NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-23-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: January 23, 2025

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Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. President Trump's border czar says immigration actions have begun in some parts of the U.S.

Tom Homan told Fox News immigration and customs enforcement teams are prioritizing public safety. The House has voted to pass the Lake and Riley Act. NPR's Jimena Bustillo reports this sends the measure to President Trump for his signature. The measure would make it easier for federal immigration officials to detain and deport those without legal status who are charged with crimes ranging from minor burglary offenses to more serious crimes involving bodily harm, death, or harm to law enforcement officers. The measure passed with the support of 46 Democrats. The vote marked a major shift for

many in the party. Democrats broadly rejected the measure at various times last year, but the politics of the bill shifted after the election. Twelve Democrats supported the bill when it passed the Senate earlier this week. Trump could sign the bill as early as this week. Hima Nabustio and PR News Washington. President Trump is threatening to impose high levels of tariffs and sanctions on Russia if there's no deal to end the war in Ukraine. MPR's Franco Ortonius has more. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and

Ukraine in one day if he was elected president. Speaking to reporters this week, Trump said the Ukrainians want to make a deal. President Zelensky would like to have peace. He's told me that very strongly. He'd like to have peace. But it takes two to tango. We'll see what happens. In his social media post, Trump emphasizes that he's not looking to hurt Russia and that he's actually doing Putin a very big favor, considering the number of Russian lives lost and the impact on the economy. In Trump's words, it's time to end the ridiculous war, adding, quote, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.

And the easy way is always better. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, The White House. In an interview last night on Fox News, Trump continued to defend his blanket pardons of about 1,500 people convicted or charged in the attack on the U.S. Capitol four years ago. One of those who was released, oath keepers founder Stuart Rhodes, people convicted or charged in the attack on the U.S. Capitol four years ago. One of those who was released, oath keepers founder Stuart Rhodes, went to Capitol Hill yesterday.

He's urging lawmakers to release one rioter who is still imprisoned. The Trump administration has told all federal health agencies to immediately stop all public communications. That's until they can all be reviewed by a Trump appointee. The National Institutes of Health has now canceled key meetings and Pierre Selena Simmons-Duffin says scientists such as cancer researchers say they've been told almost nothing about the cancellations. These are not the kinds of meetings that can easily be rescheduled. There are a lot of moving parts, different

institutions, different timetables and a delay, especially an indefinite delay like this one, could really have a negative impact on important cancer research. The full scope of these cancellations isn't clear at this point, but a lot of scientists are concerned that biomedical research of all kinds could be disrupted. NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reporting. You're listening to NPR. Officials in Nashville, Tennessee are investigating yesterday's deadly high school

shooting. Authorities say a male student shot and killed another female student in the school cafeteria. A third student was grazed apparently by a bullet. Police don't yet have a motive for the shooting. College enrollment in the US has finally rebounded to pre pandemic levels. It fell drastically in the fall of 2020. NPR's Alyssa Nadwarni reports on new data that show a growing number of students are willing to make the investment in college. During the first two years of the pandemic, colleges and universities around the country lost more than one million students. But finally, this past fall, college enrollment in graduate and undergraduate programs has

climbed out of the hole, in total up 4.5%. The new data comes from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Professor Talani Britton studies higher education at the University of California, Berkeley. The fact that students are both seeing the value in college and enrolling, I think is really great news. It actually points you know, points to a recovery. Freshman enrollment grew more than 5 percent, mostly at community colleges. Alyson Adworny

and PR News. The nominees for this year's Academy Awards are starting to be released this morning. Among the initial batch of announcements are the nominees for Best Supporting Actress. These nominees include Monica Barbaro for a complete unknown Felicity Jones for the brutalist Ariana Grande for wicked Isabella Rossellini for conclave and Zoe Saldana for Amelia Perez I'm Corva Coleman NPR news from Washington Support for in wait wait don't tell me.

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