--:-- Ryland Barton: On the ThruLine podcast from NPR, immigration enforcement might be more visible now, but this moment didn't begin with President Trump's second inauguration, or even his first. A series from ThruLine about how immigration became political and a cash cow. Listen to ThruLine in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Ryland Barton: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Vice President J.D. Vance is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, saying they want to provide free health care to unauthorized immigrants.
--:-- Mara Liason: NPR's Mara Liason reports. The two sides are still far apart as the shutdown heads closer to a second day. Democrats say they won't vote to reopen the government unless the administration agrees to extend Obamacare subsidies for low-income individuals.
--:-- Vice President J.D. Vance: If you look at the legislative text that they gave us, they tried to turn on two separate provisions that would give health care benefits to illegal aliens. In fact, Obamacare subsidies or Medicaid or Medicare are only available for those who do have legal status in the U.S. The exception is emergency rooms, which treat everyone regardless of immigration status.
--:-- Mara Liason: Mara Liason NPR News the White House Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed Others are expected to work without pay until Congress reaches a deal to reopen the government
--:-- Andrea Hsu: NPR Andrea Hsu reports The Congressional Budget Office estimates some 750 federal employees could be furloughed That includes roughly half of the Department of Agriculture, half of civilians working for the Defense Department, and close to three-quarters of the Labor Department.
--:-- Andrea Hsu: Where most employees are still working, although mostly without pay, include the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Transportation. Separate from the shutdown, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced layoffs of 1% of its staff, more than 100 people, including those in communications and the patents unit. That agency is not funded by Congress, but rather by user fees, so it remains operational.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: The Supreme Court says Lisa Cook can remain a Federal Reserve governor for now. The court declined to act on the Trump administration's effort to remove her as he tries to reshape the historically independent agency. Justices will hear arguments in January over the case.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: The mayor of Memphis says that National Guard troops are not in the city yet. That's as President Trump's federal intervention there has begun, which will include more than a dozen other federal agencies.
--:-- Mayor Paul Young: Speaking at a town hall Mayor Paul Young told residents there still a lot he knows about the federal operation. He said a number of agencies including the FBI DEA ATF and U Marshals are operating in Memphis right now The National Guard is not one of them yet We know that at some point they will come.
--:-- Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis: Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said troops are expected in the next two weeks, adding that there are still a lot of unknowns about the deployment. Everybody wants to know how many National Guard are coming. We don't know.
--:-- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says 53 people were arrested in the first 48 hours of the operation, which is expected to have a slow rollout and last for weeks, maybe months.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: Kat Lonsdorff, NPR News, Memphis.
--:-- Host: Stocks closed up slightly today.
--:-- Ryland Barton: This is NPR News from Washington.
--:-- Host: Israel's defense minister has ordered all remaining Palestinians to leave Gaza City, saying it's their last opportunity. Israel's defense ministry says that anyone who stays who stays will be considered a militant supporter and face the full force of Israel's latest offensive.
--:-- Host: Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled famine-stricken Gaza City in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands remain.
--:-- Becky Sullivan: In the WNBA, players are expressing support for star player Nafisa Collier, who this week made strong criticisms of league officials about player pay and issues with referees NPR Becky Sullivan has more.
--:-- Becky Sullivan: The Minnesota Lynx forward Ford is one of the league biggest stars and she known for being calm cool and collected So it caught everyone attention when at her year press conference on Tuesday Nafisa Collier unleashed a very pointed and very personal criticism of WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert.
--:-- Becky Sullivan: In private conversations, she said the commissioner had cast players as ungrateful and dismissed concerns about a link between poor refereeing and increased physicality leading to injuries.
--:-- Becky Sullivan: We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world.
--:-- Commissioner Kathy Engelbert: In a statement, Commissioner Engelbert says she was, quote, disheartened by Collier's comments, but that she has the utmost respect for players and an unwavering commitment to them and their future as a league.
--:-- Becky Sullivan: Becky Sullivan in PR News.
--:-- Host: A new report on book bans in the U.S. says Stephen King is the most banned author this year in schools. Penn America says nearly 7,000 titles were removed from shelves in the 2024-25 school year. Around 80% of the bans originated in Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.
--:-- Host: From Washington, this is NPR News.
--:-- Ryland Barton: On the next through line from NPR. People have real ethical and moral quandaries about this. People are uncomfortable from the very beginning. The business of migrant detention. Listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
