NPR News: 01-15-2026 10PM EST
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This year on NPR's ThruLine, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. For centuries, America's pursuit has changed the world. Now, 250 years later, who are we? Where are we headed? Join us every Tuesday for a brand new series, America in Pursuit, on ThruLine. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on cities to cooperate with immigration authorities. As NPR's Joel Rose reports, it raises questions about what the government can demand from local law enforcement.
President Trump is threatening to cut off significant funding from cities and states that limit their cooperation with immigration authorities. This is not the first time the Trump administration has made a threat like this. Presidents signed an executive order nearly a year ago directing the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to make a list of sanctuary cities and withhold money from them. But courts have consistently sided against the administration in almost every case, saying the federal government cannot use federal funding to coerce state and local governments into cooperating with immigration enforcement. Democratic leaders say they are not intimidated and plan to fight any cuts in court.
Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
College enrollment in the U.S. has reached a 10-year high. NPR's Alyssa Nadwerny reports more than 19 million Americans are going to college.
The latest fall 2025 enrollment numbers show an uptick of about 20,000 students compared with the fall of 2024. That's according to the nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. While enrollment is slightly up, the biggest takeaway is that where students are going and not going is shifting. The growth at community colleges was driven by big gains in short-term workforce training programs, while private four-year college and master's programs saw declines. There was also a big drop in enrollment for international students in graduate programs. Alyssa Nadworny, NPR News.
What pressures is the Trump administration putting on cities regarding immigration?
The Federal Occupation Health and Safety Agency has restored the jobs of more than 400 federal workers who'd received layoff notices last year. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health helps set standards and limits for things like workplace exposure to chemicals or respiratory hazards. Last April, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slashed 90 percent of its staff and budget, then brought back about a third of the agency, including at the coal miners' surveillance program under congressional pressure. As of this week, HHS reversed course on an additional 400 workers who'd received layoff notices. The unit representing the workers say it will take time to restart the work that was idled. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News.
The Defense Department says it's revamping the editorially independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes to focus on, quote, reporting for our warfighters and not woke distractions. Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X that the paper would no longer include associated press stories or what he called D.C. gossip columns. Stars and Stripes dates back to the Civil War. Its mission states that it's independent from interference outside its own editorial chain of command. This is NPR News from Washington. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has proposed creating a new agency with $2.5 billion to boost production of critical rare earth metals and minerals. It comes as the Trump administration takes aggressive steps to reduce reliance on China, which dominates the rare earths market.
The bill introduced today by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Todd Young aims to stabilize price and encourage domestic production. Federal prosecutors have charged more than two dozen people in an alleged point-shaving scheme in college basketball. The indictment says that conspirators bribed players from 17 Division I teams to change the outcomes of dozens of games.
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