NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-21-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

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Okay, so does this sound like you? You love NPR's podcasts, you wish you could get more of all your favorite shows, and you want to support NPR's mission to create a more informed public. If all that sounds appealing, then it is time to sign up for the NPR Plus bundle. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. President Trump capped off his first day in office signing a sweeping slate of executive actions. NPR's Ashman Khalid reports some are aimed at undoing former President Joe Biden's decisions,

but others are new. Trump signed a slew of executive actions in front of an adoring crowd at the Capital One arena in Washington, D.C. Then he made his way to the White House and signed a whole bunch more. In total, he revoked 78 executive actions previously signed by Biden. Some of his moves include pausing the ban on TikTok,

withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization, and limiting automatic birthright citizenship. We think we have very good grounds. People have wanted to do this for decades. Trump also fulfilled a campaign pledge pardoning some 1,500 people involved in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Asma Khalid, NPR News.

In a series of last-minute presidential pardons, outgoing President Biden gave one to Dr. Anthony Fauci. President Trump has called his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic a disaster, and Trump's allies have called for Fauci's prosecution, NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports. Fauci retired as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 2022. He has not been charged with any crime, but he has been the target of politicized criticism over the government's response to the pandemic, including receiving death threats.

The preemptive pardon shields Fauci from any future federal prosecution. In a statement, Fauci expressed appreciation to Biden for the pardon, especially because even the threats have created intense distress for him and his family. He reiterated that he's committed no crime and that there are no possible grounds for investigating or prosecuting him. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. As President Donald Trump assumes power in the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on Europe to spend more money on defense. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, McCrone says

the war in Ukraine is an opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call. President McCrone is focusing attention on expected changes in Washington's foreign policy, especially regarding the war in Ukraine. Trump has criticized the cost of the war in Ukraine for U.S. taxpayers and vowed to bring the conflict to a swift end. He said he wants to shift more of the burden of Ukraine onto Europe. Macron asked, what will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean, if they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific? Macron warned that Russia's war on Ukraine

would not end tomorrow or the day after, and said Europe must be ready. Eleanor Beardsley in Pure News, Paris. Ohio State is the national champs of college football. They beat Notre Dame 34-23 in Atlanta. The win gives Ohio State its ninth national championship. This is NPR. Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio is

the first member of President Trump's cabinet to be confirmed on Monday. The Senate voted unanimously to approve Rubio as Secretary of State just hours after the president was sworn in for his second term. Rubio is a staunch supporter of Israel and a longtime critic of China. The son of Cuban immigrants, he becomes the first Hispanic American to serve as the nation's top diplomat. Three Israeli hostages were released from Gaza after being held for more than 15 months. More should be freed in the coming weeks as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports.

Throughout the war, there has been little information available about how the hostages are being held, their condition, or even if they're alive. Israeli health providers have been working to come up with a plan on how to best treat them physically and mentally after they're released. Ofrit Shaper Berman is a psychotherapist who has worked with many of the previously released hostages. She says with all the media attention and celebration, it can be hard at first to tell how much they're struggling. I expect them to be in a state of euphoric shock at the beginning. And what we have experienced is that it takes time for the trauma to start showing up.

Being released, she says, is just the beginning of healing. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has died of brain cancer. She led the organization through some of its most tumultuous years and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November. I'm Dan Roan in NPR News.

What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year. Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.