U.S. awards Moderna $590 million to speed up development of bird flu vaccine : NPR

U.S. awards Moderna 0 million to speed up development of bird flu vaccine : NPR


Moderna headquarters, exterior view, in Cambridge, Mass.

Moderna headquarters, exterior view, in Cambridge, Mass.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will award $590 million to Moderna to accelerate the development of influenza vaccines, including to protect against bird flu.

“Accelerating the development of new vaccines will allow us to stay ahead and ensure that Americans have the tools they need to stay safe,” outgoing HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement on Friday.

Turkeys at a farm as California declares state of emergency to prevent new public health crisis on Bird flu in Pescadero, California, in December.

The money will go to Moderna, the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company that previously developed a COVID-19 vaccine. Since 2023, Moderna has been working to create a “pandemic influenza vaccine” which would help protect against certain viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu.

The new funds build on the $176 million that HHS gave to Moderna last July. On Friday, Moderna said the additional funding will help pay for late-stage development, licensure of the vaccines and expanding clinical studies for additional subtypes of pandemic influenza to prevent other potential public health emergencies.

Over the past several months, bird flu has spread rapidly throughout the U.S.

It has mostly infected livestock and other mammals, but there have been at least 67 confirmed human cases so far, including one death in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California currently accounts for more than half of human infections.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services walks to a meeting with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sander (I-VT) in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump's nominees for his incoming administration continue to meet with senators on Capitol Hill, weeks before his inauguration. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The public health risk remains low, but HHS Secretary Becerra said bird flu variants have proven to be unpredictable, which is why the virus is a top priority for the federal government.

On Thursday, the CDC issued an alert urging hospitals to speed up efforts to test people who they suspect have an infection.



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Former head of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards has died : NPR

Former head of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards has died : NPR


In this file photo, then-Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards speaks during a rally opposing repeal of the Affordable Care Act outside of the Capitol Building on July 27, 2017 in Washington, DC.

In this file photo, then-Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards speaks during a rally opposing repeal of the Affordable Care Act outside of the Capitol Building on July 27, 2017 in Washington, DC.

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Cecile Richards, a prominent advocate for women’s rights and other progressive causes, died Monday. In a statement, her family confirmed her death, saying she passed away at home, “surrounded by family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie.”

“Our hearts are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives,” the statement said.

Richards was best known for her work leading Planned Parenthood through a particularly challenging time which included threats to its funding and the first election of Donald Trump to the presidency.

During more than a decade at the helm of Planned Parenthood, Richards was often called upon to defend the reproductive health organization against attacks from political opponents. She and her movement faced mounting challenges after Trump, who ran for President in 2016 on a promise to overturn the landmark abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade, was first elected.

At the Women’s March in Washington the day after Trump’s inauguration in 2017, Richards addressed thousands of marchers and promised to fight his policies.

“Today we’re here to deliver a message: we’re not gonna take this lying down, and we will not go back,” Richards told the crowd.

The next year, Richards announced she was leaving Planned Parenthood. After leaving the organization, Richards focused her efforts on leading Supermajority, a group she’d co-founded to mobilize female voters.

In the years to come, the Trump administration would take steps designed to reduce access to abortion, including cutting off funds for groups that make abortion referrals, like Planned Parenthood, through an overhaul of the Title X family planning program.

Over the course of his first term, Trump named three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, who, in June of 2022, would ultimately vote to overturn decades of abortion-rights precedent.

Despite setbacks for the abortion rights movement and a diagnosis of brain cancer, Richards embodied an “indefatigable” determination, says former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis.

“Her belief [was] you can’t give up before you even start, and that it’s always worth a fight,” Davis said.

Davis worked closely with Richards during a high-profile battle to defeat an anti-abortion bill in Texas in 2013. Now a senior advisor to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the group’s political arm in Texas, Davis says Richards still inspires her to keep fighting.

“You want to give in to the weariness and give in to just giving up,” Davis said. “When I’m tempted to feel that way, I think about Cecile, and I know a lot of people do.”

Richards herself drew inspiration from the legacy of her mother, the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, who was known for her sharp wit and down-to-earth demeanor.

During a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2015, a male lawmaker asked her if she expected the committee “to be easier on you because you’re a woman?”

“Absolutely not,” Richards responded. “That’s not how my mama raised me.”

The hearing stemmed from the release of secretly-recorded videos by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group that accused Planned Parenthood of selling fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood said the sting videos were edited to be deliberately misleading.

Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in the St. Louis area, knew Richards for more than a decade through their advocacy for abortion rights.

“I think she really changed the way that the movement engaged publicly; she was a very visible and bold presence,” McNicholas says. “She wasn’t afraid to take questions, to say the word ‘abortion.'”

