Nation/World

'Take Her Out.' In New Recording, Trump Heard Discussing Firing Ambassador To Ukraine

By Jason Breslow • Jan 25, 2020

In a new recording made public on Saturday, President Trump can be heard speaking with two men he has claimed to not know and ordering the firing of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

The hour-long recording from April 2018 captures a meeting between Trump and a group of donors that includes two associates of his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who in recent weeks have emerged as central figures in the impeachment inquiry: Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas.

After Contentious Interview, Pompeo Publicly Accuses NPR Journalist Of Lying To Him

By David Welna • Jan 25, 2020

One day after a contentious interview that was followed by an expletive-filled verbal lashing of NPR host Mary Louise Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is publicly accusing her of lying to him — "twice."

In a statement released by the State Department on Saturday, Pompeo says Kelly first lied "in setting up our interview."

The Impeachment Defense From Trump's Legal Team

By Tim Mak • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Republicans Who Have A Say In Impeachment Trial Witnesses

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Coronavirus Outbreak In China Accelerates

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

NPR CEO Defends Journalist After Pompeo Lashes Out Over Ukraine Interview

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Pressure Mounts To Improve Mississippi Prison Conditions

By Debbie Elliott • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

How To Relax On Busy Weekends

By Sam Sanders • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And finally today, we'd like to tell you about a new reality competition show that's generating a lot of buzz on social media. It's called "The Circle." And while you may be rolling your eyes at the idea of another reality show on TV with the long, boozy fake lunches resulting in fake arguments, not to mention the fake hookups, this one is a little different because the show features contestants who create profiles - some real, some completely and intentionally fake - to represent themselves to one another.

Culture Reporter Talks Netflix's 'The Circle'

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And finally today, we'd like to tell you about a new reality competition show that's generating a lot of buzz on social media. It's called "The Circle." And while you may be rolling your eyes at the idea of another reality show on TV with the long, boozy fake lunches resulting in fake arguments, not to mention the fake hookups, this one is a little different because the show features contestants who create profiles - some real, some completely and intentionally fake - to represent themselves to one another.

'Franchise' Tracks The Rise And Role Of Fast Food In Black America

By Michel Martin • Jan 25, 2020

Let's talk about fast food — and I bet you have a jingle in your head right now, because according to a new book, on any given day in America, an estimated one third of all American adults is eating something at a fast food restaurant.

Trump Team Vows To Deflate Democrats' Case As 1st Week Of Impeachment Trial Wraps

By Philip Ewing • Jan 25, 2020

President Trump's accusers fell far short of proving wrongdoing or the case for removing him from office, defense attorneys told senators on Saturday as they opened their portion of the impeachment trial.

The presentation by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his colleagues follows three days of opening arguments from House Democratic managers and marks the end of the first week of Trump's impeachment trial.

Trump Defense Team Makes Opening Arguments

By Philip Ewing • Jan 25, 2020

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

President Trump's defense team began its arguments today in his Senate impeachment trial. NPR election security editor Phil Ewing has been covering the story. Phil, thanks so much for being with us.

PHIL EWING, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.

Iraqi Security Forces Storm Tahrir Square, Clash With Protesters

By Jane Arraf & Kat Lonsdorf • Jan 25, 2020

Iraqi security forces launched a major crackdown on anti-government protesters Saturday from Baghdad to cities across the south after an influential Shiite cleric instrumental in the demonstrations withdrew his support.

Coronavirus Update: What's New In The Evolving Outbreak

By Pien Huang • Jan 25, 2020

Updated at 12:26 p.m. ET

Saturday's Lunar New Year celebrations were dampened in China by fears over the coronavirus outbreak and travel restrictions affecting 46 million people.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, China's President Xi Jinping stressed the urgency of controlling the outbreak — which has seen hundreds more confirmed cases since Friday — and urged state authorities to prioritize containment efforts.

President Trump's Legal Team Begins Impeachment Defense

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

Lawyers representing President Trump got their first shot Saturday to poke holes in the impeachment case made this week by Democrats.

