NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-29-2025 12PM EST

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

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Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,

is being grilled on stances that raise concerns on both sides of the aisle. Today Kennedy flatly disputed the notion that he is anti-vaccine. All of my kids are vaccinated. I've read many books on vaccines. disputed the notion that he is anti-vaccine. All of my kids are vaccinated. I've written many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, the first line of it is, I am not anti-vaccine, and the last line is, I am not anti-vaccine.

But in a contentious exchange this morning, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking member of the Finance Committee, disputed Kennedy's claims today. In a podcast in 2020, you said, and I quote, you would do anything, pay anything to go back in time and not vaccinate your kids. Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. Kennedy was also asked about his abortion stance, which had raised concerns

among conservatives. Democratic critics accused him of walking back prior statements of support. The Trump administration is offering millions of federal workers the option to resign and continue to be paid through September. NPR's Asbukhalid reports on the effort to shrink the federal workforce. The union that represents many federal workers has described the move as a purge of dedicated civil servants and says this offer should not be viewed as voluntary. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt disputes that characterization and says the effort is about the president's policy ending remote work. This is a suggestion to federal workers that they have to return to work.

And if they don't, then they have the option to resign. A job in the federal government has long been seen as steady, stable work. But that's changed in the last week. The Trump administration wants to shrink government. And Trump also wants government workers in line with his vision. Asma Khalid, NPR News. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited to the White House. It's President Trump's first invitation to a foreign leader since returning to

office. NPR's Danielle Lastern reports from Tel Aviv. Netanyahu's office says the Israeli leader is invited to meet Trump in the White House next week on Tuesday. Trump and his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff were instrumental in pressing Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire and hostage prisoner exchange with Hamas on the eve of Trump's inauguration. The Trump administration is urging Israel to extend the ceasefire. Netanyahu is under pressure from far-right allies to return to fighting in Gaza. Netanyahu is scheduled to testify three times a week in his corruption trial, and it's unclear if the Israeli court will grant him a reprieve for a White House visit.

Danielle Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. At last check on Wall Street, the Nasdaq was down 123 points or more than half a percent. You're listening to NPR News. Nearly five years since COVID-19 first disrupted America's schools, new data released today from the nation's report card offer cause for hope and concern. Researchers find that in math, many students made up at least some of the academic ground they lost during the pandemic. However, in both math and reading, most fourth and eighth graders in 2024 still perform below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

The nation's public schools have largely spent the $190 billion in federal emergency funding they received from Congress to help pay for, among other things, research-backed interventions, including summer school and tutoring. New recommendations from a coalition of health and nutrition organizations say kids and teens should mostly stick to water and plain milk and avoid drinks with added sugar. Here's NPR's Maria Godoy. Maria Godoy The recommendations come amid a proliferation of new drinks marketed to teens, including energy drinks and blended coffees.

Here's Megan Lott of Healthy Eating Research, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which led the coalition behind the new guidelines. New research has shown us that even small amounts of caffeine can cause delayed sleep onset, increased amounts of depressive moods and anxiety and other mental health issues that are really problematic for young teens. The guidelines also call for kids and teens to limit their intake of plant-based milks because the panel concluded they don't offer the same nutrition as cow's milk. Maria Gaudoy, NPR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.