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat with a long history of advocacy for reproductive rights, credits Richards with an instrumental role in making sure the Affordable Care Act, which passed under President Barack Obama, included contraceptive coverage.

Murray says despite the setbacks the movement has faced in recent years, she sees Richards as an example of continuing to fight.

“I would take what Cecile has done in her lifetime and use it as a charge to all of us now: you move forward, you fight for what you believe in, you have the courage to stand up and say what is right,” Murray says. “You take those setbacks, learn from them, and move forward, and she’s always done that.”

In an Instagram post in January 2024, months after her cancer diagnosis, Richards described going through a whirlwind of treatments, time with family, and focusing on what was most important — including her continued activism.

“After all,” Richards wrote, “as my mother used to say: ‘Why should your life be just about you?'”

As her health continued to decline, Richards addressed the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

She spoke of the joy of recently becoming a grandmother, and the challenges many women have faced since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“One day, our children and grandchildren may ask us, ‘When it was all on the line, what did you do?’ And the only acceptable answer is, everything we could,” Richards said.

In November 2024, President Joe Biden honored Cecile Richards with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a private ceremony at the White House. In a statement, Biden praised Richards for her “absolute courage and conviction” and “an inspiring legacy that endures in her incredible family, the countless lives she has made better, and a Nation seeking the light of equality, justice, and freedom.”



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Trump expected to sign dozens of immigration-related executive actions : NPR

Trump expected to sign dozens of immigration-related executive actions : NPR


In this aerial view, the U.S.-Mexico border ends with a gap on Sunday near Sasabe, Ariz. Although immigrant crossings are down sharply, the incoming Trump administration has vowed to complete the wall and "seal" the border completely.

In this aerial view, the U.S.-Mexico border wall ends with a gap on Sunday near Sasabe, Ariz. Although immigrant crossings are down sharply, the incoming Trump administration has vowed to complete the wall and “seal” the border completely.

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President-elect Donald Trump is expected to kick off a slew of executive actions related to immigration after his inauguration ceremony, beginning as soon as Monday.

Since the early days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has vowed to begin his second term with both new and old efforts to curb legal migration and deport those who are in the U.S. without legal status.

Last night during a rally in Washington D.C., Trump said he plans to sign executive orders quickly and launch “the most aggressive, sweeping effort to restore our borders the world has ever seen.”

“Very soon, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history,” he added.

Incoming White House 'border czar' Tom Homan speaks during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 22, 2024.

Incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan also said large-scale raids to deport and detain those without legal status are set to begin as soon as Tuesday, focusing on people considered a security or safety threat.

“While we hope for the best, we take Trump at his word. We are prepared to fight back against any cruel or violent attacks on immigrant communities in the U.S. or those fleeing to this country in search of safety and refuge,” said Kerri Talbot, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, an advocacy organization.

The U.S. had seen an increase in border crossings under the Biden administration, at times reaching all-time highs. But Customs and Border Protection’s recent numbers have shown a sharp decrease in unauthorized apprehensions in the past six months.

Amica Center for Immigrant Rights (formerly known as CAIR Coalition) attorney, Atenas Burrola Estrada speaks during an presentation on immigration enforcement at a school in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10, 2025.

Trump campaigned on border security promises, and he and his allies argue that his electoral win is an endorsement of his upcoming efforts on the issue. Republicans criticized Biden’s immigration policies, and lawmakers voted to impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Still, the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds that Americans are evenly split on whether to mass deport people who are in the U.S. without legal status — though divisions fall along party lines.

With Republican control of the White House, Senate and House, Trump’s immigration policies are also a key priority to push through Congress.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas poses for a portrait at NPR Headquarters in Washington, DC, on Jan. 7.

Here are some of his promises:

These efforts may take time

Although Trump has reiterated these promises for over a year, they may take weeks or months to implement. Several actions will likely be the subject of legal challenges or need Congress to mobilize new funding that Trump currently does not have.

“We get into the big question marks. He’s talked about using, expanding, detention facilities. That will almost certainly happen,” Andrew Selee, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, said in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition.

“But whether he’ll be able to use military bases or not, or other federal facilities — and whether he will try and use the military itself, and that would require going back to the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798, and that will almost certainly be litigated in the courts.”

Detainees do a virtual visit with their attorneys or asylum officers during a media tour at the Port Isabel Detention Center hosted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Harlingen Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) on June 10, 2024 in Los Fresnos, Texas.

In fact, even quickly scaling operations might be difficult for the new administration. An NPR investigation last year found that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible for removals, struggled to scale up to Trump’s immediate demands during his first term, which included attempts to increase deportations.

Congress must also provide the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies with the funding to execute the policies.

