NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-26-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: January 27, 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 Janene Hurst. President Trump says he's imposing retaliatory measures on Colombia after the U.S. ally refused to allow two military deportation planes from the U.S. to land, leveling a 25 percent tariff immediately that will rise to 50 percent in a week. In response, Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, is increasing tariffs on U.S. goods into his country. Trump says he'll also impose banking and financial

sanctions against the country, along with a travel ban on officials and their allies and supporters. Petro says Colombia won't accept the deportation flights until the Trump administration provides a process to treat migrants with dignity. Vice President Vance is defending the administration's move to restrict illegal immigration, and he says he stands by some of the president's more controversial cabinet picks. And here's Elena Moore reports Vance made the comments on CBS' 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' 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. Elena 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. And Piers Charles-Mains has more. In a post to social media, Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified the American

as Anastasia Nufor and claimed she'd been detained by Belarus under the Biden administration. The State Department later clarified Nufor had been arrested in December of last year. Americans release came as Belorussian 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 Nufar is the latest in a series of prisoners released by Lukashenko in recent months,

moves analysts say may signal an attempt to reengage with the West. Charles Maines, NPR News, Moscow. The Philadelphia Eagles will soon be on their way to the Superdome in New Orleans for Super Bowl 59. This after beating the Washington commanders today 55-23. The Eagles will play the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs Buffalo Bills game taking place at this hour.

Score at last check 73 Chiefs in the first. This is NPR. In fire ravaged Altadena area in California still recovering from the deadly Eaton fire, the concern today is not fire but rain and possible mudslides and debris flows. The National Weather Service forecasts up to two inches of rain through Monday. Steve Futterman has more. It's not going to be a massive amount of rain, but with the charred mountains now without any vegetation, there are worries. In Alta Dena, which is located just below the San

Gabriel Mountains, there's a heightened concern. People who live in vulnerable areas are placing sandbags in front of their homes. I want to make sure that we don't have any overflow on our curb into our property. A few weeks ago, Dave Pierce would have welcomed rain. Not so right now. Hopefully it'll be a nice, slow, easy rain. A flash flood warning is in effect through Monday. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Yannick Siener defeated Alexander Zverev in the

final today to claim his second consecutive Australian Open Championship. That makes the 23-year-old Italian the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier did it in 1992 to 93. Ziener has won three of the past five major tournaments including the 2024 US Open and he rose to number one at the ATP rankings last June. The number two ranked Saverov is now 0-3 in the Grand Slam finals. US futures contracts are trading lower at this hour Dow futures are down about two tenths of a percent. NASDAQ futures are down one percent. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in

Washington. JANENE HERPST, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR,

NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCH quote small government crusaders. What's in store for federal workers and how are they planning for change? This January 1A's.gov series guides you through various government agencies and the people working for you. Listen to the 1A podcast from NPR.