NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-21-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Eighteen Democratic state attorneys general say they will fight in court to overturn President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. NPR's Brian Mem reports a case is expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Trump signed an executive order limiting citizenship for babies born to migrants and others in the U.S. without legal status or in the country temporarily. New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew Plattgen, a Democrat, said the order violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

We are a state of immigrants. Millions of people in our state have obtained their citizenship through birthright citizenship, and it is enshrined in our constitution for a reason. State AGs in California, Washington and more than a dozen other states are also suing to block Trump's executive order and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a separate lawsuit. This legal fight is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration aimed at pushing millions of migrants in the country illegally out of the U.S. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York.

TikTok may have a reprieve but its fate is still in limbo. NPR's Bobby Allen says legal experts say Trump's executive action to keep the widely popular app in business for 75 days does not change the ban Congress passed. Legal experts say Trump's executive order tells TikTok's business partners, don't worry about the law, nobody will prosecute you.

But Apple and Google have not returned TikTok to mobile app stores. That's because the law mandates TikTok separate from China. Supporting the app before then could mean billions of dollars in fines. Web hosting companies like Oracle have brought TikTok back online in the United States based on Trump's promise the law won't be enforced. Here's the University of Washington's Ryan Kaelow. And I think that they have decided to take that risk. But I don't think there's really much that can insulate them from, for example, a shareholder lawsuit.

Trump says he wants to cut a deal for TikTok to be sold, but the details remain fuzzy. Bobby Allen, NPR News. The Deep South is under historic blizzard warnings. For the first time in more than three years, Houston, Texas is blanketed in snow with freezing temperatures expected over the next several days. Jack Williams from Houston Public Media reports, unlike the storm in 2021, widespread power outages are not an issue so far. 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. This is NPR News. Snow's blanketing southeast Louisiana.

Images showing snow-covered slick roads in New Orleans where the National Weather Service projected anywhere from 4 to 7 inches. Oh, some New Orleans residents now want the tourist-heavy Bourbon Street to be pedestrian-only 24-7. Following a deadly truck attack in the early hours of New Year's Day, Matt Bloom with member station WWNO has details. An online petition in favor of the idea now has over 5,000 signatures. You know, obviously it doesn't prevent everything from happening.

Chris Olsen is a French quarter resident who started the campaign. He says patrons of the streets, bars, and music venues are still vulnerable to similar attacks, and the city needs a more radical safety fix ahead of next month's Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. They definitely would be a huge step in the right direction. In the past, business groups have rallied against it, saying it limits delivery times.

But in the wake of the attack that killed 14 people, he says there's been no vocal opposition to his idea. For NPR News, I'm Matt Bloom in New Orleans. The trial for Prince Harry's lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British tabloids was supposed to start today, but last-minute settlement talks have delayed it. Harry had previously vowed to take News Group newspapers to trial for alleged unlawful phone hacks and snooping. It's part of his broader mission to hold tabloids to account, citing his mother Princess Diana's 1997 failed car crash while fleeing from paparazzi and the tabloid press's impact on his wife,

Megan. It's NPR News.