Immigration; Donald Trump; Oscar nominations : NPR

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Today’s top stories

President Trump’s promise to crack down on illegal immigration is pushing forward today in two ways. The Pentagon will send roughly 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. And Congress passed the Laken Riley Actmaking it easier to detain and deport anyone in the U.S. without legal status if they’ve been charged with a crime.

• 🎧 Supporters of the bill argue that it will increase public safety, while those that oppose it say it bypasses due process since the person won’t have to be convicted of a crime to be detained or deported, NPR’s Ximena Bustillo tells Up First. Democrats widely rejected the bill last year. This time around, 46 House Democrats joined Republicans in supporting it. Bustillo says this shows a shift on immigration for some Democratsespecially after it was made the central focus of Trump’s campaign. In a memo, Immigration and Customs Enforcement warned that bill would be impossible to implement with existing resources and it expects some states and local law enforcement agencies to refuse to cooperate.

The National Institutes of Health canceled key meetings, leaving researchers across the country concerned. The moves come after U.S. Department of Health and Human Services employees were told on Tuesday to halt all public communications until a Trump appointee could review them.

• 🎧 The meetings include different institutions and timetables and are not easily rescheduledDr. Chrystal Starbird, a cancer researcher, told NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin. A delay in these meetings can result in a negative impact on important cancer research. The extent of the cancellations is not clear at this point, but many scientists are worried that biomedical research of all kinds could be disrupted.
• ➡️ Trump has declared that the U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organizationwhich oversees global health issues. He says the U.S. pays an unfair share of dues. Here’s an assessment of the numbers.

Oscar nominations will be announced this morning. The ceremony was delayed twice due to the wildfires raging through Los Angeles. Two more fires broke out yesterday, causing tens of thousands of people to be placed under evacuation orders and warnings.

• 🎧 The fires have not been completely contained yet, and there’s debate over how awards season should continue in HollywoodNPR’s Mandalit del Barco says. Some believe the ceremonies should be canceled, toned down or turned into fundraisers for fire survivors and first responders. Many of the people in the TV and film industry impacted by the fires are not A-list celebritiesdel Barco reminds. As for the nominations, del Barco says The Brutalistwhich features actor Adrian Brody, is a sure bet. Wicked and Emilia Perez are among other titles to watch during the announcement.

Today’s listen

Fire Capt. Shane Lawlor was quickly dispatched to Palisades when the recent Los Angeles fires broke out. He has been at work ever since. On his first day battling the flames, Lawlor was on his team’s fireline for 20 hours straight without any breaks. He had been sleeping on-site or at his station in Santa Monica when he was not on duty. On his first rest day from the fires, Lawlor’s 11-year-old son, Cain, a budding journalist with a new podcast kit, interviewed his dad over Zoom about his experience fighting the fires. Listen to what Shane had to say to his son’s questions.

25 goals for 2025

Can’t decide on a resolution for 2025? NPR’s Life Kit has expert guides to make any goal a reality. We’ll share a few of them every week this month. View all 25 guides here.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world. It’s in many everyday products: coffee, chocolate, energy drinks and tea. While excessive caffeine intake can lead to negative side effects such as nervousness or headaches, it also offers potential benefits; for example, coffee may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. To cultivate a healthy relationship with caffeine, it’s essential to keep the following considerations in mind.

• ☕ Caffeine can make you more alert or focusedbut you cannot use it as a substitute for food and rest.
• ☕ Your tolerance for caffeine may vary from that of others around you. Your body knows how much it needs; overdoing it can make you jittery or anxious.
• ☕ If you want to cut back, do so slowly to set yourself up for success. Quitting cold turkey can worsen withdrawal symptoms that are associated with a higher failure rate.

Life Kit has several more guides to help you navigate your health in 2025. Check out some of them here:

3 things to know before you go

1. Staff and visitors at Australia’s Royal Botanic Garden Sydney are waiting to see a rare event that could happen soon: the blooming of a “corpse flower” affectionately named “Putricia.”
2. Netflix announced it is raising subscriptions by $1, $2 and $2.50 per month in the U.S. This comes months after the streaming service’s last price hike.
3. The surge in bird flu, which has killed millions of hens in recent weeks, has caused egg prices to hike upwards. A dozen large, Grade A eggs cost an average of $4.15 last month in the U.S. — a nearly 37% increase from a year ago. (via KCUR)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.