NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-26-2025 11PM EST

Episode Date: January 27, 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, I'm Dale Willman. Vice President JD Vance is defending the administration's moves to restrict illegal immigration and he also says he

stands by some of President Donald Trump's more controversial cabinet picks. As MParas Elena Moore reports, Vance made the comments on CBS's Face the Nation today. Vance doubled down on Trump's attempts to do away with birthright citizenship, saying it should not apply to children of individuals in the country temporarily. When pressed by CBS's Margaret Brennan on the U.S. being founded by immigrants, Vance said, Just because we were founded by immigrants doesn't mean that 240 years later that we have to have the dumbest immigration policy in the world." He was also asked about the upcoming Senate confirmation hearing for Tulsi Gabbard,

Trump's pick to be the director of national intelligence, and said he's confident she will get through. Her hearing comes just days after Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Trump's contentious pick for secretary of defense Pete Hegseth. Alaina Moore, NPR News. The Trump administration is celebrating what it says was the unilateral release of an American citizen from a prison in the former Soviet Republic of Belarus. News of the Americans' freedom came as the autocratic nation held presidential elections condemned by the West as a sham. NPR's Charles Maines has more.

In a post to social media, Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified the American as Anastasia Nufrer and claimed she'd been detained by Belarus under the Biden administration. The State Department later clarified Nufrer had been arrested in December of last year. American's release came as Belarusian strongman and Kremlin ally Alexander Lukashenko was set to claim a seventh term in office, extending his 31-year hold on power. Western nations have condemned the vote, with Lukashenko's main political opponents either in jail or forced into exile.

Yet Newfer is the latest in a series of prisoners released by Lukashenko in recent months, moves analysts say may signal an attempt to re-engage with the West. Charles Maines, NPR News, Moscow. Much needed rain is falling across parts of southern California, which is helping firefighters as they make progress in containing the wildfires there. But it's also raising worries of mudslides and toxic ash. NPR's Chandelier Stuster has more. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch parts of Los Angeles County scorched

by the fires. And officials are cautioning those who return to their homes to be careful of toxic material. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Furrier. Heavy metals such as lead and arsenic can come from burned electronics and building materials. And even a brief exposure can potentially cause skin irritations and lead to more serious illness. Residents are also advised to wear an N95 mask to not inhale smoke and ash. Chantalise Duster, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News.

Sweden says another undersea fiber optic cable was cut on Sunday. The cable connected Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland. Officials in Sweden have opened a preliminary investigation and they have ordered the detention of a vessel in the Baltic Sea that is suspected of damaging the cable. While Sweden has not blamed a country for the incident, Russia has been accused of similar activity in that region. China's Lunar New Year travel rush is in full swing. Billions of trips are expected in the coming days as the world's largest annual migration hits its peak. NPR's Owen Tsou tells us more. The Lunar New Year holiday begins Wednesday, marking the start of

the year of the snake. New Year's Eve on Tuesday is a time for family gatherings. The travel rush started on January 14th. Over 40 days, people are expected to take around nine billion trips, mostly by car. The festival is traditionally a time for families to reunite. Many of China's migrant workers use all their vacation days for this annual trip, often their only chance to see parents and children.

Alwin Cao, NPR News, Beijing. Saquon Barkley ran for 60 yards and a touchdown on Philadelphia's first play and finished with three scores and 118 yards as the Eagles beat the Washington commanders today 55-23. The Eagles are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, and they'll be joined by the Kansas City Chiefs, who rallied tonight to beat the Buffalo Bills by a score of 32 to 29. They eliminated the Bills for the fourth time in five years. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.