In their final budget request, the Biden administration asked for $19 billion to fund additional personnel, facilities, repatriation capabilities, and other enforcement resources along the southwest border.

Lawmakers are expected to take up border security funding as a part of a bigger budget-related measure later this year.



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Ohio State, Notre Dame play for college football’s championship : NPR

Ohio State, Notre Dame play for college football’s championship : NPR


The game-clinching play of Ohio State's semifinal against Texas, in which defensive end Jack Sawyer recovered a fumble and returned it more than 80 yards for a touchdown.

The game-clinching play of Ohio State’s semifinal against Texas, in which defensive end Jack Sawyer recovered a fumble and returned it more than 80 yards for a touchdown.

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In a previous era of college football, the two teams in Monday night’s championship game — Ohio State and Notre Dame — wouldn’t have been in the playoffs at all.

TreVeyon Henderson, running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes, looks up and points to the sky as he celebrates a touchdown.

For most of the history of the top level of college football, a team had to go undefeated in the regular season, or else get very lucky, in order to contend for a title. A single bad regular season loss often would doom those chances.

But college football is changing, every year. A new 12-team playoff format has opened the door for a new kind of champion.

Both Ohio State and Notre Dame have been strong all season long. But they each dropped a confounding loss in the regular season: The Buckeyes in a rivalry game against a mediocre Michigan team, and Notre Dame in a stunning September upset by Northern Illinois.

Under the old system, those L’s might have doomed both teams’ title hopes. Instead, they’re poised to face off on the sport’s biggest stage to claim the first-ever championship in the expanded playoff era.

Here’s what else to know about the matchup: 

Both teams are among college football’s most successful programs of all time

In college football, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Notre Dame or Ohio State. These two programs are both among the top-five winningest teams of all time: Ohio State is second in total wins, and Notre Dame is tied for fourth.

Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing about legalized sports gambling.

Ohio State has had more success recently, including titles in 2002 and 2014. During the 10 years that the playoff included four teams, Ohio State qualified half the time, while Notre Dame made it twice. Notre Dame last won a championship in 1988.

Another notable thing in college football’s modern era: Both teams are from the Midwest. College football has come to be dominated by teams from the South, which have won all but two of the last 19 title games.

Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman is already the first Black or Asian American head coach to even lead his team to the national championship game, win or lose.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman is already the first Black or Asian American head coach to ever lead his team to the national championship game, win or lose.

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

With a Notre Dame win, head coach Marcus Freeman would make history

In the history of college football, no Black or Asian American head coach has ever steered his team to a national title. Freeman, whose father is Black and mother is South Korean, is already the first to coach in the title game — a Notre Dame victory would make him the first to win.

When it comes to the achievement of Black head coaches, college football lags far behind the NFL, and even further behind college basketball and the NBA — even though roughly half of players in the top level of the sport are Black. Today, 16 of 134 head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision are Black, a number that has barely budged in a decade.

No matter the game’s outcome, this playoff run has already made the 39-year-old head coach a star.

Keep your eye on Ohio State’s star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith

The jewel of Ohio State’s $20 million roster is the 19-year-old budding superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a 6-foot-3 true freshman who has lived up to the hype that surrounded his recruitment out of high school.

Smith has racked up 1,227 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns this season. His biggest game yet came when Ohio State smoked the then-undefeated Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinal. Smith caught 187 yards on seven receptions, two of them for touchdowns — and he did almost all of it in a dominating first half.

Long field goals, like this 50-yarder by Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey in October, were once rare in the NFL. This season, they're happening at a record pace.

His big-play capability has been key to Ohio State’s success this season. Some NFL analysts say he would be picked first overall in this year’s upcoming NFL draft, were he eligible — but players must play in college for at least three years, so Smith has a chance to dominate college football for a while longer.

The game may come down to which team makes the most explosive plays — or mistakes

Ohio State has the better offense and is favored by more than a touchdown. Notre Dame is the big defensive team — but will it be enough?

Ohio State’s 28-14 semifinal win over Texas may look lopsided from the final score. But two of Ohio State’s touchdowns came on long plays — a short screen pass that turned into a 75-yard touchdown just before halftime, and the game-clinching 83-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the final minutes of the game.

Texas hung around because its defense neutralized Ohio State’s ability to make explosive plays. The Longhorns held Smith to just one reception for three yards. But ultimately, the Texas offense couldn’t convert when it mattered.

Notre Dame is more of a grind-it-out team. The Irish focus on the run game, dominating the line of scrimmage and limiting costly turnovers.

Quarterback Riley Leonard’s legs have been a difference-maker all season long for the Irish. But in the semifinal against Penn State, it was his arm that came through in the game’s biggest moments — including a 54-yard touchdown to tie the game late, then a key first down completion with 17 seconds remaining that put them in easy field goal range for the game’s final score. Can he come through for the Irish again?

