NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-27-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

NPR News: 01-27-2025 8PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat in Florida, President Donald Trump highlighted some of his actions during his first week in office.

Trump also talked about ongoing events, including China's unveiling of a less expensive AI program called DeepSeq, which threatens to upend the AR market though he said that could have positive results. The release of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser focused on competing to win. Trump saying not spending as much and getting a similar result could be positive for the industry as president he also said he plans to sign executive actions calling for new state-of-the-art missile defense system and then to what he called transgender ideology in the military and reinstatement of service members expelled for

refusing COVID vaccinations. Public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been told to immediately stop working with the World Health Organization. As NPR's Gabrielle Emanuel reports, the memo was sent to division directors and deputies. The WHO and CDC collaborate on a wide range of health efforts, including a major M-pox outbreak in parts of Africa, and in Tanzania, an outbreak of Marburg virus, which is Ebola's cousin.

There are also global efforts to monitor and contain bird flu. CDC officials, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak said the memo came as a surprise and they haven't seen an order like this before. They're still trying to understand what the implications might be for fighting disease outbreaks. President Trump started the process of withdrawing from the WHO on Inauguration Day. That process takes a year. Gabriella Emanuel, NPR News. A federal judge has lifted travel restrictions barring the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers

Extremist Group from visiting Washington, D.C. or the U.S. Capitol without the court's permission. More from NPR's Ryan Lucas. Oath Keepers founder and leader Stuart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. President Trump, in one of his first acts back in office, commuted Rhodes' sentence to time served. On Friday, a judge barred Rhodes from visiting DC, the U.S. Capitol, or its grounds without the court's permission. The new Trump-appointed acting U.S. attorney pushed back, arguing that Rhodes and seven other oath-keeper defendants were no longer subject to the court's permission. The new Trump-appointed acting U.S. attorney pushed back, arguing that Rhodes and seven other oath-keeper defendants

were no longer subject to the court's supervision. Now, the judge has agreed that Trump's act of clemency does away with the defendant's supervised release, and they are not bound by the travel restrictions. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Shares of some of Wall Street's loftiest A.I. stocks took a tumble today mid-word of a new China AI learning model that can reportedly compete with US giants like CHAT, GPT.

At a fraction of the cost, the NASDAQ plunged 612 points. The S&P was down 88 points. The Dow rose 289 points. You're listening to NPR. And this study finds people who take time to prepare before a major surgery by focusing on good nutrition and other steps can significantly increase the likelihood of a positive recovery. It appears Allison Arbery reports on the top three prehabilitation strategies.

If you're getting ready for a surgery, such as a joint replacement or another major operation, you may want to ask your healthcare providers about prehabilitation. The new study finds a combination of movement, increasing your protein intake, and mentally preparing for surgery can significantly reduce the risk of complications, says study author Dr. Dan McIsaac of the University of Ottawa. — No matter what type of surgery you're preparing for, there's likely a benefit from prehabilitation. — For instance, the research shows people who do strength building and other forms of physical

activity in the month or two before surgery can reduce their risks by as much as 40 percent, often decreasing hospital stays and making a meaningful improvement in how they experience their recovery. Allison Aubrey, NPR News. So much needed rainfall for Southern California though, while the weekend downpour helped firefighters battling wildfires there, there may have been a brief respite. The rain has mostly moved out of the area scorched by fires, while some toxic ash and mud flowed across streets.

There were major debris flows reported. More than an inch of rain fell in some areas, causing concerns about loosening Los Angeles hillsides scarred by recent wildfires. Critical futures prices took a drop today, oil trending down amid continued worries about tariffs and other developments. Oil fell $1.49 a barrel to end the session at $73.17 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.