Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
Chapter 2: What is the latest update on the government funding standoff?
Senate Democrats say they would risk a partial government shutdown by the end of the week rather than approve a spending bill that includes funding for immigration customs enforcement. NPR's Sam Greenglass reports the standoff on Capitol Hill comes just days after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis.
With just days to go before a Friday night deadline, the Senate was preparing this week to greenlight nearly $1.3 trillion for defense, health, transportation and more. But that funding is wrapped up with money for the Department of Homeland Security, which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Democrats say they will not give ICE any more money without reforms that Republicans have previously resisted. Even if the Senate agrees to changes or to cleave DHS from the funding for everything else, the House would still have to agree as well.
Chapter 3: How is the winter storm affecting travel in the Northeast?
And the House is on recess this week, unlikely to be called back before funding runs out. Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington.
The Northeast is getting hit with a final punch of a massive winter storm that swept across much of the South and East with snow, sleet and ice over the weekend.
Chapter 4: What factors are driving gold prices to record highs?
And PR's Joel Rose reports many roads were forced to shut down and thousands of flights were canceled.
Sunday was the biggest single day for cancellations since the early days of the COVID pandemic in 2020, according to the aviation analytics company Sirium. The vast majority of flights were canceled at some airports in the Northeast, around Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. American Airlines canceled more than half of its scheduled flights yesterday. Delta and United, more than 40%.
That's NPR's Joel Rose reporting. In the south, ice brought down trees and power lines, cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of utility customers.
Chapter 5: What happened in the recent ferry disaster in the Philippines?
Behind the system, Arctic air is sweeping in, with some areas reporting record low temperatures. For the first time ever, an ounce of gold costs more than $5,000. As NPR's Maria Aspin reports, the record-breaking surge in gold prices comes as investors worry about almost everything else.
Gold and other precious metals are traditionally seen as safe haven investments, meaning investors buy them when they're anxious about more mainstream assets like stocks and bonds. Gold has smashed several records in the past year, as President Trump wages a trade war against United States allies.
It crossed the $5,000 mark after a weekend in which Trump threatened new tariffs against Canada, and federal officers fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, stoking Wall Street fears of a federal government shutdown.
Chapter 6: What is the European Union's investigation into Elon Musk's platform X about?
Gold prices are rising as investors sell dollars, as part of what's become known as the Sell America trade. Maria Aspin, NPR News.
On Wall Street, the Dow was up 336 points. This is NPR News. Rescue efforts are underway in the southern Philippines after a ferry carrying hundreds of people capsized and sank overnight. Officials say the vessel abruptly tilted and took on water, killing at least 18 people. The Coast Guard says the ferry appeared to suffer a technical failure before sinking.
Defending women's singles champion Madison Keyes is out of the Australian Open following a defeat to fellow American Jessica Pagula in the fourth round. Christina Kukia reports from Melbourne.
Jessica Pagula knocked out ninth seed Madison Keyes in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park. Reflecting on her win, Pagula says she felt strong going into the match against her close friend.
I've been playing really well, seeing the ball, hitting the ball really well this whole tournament, and I wanted to kind of stay true to that.
The six-seed Pagoula is still chasing her first Grand Slam title and enters the Final Eight in Melbourne for the fourth time. Americans Coco Goff and Iva Jovic are also through to the women's quarterfinal. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kokola in Melbourne.
The European Union has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X after its AI chatbot Grok surfaced non-consensual, sexualized, deepfake images. Regulators say they're also expanding an ongoing probe into X's recommendation algorithms. That review gained urgency after the company said it would use Grok's AI to determine which posts users see.
On Wall Street, the Dow up 335 points at this hour, the Nasdaq up 137. This is NPR News in Washington.
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