NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-26-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 26, 2025

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What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year. Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held. Virtually all aid programs around the world that depend on U.S. funding will have to halt operations. This follows a Friday stop-work order issued by the State Department. President Trump ordered a three-month pause for a review to determine whether expenditures are, quote, consistent with his foreign policy. The U.S. is the largest single donor of aid globally, dispersing some

$60 billion a year for a wide range of programs, including education, health, and food. Leslie Voltaire, president of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council, says though they do have other resources, the poverty-stricken island needs U.S. support. LESLIE VOLTAIRE, TRANSITIONAL PRESIDENT, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES,

HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, HADES, H Trump is helping, the international migration organization is helping, but it's not enough. The situation will be catastrophic. Military financing for Israel and Egypt and emergency food assistance are exempt from the pause. Saturday at a rally in Las Vegas, Trump promised to fulfill his campaign pledge to eliminate taxes on tips. And Piers Ossmahalit reports. Trump first floated the idea of no taxes on tips in this same city last June during a

campaign rally. And he credits it with helping him win the key state of Nevada in the presidential election. The president said that in the coming weeks, he'll be working with Congress to get a bill to change the tax policies. Your tips will be 100 percent yours. A president cannot unilaterally change the tax code, but large portions of this sweeping 2017 tax law are set to expire at the end of 2025. And the president said tax cuts are at the top of his legislative agenda.

We're going to get it for you. No tax on TICS. Asma Khalid, NPR News. A deal to save Tic-Tac is being negotiated and NPR's Bobby Allen reports software company Oracle and Microsoft are among the American investors involved. Sources close to talks from the White House about Tic-Tac's future say Oracle is planning to offer tens of billions of dollars for a sizable share of TikTok's global operation. Microsoft and other U.S. investors are expected to also be part of the deal.

NPR has agreed to not name the sources who aren't authorized to speak publicly about the talks. White House negotiators say China-based ByteDance will lose control of TikTok but would remain a minority investor in the app. For years, TikTok has been a national security concern over fears that the Chinese government could use the app to spy or push disinformation. The discussions are in flux, but a senior staffer in Congress says if ByteDance doesn't have access to TikTok's data or algorithm, it could satisfy the law.

Neither the White House nor any of the companies return a request for comment. Bobbi Allen, NPR News. Trump told reporters tonight he had not spoken to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison about its purchase, comment. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Lorynne the front passenger seat that can become damaged and prevent airbags and seatbelts from deploying properly. Damaged wiring can also cause unintended side-curtain airbag deployment. Officials say no injuries have been reported in connection with the issue, but affected Kia owners will be notified by March and should bring vehicles in for inspection. CBS's new drama Watson debuts Sunday. It reimagines Sherlock Holmes' sidekick John Watson as a medical detective running a clinic in Pittsburgh. NPR's Eric Deggans reports the decision to cast a black man as Watson also opens up new

storytelling opportunities. Morris Chestnut plays John Watson as the super sharp leader of a medical clinic, with little patience for staffers who don't understand the assignment. CBS's Watson matches together several traditional TV genres, placing Watson in charge of a medical clinic while looking into the mysterious death of his friend, Sherlock Holmes. Chestnut, a heartthrob known for films like The Best Man, offers a version of Watson as a suave, handsome African-American hero, reinventing traditional takes on the character. Eric Deggans, NPR News.

In Maryland, temperatures have plunged below freezing for days, but that did not stop dozens of people from plunging into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay this weekend for a good cause. Participants in the Polar Bear Challenge raised money for Special Olympics Maryland athletes. This is NPR News. Usher, Yo-Yo Ma, Boy Genius, Shaka Khan, Billie Eilish, Weird Al, one thing all these big stars have in common, they've all played behind NPR's Tiny Desk. And if you enter NPR's Tiny Desk Contest between now and February 10th, you could be next. Unsigned musicians can find out more and see the official rules at npr.org slash tiny desk

contest.