Monday night’s game in Atlanta kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN and streamed on Fubo.



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How and when to watch : NPR

How and when to watch : NPR


Workers build a stage in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington on Jan. 17, 2025, for the 60th presidential inauguration, which was moved indoors because of cold temperatures expected on Monday.

Workers build a stage in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington on Jan. 17, 2025, for the 60th presidential inauguration, which was moved indoors because of cold temperatures expected on Monday.

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Morry Gash/AP

President-elect Donald Trump will take his oath of office inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda at 12 p.m. EST on Monday. Trump is the second president to move his inauguration indoors to the Rotunda, from the West Front of the Capitol, due to a forecast of frigid weather.

“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump posted Friday.

Temperatures will reach a high of about 24 degrees Monday with wind gusts as high as 31 mph, according to National Weather Service.

Crews — who spent four months building the inaugural and presidential parade platforms outside — have outfitted the Rotunda and Capitol One Arena to host Trump’s inauguration events. Nearly a quarter million people had tickets for Trump’s outdoor inauguration, many of whom will not be able to attend the limited capacity indoor events.

“This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!” Trump posted Friday.

Inauguration preparations have shifted at the U.S. Capitol following the announcement that the ceremony will be moved indoors.

How to watch the inauguration

NPR News will broadcast live special coverage of Trump’s inauguration starting at 11 a.m. EST on NPR.org and YouTube.

Other streaming options include the official inaugural committee livestream and C-SPAN.org.

All major network and cable news television outlets will broadcast the inauguration. These programs can also be viewed on subscription-based streaming platforms, such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. Many news networks — such as CBS News, NBC News and ABC News — will air their coverage online.

MSNBC’s inauguration coverage will air on its YouTube channel.

CNN and Fox News will also stream their coverage, but it requires a paid subscription.

President Ronald Reagan is sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger in an Inauguration ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 1985.

Who’s going to the inauguration

With the inauguration ceremony taking place in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda — instead of the West Front — space is limited and the guest list is in flux.

The inaugural platform on the West Front is more than 10,000 square feet and can hold around 1,600 people, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. The Capitol Rotunda is smaller — coming in at just over 7,000 square feet — and can only fit around 750 people, according to a source familiar with the planning who was not authorized to disclose the matter.

According to the JCCIC, the inaugural platform is usually reserved for the president and vice president and their families; the president-elect and vice president-elect and their families; the chief justice and associate justices of the Supreme Court; former presidents; the diplomatic corps; cabinet members and nominees; members of Congress; governors; the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and other guests.

Despite the space constraints, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will all attend the rotunda inauguration, according to a source familiar with the planning who was not authorized to disclose the matter.

Notably, the vice president of the People’s Republic of China, Han Zheng, will also attend the rotunda ceremony, according to the Trump transition team.

Side-by-side photos of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and Trump's 2017 inauguration, both in Washington, D.C.

Prayer, Parade and Inaugural balls

While Trump’s inauguration is constitutionally mandated to occur at 12 p.m. EST on Monday, the entire day is full of inaugural events, traditions and ceremonies.

The day starts at St. John’s Episcopal Church with a morning prayer service — a 92-year-old tradition. Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and a small group of others will pray with Rev. Robert Fisher at the small, yellow church just across the street from Lafayette Square.

Trump will then have tea with President Biden at the White House before leaving for the U.S. Capitol.

Following his swearing-in, Trump will give his inaugural address inside the Rotunda.

Trump will then leave the U.S. Capitol and head to Capital One Arena for his indoor “Presidential Parade” starting at 3 p.m. EST.

The evening ends with three inaugural balls: Commander in Chief Ball, Liberty Inaugural Ball and Starlight Ball. Trump will attend and speak at each one.

Carrie Underwood is set to perform “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony

Which artists are performing

Throughout the day’s events, several well-known artists will perform.

Country music star Carrie Underwood will sign “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony.

“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement provided to NPR.

Classical tenor Christopher Macchio — who performed at the Republican National Convention and Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally — will perform the national anthem during the swearing-in ceremony.

Lee Greenwood, whose song “I.O.U.” won a Grammy for best vocal country performance, will also perform at the rotunda ceremony.

Monday evening, at The Liberty Ball, country singer-songwriter Jason Aldean, disco band Village People, and rapper and singer Nelly will all perform.

Country music band Rascal Flatts and singer Parker McCollum will serenade attendees of The Commander-in Chief Ball.

Finally, singer songwriter Gavin DeGraw will perform at the Starlight Ball.



