NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-04-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

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The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you. Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation. So as a new administration promises action on the cost of living, taxes, and home prices, The S&P 500 biggest post-election day spike ever. Follow all the big changes and what they mean for you. Make America affordable again. Listen to The Indicator, the daily economics podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.

The New York judge who presided over President-elect Donald Trump's hush money case says Trump will likely face no penalties, but the judge has now set a date for sentencing. As NPR's Jimena Bustillo reports, that date will be just 10 days before Trump is sworn in as president for a second time. New York judge Juan Marchand ordered the sentencing hearing to take place on January 10th. In his order, Mershon said he will not be sentencing Trump to jail, a possibility legal scholars have long said was unlikely. Still, he said that because Trump does not have presidential immunity in this case, and

the jury had delivered its verdict after weighing testimony and evidence, a sentence should be served ahead of Trump's inauguration. Trump's legal team spent months attempting to dismiss the case altogether and argued that he had presidential immunity. Last month, Murchon denied the immunity. If Trump is not sentenced before inauguration, Murchon says it may have to wait until Trump is out of office. Ximena Bustillo, NPR News, New York.

Federal agencies and local police will be on alert over the next few weeks to the nation's capital as that city prepares for two major events, the certification of the presidential electoral vote and the state funeral for former president Jimmy Carter. David Sundberg is the assistant director in charge of the FBI field office in Washington. He says that the alert is prudent. At this time, we are not tracking any credible or specific threats associated with these events.

That being said, we are certainly operating in a heightened threat environment, especially given the incidents in both New Orleans and in Las Vegas on January 1st. At this time, we have no information indicating a local threat associated with either of those incidents. The National Guard will also be providing support for both the vote counting and for Carter's state funeral. Today, President Joe Biden honored seven U.S. Army veterans with the Medal of Honor. As NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, they were recognized for their heroism during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Five of the recipients were killed in battle. Another Korean War veteran, Richard Cavazos,

died later as the first Hispanic four-star general for the Army. Only Specialist First Class Ken David, who drew fire away from his injured comrades in Vietnam so they could get medical aid, was at the White House to receive the medal from President Biden. Ken, I want to say to you that I wish I could say to every man we're honoring today, you're a hero, a genuine hero, flat-out, out straight up American hero, and we owe you. Biden called the Medal of Honor ceremony the most solemn occasion he's had the honor to participate in as Commander in Chief. Franco Ordoñez, NPR News, The White House. Stocks closed up on Friday.

You're listening to NPR News. The President of Honduras is facing criticism at home after comments this week about the U.S. In a New Year's Day speech, Hilda Castro threatened to stop cooperation with the U.S. military if President-elect Donald Trump begins mass deportations of immigrants. The U.S. military has had a strong presence in that country for many years. Her political opposition says her comments put Honduras in grave danger. The endangered orca that made headlines six years ago for carrying her dead baby

a thousand miles has been spotted in Washington State waters carrying another dead calf on her nose. John Ryan from Member Station KUOW in Seattle reports. When a wildlife population is just 74 animals, every birth or death can be a big deal for its survival. So whale lovers celebrated when two newborns joined the Northwest's endangered population of orcas in December. But by New Year's Eve, one of the calves was dead and being pushed around by her mother in an apparent tour of grief.

Half the Northwest's salmon-eating orcas don't live to their first birthday. Researchers blame dwindling stocks of salmon, the orcas' main food, as well as pollution and underwater noise. The orcas' population today is about 15 percent lower than when they gained endangered species protection 20 years ago. For NPR News, I'm John Ryan in Seattle. John Ryan Officials with the college football playoffs say they will not swap the kickoff dates for the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl. The Southeast Ryan in Seattle.