Chapter 1: What new features does NPR+ offer to podcast listeners?
How could your favorite NPR podcast get any better? Well, what if it had bonus features such as extended interviews and zero sponsor breaks? There is a remarkably easy way to turn that fantasy into reality. It's called NPR+. You get perks across more than 25 NPR podcasts while supporting the teams that make them. Make great podcasts even greater by visiting plus.npr.org.
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Travel this coming week, which is winter break for many schools, could become difficult following the partial federal government shutdown that began on Friday night. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security has stopped, and that means TSA airport screeners will be working without pay. Congress could not agree on changes in how ICE agents operate.
Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan says what his party wants are better rules of engagements.
We want to put in just some common sense guardrails on actions by federal agents in DHS. And basically the relatively concise list we provided to Republicans were to make sure that federal agents have to abide by the same kinds of rules and regulations that our local police in our communities follow each and every day.
And I think most Americans would agree that federal agents should not be above any of those laws or policies.
Republican officials in New York are asking the Supreme Court to pause a state judge's order for a new map of congressional voting districts before this year's midterm election. As NPR's Hansi Lowong reports, the order would give Democrats a chance to pick up an additional U.S. House seat. in the nationwide redistricting fights.
Republican members of the New York State Board of Elections and Representative Nicole Malliotakis are trying to block the redrawing of Malliotakis' district in New York City. A state judge ruled that district violates the state's constitution by diluting the collective power of Black and Latino voters.
A new congressional map for New York is likely to include an additional Democratic-friendly district that could help Democrats push back against the Republican gerrymandering efforts sparked by President Trump. In a court filing, the Trump administration says it supports blocking the order for a new map. Redistricting fights are still playing out in other states.
In Utah, Republicans are challenging a new Democratic-friendly map, and Virginia's highest court is allowing voters to decide in April whether to allow a new map that Republicans are challenging in court. Anzila Wong, NPR News.
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Chapter 2: How is the federal government shutdown affecting travel plans?
France's health ministry now has a new plan for tackling declining birth rates in that country. As Rebecca Rossman reports from Paris, the government says it will send letters to young people across the country urging them to think about parenthood and fertility options.
Starting this summer, people turning 29 in France can expect to receive a letter encouraging them to consider having children and explaining what help is available if they want to preserve their fertility. The letter will remind them that France's national health system covers egg freezing for women ages 29 to 37. It will also mention that fertility declines affect men, too.
The measure, which is part of a 16-point plan to boost France's fertility rate, has been criticized by some lawmakers who argue declining birth rates are the result of other factors, like the rising cost of child care. Last year, France's fertility rate fell to its lowest levels in over a century, raising concerns about how the country will fund its pension system in the decades ahead.
For NPR News, I'm Rebecca Rossman in Paris.
And you're listening to NPR News. A winter storm watch is in effect for parts of northern California this weekend. Weather officials say a cold front could bring a foot of snow to some communities starting Sunday afternoon. But they say towns at higher elevations could get as much as six to eight feet of snow.
Some communities are warning residents that driving could be treacherous by Monday with possible delays and road closings. Hollywood's ticket sales are booming this weekend with Valentine's Day couples leading the way. NPR's Bob Mondello has our details.
Usually when a holiday, say the 4th of July, falls on a weekend, that's bad for cinemas because people have things they'd rather do than go to a movie. But Valentine's Day, with a steamy time-honored romance opening, that's the perfect movie date to storm. Why did you leave me? Why did you betray your own heart? Wuthering Heights is expected to take in more than $30 million this weekend.
And because Monday, President's Day, is a holiday in some places, a story about the love of basketball will also get a boost.
It's time to show the world this kid got game.
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