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Trump rallies at Capital One Arena in preview of inauguration : NPR

Trump rallies at Capital One Arena in preview of inauguration : NPR


U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reacts during a MAGA victory rally at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on Sunday, one day ahead of his inauguration ceremony.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reacts during a MAGA victory rally at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on Sunday, one day ahead of his inauguration ceremony.

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The day before Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as the 47th president, he and his followers celebrated with an hours-long rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity, and pride,” Trump told the crowd to loud cheers.

“Once and for all we’re going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington, a failed administration.”

Trump is set to appear at the same venue tomorrow after his swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, after he cancelled an outdoor parade due to expected frigid weather. Supporters will also be able to view an inauguration livestream from the venue.

Inauguration preparations have shifted at the U.S. Capitol following the announcement that the ceremony will be moved indoors.

He took the opportunity on Sunday to preview several of his Day 1 actions, including on border security, energy, and ending the Biden administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in government agencies.

He also celebrated his election win and took credit for multiple recent developments, including the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that went into effect on Sunday.

The three released Israeli hostages, who had been abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants, exit a van before boarding an Israeli Air Force military transport helicopter near Reim in southern Israel on Jan. 19 as part of a ceasefire deal.

“I know that Biden is saying they made the deal, well,” he said, trailing off and chuckling as the crowd booed.

Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, joined President Biden’s Middle East envoy in the final push of talks on the deal.

President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Sunday in Washington.

President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Sunday in Washington.

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Alex Brandon/AP

Trump also cheered the fact that Tiktok, the popular video app, is back online. TikTok was taken offline Saturday night in compliance with a law that effectively banned the service nationwide unless it splits off from its China-based owner, but Trump on Sunday posted on Truth Social that he would pause the law and extend a liability shield to technology companies that support TikTok.

At the rally on Sunday, he reiterated a proposal he made on social media: for the U.S. government to take a 50% stake in the social media platform, without providing further details.

His promotion of Tiktok is a reversal from 2020, when Trump attempted to ban the platform.

The TikTok app logo is shown on an iPhone on Friday, Jan. 17 in Houston.

‘Call to action’ for America

Trump supporters stood outside in the chilly rain all morning ahead of the rally’s start.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” said Cindy Pugh, who traveled from the Minneapolis suburbs. “Donald Trump is the best president of my lifetime. He has done so much sacrificially for Americans, myself included.”

Trump in November won the popular vote for the first time. That fact makes this election feel different from his win in 2016, Pugh said.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Nov. 6, in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“This win reflects a compelling call to action by the American people to listen to us, to act on our behalf, not to be beholden to the political establishment. So it does feel different to me,” she said.

Multiple rally speeches took on a darker tone, however.

“All of you wearing the MAGA hats, it used to be an act of civil disobedience,” political commentator Megyn Kelly told the crowd, referring to ‘Make America Great Again’ hats. “But wearing that hat for much of the past eight years has been an act of courage, too.”

She concluded her speech with an order: “Do not bend. Never bow.”

And Trump adviser Stephen Miller linked Trump’s multiple legal cases to an implication that his supporters were themselves threatened by Trump’s opponents.

President-Elect Donald Trump greets the Village People on stage at his victory rally at the Capital One Arena on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

President-Elect Donald Trump greets the Village People on stage at his victory rally at the Capital One Arena on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

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Trump was charged in several criminal cases, though his criminal conviction for 34 felony counts in New York state was the only in go to to trial.

President-elect Donald Trump looks on during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in December 2024 in Phoenix, Ariz.

“They indicted him, they tried to imprison him and to take away his freedom, to take away his family, to take away his business, to take away your voice, your future, to take away your hopes, your dreams, your government, your country,” Miller told the crowd.

The rally featured appearances by musicians Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood, as well as actor Jon Voight and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump has said will lead the Department of Government Efficiency group meant to recommend government spending cuts. Trump did not mention Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate that he also initially asked to lead DOGE.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a question about the rally crowd’s size. Capital One Arena has a capacity of around 20,000 seats, according to local outlets. Supporters filled the floor and lower two levels of seats of the arena, as well as about half of the top tier.



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At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says : NPR

At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says : NPR


People displaced by violence in towns across the Catatumbo region, where rebels of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, have been clashing with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, arrive for shelter at a soccer stadium in Cúcuta, Colombia, on Sunday.

People displaced by violence in towns across the Catatumbo region, where rebels of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, have been clashing with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, arrive for shelter at a soccer stadium in Cúcuta, Colombia, on Sunday.

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Fernando Vergara/AP

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

People take part in a rally in support of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Medellín, Colombia, on Feb. 8.

Twenty others were injured in the violence that has forced thousands to flee as Colombia’s army scrambled to evacuate people on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, governor of North Santander, where many of the killings took place.

Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who sought to sign a peace deal, according to a report that a government ombudsman agency released late Saturday.

Officials said the attacks happened in several towns located in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, with at least three people who were part of the peace talks being kidnapped.

Thousands of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help at government shelters.

“We were caught in the crossfire,” said Juan Gutiérrez, who fled with his family to a temporary shelter in Tibú after they were forced to leave behind their animals and belongings. “We had no time to grab our things. … I hope the government remembers us. … We are helpless here.”

Colombia’s army rescued dozens of people on Sunday, including a family and their pet dog, whose owner held a pack of cold water against the animal’s chest to keep it cool as they evacuated by helicopter.

Defense Minister Iván Velásquez traveled to the northeast town of Cúcuta on Sunday where he held several security meetings and urged armed groups to demobilize.

“The priority is to save lives and guarantee the security of communities,” he said. “We have deployed our troops throughout the entire region.”

Officials also prepared to send 10 tons of food and hygiene kits for approximately 5,000 people in the communities of Ocaña and Tibú, the majority of them having fled the violence.

“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. “Boys, girls, young people, teenagers, entire families are showing up with nothing, riding trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, whatever they can, on foot, to avoid being victims of this confrontation.”

The attack comes after Colombia suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, on Friday, the second time it has done so in less than a year.

Colombia’s government has demanded that the ELN cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

“Displacement is killing us here in the region,” said José Trinidad, a municipal official for the town of Convención, located in the North Santander region. “We’re afraid the crisis will worsen.”

Trinidad called on insurgent groups to sit down and hammer out a new agreement so “us civilians don’t have to suffer the consequences that we’re suffering right now.”

The ELN has been clashing in Catatumbo with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a guerrilla group that disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with Colombia’s government. The two are fighting over control of a strategic border region that has coca leaf plantations.

Colombia's FARC Rebels Laid Down Their Weapons, But A Growing Number Are Being Killed

In a statement Saturday, the ELN said it had warned former FARC members that if they “continued attacking the population … there was no other way out than armed confrontation.” The ELN has accused ex-FARC rebels of several killings in the area, including the Jan. 15 slaying of a couple and their 9-month-old baby.

Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that authorities were reinforcing a humanitarian corridor between Tibú and Cúcuta for the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. He said special urban troops also were deployed to municipal capitals “where there are risks and a lot of fear.”

The ELN has tried to negotiate a peace deal with the administration of President Gustavo Petro five times, with talks failing after bouts of violence. ELN demands include that it be recognized as a political rebel organization, which critics have said is risky.



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Local meteorologists could face layoffs amid new initiative with The Weather Channel : NPR

Local meteorologists could face layoffs amid new initiative with The Weather Channel : NPR


Byron Allen speaks at the Allen Media Group upfront presentation at Avra on April 26, 2023 in New York City.

Allen Media Group Founder Byron Allen speaks at the Allen Media Group upfront presentation on April 26, 2023, in New York City.

Chance Yeh/Getty Images for Allen Media Group/The Weather Channel


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Chance Yeh/Getty Images for Allen Media Group/The Weather Channel

Meteorologists at 27 local TV news stations are facing uncertainty about their jobs after Allen Media Group announced a new local weather initiative with The Weather Channel.

The group, which owns TV stations in 21 markets across the country, said Saturday it is rolling out a new format for weather coverage that will have “additional visual storytelling capabilities” across its stations in 2025.

The move comes as the broadcast industry, particularly television, seeks new ways to engage audiences as it navigates waning viewership amid cord cutting and the rise of streaming platforms.

The plan involves meteorologists at The Weather Channel in Atlanta producing content for local stations across the country. The team under the new initiative will be led by Carl Parker, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel, and include some meteorologists from local TV stations moving to Atlanta, the media group said in a statement.

Severe weather will remain a priority, the group said, and the new format will “improve reporting capabilities, especially in high-stakes weather situations.” It will also ensure “the most accurate, timely, and engaging forecasts for communities across the country,” according to the release.

The company would not publicly detail how the change would affect meteorologists at local TV stations.

Meteorologists at some stations say they expect to be impacted by the decision. There are also stations facing ongoing layoffs that were announced in early 2024.

“By now most of you have probably seen the chatter about Allen media letting local meteorologists go, well I am one that will be affected by this,” Amber Kulick, a meteorologist with WAAY-TV in Huntsville, Ala., a station owned by the media group, wrote in a social media post. “For now I am still at the station but I am looking for my next career opportunity.”

Josh Franson, a meteorologist with KWWL-TV in Iowa, said he is among those facing layoffs at his station.

