NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-27-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

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Elan, Mosk and Vivek Ramaswamy have outlined their plans to slash the federal workforce with the help of a team of, 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. Jack Spear Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Israeli military has unblocked roads leading north in Gaza, allowing many Palestinians to return for the first time since the beginning of the war. Return is part of the fragile

ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more. Just after sunrise, thousands of people started north on foot, overjoyed to go home. NPR's producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, walked with them. But along with the celebration was also the sobering reality. It's very devastating for any person to see the amount of destruction is truly above any expectations. Destruction so great, he says, many couldn't figure out where exactly they were. Israel delayed passage to the north by a day after it said Hamas was supposed to release one of the only female civilian hostages left last weekend. Her release, along with two others,

is now expected later this week. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President Trump's pick to lead the Treasury Department is one Senate confirmation. NPR Scott Hostley reports Senators approved Scott Besson's nomination. The vote signals a degree of bipartisan support for the new Treasury Secretary. Scott Besson is a billionaire hedge fund manager who's seen as a business-friendly choice. He's also a protege of Democratic mega-donor George Soros. As Secretary, Besant will be a leading voice for the administration on economic policy. He's expected to lead the push to extend and possibly expand the 2017 tax cuts. He might also help to moderate some of Trump's most protectionist instincts.

Besant told the Financial Times he thinks the president uses tariffs as a negotiating tactic. A test of that could come as early as this weekend when Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on imports from two of the country's biggest trading partners, Mexico and Canada. Scott Horsley in Pair News, Washington. The Federal Reserve's interest rate setting arm meets in Washington this week with many economists anticipating the Fed in its first meeting of the new year will stand pat on rates as it seeks further direction for the markets. Fed officials and chair Jerome Powell have cut interest rates for three meetings in a row, taking rates from 5.3% to 4.3%.

Some of Wall Street's highest flyers are barely at treetop level today after a major announcement from an upstart Chinese company that threatens to upend the frenzy over AI. Chinese company called DeepSync says it's developed a language learning model that can compete with US companies like ChatGPT. More from MPR's Maria Aspen. DeepSync says it's spent less than $6 million training one of its AI models. That is incredibly cheap, especially in comparison to what we've heard from some established AI companies, which say they could spend up to a billion dollars training models. Now, DeepSync says it uses less advanced chips,

but it's still been able to deliver this product that seems sophisticated and efficient. Shares of AI chip darling NVIDIA plunged nearly 17% today. You're listening to NPR. At a time Jewish survivors of the Nazi concentration camps were warning about rising levels of anti-Semitism, a sobering anniversary. Today is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, with world leaders gathering to mark the event. Fifty-six survivors of Auschwitz gathered under a tent at the site of the former death camp. Many believe it

will be the last major observance with any sizable number of survivors. As recently as five years ago, roughly 200 people attended the observance. Climate change has boosted the number of dangerously hot days people have to live through, but it also trims the number of dangerously cold ones. As Alhundra Burundi reports, a new study focused on Europe suggests human-driven climate change will soon change the global balance of those risks. Humans are sensitive to temperature. When it gets too hot, people die not just from heat stroke but from all kinds of other medical problems like heart attacks or even mental health issues. But people also die when it gets really cold.

And in many parts of the world, cold causes more deaths than heat. That balance could change in coming decades, at least in Europe, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine, because climate change is likely to balloon the risks of heat. The scientists write it's a warning to cut greenhouse gas emissions quickly to keep climate change from getting even more dangerous. Alejandro Runda, NPR News. Author of Perthville Everett's acclaimed novel that reimagines the adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Hux and slave companion James is raking in another honor.

James receiving top honors from the country's public libraries in the form of the Carnegie Medal for excellence in fiction. I'm Jack Spear in PR News in Washington. This message comes from NYU Langone. The NYU Langone Health app gives you access to your electronic health record. Keep track of your visits, lab results, and images all in one place. Better health starts with a better health system.