Astronauts Finish Spacewalk For Final Fix Of International Space Station Device

By David Welna • Jan 25, 2020

Updated at 3:24 p.m. ET

Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station conducted their fourth and final spacewalk Saturday to finish a series of repairs aimed at extending the functioning of a cosmic ray detector attached to the spacecraft.

The six-hour, 16-minute foray outside the space capsule began shortly after 7:00 a.m. ET and ended at 1:20 p.m.

'Our Democracy Is In Danger': Muslims In India Say Police Target Them With Violence

By Lauren Frayer • Jan 25, 2020

When Aysha Renna decided last month to demonstrate against India's new citizenship law on her college campus in New Delhi, it never occurred to her that doing so might be dangerous.

Pain Drives The Creation Of A Sanctuary In 'Remembrance'

By Denny S. Bryce • Jan 25, 2020

Rita Woods' debut Remembrance is a complex story of loss and survival told across 200 years by four women, united by the color of their skin and the supernatural powers they command. It's an ambitious, absorbing novel that's occasionally let down by lengthy exposition and frequent jumps between points of view.

Regional Elections In Italy: Can The 'Sardines' Win Against Populism?

By Sylvia Poggioli • Jan 25, 2020

European Union officials will be closely monitoring results of local elections in Italy Sunday that are seen as a bellwether for the fate of the national government.

Polls suggest that the far-right populist League Party could win control of a region that has been a leftist bastion for 75 years.

Fresh Air Weekend: Journalist Detail 'A Very Stable Genius'; Actor Tim Roth

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

PHOTOS: What It's Like Living Through An Outbreak

By Pien Huang & Ben de la Cruz • Jan 25, 2020

The discovery of the new coronavirus has transformed cities in China and neighboring countries.

The impact is strongest in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus — a city of 11 million that is now under lockdown.

Other Asian cities, from Manila to Seoul, are also feeling the effect. Photographers are documenting the way life has changed since the discovery of 2019-nCoV.

Panel Questions

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Right now, panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Negin, this week, we learned the phrases paper clipping, cookie jarring, cloaking and dog fishing. These, according to the New York Post, are words you have to know if you're going to do what?

Bluff The Listener

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

BILL KURTIS: From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME, the NPR news quiz. I'm Bill Kurtis. We're playing this week with Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone and Negin Farsad. And here again is your host at the Des Moines Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa, Peter Sagal.

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Panel Questions

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Right now, panel, though, some more questions for you from the week's news. Mo, this week, The Atlantic published an investigative piece which reveals the United States far outpaces all other countries in the number of what we have?

Limericks

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Lightning Fill In The Blank

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Now onto our final game, Lightning Fill In The Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill-in-the-blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is worth two points. Bill, can you give us the score?

Predictions

By editor • Jan 25, 2020

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Now, panel, what will be the next big thing in reading? Paula Poundstone.

PAULA POUNDSTONE: They will take the pages of the book and chop them up really small with a razor blade and snort them.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Negin Farsad.

Remembering A Congressman Who Bucked His Party On An Impeachment

By Scott Simon • Jan 25, 2020

When I met Tom Railsback a few years ago, he told me he'd worried about going to a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Peoria in the fall of 1974.

Tom Railsback of Illinois was a middle-aged Republican congressman from the middle of a state in the middle of America when he was on the House Judiciary Committee in 1974 that heard the case for impeachment against President Richard Nixon.

Mr. Railsback greatly admired President Nixon. "His opening of the door to China," he told me, "had to be the most brilliant foreign policy move ever."

'Chicago Tribune' Reporters Raise Alarm Over New Hedge Fund Owner

By Scott Simon • Jan 25, 2020

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

On Their Latest Album, The Haden Triplets Sing 'The Family Songbook'

By Scott Simon & Peter Breslow • Jan 25, 2020

The Haden sisters — Petra, Rachel and Tanya — have a long history in American music.

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