NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-21-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: January 22, 2025

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President Trump is back in Washington, pursuing major policy changes on his own terms. We know from the past that means challenging precedent, busting norms, and pushing against the status quo. NPR is covering it all with Trump's Terms, a podcast where we curate stories about the 47th president with a focus on how he is upending the way Washington works. Listen to Trump's Term terms from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The nation's artificial intelligence infrastructure is apparently getting a massive multi-billion dollar boost.

President Donald Trump today announcing investments in a new entity that will be dubbed Stargate, which he says will lead to a burst of jobs creation. A new American company that will invest dubbed Stargate, which he says will lead to a burst of jobs creation. A new American company that will invest $500 billion at least in AI infrastructure in the United States and very, very quickly moving very rapidly, creating over 100,000 American jobs almost immediately. Top executives from Oracle, OpenAI and SoftBank joined Trump to make the announcement saying they'll start building out projects for the fast evolving AI industry in Texas. The CEOs say the massive investment in AI infrastructure

could jumpstart creation of new drugs, treat cancer and other diseases. During a prayer service at the National Cathedral today, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington took to task the president for several of his administration stances. The Bar Association to Rose reports Donald Trump and JD Vance attended the service. Bishop Mary Ann Buddy addressed Donald Trump directly,

asking him to have mercy on people who are scared because of his policies. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives. But he also told the president that the vast majority of non-citizens are not criminals, that they pay taxes, and that they're faithful members of houses of worship. After the service, Republican U.S. Representative Mike Collins from Georgia posted on social media that the Episcopal bishop should, quote, be added to the deportation list.

Jason DeRose, NPR News. Federal immigration officials can now enter schools, health care facilities and places of worship to conduct arrests. That's according to a new memo issued by Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Hoffman, Directive Recins of Biden-era rule that created protected areas. President Donald Trump is tasking his administration to find ways to reroute more Northern California water to southern parts sections of the state as with David Romaro from Member Station KQED reports. In an executive action issued Monday, Trump claims that California wastes an enormous amount of

water by letting it flow into the ocean. He cites wildfires in Southern California as evidence the region needs more water. Water policy experts say that's not true. Jay Lund is a civil and environmental engineering professor at UC Davis. He says the action is about Trump needing to complain about California. It's a lot of these water fights that play out at the federal level. I really like food fights in a cafeteria. There's really not a lot of good productive thinking or action that comes out of them. Trump's administration has 90 days to submit a report and potential recommendations. Lund says any new plans will likely get tied up in years of litigation. For NPR News, I'm Ezra David Romero in San Francisco. You're listening to NPR News.

As the World Economic Forum gets underway and Davos Switzerland participants are getting You're listening to NPR News. As the World Economic Forum gets underway in Davos, Switzerland, participants are getting something to talk about in terms of proposed policy from the incoming Trump administration. Trump among other things has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen defended the Paris climate talks after Trump ordered the U.S. pullout, also likely to be discussed at the first full day of Davos, energy trade, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

There are three new members of the baseball hall of fame tonight. One of them got a nearly unanimous vote, Ashura Suzuki, the former Seattle Mariners great, Northman Bureaus' Becky Sullivan. Ichiro Suzuki played for nearly 20 years in the major leagues, all of them after becoming a star in his home nation of Japan. He came to Seattle in 2001 and went on to be an all-star 10 times before he retired in front of an emotional crowd

in Tokyo in 2019. He's the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of the hundreds of ballots that were cast, Suzuki was selected on 99.7% of them. In other words, only one voter declined to include him. Also selected was pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who won a Cy Young Award with Cleveland in 2007 and a World Series ring with the Yankees in 2009. And after nine years of not getting enough votes to make the haul, the dominant

closing pitcher, Billy Wagner, is finally in. Becky Sullivan in PR News. It's a first in terms of how to pay for your flight, discount carrier JetBlue. It's not the popularity of payment platforms as it will become the first airline to accept Venmo. Comes as the carriers been searching for new revenue streams and other airlines have increased their own budget offerings. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.