is pivotal for redistributing congressional seats, Electoral College votes, and allocating federal funding based on the upcoming census data.
• Santos took over in 2022, following the resignation of the first director under President Trump amid controversies over data release practices.

Implications:

• Leadership change may influence the strategic direction of the Census Bureau leading into the 2030 census.

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3. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Hearing for HHS Secretary Nomination

[02:04 - 02:32]

During his second hearing for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers regarding his stance on vaccines, particularly concerning racial disparities in vaccination schedules.

Key Exchange:
Angela Alsobrooks (Senator): "Kennedy claims that black people should have a different vaccine schedule than white." [02:18]
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: "People, so what different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?" [02:27]

Analysis:
Kennedy referenced research from the Mayo Clinic and highlighted claims linking vaccines to autism. However, NPR's investigation revealed that the Mayo Clinic study found no evidence supporting increased vulnerability or side effects among African Americans, countering Kennedy's assertions.

Conclusion:
Kennedy did not provide a direct response to the senator's question, and his references to debunked studies raised concerns about his credibility on vaccine-related policies.

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4. Wall Street Sees Gains

[03:00]

Jack Spear reports a positive day on Wall Street:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average: +168 points
• Nasdaq Composite: +49 points
• S&P 500: +31 points

Implications:
The market uptick indicates investor confidence amidst ongoing economic developments.

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5. Israel Implements Legislation Against UNRWA

[03:00 - 03:23]

Israeli legislation now bans the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), with Israel alleging that the agency fosters hatred.

Key Quote:
Aya Baltrawi of UNRWA stated, "UNRWA says its international staff left Jerusalem because Israel did not renew their visas, but that the agency had not vacated the office there despite Israel's orders." [03:23]

Details:

• UNRWA's capacity to provide services to Palestinians in Jerusalem is jeopardized, though operations in the West Bank and Gaza remain unaffected.
• The U.S. had previously suspended funding to UNRWA, criticizing the agency's response to Israeli legislation.
• Israel accuses over a dozen UNRWA employees in Gaza of involvement in the 2023 Hamas attacks, leading to over 270 UNRWA staff deaths in the ensuing conflict.

Impact:
This legislation threatens the agency's ability to serve Palestinian communities effectively, exacerbating tensions in the region.

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6. NASA Astronauts' Spacewalk After Extended Stay on ISS

[04:10 - 04:52]

Two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, took their first spacewalk after being stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly eight months due to issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule.

Key Points:

• The astronauts conducted maintenance outside the ISS as part of their duties.
• Initially, their mission was planned for one week, but technological setbacks extended their stay.
• They are scheduled to return to Earth via a SpaceX flight between late March and early April.

Economic Update:
Crude oil prices experienced a minor increase, closing at $72.73 per barrel, up by 11 cents.

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Note: Advertisements and promotional content were excluded from this summary to maintain focus on relevant news topics.

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Transcript

[Fred Hutch Cancer Center]

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[Jack Spear]

In Washington, I'm Jack Spear. It's going to take time to figure out exactly what caused last night's fatal midair crash between a passenger plane and a military helicopter that claimed the lives of 67 people in Washington, D.C. that's according to Todd Inman with the National Transportation Safety Board, which is helping oversee the investigation.

[Todd Inman]

Our investigative team will be on scene as long as it takes in order to obtain all of the perishable evidence and all the fact finding that is needed to bring us to a conclusion of probable cause. Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again.

[Jack Spear]

The American Airlines regional jet was coming in for a landing at Reagan National Airport when it collided with a helic. Some crash victims and the plane's black box recorders have been recovered at the crash site. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. NPR has learned the director of the U.S. census Bureau is resigning. As NPR's Hansi Luang reports, the move gives President Trump an early opportunity to nominate a new director to lead the bureau during key preparations for the 2030 census.

[Hansi Luang]

Census Bureau Director Robert Santos, a Biden appointee, is cutting short a five year term as the head of the federal government's largest statistical agency. That's according to an email announcement NPR obtained from Arduro Vargas, chair of the 2030 Census Advisory Committee. The bear is currently preparing for next year's major field test for the 2030 census. The results of that headcount of the country's residents is set to be used to redistribute each state share of congressional seats, Electoral College votes and trillions in federal funding in the next decade. Santos joined the Census Bureau in 2022, about a year after the first director nominated by President Trump stepped down following whistleblower complaints about an attempt to rush the release of incomplete data on non US Citizens. Ansi Lila Wang, NPR News, Washington.

[Jack Spear]

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Faced a second hearing today in his bid to be secretary of Health and Human Services. Senators again pressing Kennedy on his views about vaccines, including comments he's made about race and childhood vaccination. Here's NPR's Will Stone.

[Angela Alsobrooks]

Senator ANGELA Also Brooks, a Democrat from Maryland, confronted Kennedy on his past claims, which are recorded that black people should have a different vaccine schedule than white.

[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]

People so what different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received?

[Angela Alsobrooks]

Kennedy did not directly answer her question. He did seem to cite research from the Mayo Clinic that was also brought up in a movie produced by the anti vaccine advocacy group Kennedy founded, which pushed the debunked claim between autism and vaccines. The author of the study at Mayo told NPR previously their research did show a more robust immune response in African Americans, but did not find evidence of increased side effects and that any claim of increased vulnerability is not supported by the science. Will Stone, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

Stocks gained ground on Wall street today. The Dow up 168 points. The Nasdaq rose 49 points. The S&P 500 climbed 31 points. You're listening to NPR. Israeli legislation banning the activities of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is now in effect. Israel accuses the agency known as UNRWA of sowing hatred.

[Aya Baltrawi]

Warmen Bureau's Aybatrawi UNRWA says its international staff left Jerusalem because Israel did not renew their visas, but that the agency had not vacated the office there despite Israel's orders. The agency says its ability to reach tens of thousands of Palestinians through its clinics and schools in Jerusalem is now at risk, but will keep operating in the occupied west bank and Gaza, where it is the largest UN Agency on the ground. The US which suspended funding to UNRWA last year, says the agency is exaggerating the effects of the Israeli legislation now in effect. Israel accused more than a dozen UNRWA employees out of some 13,000 staffers in Gaza of taking part in the deadly Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. UNRWA says more 270 employees were subsequently killed by Israel in the war in Gaza. Aya Baltrawi, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

Two NASA astronauts who've been stranded aboard the International Space Station for almost eight months took their first spacewalk today. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floating in space outside the station to do some maintenance work. The pair were initially only expected to be at the orbiting outpost for a week. However, problems with Boeing's Starliner capsule left them stranded after NASA decided to bring the capsule home empty rather than risk anything happening. They're expected to be brought home via a SpaceX flight in late March or early April. Crude oil futures prices edged up slightly today. Oil gained 11 cents a barrel to end the session at $72.73 a barrel. In New York, I'm Jack Speier, NPR News, in Washington.

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