NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-01-2026 7PM EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

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NPR's podcast, Trump's Terms, is your source for same-day updates on big news about the Trump administration. Short, focused episodes, one topic at a time, about five minutes or so. We carry it reporting from across all of NPR's coverage, so you are always getting the biggest, most urgent stories. Listen to Trump's terms on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Dozens are dead more than one. 100 are injured after a deadly fire at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps. Many of the victims were celebrating the new year at a bar that caught fire.

Switzerland's president calls it one of the worst tragedies in the country's history. Impiers Ruth Sherlock has more. Officials say they are opening an investigation and they haven't yet identified the cause of the fire. They do say this was not a deliberate attack. Two eyewitnesses told French media that waitresses had put what they described as birthday candles in Champagne. and that had set the ceiling which is made of wood ablaze. There's a video that shows on social media and it shows flames appearing to spread across the bar. In peers Ruth Sherlock reporting, they're also investigating whether the bar was overcrowded. Mayor Zoran Mamdani was sworn in today

in New York City on a bitterly cold day with a crowd of tens of thousands. He spoke of a united New York City and pledged to serve those who voted for him and those who didn't. Empiris Kadia Riddle has more. Mayor Zoran Mamdani promised New York that he would bring them together and uphold his ambitious campaign promises for things like free buses and child care. Though he pledged to serve all New Yorkers, he emphasized his commitment to and appreciation for the city's working class. I stand alongside countless more New Yorkers watching from cramped kitchens and flushing and barbershops in East New York from cell phones propped to the dashboards of parked taxi cabs at LaGuardia.

He also seemed to reach beyond his base, saying, quote, if you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor. The city's first Muslim and Democratic socialist mayor won a decisive victory in November in an election that saw the city's highest turnout in nearly 25 years. Katie O'Riddle in PR News. President Trump's expanded travel ban is now in effect.

Empires Michelle Kellerman reports from Tel Aviv, many Palestinians will no longer be able to get a U.S. U.S. visa. The State Department says it will reject visas for anyone using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority. There are some narrow exceptions, according to a fact sheet posted online. Valid visas issued before 2006 will remain valid, and some Palestinian diplomats and athletes may be exempted. Liberal Jewish organizations in the U.S. have been urging the Trump administration to reverse a move that they say will delegitimize the Palestinian Authority and undermine diplomacy. The U.S. blocked the Palestinian Authority President from attending

the U.N. General Assembly last year. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Wall Street was closed today in observance of New Year's. U.S. futures contracts are trading higher at last check. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Jim Beam is halting production at its flagship plant in Kentucky for all of 2026. As NPR's Ava Pukatch reports, industry analysts say tariffs and changes in people's drinking habits influence the pause. Jim Beam says it will invest in site enhancements at the Claremont Flagship Facility during the production pause. The company will continue to distill it to other sites in Kentucky. Sierra Enloe is a Kentucky-based economic

development consultant. She says there's uncertainty in the global market for bourbon and other distilleries have halted production intermittently because of that. Beam isn't unique. It truly is an industry trend where we're seeing that this uncertainty is leading to a pause in economic activity. Americans are drinking less overall and bourbon exports have faced a trade battle with some countries like Canada souring on the product altogether. Abe Pukatch and PR News. Minimum wage hikes take effect in 19 states today. Hawaii workers will see the biggest hike in their hourly pay up $2 to $16 an hour. The pay raises effect more than 8 million workers.

Other states that increase the minimum wage include Arizona, California, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York. Washington State now has the highest minimum wage at $17.13 an hour. The federal minimum wage still stands at $7.25 in a hour. hour, and it's been at that level since 2009. Minimum wage levels for states vary. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News.