NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-28-2025 9AM 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. on NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. U.S. immigration and customs enforcement says officers have arrested thousands of people since it began mass deportations under the direction of President Trump and his campaign promise to deport those in the country without legal status. The government of Mexico says it alone has received more than 4,000 migrants since the president returned to the White House. Nina Kravinsky with member station KJZZ reports now. It wasn't immediately clear if those 4,000 people are all deportees or if some are migrants who were

turned away at the border. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had said last year that she hoped to reach an agreement with then-presresident-elect Trump to only take Mexican citizens. Sheinbaum pointed out that Mexico has, in the past, accepted non-Mexican migrants. That can happen in cases where strained diplomatic relations between the third country and the U.S. make it hard to repatriate those people directly back to their country of origin. For NPR News, I'm Nina Kravinsky in Hermosillo, Mexico. The White House is ordering the U.S. military to end diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and programs. President Trump's executive order covers the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

The order also prohibits what the president calls divisive concepts. On Capitol Hill, senators are considering several key remaining cabinet nominees. Confirmation hearings for health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are happening this week. Kennedy has faced criticism over his skepticism of vaccines among other controversial viewpoints. This is Democratic Senator Dick Durbin on the Senate floor yesterday. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is dangerously, dangerously unqualified and entirely irresponsible in his judgment. President Trump says Kennedy will restore gold standard scientific research.

Today the Senate is voting whether to confirm Sean Duffy as transportation secretary. Israel and Hamas have already begun preparing to negotiate the next phase of their ceasefire deal. That second phase would see all remaining living hostages freed and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. And Paris' Daniel Estrin reports. Under the deal, Hamas is expected to gradually release Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian

prisoners and detainees. Hamas says it will release three more hostages Thursday and three Saturday. In this first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas will release a total of 33 hostages, some no longer alive. Israeli spokesman David Menser. Twenty-five are alive and eight are dead. And Israel has shared those details with their families. An official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations says Israel and Hamas are discussing the framework

for talks next week on the next phase of the deal, including the release of all the remaining living hostages. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. It's NPR. Today Serbia's prime minister announced he's resigning. As NPR's Rob Schmitz reports, he's the highest-ranking official to leave since mass protests spread across the country two months ago. Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vucević said the collapse of a railway station in Serbia's

second-largest city that killed 15 people in November had cast a shadow over the country and, quote, from that moment, Serbia seemed to be stuck in that accident. The Serbian capital Belgrade has seen daily anti-government protests since the disaster, with students, teachers, and other workers churning out in the thousands. Protesters blamed the disaster on corruption within the government of populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who co-founded the party that outgoing Prime Minister Vucevic belongs to.

Serbia's parliament now has 30 days to choose a new government or call a snap election. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for those accused of atrocities in Sudan's West Darfur region. He told the UN Security Council that both government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide. The two sides have been fighting almost two years. Tens of thousands of people have died in Sudan's civil war, and millions

are in need of humanitarian assistance. Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is erupting again. It's one of the world's most active, and now it's spewing lava for the seventh recorded time in recent weeks. The eruption is not posing any threat at this point. This is NPR News from Washington. It's a new year, and according to Pew, 79% of resolutions are about one thing, health. But there are so many fads around how to keep ourselves healthy. On It's Been A Minute, I'm helping you understand why some of today's biggest wellness trends are, well, trending. Like why is there protein in everything? Join me as we uncover what's healthy and what's not on the It's Been A Minute podcast from NPR.