NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-25-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: January 25, 2025

NPR News: 01-25-2025 2AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Okay, 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 Roenren. President Trump visited North Carolina Friday where he spoke about wanting to overhaul or possibly get rid of FEMA. Then he traveled to Southern California to see the damage from the recent wildfires. NPR's Ashmat Khalid reports.

Trump has been sharply critical of California's response to the fires, but when he landed, Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom met Trump on the tarmac, and for a few minutes they put politics aside and spoke of cooperation. Trump toured the damage in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades and said the area would have the support of the federal government. At the same time, he criticized the local water management system and spoke about an executive order to allow more water from the northern part of the state to southern California. Experts say, though, fighting fires is not related to that issue. Asma Khalid, NPR News.

New Jersey officials are demanding answers after immigration officers raided a business in Newark Thursday. From member station WNYC, Arya Sundaram has the story. Newark Mayor Ross Baraka is blasting the raid as unfair and unconstitutional. He said immigration agents detained at least three immigrants and citizens, including a U.S US military veteran. New Jersey is a sanctuary state, meaning laws largely forbid local and state police

from cooperating with immigration agents. Local advocates say ICE officers made collateral arrests, detaining people who weren't the initial target of the raid, and that those type of arrests were common during President Trump's first term, but subsided during the Biden administration. For NPR News, I'm Aria Sundaram. With budget talks starting on Capitol Hill, advocates and officials are concerned about the future of federal agencies that produce the

statistics that the U.S. relies on to track the country's economy and the people. NPR's Hansi Le Wang has the story. Experts say the system that produces federal governed data has become crumbling infrastructure because of budget shortfalls and the restrictions of short-term funding. In recent months, the Bureau of Economic Analysis has stopped releasing some statistics.

And the Bureau of Labor Statistics has proposed shrinking the sample size of people surveyed to produce the monthly jobs report. Aldrinon Austin of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-leaning think tank, says that could make the unemployment numbers less reliable. If we really want to address issues of racial equity, we really need barger samples. Federal data advocates are watching to see what comes out of the budget talks ahead of the government shutdown deadline in mid-March. Hansi Le Wang, NPR News, Washington.

Friday night in the U.S. Senate, lawmakers voted 50-50 on the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be the Secretary of Defense. And with the tie, the Vice President, J.D. Vance, as President of the Senate, cast a vote yes to put Hegseth over the top, 51 to 50. You're listening to NPR News. A federal judge has barred oath keepers founder Stuart Rhodes from entering Washington, D.C. without court approval.

The move comes just days after Rhodes, along with more than 1,500 people convicted of crimes in connection with the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, were pardoned by President Trump in the first hours of his presidency. The order from the U.S. District Judge, Ahmed Madda, also applied to seven other defendants who were charged and later convicted of the most serious crimes. While overseeing the trial, the judge sent in roads to 18 years in prison, calling him a threat to democracy. Stocks lost ground Friday but ended up up for the week. NPR's Scott Horsley reports investors are keeping a watchful eye on the new administration.

President Trump's first week in office has been marked by a flurry of executive actions, but so far, no new tariffs. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, China, and other trading partners, but it hasn't happened happened yet and markets seem relieved by that. Trump also says he wants to see lower interest rates around the world. Japan's central bank raised its benchmark rate this week, while the Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady when policymakers meet next Wednesday. All the major stock indexes gained ground for the week. The S&P 500 index hit a record

high on Thursday, then jumped 1 and 3 quarters percent for the week. The Nasdaq climbed 1 and 2 thirds percent, and the Dow rose more than 2 percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. A new report says home ownership for many Americans is becoming increasingly difficult because of high mortgage rates and record home prices. This is NPR News.

Support for NPR. President Trump is back in Washington, prices. This is NPR News.