NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-21-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. President Trump has signed scores of executive orders and actions in his first day in office. He's pardoned more than 1,500 people charged and convicted in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol four years ago. NPR's Tom Driesbach reports Trump's action overturns the prison sentence for every defendant who attacked police on that day. On January 6th, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol, some using weapons like pepper spray, a stun gun, a hockey stick, and stolen riot batons that they used

to attack and beat police officers. More than 100 officers were injured. Following the insurrection, the Justice Department brought charges against more than 1,500 people. Now, Trump has given nearly all of those defendants an unconditional pardon, except for just 14 who are getting commutations. That smaller group will be released from prison, but still have a felony on their records. Trump said the January 6th defendants had been treated horribly, though most of them pleaded guilty. Tom Dreisbach, NPR News. Trump has also declared a national emergency at the southern U.S. border. NPR's Windsor

Johnston reports many of his moves are in line with campaign promises. Trump wasted no time implementing the conservative agenda that he's repeatedly promised. Tim Naftali is a senior research scholar at Columbia University. He says the executive actions are meant to be seen as a major flex of presidential power. It's a very dramatic way of achieving the goal. The first day in power he would demonstrate his control of the government and be the public's dictator if you will. That I think is the theater that he's seeking. Naftali says how the executive actions will

take shape will depend on the nature of the orders. He says many of them will be met with legal challenges, including the ones that relate to border security and immigration. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. One Trump action seeks to cancel birthright citizenship, but that is protected by the U.S. Constitution. The ACLU is suing

over the issue. Former Florida Senator Marco Rubio is now the U.S. Secretary of State. He was sworn into office this morning by Vice President Vance. Rubio says his work as the nation's top diplomat is clear. President Trump's made it very clear everything we do, and this is true in government but especially at the Department of State, everything we do must be justified by the answer to one of three questions. Does it make us stronger? Does it make us safer? And does it make us more prosperous? If it doesn't do one of those three things, we will not do it. Meanwhile, Trump's nominee to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, New York

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, is appearing for her Senate confirmation hearing this morning. Separately, Trump's nominee to be defense secretary has won a Senate committee's approval. Pete Hegsett's nomination has been advanced on a party line vote to the full Senate. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Israel's prime minister says his country's military is conducting a major raid in the occupied West Bank to combat terrorism. Palestinian officials in the West Bank say at least six Palestinians have been killed. This comes as a ceasefire continues to hold in the separate enclave of Gaza.

There's a massive storm underway in the south. Winter storm warnings stretch from the southern point of Texas to North Carolina. There are blizzard warnings posted on the Gulf Coast from eastern Texas to Louisiana, not far from New Orleans. Houston is blanketed in snow. Houston Public Radio's Jack Williams reports freezing temperatures are expected for days. The last time Houston saw snow was in early 2021, when more than 200 people died across the state when power went out in many places.

Roads are covered in snow and local schools are closed. Houston Mayor John Whitmire says residents should stay put. This is a serious arctic blast. It's dangerous. It's life threatening. Warming centers are open across the city and most businesses have told employees to stay home. Both of Houston's two big airports are closed.

More than 3,000 power company workers are staged to deal with any major outages. For NPR News, I'm Jack Williams in Houston. There are two new wildfires that broke out overnight in Southern California, north of San Diego. The Lilac fire has already burned at least 80 acres, the Palo fire has scorched at least 17 acres, both have triggered evacuations, and they're both fueled by winds that forecasters say could gust up to 70 miles per hour today. This is NPR.