NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-22-2026 1PM EST

Episode Date: January 22, 2026

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Live from NPR news, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has presented a U.S. plan for disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza. Kushner is calling it New Gaza. NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from Tel Aviv. Kushner presented a slideshow in Davos, Switzerland, with his vision for rehabilitating Gaza. He presented simulated images of sleek skyscrapers on the shores of Gaza and a master plan envisioning an airport and seaport. He said cities could be rebuilt in Gaza within a few years. In the Middle East, they build cities like this in, you know, two, three million people. They build this in three years.

And so stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen. He said the U.S. would host a donors conference soon to raise money for rebuilding Gaza. But he said key to this is disarming Hamas. His plan is for Hamas's heavy weapons to be immediately decommissioned. And those who disarm would be rewarded with amnesty and reintegration or safe passage out of Gaza. Gaza. Daniel Estrin and PR News Tel Aviv. The El Paso, Texas medical examiner is ruling a Cuban man's death at an immigration detention camp, a homicide. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it's investigating. Angela Cajargo with member station KTEP has the latest. The autopsy report says 55-year-old Geraldo Lundas Campos died of asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. The report also

notes the detainee became, quote, unresponsive while being restrained. according to witnesses. When ICE reported the January 5th death, it said Lunas Gampos was, quote, in medical distress. The Department of Homeland Security said the detainee tried to take his own life, and staff intervened. The medical examiners report also notes Lunas Gampos medical history includes a bipolar disorder and anxiety. Lunas Gampos is the third person to die in custody at the tent facility located at Fort Bliss and operated by a private contractor. For NPR News, I'm Angela Cochirgan, El Paso. Former Special Counsel Jack Smith is defending his investigations of President Trump as he fields pointed questions from congressional Republicans.

NPR's Kerry Johnson reports Smith's public testimony today is his first since his investigations ended. Jack Smith presided over two criminal indictments of Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and for hiding secret documents at his Florida resort. Neither case got to a jury before Trump returned to the White House last year. Smith says he had proof beyond a reasonable doubt in both cases and that he was not motivated by politics. He says if he had any regrets, it was not expressing enough support for the prosecutors and FBI agents who worked on the cases. Many of those public servants have been fired by the Trump administration. Some have faced threats, he says, for doing their jobs. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

You're listening to NPR News. Millions of people from the southwest to the northeastern U.S. are projected to be in the path of a dangerous ice storm. A deep freeze, including heavy snowfall, freezing rain and slate expected to begin Friday. National Weather Service forecasters are expecting a foot or more of snow in East Coast cities along the Moor, the major I-95 corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C. A group of artists, unions, and industry groups is launching a campaign. campaign today calling for ethical development of artificial intelligence. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports the petition has picked up the support of roughly 800 people so far, including from acclaimed actors Kate Blanchett and Scarlett Johansson.

The Human Artistry Campaign is a global initiative for the advancement of responsible AI. The group says its aim is to, quote, protest big tech's illegal, mass harvesting of copyrighted works to build and power their generative AI platforms. Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt is a signatory. Training on my copywritten human spirit made life's work in order to replace me with AI music to streamline profits is not innovation. It's stealing.

The campaign calls for robust copyright enforcement and licensing. Some music labels, including Warner and Universal, have already struck licensing deals with AI companies. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. The campaign was launched the same day. Oscar nominations were announced. with a brand new category, best casting. The 98th Academy Award ceremony will be held March 15th in Los Angeles.

It's NPR News.