“Hey guys, If you haven’t heard the recent news about the layoffs, I wanted to share that our station is one of those impacted,” Franson wrote in a post on X. “To my viewers and those of you who have been on Frannys Report since day one, thank you.”

Zach Stanford, a former state coordinator for crisis information and disaster intelligence for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said local meteorologists are the “obvious choice for life-saving local weather information” and serve critical roles in sharing other information such as wildfire perimeters and evacuations.

“Local meteorologists on TV are a trusted face, not only because they know their science, but also because they’re a member of that community,” Stanford told NPR. “The community component has to be thought through to make sure that that critical service is not lost.”

Allen Media Group took ownership of The Weather Channel in 2018.



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First Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners freed in ceasefire deal with Hamas : NPR

First Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners freed in ceasefire deal with Hamas : NPR


The three released Israeli hostages, who had been abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants, exit a van before boarding an Israeli Air Force military transport helicopter near Reim in southern Israel on Jan. 19 as part of a ceasefire deal.

The three released Israeli hostages, who had been abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants, exit a van before boarding an Israeli Air Force military transport helicopter near Reim in southern Israel on Jan. 19 as part of a ceasefire deal.

Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images


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Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images

Around 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed from Israeli jails and into the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as part of an exchange under ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel that went into effect Sunday morning. Their release comes hours after three Israeli women were set free by Hamas-led Palestinian militants who held them hostage in Gaza for 471 days.

This was the first of several hostage and detainee exchanges set to take place during the planned six-week ceasefire in Gaza that’s aimed at ending the 15-month war. Negotiations to extend the deal are expected to begin in coming weeks.

In the West Bank, the freed Palestinians arrived in a bus to scenes of cheering and celebration. Hundreds of people were there to greet them at the release site, in a traffic circle in a suburb of Ramallah. Families were bundled up in winter coats and waving Palestinian flags while waiting for hours in the cold.

Several young men, wearing what appeared to be Israeli prison uniforms, were hoisted onto the shoulders of friends and family.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, the Palestinians released in the exchange were women and minors.

Hours earlier, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher crossed into Israel on a military transport after being driven out of Gaza City in a Red Cross vehicle on Sunday, Israel said. Hamas fighters stood on the roof of the car they were in, surrounded by crowds of Palestinians trying to get a look at the hostages, against a cityscape of war-ravaged buildings.

33 hostages are expected to be released by Hamas as part of a ceasefire with Israel

The Red Cross handed the women over to Israeli forces. As night fell, they were driven across the border in a military convoy to a reception center set up for the hostages to be released in the coming weeks. Israel said the women were reunited with their mothers there.

Israel said doctors and psychologists were also on hand to give the women an initial medical assessment, before being transferred to a hospital near Tel Aviv, for further treatment and to see the rest of their families.

Under the ceasefire agreed to between Israel and Hamas in Qatar last week, Hamas is set to release 33 hostages over the next six weeks, while Israel agreed to release some 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The agreement was reached with the help of mediators from several countries and including representatives of both the incoming and outgoing U.S. administrations.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the government is committed to the return of all 94 remaining hostages, most of whom were captured on the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 onslaught on southern Israel, and many of whom Israel says are no longer believed to be alive.

These are the U.S. citizens held hostage in Gaza

Israeli authorities published a list of names of Palestinians detained after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including Khalida Jarrar of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who has been in and out of Israeli prisons, and Abla Sa’adat, the wife of PFLP leader Ahmad Sa’adat.

In Charleston, S.C., President Biden spoke on Sunday about the many rounds of often tense negotiations that produced the ceasefire deal.

“The deal that I first put forward last May for the Middle East has finally come to fruition,” he said, adding that hundreds of trucks are entering the Gaza Strip “as I speak,” carrying assistance to people there. “Today the guns in Gaza have gone silent,” he said.

He said the negotiations over the deal took a long time, and “this is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve been part of.”

Palestinians celebrate after US President-elect Donald Trump's announcement of hostage deal between Israel and Hamas , in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, Gaza on January 15, 2025.

Biden also defended broader U.S. support for Israel under his administration, saying the U.S. led a “principled and effective policy” that led to the ceasefire deal and helped to weaken Hamas’ allies in the region, including Hezbollah and Iran.

Speaking on Sunday at a rally in Washington, D.C., ahead of his inauguration on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump took credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.

“Perhaps most beautiful of all this week, we achieved an epic ceasefire agreement as a first step toward lasting peace in the Middle East. And this agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic victory in November,” Trump said.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff went to the Middle East with Biden’s team as the final details of the ceasefire were worked out. He thanked Witkoff, who was in the audience.

Smoke rises after an explosion in northern Gaza, before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas goes into effect, as seen from Israel, January 19, 2025.

