Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on federal immigration agency testimonies?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Officials from three federal immigration agencies are to testify this morning before the House Committee on Homeland Security. Lawmakers are asking about the Trump administration's immigration operations. This comes after federal agents shot and killed two Minneapolis protesters last month.
Democrats want changes to the agency's policies or they won't back an agency funding bill. Funding for Homeland Security will lapse this week if no bill passes. The Republican-led House has passed legislation it is calling the Housing in the 21st Century Act. NPR's Stephen Bessaha reports. It aims to make homes cheaper by streamlining home building.
The bill would not make an immediate dent in home prices. That would take more homes being built, and that would take time. The bill is meant to encourage that through a few dozen provisions, like getting rid of some regulations for smaller housing projects. And the bill also directs federal agencies to develop a national building code and zoning guidelines local governments could adopt.
The vote was bipartisan, with only eight Republicans and one Democrat voting against. It now heads to the Senate, which has its own similar but competing bipartisan housing bill. Co-sponsor Senator Elizabeth Warren has criticized the House bill for loosening regulations on banks. Stephen Passaha, NPR News.
President Trump is threatening to block a new bridge from opening that links Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario. Writing online last night, Trump said he wants Canada to turn over half of the ownership of the bridge to the U.S. Canada paid for the whole bridge, and part of it belongs to the state of Michigan.
Authorities in Arizona continue to search for the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. Officials say 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home in Tucson more than a week ago. Savannah Guthrie has released another online video message. She is asking that anyone who might have any information to please... Contact authorities.
Stocks opened higher this morning despite a lackluster report on retail sales. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped about 250 points in early trading.
The retail report from the Commerce Department shows overall spending at stores and restaurants didn't budge in December as cautious shoppers watched their pennies.
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Chapter 2: How is the Housing in the 21st Century Act impacting home building?
Spending on cars, furniture, and electronics fell, while spending on groceries and gasoline was slightly higher. Gasoline prices are inching up. AAA finds the average price of a gallon of regular gas is up 12 cents from a month ago, but still 22 cents lower than this time last year.
Stock in Coca-Cola lost a little fizz after the company projected a slower sales growth than forecasters were expecting this year. Coke raised prices in North America by 4 percent in its most recent quarter. For those who are thirsty for savings, the company began offering smaller cans. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
On Wall Street, the Dow continues to surge. It's now up about 350 points. You're listening to NPR. New Jersey Democratic Governor Mikey Sherrill says she won't attend certain events at the National Governors Association meeting if other Democratic governors are disinvited. Sherrill spoke to CNN yesterday. The governors are holding their winter meeting this month in Washington.
The White House has disinvited Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis and Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore to a dinner. Moore is the vice chair of the National Governors Association. The White House says it can invite whomever it wants. Officials in Cuba are telling airline companies they are running out of jet fuel.
Some airlines, such as Air Canada, have suspended flights to the island. The Trump administration is blocking fuel sources from going to Cuba. The only winter Olympic sport the U.S. has never medaled in is the biathlon. But this year, the team is more promising than ever, as NPR's Becky Sullivan tells us.
In the last Olympics in 2022, the American biathlete Deidre Irwin came closer than any American individual ever to that podium when she finished in seventh place. Had she hit just one more target, she'd have won that historic medal. Irwin will race that event again on Wednesday. Team USA has a strong competitor on the men's side too, a 23-year-old Campbell Wright.
He was born in New Zealand, but New Zealand doesn't have a biathlon team, and his parents are American, so he switched to Team USA. The men's individual event is Tuesday. Both men and women have other events in the days to come.
The Americans also feel they have an advantage due to their coach Armin Aukenthaler, an Italian who lives just a few minutes' drive from the Olympic venue in far northern Italy. Becky Sullivan, NPR News, Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy.
On Wall Street, stocks are again higher. The Dow is now up 330 points. It's NPR.
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