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

Episode Date: January 26, 2025

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Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Israel is blocking thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern

Gaza in a dispute over the order of hostages Hamas has released after a ceasefire agreement. Speaking on Air Force One, President Trump told reporters that Arab countries, including Jordan and Egypt, should take in the refugees and build housing for them elsewhere while war-ravaged Gaza is restored. It's literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything's demolished and people are dying there. So I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations

and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change. The suggestion is not formal U.S. policy. Israel's been silent on the idea, and a senior Hamas official said that Palestinians would never accept it. President Trump took office less than a week ago, and his slew of executive actions, pardons, and threats of tariffs and sanctions are making waves.

Late Friday night, Trump fired multiple independent inspectors general and PR's Mara Liason has more. Inspectors general play a critical role in assuring the lawful and efficient operations of government. They're responsible for identifying fraud, waste, and abuse in government agencies. But Trump has promised to reshape the federal government, not just slashing costs and regulations, but also by establishing the Department of Government

Efficiency to, quote, dismantle government bureaucracy. Firing the nonpartisan inspectors general will be challenged in court. Congress requires 30 days notice of the intent to fire an IG and specifies that the president must inform lawmakers of the quote substantive rationale, including detailed and case specific reasons for the action. Mara Eliason, NPR News. Officials in Arizona say two facilities that receive legally processed asylum seekers from

the U.S.-Mexico border will shut down tonight. For a member station, KJZZ, Elisa Resnick reports. Pima County has provided transportation, short-term shelter, and other services to asylum seekers since 2019. Those efforts rely on reimbursements from the federal government. But Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Rex Scott says local leaders expected changes with the new Trump administration. As soon as he took office and issued the executive orders that he did, we had to move quickly. Executive actions put an end to the current process for requesting asylum at the border.

Scott says Pima County leaders worry federal funding won't be guaranteed if Tucson shelters are empty. They decided to shutter operations after no new asylum seekers arrived on Monday. For NPR News, I'm Elisa Resnick in Tucson, Arizona. President Trump's border czar Tom Holman told ABC's This Week that any migrant who enters the country illegally will be, quote, on the table for deportation. He added he expects other federal agencies to help, including Justice and Defense. This is NPR News. Speaking with reporters on Air Force One this weekend, President Trump turned his attention

to the prospect of making Greenland part of the United States. The territory is currently part of Denmark and that nation is not interested in relinquishing it. Trump told reporters that taking Greenland into the U.S. would serve the larger purpose of protecting the free world in that part of the globe. He said he believes the people of Greenland want to be with the U.S. Massive protests are sweeping across Greece today as public outrage reignites over the country's deadliest train crash nearly two years ago. Lydia Emanolidou reports from Athens. The renewed anger follows chilling new revelations about the 2023 crash near Tempe. According to a new independent expert report, a cargo train involved in the collision was

carrying flammable liquids. And newly surfaced audio from inside the train indicates 30 of the 57 victims survived the initial impact, only to burn to death moments later. These disclosures have fueled accusations of a government cover-up. Thousands of people gathered outside the Parliament building in the Greek capital with demonstrations erupting nationwide and in cities across Europe. For NPR News, I'm Lydia Emanouledou in Athens. The Trump administration's CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News today that a Biden-era agency

investigation suggests strongly the COVID pandemic likely emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China and that going forward the CIA will be investigating that further. The CIA report suggests that more evidence is needed. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington. On NPR's Wild Card podcast, comedian Michelle Butoh says she's glad she ignored the people who told her to lose weight. I'm just going to show you what it looks like to love my body, my double chin, my extra rolls, okay? My buckets of thighs.

So it's on the side you can't afford it. I'm Rachel Martin. Michelle Butoh is on the Wild Card podcast, the show where cards control the conversation.