NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-24-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: January 25, 2025

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This is Eric Glass. In this American life, sometimes we just show up somewhere, turn on our tape recorders, and see what happens. If you can't get seven cars in 12 days, you gotta look yourself in the mirror and say, holy, what are you kidding me? Like this car dealership, trying to sell its monthly quota of cars, and it is not going well. I just don't want one balloon to a car. Balloon the whole freaking place so it looks like I'm circus. Real life stories every week. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Trump administration is

giving immigration authorities new powers to quickly expel migrants who were temporarily admitted to the country by the Biden administration. NPR's Joel Rhoades reports this part of a broader immigration crackdown. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman signed a memo that appears to give immigration authorities a roadmap to begin removing migrants who are temporarily admitted to the country under two Biden era programs. They include the CBP One app, which allowed migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry to begin their asylum claims, and another program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. More than 1.4 million

migrants were admitted to the US under the two programs, which depend on an authority program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. More than 1.4 million migrants were admitted to the U.S. under the two programs, which depend on an authority known as humanitarian parole. Critics said those programs were themselves unlawful. Now immigrant advocates fear that people who fled from dangerous places may be forced to go back. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The Trump administration's new leadership at the Justice Department is instructing federal prosecutors to limit their enforcement of a law that protects reproductive health care providers and facilities.

It says previous legal action taken by the department under the law is an example of the weaponization of law enforcement. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas. This relates to enforcement of what's known as the FACE Act, which prohibits threats of force, obstruction of property damage that interferes with reproductive rights services, including clinics that perform abortions and pregnancy facilities that don't. Now, Justice Department Chief of Staff Chad Mizzell says in an internal memo obtained by NPR that new prosecutions and civil actions under the FACE Act will only be permitted

in extraordinary circumstances or when there are significant aggravating factors, such as death or serious bodily harm. The memo says cases lacking such factors can be handled by state or local law. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The State Department has issued an expansion on President Trump's executive action Monday to freeze foreign assistance for 90 days.

More from NPR's Bob Matanis. A memo obtained by NPR and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a pause on foreign aid spending and a stop work order for any existing humanitarian and development projects. That would mean U.S.-funded programs would have to lay off or furlough workers and put operations on hold. The memo said a review of all foreign assistance would be completed within 85 days to ensure that all foreign assistance is aligned with President Trump's foreign policy agenda. Aid to

Israel and Egypt and emergency food aid are exempt from this order, according to the memo. A senior USAID official called the order quote reckless and disruptive to aid programs and beneficiaries. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the agency. Fatma Tanis, NPR News. Immuted into the week on Wall Street, the Dow closed down 140 points. The NASDAQ fell 99 points.

The S&P 500 dropped 17 points. This is NPR. New data show that 2024 was the slowest year for existing home sales in nearly three decades as NPR's Laurel Wamsley reports high mortgage rates, high prices, and low inventory led the market to sputter. Existing home sales last year totaled just over 4 million, the lowest since 1995. That's especially notable because the US population has grown by more than 70 million in that time. Key factors in the slowdown have been elevated mortgage rates and a lack of affordability.

There's also been a lack of inventory, but that's starting to change. The number of existing homes for sale in December was 16% higher than a year earlier, says Nadia Evangelou with the National Association of Realtors. However, we're still below the pre-pandemic level, so we need even more inventory to help the market to come back. Still, prices continued to climb.

The median price reached a record high of $407,500 last year. They were nudged higher by strong sales at the upper end of the market. Laurel Wamsley and PR News. That of the extremist group, the Oath Keepers, was among the January 6 protesters who had a sentence commuted by President Trump, where Stuart Rhodes may be persona non grata in the nation's capital under a federal court order today. Two days after Rhodes' release, a U.S. District Court judge issued an order that Rhodes be barred from entering the city without the court's approval. An order by Judge Amit Mehta also would apply to seven

other defendants charged in connection with the riot. Rhodes had been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the uprising at the Capitol. He's also barred from entering Capitol building or surrounding grounds without court permission. Critical futures prices closed up slightly. Oil rose four cents a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News.