NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-22-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: January 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. President Trump signed an executive order sending 1,500 additional troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. MPHL Lawrence reports they'll join National Guard troops already deployed to the border. Trump promised during his campaign to use active-duty military to secure the southern border. They're expected to support border patrol with logistics, transportation, and construction of barriers. Active military are prohibited from taking part in domestic policing, but Trump has spoken about invoking a law called the Insurrection Act to allow soldiers to help with civilian law enforcement. Both President Biden and President Trump

during his first term sent active-duty troops to the border. The White House released a fact sheet that calls the illegal entry of migrants from Mexico an invasion which the American people elected Trump to prevent. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. In Los Angeles, fire officials have ordered mandatory evacuations because of the spread of the Hughes fire, which started today. The blaze is growing rapidly, exploding from a brush fire to now burning more than 5,000 acres, that all in just two hours. Some schools in the area are

bringing kids inside because of the smoke. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. And the National Weather Service is forecasting rain this weekend, but that is raising fears of landslides since the area has denuded from the recent fires. Among President Trump's executive orders is one taking aim at watering California following his criticism of the state's water management. Manola Sikaira from Cap Radio has more. The executive order titled Putting People Over Fish directs federal agencies to begin working on routing more water from California's Sacramento, San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state.

This comes after Trump blamed water shortages during the Los Angeles area wildfires on statewide mismanagement. But officials and experts have refuted that claim, noting that local infrastructure was not designed to handle blazes of that size. Sharon Jacobs is a UC Berkeley law professor. So it's a very short executive order, but he's suggesting that somehow the existence of protections for the Delta Smelt are standing in the way of Southern California receiving adequate water. She says the order asks federal agency heads to look into what actions they can take,

so it won't spur any immediate action. For NPR News, I'm Enola Segeita in Sacramento. The House today passed the Lakin-R Riley Act that would make it easier for federal immigration officials to detain and deport those in the country illegally if they are charged with a crime, such as burglary or assault. The measure passed the House with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans in supporting it. The Senate passed the bill Monday, and it now goes to the president for his signature. Last year, 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Lakin Reilly was murdered by a Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally and had been arrested for stealing. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

Elon Musk is clashing with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project that's touted by President Trump. It's the latest in a feud between the two billionaires that started on OpenAI's board and is now testing Musk's influence with Trump, who declared the Stargate project a, quote, resounding declaration of confidence in America's potential. It has an initial private investment of $100 billion that could reach five times that sum. But hours later, Musk questioned the value of that investment. Netflix has announced a record-setting growth, revealing it added about 19 million subscribers

in the fourth quarter of 2024. And viewers, Eric Duggan says the company has also implemented price hikes for subscribers, just as word of its success is spreading. Netflix says it now has about 302 million subscribers globally, a 16% increase from the year before. The company credited a range of programs, from popular series like the second season of hit drama Squid Game to live events like two NFL games on Christmas Day. The service has also boosted prices for its subscription tiers. Standard service with ads goes up to about $8 a month while standard without ads and premium services will go up to about $18 and $25 per month respectively. The company will no longer report its number of paid memberships every quarter, which may

make tracking the impact of these price hikes more difficult. Eric Deggans, NPR News. And I'm Janene Hurst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.