NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-22-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: January 22, 2025

NPR News: 01-22-2025 5AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. Federal immigration officials can now enter schools, health care facilities, and places of worship in the U.S. to conduct arrests. That's according to a new memo issued by President Trump's acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Benjamin Huffman. The directive rescinds a guideline from the Biden administration that created protected areas to include places where children gather and disaster relief sites. President Trump's nominee to be defense secretary is facing more allegations of misconduct. In a sworn statement to the Senate, the former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth accuses him of being abusive to his second wife. NPR's Luke Garrett reports.

Danielle Hegseth, the former wife of Hegseth's brother, says the defense secretary nominee quote has an alcohol problem and was abusive to his ex-wife. In her affidavit reviewed by NPR News, she says at times Hegseth's second wife hid in a closet from him out of fear. Danielle Hegseth submitted the affidavit in response to a request from Democratic Senator Jack Reid of Rhode Island. The ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee called the affidavit, quote, disturbing and potentially disqualifying. On Monday, the committee endorsed Pete Hegseth's nomination along party lines, paving the way

for a vote in the full Senate. A lawyer for Hegseth dismissed these allegations to NBC News. NPR has requested comment from Hegseth. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. President Trump's pick to be the U.S. ambassador to the UN says if confirmed by the Senate, she will push Trump's America First agenda at the UN. Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York also says she will review U.S. funding of U.N. agencies, as NPR's Michelle Kalman reports. Even before Elise Stefanik appeared at her confirmation hearing, President Trump signed

an executive order pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization. Stefanik says the Trump administration will review all funding at U.N. agencies. Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, anti-Semitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption, or terrorism. If confirmed, she said she would work to counter China's influence at the UN and defend Israel. She even sided with far-right Israeli politicians who claim Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank, the occupied Palestinian territory.

Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. States of emergency are in effect from Louisiana to Florida because of accumulations of snow and ice not seen in the southern U.S. in years. New Orleans got hit with nearly 10 inches of snow yesterday. Mobile, Alabama received more than five inches. In Houston, the storm dumped four inches of snow. Many school systems are closed today. Airlines are hoping to resume normal flight operations. This is NPR News. The last surviving member of the band has died. Garth Hudson was 87 years old. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento looks back at the career of the Canadian musician.

Garth Hudson played keyboard and saxophone, but it was his way of playing the laurie organ and the clavinet as leading instruments that gave the band its signature churchy, post-psychedelic sound. Take a load off, Benny! The band got their start as the backing instrumentalists for Ronnie Hawkins and, famously, Bob Dylan. But in 1968, they broke out with their debut solo album, Music from Big Pink. After their official dissolution in 1976, Hudson continued playing with different iterations of the band for decades. He gave his first public performance in years in 2023 at a house concert in upstate New York. Writer Harry Hugh told NPR that Hudson, quote, never lost that spark. Isabela Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News. Three former players will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Ichiro Suzuki is the first Asian-born player to be elected. The ten-time Major League Baseball All-Star played for the Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees, and the Miami Marlins. Also voted in are former pitchers C.C. Sabathia and closer Billy Wagner. Sabathia's career included 11 seasons with the Yankees. Wagner had 422 career saves, most of them with the Houston Astros. Wall Street is coming off a day of gains. The Dow added 537 points or nearly one and a quarter percent yesterday. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News,

in Washington.