NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-20-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 20, 2025

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Hey, it's Robin Hilton from NPR Music. Many years ago, I helped start the Tiny Desk Concert Series. Right now, NPR is looking for the next great undiscovered musician to perform behind the famous desk. Think you've got what it takes? Submit a video of you playing an original song to the Tiny Desk Contest by February 10th. Find out more and see the official rules at npr.org slash tiny desk contest. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.

The Gaza ceasefire is continuing to hold at this hour. Israel has released some 90 Palestinian prisoners that came after three hostages held by Hamas were turned over to Israeli authorities. Israeli Defense Force spokesperson Peter Lerner says the freed hostages now have a lot of work ahead of them. We have reunited the three hostages with their families. They're undergoing initial medical checks just to see their condition and they will be transferred to a further medical examination later on.

More than 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid are moving into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of fighting. Russia says its forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine, humanitarian aid are moving into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of fighting. Russia says its forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine, where they've taken two settlements in the Donetsk region. The claim comes amid an increase in fighting, as both Ukraine and Russia prepare for the incoming Trump administration and possible peace talks. For Moscow NPR's Charles Maines reports.

The Donetsk region is just one of several territories of Ukraine that Russia claims to annex but does not fully control. Forcing Ukraine to cede the land and give up its NATO ambitions now appear the Kremlin's key objectives in any future negotiations. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces still hold a swath of territory in Russia's Kursk region, widely seen as among Kiev's bargaining chips in any ceasefire talks. But that's provided they can hold it. Russia claims to have now retaken 60 percent of the occupied land in Kursk.

Russian authorities on Sunday also announced a criminal investigation into claims Russian civilians had been killed by occupying Ukrainian forces, a charge that could not be independently confirmed. Charles Maynes, NPR News, Moscow. And as of today, TikTok is back. President-elect Donald Trump says he's going to help TikTok to stay in the U.S. The video app went dark for a few hours on Sunday before coming back online after Trump's statements of support.

The social media platform's fate in the U.S. has been uncertain since the federal ban on that app took effect yesterday. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has more. Trump said in a Sunday social media post and again at a rally in Washington, D.C. that he wants to keep the app functioning in the U.S. Lawmakers passed a ban on the app last year, fearing that its Chinese parent company might collect information on American users. Trump proposed letting the app operate, but with the U.S. government taking a stake in

it. So I said, I'll approve, but let the United States of America own 50% of TikTok. I'm approving on behalf of the United States. Trump has provided no details on how this would work. This is a reversal from 2020 when, as president, Trump attempted to ban the platform. Danielle Kurzleben, NPR News. People who are living in a region spreading from the northern plains to the tip of Maine will be getting dangerously low temperatures for the next few days. Winter storm warnings, meanwhile, are in effect for parts of the mid-Atlantic and eastern

coasts. You're listening to NPR News. The National Weather Service is warning of a dangerous situation for parts of southern California this week as high winds are expected for the next two days. The winds combined with low humidity will drastically increase the fire risk in the area. Gusts up to 60 miles an hour are also expected for San Diego and surrounding areas. Canada's internal trade minister says if Donald Trump

follows through on his terror threat, Canada could retaliate with the single largest trade blow to the U.S. As Dan Karpanchuk reports, Anita Anand says Canada is ready to take on Trump immediately. Anand says retaliatory measures are ready and will be unveiled on Monday when and if Trump slaps a 25 percent tariff on Canadian products. She's echoed what other cabinet ministers and nearly all provincial premiers have said that Canada will use all the tools it has to ensure that Canadian workers and industry are protected. Trump has praised the use of tariffs but economic experts are warning that his threat would have devastating effects on both economies especially if there is a trade war, the biggest between

Canada and the US inS. in decades. Anand also acknowledges that Ottawa still does not have any information about what Trump will do, but she says Canada has planned multiple rounds of counter tariffs, which it will not hesitate to use. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpanchuk in Toronto. Sepp Straka of Austria won his third career PGA Tour victory on Sunday, taking the California event with the final round of 70.

He finished two strokes ahead of Justin Thomas. He started the day at the Coachella Valley course with a four-stroke lead. He did not have a bogey for the whole tournament until he carted two of them on the final nine holes. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Since the beginning of women's sports, there's been a struggle to define who qualifies for I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.