NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-22-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: January 22, 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 Korva Coleman. There's no word yet of any major immigration raids that are expected to target sanctuary jurisdictions.

Trump administration officials have said that Chicago could be one of the cities targeted. From member station WBEZ, Mawa Iqbal reports, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is vowing to protect state residents who are in the U.S. illegally. Pritzker says he still has not heard any concrete plans from President Trump. He reiterated at a press conference that people with criminal convictions who don't have legal status should be deported. However, he says the threat of deportation is looming over Chicago's immigrant neighborhoods, some of which he visited Monday. I was in businesses yesterday that were relatively empty because people are

afraid to show up because even documented immigrants, even citizens who are from another country but now are citizens of the United States, have relatives who are undocumented. They're afraid. The Chicago City Council last week blocked an ordinance that would allow Chicago police to work with federal immigration authorities. For NPR News, I'm Mawa Iqbal in Springfield, Illinois. One of President Trump's new executive orders is ending federal programs dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. As NPR's Iyanna Archie reports, federal employees of the programs have been put on administrative leave. The Trump administration is moving quickly to reevaluate federal DEI programs.

Agencies have until this evening to tell employees in those programs that they will be placed on paid leave with benefits. They also have until then to remove all DEI references from websites and social media. Trump also wants agency employees to let his administration know if there are any plans to conceal DEI initiatives through vague language. The president says these programs cause division, promote discrimination, and drain taxpayers' dollars. Agencies have until Thursday to report their compliance to the administration, and until

the end of the month to come up with a broader plan to reduce the workforces for these programs. Ayanna Archie, NPR News. President Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing new misconduct accusations. His former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, has signed an affidavit alleging he drank heavily and abused his former wife, Samantha. At his confirmation hearing, Hegseth rejected similar misconduct and sexual assault accusations. MPR's Deirdre Walsh says Hegseth's lawyer is contradicting the new allegations. MPR reached out to his attorney, Tim Parlatori.

He has not responded. But Parlatori told NBC, which first reported on this affidavit, that Samantha Hegseth, this ex-wife, never alleged any abuse and actually signed court documents acknowledging there was no abuse. And she affirmed that as part of Hegseth's background check. NPR's Gerda Walsh reporting. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A winter storm continues to pound the southeast. There are winter storm warnings up from northern Florida to South Carolina. These warmer climates are getting several inches of snow.

Yesterday, New Orleans was stunned by at least eight inches of snow. Firefighters are still working to control several wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The Clay Fire broke out yesterday in Riverside County east of LA. It's 38 acres and nearly half contained. Researchers say they're learning more about the bursts of radiation in space. NPR's Regina Barbour explains these are called chorus waves. That sound isn't from Star Trek. It's an audio clip created from radiation coming 100,000 miles above Earth's surface. These waves are thought to be created from bunched-up,

charged electrons trapped in Earth's magnetic field. These rising and lowering waves of radiation have been studied for the past 70 years. And a new study from Beijing, China, published in the journal Nature, was the first to find these waves at this location, where Earth's magnetic field is weak and less uniform. This information could help protect satellites and other spacecraft from damage, since coarse waves can accelerate particles to close to the speed of light. Regina Barber, NPR News. Britain's Prince Harry and a senior British lawmaker have reached a settlement against

tabloid newspapers owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch. They had accused the papers of hacking their phones and invading their privacy. The settlement of the lawsuit ends the chance of a trial in London. That was expected to reveal evidence that might have been damaging to Murdoch and some of the tabloid executives. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Fresh air? Up first. NPR News in Washington.