NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-28-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: January 28, 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. Live from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. President Trump's deportation effort focusing on those in the U.S. without legal status

is continuing. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it's made more than 3,500 arrests. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he's sending hundreds of National Guard troops to the southern border. Gabriella Alcorta-Celorio with Texas Public Radio reports. Abbott is directing the Texas military department to coordinate with the Trump administration on border security, a change from the Republican governor's legal battles with the Biden administration. Abbott spent the last four years testing the state's ability to enforce immigration law. Now, with Trump in office, Abbott says the state will be working with the federal government. The 400 soldiers being deployed are from the Texas Tactical Border

Force, established in 2023 to aid the thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers already mobilized to the border. The Pentagon announced last week that it has begun deploying more than 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border. I am Gabriela Alcorta Solorio in San Antonio. The community of Latin American and Caribbean states is holding an emergency summit in Honduras later this week. The meeting was called after President Trump and the President of Colombia traded tariff threats over immigration and the treatment of migrants. Colombia's president eventually relented to Trump's demands, which Trump is messaging as a warning to other nations.

Maria Fernanda Basmaski with the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsh Latin American Center sees this political approach as risky. I think that the Trump administration is betting on a coercion strategy that will yield results in the short term, but is not sustainable in the long term. Latin American and the Caribbean countries have other options other than the United States, and so the administration has to really balance out those sticks and carrot approach. Basmosky spoke to NPR's morning edition. Stocks open mix this morning as the Senate confirms

President Trump's pick to lead the Treasury Department. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow slipped about 40 points in early trading. Scott Bessent won bipartisan backing in the Senate. As Treasury Secretary, he'll be a leading salesman for the President's economic policies, including an extension of the 2017 tax cuts. New orders for long-lasting manufactured goods fell last month, largely because of a sharp drop in commercial airplane orders.

Stripping out the volatile aircraft category, durable goods orders were slightly higher. A cargo vessel traveling through the Red Sea suffered an explosion today, forcing the crew to abandon ship. A lot of cargo traffic has been bypassing the area to avoid attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen, although the rebels had promised to halt those attacks following the ceasefire in Gaza. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. This is NPR News from Washington.

The Senate is expected to vote today whether to confirm Sean Duffy as Transportation Secretary. Also happening this week, confirmation hearings for Health Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kennedy has faced criticism over his skepticism of vaccines among other controversial viewpoints. A new survey finds the vast majority of parents still have positive views of childhood vaccines, although vaccine confidence is falling among Republicans. NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports. Among all parents, 82 percent say they keep their child up to date with recommended childhood

vaccines. That's according to a survey published Tuesday by KFF, a nonpartisan health research organization. The survey of 1,300 adults was conducted earlier this month. However, trust in vaccines overall has fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among Republicans. Among Republican parents, more than one in four say they have skipped or delayed vaccinations for their kids. That's double the percentage it was just two years ago.

Selena Simmons Duffin and PR News. The Grammy awards are being revamped to raise money for wildfire relief in Southern California. The Recording Academy and its affiliated charity launched a fund to help those affected by the catastrophic fires. And many in Hollywood have canceled Grammy parties and other events. The award show is being held in LA on Sunday. The three largest wildfires are more than 95 percent contained and rain has now moved

out of the area with major mudslides without major mudslides that were anticipated. I'm Kristin Wright and this is NPR News in Washington.