NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-21-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

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The indicator from Planet Money is diving into the world of batteries. Not the kind you buy at the grocery store. We're talking really big batteries, the kind that can power thousands of homes. This technology came seemingly out of nowhere. We're digging deep into the battery industry in three back-to-back episodes. Listen to the indicator from Planet Money podcast on NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova 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 Dreisbach 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 taken a number of actions on border security and immigration. He overturned a program used by the Biden administration to temporarily let more than half a million migrants enter the US. NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran has more. The humanitarian parole program has allowed Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to apply for entry from their countries due to humanitarian reasons. Since its launch two years ago, more

than 531,000 people have been granted temporary stay, according to the HS. The majority have come from Haiti. In an executive order signed Monday evening, Trump instructed the Department of Homeland Security to terminate the program. It has been credited as one of the reasons unlawful crossings at the US-Mexico border from migrants from those countries have gone drastically down. It's unclear what will happen with the hundreds of thousands of people currently living with humanitarian parole. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Washington. Trump also declared a national energy emergency. It's not quite clear what steps he'll specifically take under this executive action.

But NPR's Kamila Domenosky says it could give Trump surprising latitude. In truth, this is partly symbolic. This is a way of saying that energy is the big priority. But it is also material. Emergencies do give the president new authorities. This executive action mentioned some provisions in the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act that are designed for crisis situations. And Piers Kamila Dominovski reporting. And President Trump has issued directions to his

administration to look at why the US has trade deficits with other nations. He did not impose any tariffs but but speaking to reporters, Trump said he would impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting on February 1st. Both countries have indicated they would be prepared to issue retaliatory tariffs. A trade war could drive prices in the U.S. higher. You're listening to NPR. Israeli forces have begun a new operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian authorities say at least six Palestinians

were killed in a strike and 35 wounded. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports from the West Bank the violence comes in the first few days of a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called it a quote, significant military operation to combat terrorism. It said the name of the operation is Iron Wall and the goal was to quote, strengthen security in the West Bank. Jenin has long been a militant stronghold and the focus of many Israeli military raids since the war in Gaza began.

Many Palestinians here worry that the Israeli military may shift focus over to the West Bank now that there's a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, dozens of Israeli settlers wearing masks burned and damaged property in a Palestinian village over the weekend, according to a statement from the Israeli military. The military says it was deployed to disperse the attacks. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Ramallah. The rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban, say they've released two Americans in a prisoner exchange. They released Ryan Corbett, detained in 2021 while in Afghanistan on a business trip. The identity of the second American has not been announced.

The U.S. has released an Afghan serving a life term for drunk convictions. A major winter storm is hitting the southern U.S. From the Texas Gulf Coast to South Carolina, airports in Houston are closed, the Texas City and other areas are digging out from snow and ice. Separately, the National Weather Service has issued extreme cold warnings. These reach from the Dakotas to Texas. In northern states, wind chill values will fall well below zero. This is NPR News.

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