NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-27-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: January 27, 2025

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The indicator from Planet Money is diving into the world of batteries. Not the kind you buy at the grocery store. We're talking really big batteries, the kind that can power thousands of homes. This technology came seemingly out of nowhere. We're digging deep into the battery industry in three back-to-back episodes. Listen to the indicator from Planet Money podcast on NPR. NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. It's the second week of President Trump's second term in the White House. Several key cabinet positions are now filled as confirmation hearings continue this week for others. Over the weekend, the Senate confirmed former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before a Senate panel Thursday for the first of his

hearings to consider his nomination as Health and Human Services Secretary. This morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported to the Pentagon focused on immigration. We are reorienting. This is a shift. This is not the way business has been done in the past. This is the Defense Department will support the defense of the territorial integrity of the United States of America at the southern border to include Reservists,

National Guard, and active duty in compliance with the Constitution, the laws of our land, and the directives of the Commander-in-Chief. On Capitol Hill, some Republican lawmakers are defending President Trump's decision to fire several Inspectors General Friday night. They investigate misconduct and waste at government agencies. As NPR's Elena Moore reports, Trump appears to have sidestepped federal law, which requires the president to notify Congress 30 days in advance of the removal of an inspector general.

GOP allies like South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham acknowledged Trump should have notified Congress before firing the inspector general. Still, he told CNN's State of the Union that he backs the president's move. The question is, is it okay for him to put people in place that he thinks can carry out his agenda? Yeah. He won the election. What do you expect him to do?

Just leave everybody in place in Washington before he got elected? This makes perfect sense to me. It comes a day after Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, demanded more information from Trump on the firings, saying in a statement, quote, there may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so. Elena Moore, NPR News, Washington. Stocks opened lower this morning as China shows off

a new artificial intelligence product. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow tumbled 110 points in early trading. Chinese startup DeepSeek says its new AI chat bot rivals the performance of U.S. competitors at a lower cost. The threat of cheap Chinese competition rattled investors who poured billions of dollars into AI software and hardware. Some sky-high stock valuations are now getting a second look. Coffee drinkers and romantics can breathe a sigh of relief

now that a threatened trade war between the US and Colombia has been averted President Trump had threatened to slap steep tariffs on imports from Colombia Which could have raised prices for both coffee and Valentine's Day roses Those tariffs are on hold now that Colombia's agreed to allow military flights carrying Colombian immigrants deported by the US Scott Horsley in PR News, Washington. It's NPR Hamas has agreed to release three more Israeli hostages on Thursday, and Israel is allowing displaced Palestinians to return to North Gaza for the first time since the start of the war.

NPR's Danielle Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. Israel and Hamas say they have resolved a dispute involving an Israeli hostage whom Hamas did not release last week as Israel had expected. Hamas has now agreed to free that hostage plus two more on Thursday, and Hamas will release three additional hostages on Saturday as previously scheduled. In total, six hostages will be freed this week, and Israel will release Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hamas has also given Israel a list detailing the condition of each hostage who will be freed in the coming weeks. In return for these gestures, Israel says it is finally allowing the return of displaced Palestinians to North Gaza.

Throngs are now returning by foot. Danielle Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet Army. An observance is being held at the site of the former death camp in Poland. Nazi German forces murdered more than one million people at Auschwitz during World War II. Most were Jews killed in gas chambers. In all, more than six million Jewish people

across Europe were murdered. Poland's president joined remaining Auschwitz survivors at today's ceremony, which comes during a time of rising anti-Semitism in Europe. I'm Kristen Wright and this is NPR News. Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I'm Kristin Wright and this is NPR News.