NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-16-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

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This message comes from NPR sponsor Paramount Pictures' new film, September 5. Based on the true story of reporters covering the Munich Olympics, when the unthinkable happens, four outsiders will report from the inside, now playing in select theaters everywhere January 17. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he expects a ceasefire deal for Gaza to go into effect Sunday as planned, despite some last-minute glitches. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports that Blinken gave a final news conference at the State Department where he was interrupted by protests. Secretary Blinken says the outgoing Biden team will work until the last minute to make sure the ceasefire and hostage deal that they've been working on since last May

gets started this weekend. It's not exactly surprising that in a process and a negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraud, you may get a loose end. We're tying up that loose end as we speak. Blinken was interrupted twice by protests. Criminal! Why aren't you in the hang? One man, Sam Husseini, was carried out of the briefing room accusing Blinken of supporting a genocide. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department.

The visionary filmmaker David Lynch has died. He was 78 years old. His family announced the director's death today in a Facebook post. Lynch's sinister, surreal vision of America made him a leading counter-cultural tour in the 1980s and 90s. Kyle Norris reports Lynch will be remembered for his surreal style of storytelling. David Lynch told American stories that were dreamlike and dark. His 1990s TV series Twin Peaks was about a murdered prom queen. His films included Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, and Mulholland Drive.

Lynch told NPR in 2007 he followed one rule. Stay true to your own voice. That seems to be the best you can do. In the early 1980s, Lynch wrote and directed a version of Dune. Lynch did not get the final cut in his contract and hated the end result. David Lynch said he learned the hard way to always have creative control. For NPR News, I'm Kyle Norris. Senate Democrats are making another push this hour to extend the deadline that would ban the popular video sharing app, TikTok. The bipartisan law takes effect on Sunday.

Here's NPR's Windsor Johnston. Senator Ed Markey says he and other Democrats have sent President Biden a letter asking him to extend the deadline by 90 days. TikTok has become an integral part of our lives. And to put that in perspective, that TikTok user base exceeds the Super Bowl's viewing audience by 50%. That's how many people use TikTok. Supporters of the ban say that the Chinese-owned site poses a threat to national security. Opponents argue the ban would violate free speech rights.

TikTok is facing a January 19th deadline to be sold or cease to operate in the U.S. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR. Five college students linked to the catch- predator trend on TikTok are all pleading not guilty to conspiracy and kidnapping charges. The 18 and 19-year-old defendants attend Assumption University, a Roman Catholic school in Massachusetts. Police say the group plotted to lure a 22-year-old man, an active duty military service member, to their campus through a dating app, seized him and proceeded to call him a pedophile.

Police say they have found no evidence that the man is a sexual predator. Eating red meat in larger quantities, especially processed meats, raises the risks for dementia and cognitive decline. NPR's Maria Godoy reports that's according to a new study in the journal Neurology. The study involved more than 133,000 people who were followed for four decades, starting in their late 40s. The researchers had detailed health information on participants, including their typical diets. They found that people who ate three-fourths of an ounce of processed red meat or more

per day—that's roughly equivalent to two slices of bacon, they had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate a minimal amount. Higher consumption of processed red meats was also linked to an accelerated rate of cognitive aging. Meanwhile, replacing one serving of red meat per day with nuts and legumes was linked to a 19% lower risk of dementia. Maria Godoy, NPR News. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 29 points at last check at 43,192.

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