NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-19-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: January 19, 2025

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Donald Trump promised to change Washington, D.C., a place where there's an old saying that personnel is policy. That's why we have created a new podcast called Trump's Terms, where you can follow NPR's coverage of the incoming Trump administration, from his cabinet secretaries to political advisors and top military leaders, to understand who they are, what they believe, and how they'll govern. Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. While the initial deadline has passed,

Palestinians and Israelis are still anticipating a long-awaited ceasefire to come into effect in Gaza sometime this morning, bringing to a pause, a war that's killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israeli soldiers. But NPR's Ayah Batraoui reports there's uncertainty about the timing of the ceasefire starts. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are waking up to quiet skies without the roar of Israeli

fighter jets and bombs overhead that have devastated the territory. And Israelis expect to welcome home three hostages today, the first of several who will be freed from Gaza as this complex deal between Israel and Hamas rolls out in the coming weeks. But in a sign of how fragile the deal is, Israel reported a delay in receiving the names of hostages to be freed by Hamas, which jeopardized the start of the ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces backlash over the deal from hardliners in his coalition.

In televised remarks last night, he emphasized the ceasefire is temporary and said Israel has the right to resume combat if the second phase of talks are ineffectual. Ayyab El-Trawi, MPR News, Dubai. President-elect Donald Trump says he'll likely give the video app TikTok 90 more days to work out a sale to a non-Chinese-owned business. TikTok turned off its service to the U.S. overnight in order to comply with that law. A federal law bans the app unless it's sold to a non-Chinese owner. The government has argued that having a Chinese owner makes the popular app a potential security threat in the U.S. TikTok users, meanwhile, are flocking to xiao hong shu,

which is a popular Chinese app, also known as Red Note in English. The surge has made it the most downloaded free app on Apple's App Store. NPR's Owensao tells us what's behind the trend. TikTok users are making new friends on Red Note, an app primarily used by people in China until now. Many frame their move as a protest against the U.S. government's potential TikTok ban and a statement of their freedom of speech, ironically by choosing to share their data with another Chinese platform. The sudden influx of American users has created unprecedented direct communication between

citizens from the two countries, building bridges. But experts warn that the app operates under China's Internet regulations and censorship, which may not meet the expectations of its American users. Al Wenzhao, NPR News, Beijing. Some 7,800 National Guardsmen are in Washington, D.C. to help with the security for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. Major General John Andane says they're ready for the big events. I have never felt more confident about our security posture.

We've been working with our law enforcement partners for well over a year on this. events. You're listening to NPR News. With only days to go before the deadline, most liberals wishing to replace Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have now declared their intentions. But as Dan Karpanchuk reports, for now it appears that it will be a two-person race. Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney launched his leadership bid a couple of days ago promising to get Canada's economy back on track. He's presenting himself as an outsider who is not part of the Trudeau government. Saturday, former Finance Minister Christy Freeland announced her bid, releasing a campaign

video describing herself as an experienced politician and tough negotiator who can take on incoming President Donald Trump. But all the candidates share a common challenge, trying to distance themselves from the unpopular Trudeau. And they also face the challenge of convincing voters they can rejuvenate the ailing Liberal Party brand. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpanchuk in Toronto. Dozens of supporters have impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol broke into

a court in Seoul on Sunday local time where they destroyed the main doors and windows. The demonstration came after Yoon was formally arrested by police. He now faces possible imprisonment over his declaration of martial law last month. More than 80 demonstrators were also arrested. At least 70 people have died in Nigeria after a gasoline tanker exploded there. Seventy people have died in Nigeria after a gasoline tanker exploded there. Officials say people were attempting to transfer gasoline to another truck while using a generator when the blast took place. The accident occurred early Saturday in the central region of Nigeria. Those people who were transferring the gas were killed along with a number of bystanders.

I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Lately on the NPR News.