NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-02-2026 8PM EST

Episode Date: January 3, 2026

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Dozens of aid groups as well as Arab and European countries are urging Israel to reverse a ban on humanitarian organizations in Gaza. The Israeli suspended the registration of 37 aid groups, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. Israel says the groups failed to meet new registration requirements, which include providing to the Israeli government the names of all the Palestinians working for them. The aid groups will have to cease operations in the coming weeks in Gaza, the West Bank, and in East Jerusalem. Dozens of aid groups warn in a letter that the humanitarian needs are still extreme in Gaza, where winter storms have displeased.

tens of thousands of Palestinians. In the West Bank, the aid groups write, quote, ongoing military raids and settler violence continue to drive displacement. Similar concerns are raised in a letter from the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt, among others. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. The Trump administration is pausing the processing of immigration applications from 39 countries. MPa Semena Bustillo reports, the list includes those with partial or full travel restrictions to the U.S. Last month, the Trump administration expanded the list of countries with complete or partial limits on travel to the United States from 19 countries to 39.

Those restrictions became effective on January 1st. Then the Homeland Security Department announced in a memo this week that it would pause reviewing all pending applications for things like green card citizenship and asylum from immigrants of those countries. The agency also plans to re-review approved applications. from immigrants of these countries, potentially going as far back as 2021. Jimenez-Bustillo, NPR News, Washington. 2026 is likely to be a big year in American politics because it's an election year,

and control of Congress could change as voters worry about the cost of living. And Pierce Domenico Montanaro has more. Republicans' control of the House is hanging on by just a really very thin thread here. 2025 electorally was really not good for the GOP. They saw big losses in special elections. and in those November off-year elections, there have been a record number of congressional retirements. Trump's approval rating is at or near the lowest point of his second term. You know, and all of those are signs of a potential blue wave.

And Pierce Domenico Montanaro reporting. A Virginia man suspected of planting two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters in Washington, D.C., the night before the deadly January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol has been ordered held in jail until his trial. A magistrate judge says Brian Cole Jr. is a danger to the community. His lawyer denies that, saying he suffers from mental health issues, is employed and has no criminal background. This list than a week after federal prosecutors say he confessed to planting the bombs, which never exploded. This is NPR. President Trump and top Iranian officials are trading threats. After Trump said on social media that if Iran kills peaceful protesters, the U.S. will come to their rescue, saying the U.S. is, quote, locked. ready to go. Ali Liarjani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, says the U.S. was stoking the demonstrations. The protests now in their sixth day have grown over recent days over Iran's failing economy sparking anti-government chance. At least seven people have been

killed in the violence. Tesla has lost its title as the world's top seller of electric vehicles. Empires Maria Aspen reports shares in Elon Musk's car company fell nearly 2% today. Tesla's sales have been dropping for the past two years, and now a Chinese competitor has pulled ahead. China's BYD says it sold more than 2.2 million electric vehicles last year, easily overtaking Tesla's 1.6 million cars. Tesla's CEO Elon Musk thrust himself into U.S. politics in the last few years, but the consequences appear to have hurt his company. Musk oversaw many of President Trump's sweeping cuts to the federal government last year, leading to customer boycotts and protests before he fell out with the White House.

Later in 2025, Trump's tax and spending law ended federal subsidies for electric vehicles, further hurting Tesla sales. Maria Aspen, NPR News. Wall Street, end of the day in mixed territory, the Dow up 319 points, the NASDAQ, down six. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get Wise.

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