Smoke rises after an explosion in northern Gaza, before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas goes into effect, as seen from Israel on Sunday.

Maya Levin for NPR


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Maya Levin for NPR

The ceasefire faced an initial delay of a few hours

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET) — around three hours after the originally scheduled time for hostilities to cease. It was supposed to have gone into effect at 8:30 a.m., but the Israeli prime minister insisted that Israel did not consider the terms of the agreement valid and enforceable until Hamas had handed over a list of the names of hostages to be released on Sunday.

Under the agreement, Hamas was supposed to hand them over on Saturday. The group did eventually, and the ceasefire appeared to be holding throughout the day.

Gonen, 24, was kidnapped at the Nova music festival as part of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7; Damari, 28, a British-Israeli citizen, was abducted the same day by militants attacking Kfar Aza, a small Israeli community — known as a kibbutz — close to Gaza; and Steinbrecher, 31, was also taken from Kfar Aza.

According to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Gonen “loves dancing, traveling, and enjoying life. Friends and family describe her as energetic, funny, family-oriented, and full of life.”

Friends of Damari describe her as “well-loved and popular, a friend to everyone. Emily enjoys barbecuing, karaoke nights, and loves hats,” according to the same statement. She was abducted along with her friends Gali and Ziv Berman, who remain in captivity.

Steinbrecher is a veterinary nurse, according to the group’s statement, and “has cared for animals since childhood, when she helped at the school’s petting zoo. She loves sports, especially running, and goes for early morning runs around the kibbutz every Saturday.” The group said her family considered her a devoted aunt to her nephews.

Throughout the morning, surveillance drones flew over Gaza and the Israeli military reported strikes in the territory. NPR confirmed that a jeep belonging to the Al Qassem Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, was struck.

The spokesman for Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense, Mahmoud Basal, said Israeli attacks killed 19 people across various parts of the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning.

Gazan health authorities said a total of 46,913 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and close-quarter fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas militants in this war. The Israeli military says 405 soldiers have been killed in the war, in addition to around 1,200 people in Israel killed on Oct. 7, 2023.

On Sunday, the Israeli military also said it carried out a special operation alongside the country’s domestic intelligence service that helped recover the body of infantry soldier Oron Shaul. He had been killed during clashes with Hamas in 2014.

Hamas militants are still holding 94 hostages inside Gaza. Most of those were seized on Oct. 7, 2023, but others were taken hostage in the preceding decade, and a substantial number are no longer alive.

In Jerusalem, the far-right Otzma Yehudit party released a statement saying its leader, former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was making good on his threat to leave Netanyahu’s governing coalition, and he would take his party’s ministers with him. The statement called the ceasefire deal a “victory for terrorism.”

Jerome Socolovsky reported from Tel Aviv. Kat Lonsdorf is in the West Bank.



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Deadline passes without Gaza ceasefire going into effect : NPR

Deadline passes without Gaza ceasefire going into effect : NPR


Demonstrators hold torches as they gather during a protest calling for the release of all hostages held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Demonstrators hold torches as they gather during a protest calling for the release of all hostages held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Oded Balilty/AP


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Oded Balilty/AP

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The deadline for the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip passed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release later on Sunday in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.

These are the U.S. citizens held hostage in Gaza

The list had not been handed over when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 a.m. local time, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said. He said the army “continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena,” and would until Hamas complies with the agreement.

Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.

An Israeli official said mediators have provided assurances that the list will be delivered and the deal is still expected to go forward, though the timing remains in question. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing efforts to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.

Delay underscores fragility of the agreement

The planned ceasefire, agreed after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.

This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Palestinians celebrate despite delay

Dozens of people took to the streets in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis to celebrate the ceasefire, according to an Associated Press reporter.

Four masked and armed Hamas fighters arrived in two vehicles as the celebrations were underway, with people welcoming them and chanting slogans in support of the militant group.

Palestinians celebrate after US President-elect Donald Trump's announcement of hostage deal between Israel and Hamas , in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, Gaza on January 15, 2025.

The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low for months due to Israeli airstrikes. Gaza City residents said they had seen them operating in parts of the city, and the AP reporter in Khan Younis saw a small number out on the streets.

Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early Sunday, even as tank shelling continued to the east, closer to the Israeli border, overnight. Families could be seen making their way back on foot, with their belongings loaded on donkey carts, residents said.

“The sound of shelling and explosions didn’t stop,” said Ahmed Matter, a Gaza City resident. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning to their homes. “People are impatient. They want this madness to end,” he said.

Israel’s Cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. The warring sides were under pressure from both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the U.S. presidential inauguration on Monday.

The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will now emerge.

Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died.

Some 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged. Rebuilding – if the ceasefire reaches its final phase – will take several years at least. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.



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