NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-22-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: January 22, 2025

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Donald Trump is starting his second term as president. What will his administration do and what policies will it promote? On the NPR Politics Podcast, we'll break down what the new administration does and explain why it matters. Listen to the NPR Politics Podcast every day. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. President Trump issued pardons for nearly everyone charged in connection with the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, undoing a complex Justice Department investigation in a moment. NPR's

Kerry Johnson reports that's more than 1,500 people. 14 are linked to the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys in extremist groups who prosecutors said planned the attacks. The vast majority of people want full and complete pardons, meaning not only are they released from prison, but they get certain rights back, like voting or owning a firearm. Trump commuted or shortened the sentences of 14 other people, including Stuart Rhodes. He's the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers Group. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison. The judge said he was an ongoing threat to this country

and the very fabric of our democracy. Stuart Rhodes was released early this morning. He's been spotted outside the D.C. jail this afternoon waiting for the release of other defendants. Police officers who were injured by the rioters on that day have condemned Trump's actions, calling it a betrayal. Three Israeli hostages have arrived at a hospital in Tel Aviv to receive medical attention.

They're the first of 33 hostages to be released by Hamas in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hadil Al-Shashi reports from the hospital. Emily Demary, Rony, Gonan and Doran Steinbrecher, aged between 24 and 31, were all flown by helicopter to the Sheba Hospital outside of Tel Aviv just a couple of hours after they were released from Gaza. Doctors here said that the three women are in stable condition and their priority was to be reunited with their families. Photos of Demary showed that she had two fingers missing from one hand.

Israeli officials said her hand was wounded on October 7th when she was attacked by Hamas militants. Friends and family of the three women gathered in the hospital, some draped in Israeli flags. Bystanders cheered and danced as the ambulances carrying the women drove by. In a statement released by Demare's mother, she said that while the nightmare was over for her daughter, the wait for the other families waiting for their loved ones to come out of Gaza is still impossible.

Hadil Alshalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. A bishop has tough words for President Trump. Bishop Mary Ann Budde 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. NPR's Jason Rose reporting.

On Wall Street, all three stock market indexes posted gains on the market. This is NPR News. The political advocacy group that was formed by former President Mike Pence is calling for senators to reject the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the HHS secretary. The organization called Advancing American Freedom said Kennedy stand on a wide range of issues including being anti-vaccine, a former heroin addict, supporting marijuana and psychedelic drug legalization, as well as supporting abortion rights should be disqualifying. The organization has written a letter to 53 senators

calling for Kennedy to be rejected. The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its approval of Sovrato, it's an anti-depressant nasal spray. NPR's John Hamilton reports the drug is now cleared for use as a standalone treatment for depression. From esketamine, one of two mirror image molecules found in the anesthetic ketamine. It was approved in 2019 for use in adults with major depressive disorder who did not respond to at least two other antidepressants.

The original approval required that patients on Spravato also receive an oral antidepressant. Now the FDA says the drug can be used on its own. The decision came after a large study found that Spravato alone worked better than a placebo. In the first nine months of 2024, the drug generated sales of about seven hundred and eighty million dollars for its maker, Johnson & Johnson. John Hamilton, NPR News. The baseball writers have elected three new members to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichichi Suzuki will be joined by pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. This is NPR News. It's a new year and according to Pew, 79% of resolutions are about one thing, health. But there are so many fads around how to keep ourselves healthy. On It's Been a Minute, I'm helping you understand why some of today's biggest wellness trends are, well, trending. Like why is there protein in everything? Join me as we uncover what's healthy and what's not on the It's Been a Minute podcast

from NPR.