NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-02-2026 12PM EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Investigators believe they have found the cause of the New Year's party fire at a Swiss Alps resort bar, sparklers. Top prosecutor, Beatrice P.U., updated reporters a short time ago as heard here through an interpreter. Everything leads us to believe that the fire began from candles or sparklers, that were put on champagne bottles and all of this was placed too closely to the roof or the ceiling rather

and that's when there was a flashover that took place in this establishment. Local authorities estimate 40 deaths and more than 100 people injured. Investigators are still working to identify deceased victims. At least seven protesters have been killed in Iran as tensions mount over the country's economic collapse.

NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, President Trump says the United States will come to the rescue of Iranian citizens unless the violence stops. In a post on truth social, President Trump warns Iran that, quote, we are locked and loaded and ready to go if Iran kills peaceful protesters. Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of stoking the protest. Ali Larajani, who's on Iran's National Security Council, writes on X that the American people should know that Trump started this adventurism. The Trump administration carried out a massive bombing campaign of Iran's nuclear sites last year, and Israel is now sounding the alarm about Iran's ballistic missile program, a topic Israel's prime minister raised with Trump earlier this week. The protests in Iran are about the economy and the collapsing currency. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. The Trump administration is freezing federal support for child care programs across the U.S.

because of concerns about fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars. Policy change followed the posting of a video on social media by right-wing influencer. More from NPR's Brian Mann. Last week, a 23-year-old MAGA-linked activist posted a video to YouTube, claiming he had found evidence that child care centers run by Somali Americans in Minnesota were cheating the federal government. Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill then posted a video saying child care funds nationwide will be released only when states prove they're being spent legitimately.

Starting today, we require a justification, receipt, or photo evidence before we make a payment. This disruption will affect hundreds of thousands of children in low-income families in all 50 states. NPR asked the Department of Health and Human Services press office if they found concrete evidence of serious or widespread wrongdoing, they've not responded. Brian Mann, NPR News. It's NPR. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has struck central in southern Mexico. It sent people in Acapulco and other areas running into the street.

The Tumblr even disrupted Mexican press in Clavier Seimbaum's first press briefing of 2026. The event set off alarms, prompting her enough. others to quickly evacuate. There have been reports of landslides, no immediate word of injuries or damage. Hollywood finished strong at the box office in 2025, led by the Disney sequels, Avatar, Fire, and Ash, and Sutopia, too. And P.R.'s Bob Mondella reports that it was a mixed year overall. In some senses, the year felt like a sequel, same story, slightly revised. For the third year running. The industry's year-end box office total came in just below $9 billion. The biggest blockbusters were primarily remakes and sequels, and PG-rated films aimed at families continue

to do better than any other genre. It's the wicked witch. 2025's film took in a combined $8.87 billion in North American cinemas. Holidays, including a terrific Christmas season, did relatively well, but cinemas sat mostly empty other times of the year, including through one of the worst octobers in a decade. That has cinema owners experimenting with alternative attractions like the two-hour Stranger Things finale, which sold more than 1.1 million tickets over the holidays. Bob Mandello, NPR News. The Dow is up, 84 points. This is NPR.