NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-26-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: January 26, 2025

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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 Amy Held. You're fired. That was one of President Trump's famous taglines. Now it's been applied to at least a dozen independent inspectors general. They had oversight of the education, defense, and other departments and were charged with

looking into potential abuse of power. Trump fired them late Friday. Democrats condemned the move, and at least one Senate Republican, Chuck Grassley, was critical, pointing out that a 30-day notice of removal was not provided to Congress, an apparent violation of federal law. Trump spoke about the firings tonight aboard Air Force One.

Some people thought that some were unfair or some were not doing the job. It's a very standard thing to do. It's unclear who will replace the inspector's general. Pete Hegseth is now defense secretary. He was sworn in after overcoming a contentious Senate confirmation process and former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was sworn in as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. Among the dozens of Biden-era executive orders that Trump is revoking is one that affirmed constitutional requirements involving the census that help determine how presidents

and members of Congress are elected. NPR's Hansi Lo Wong has this report. The 14th Amendment says those census numbers must include the, quote, whole number of persons in each state. And President Trump has revoked a Biden-era executive order that affirmed that constitutional mandate. Trump says rescinding that order is, quote, the first of many steps the United States federal government will take to repair our institutions, unquote. Former President Joe Biden issued that order in 2021 after Trump tried to exclude millions of U.S. residents without legal status from the 2020 congressional portioning counts.

That effort began with a failed push to add a census question about a person's U.S. citizenship status. Census Bureau research shows a citizenship question is likely to deter many residents with Latino and Asian American residents from participating in the headcount. Anzila Wang, NPR News. In Southern California, there's a new worry where Altadena residents are still recovering from the deadly Eaton fire. It's 95 percent contained, but people now concerned about the rain that's forecast to fall through Monday. Steve Futterman reports. They could have used this weeks ago. Instead, the rain is coming now. Here in Alta Dena, many are grabbing sandbags at special locations. Michael Bustamante was lucky when it came to the fires, but he's preparing

for a different threat. Now all of the homes around me were burned and Alta Dena is at an angle, and so we're very concerned about the debris flow and the runoff from the rains. It's all about location and topography. Altadena is located just below the San Gabriel Mountains. Landslides have historically been a problem here, and this will be a continuing concern in the months ahead. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Altadena, California. It's NPR News.

In Utah, the Sundance Film Festival has gotten underway. NPR's Mandelit Del Barco reports the two-week gathering that's all about movies is slated to leave the town. It has long been associated with. On pedestrian-only Main Street in Park City, Utah, people are talking about what may happen to the festival and the town when Sundance moves in 2027. The next stop will be either Salt Lake City, Boulder, or Cincinnati. Some shop owners say

they'll be glad to get rid of the traffic, but some locals are handing out stickers urging Sundance to stay in Utah. This year's festival kicked off with premieres of documentaries about Marley Matlin, Pee-wee Herman, and Sly Stone. Audiences were also treated to movies starring John Lithgow, Olivia Coleman, Rose Byrne, and Conan O'Brien. There were also films about teens in Macedonia, about smuggling cabbages, and one film made from Florida police body cam footage. Mandelit Del Barco, NPR News, Park City, Utah. Lyleen Lierman The world's top tennis player, Yannick Sinner

of Italy, faces world number two German, Alexander Zvedev, at the Australian Open, set to get underway in a couple hours. The UK's most popular tourist attraction is partially shut due to a fired employee, officials say. Exhibitions are closed at the British Museum in London after a fired museum worker broke in and shut down the computer systems, the museum says. Police say a suspect was arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage and has since been released on bail.

The Mirdish Museum, home to the Rosetta Stone, ancient Egyptian mummies and other displays, brings in nearly six million visitors a year. This is NPR News.