Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens.
Chapter 2: What changes are being made to minimum wage in New York City?
Minimum wage employees in the New York City area will see a bump in their pay starting today. Bruce Kahnweiser has more from New York.
The minimum wage for New York City, adjacent Westchester County, and all of Long Island is now $17 an hour, a 50-cent increase. For the rest of the state, the minimum wage remains $16 an hour, but starting in 2027, minimum wage increases statewide will be indexed to inflation. In New Jersey, the minimum wage is already indexed to the Consumer Price Index.
The pay there has inched up more than 40 cents to $15.92 per hour. but there is a carve-out for agricultural workers and those working in small businesses.
Chapter 3: What factors are contributing to the surge in flu cases?
Their minimum will increase to just $15.23. Connecticut's minimum wage is increasing to $16.94. Their minimum is also indexed to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Chapter 4: What is Ukraine's stance on peace negotiations with Russia?
For NPR News, I'm Bruce Convisor in New York.
New data show a surge in flu cases. The CDC estimates there have been 7.5 million such cases so far this season, up from some 4 million flu cases reported in the previous week. NPR's Gabriela Emanuel has details.
Chapter 5: What recent developments occurred during a New Year celebration in the Swiss Alps?
One big factor driving the surge is a new strain called subclade K. It's caused huge numbers of cases from Australia to Japan to the UK. Florian Kramer of the Eichen School of Medicine at Mount Sinai says genetic changes in the strain mean the flu vaccine isn't great at recognizing the virus.
Because it changed, there's less immunity to it, and that's allowing the virus to spread very quickly and extensively.
Chapter 6: How is the Trump administration impacting childcare funding for low-income families?
However, early data from the U.K. suggests that the vaccine is still quite effective at keeping people from getting so sick they end up in the hospital. And the new strain doesn't seem to be more severe or dangerous. And researchers say current treatments still work against it. Gabriela Emanuel, NPR News.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says his nation is not prepared to sign a weak peace deal that would only prolong its war with Russia.
Chapter 7: What breakthroughs are being made in renewable energy globally?
In a New York address, heard here through an interpreter, Zelensky says Ukraine wants the war to end, but not at any cost.
The peace agreement is 90% ready, 10% remains, and that's far more than just numbers. Those 10% contain, in fact, everything. Those are the 10% that will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.
10% to save millions of lives. launching a drone attack on President Putin's residence. A fire broke out at a ski resort bar in the Swiss Alps today, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries during a New Year celebration. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. This is NPR. The Trump administration is freezing monthly funding to help low-income families pay for childcare.
More than 800,000 families were receiving that aid as of 2019, the latest numbers available. Science Magazine says the unstoppable growth of renewable energy is its 2025 breakthrough of the year. NPR's Julia Simon has more.
Across the world, from Pakistan to Nigeria, everyday citizens are no longer turning exclusively to polluting fossil fuels to get reliable electricity. They're turning to solar panels and batteries. Much of the renewable technology comes from cheap exports from China. According to energy think tank Ember, 2025 was the first year that renewable energy surpassed coal as a source of electricity.
The implications for the climate are huge, particularly for China, the world's biggest polluter. Because of the growth of renewable energy, China's planet heating emissions have been flat. or falling for the last 18 months. And Chinese exports of solar, wind, and battery technologies mean other countries are reducing their emissions too. Julia Simon, NPR News.
Sachs Global, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and other companies, is seeking bankruptcy protection. The holding company missed its first debt payment linked to its acquisition of Neiman Marcus in 2024 and has struggled to boost demand in the United States amid inflation. Hudson Bay Company created Sachs Global as part of a debt restructuring last August. I'm Shay Stevens.
This is NPR News.
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