NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-24-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

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OK, so does this sound like you? You love NPR's podcasts. You wish you could get more of all your favorite shows and you want to support NPR's mission to create a more informed public. If all that sounds appealing, then it is time to sign up for the NPR Plus bundle. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. A confirmation vote is expected Friday in the U.S. Senate on the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be the Secretary of Defense. Two Republican Senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, say they will oppose the nomination because of concerns they have over his qualifications, along with reports of domestic abuse of his former wife and allegations he's a heavy drinker.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is also against the nomination. I want my colleagues to think about how absurd it is that this nominee has even made it to the floor. It's a shame that that has happened. We are being cast to trust our armed forces to a man with a history of erratic behavior. One of the kindest words that might be used to describe Mr. Hegseth is erratic. And that's a quality you don't want as head of DOD. Hegseth denies the allegations and says they're part of a smear campaign against him. President Trump is calling on Saudi Arabia to help lower oil prices, which he says could bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

He delivered remarks from the White House on video to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. NPR's Deppah Sivaram has more. After listing what he sees as accomplishments in his first week of office, Trump addressed the Economic Forum in Switzerland with the focus on tariffs, saying that if products aren't made in America, there will be tariffs added to them. He also said he would call on Saudi Arabia to bring down the cost of oil, and that doing

so would, quote, immediately end the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia, which exports a lot of oil, has been relying on the high cost of it to sustain the war. Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue. You got to bring down the oil price. You got to end that war. Trump also said China's Xi Jinping could help pressure Russia's Putin to end the conflict. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News, The White House. President Trump is named a fiery conservative critic of the mainstream news outlets

to be the head of the U Agency for Global Media. The agency is the parent to the Voice of America and other federally funded international networks. NPR's David Folkenfrick reports. Voice of America and its sister networks bring news to more than 420 million people a week. They offer independent news to lands that don't have a free media and model democratic norms by including reports of domestic dissent no matter who's president Trump posted on social media that Brent Bozell would bring the right kind of change to US agency for global media Brent Bozell has been a fixture on the political right for decades arguing that journalists are leftist doing the handiwork of the Democratic Party He hasn't announced his plans for the agency in

2020 Trump's pick as CEO commissioned political aides to investigate reporters for political bias. A federal judge ruled that was unconstitutional. David Folkenflick, NPR News, New York. The nomination requires Senate approval. The three major stock indexes closed the day up Thursday on Wall Street. The Dow added 408 points. This is NPR. President Trump has ordered the release of classified documents related to the assassinations

of Martin Luther King Jr., Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and President John F. Kennedy to be declassified. Most of the documents related to President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 have been released, but with redactions. The executive order for the JFK assassination means the records could be released within 15 days. Those relating to the deaths of RFK and MLK are expected to be made public sometime in April. Ford is recalling more than 200,000 gasoline powered vehicles for a possible defect in batteries. The cover the Ford Bronco Sport and the Ford Maverick. NPR's Camilla Doma-Nusky has more.

These vehicles, built between 2020 and 2022, were part of a recall last year. After drivers reported vehicles were stalling out or not restarting, Ford fixed an incorrect calibration in the car's computer systems that monitor the battery. But after that was fixed, some trucks and SUVs were still reporting battery problems. Ford investigated again and found that the batteries themselves had multiple defects. Ford will replace the bad batteries for free. Any driver can check for vehicle recalls at NHhtsa.gov or the Safer Car app. Camila Domenoski, NPR News.

Former Texas Congressman John Radcliffe has been sworn into office to be the new CIA director. His nomination was approved by the Senate by a wide margin on Thursday. From Washington, this is NPR News. Support for NPR. President Trump is back in Washington, pursuing major policy changes on his own terms. We know from the past that means challenging precedent, busting norms, and pushing against the status quo. NPR is covering it all with Trump's Terms, a podcast where we curate stories about the 47th president

with a focus on how he is upending the way Washington works. Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.