DOJ fires officials; China’s DeepSeek; Immigration : NPR

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Today’s top stories

Acting Attorney General James McHenry fired several Justice Department officials yesterday who worked on the federal criminal investigations into President Trump, according to two DOJ officials. At least a dozen people who worked with special counsel Jack Smith received dismissals. It is not clear how many officials involved in the Trump investigations received termination notices.

• 🎧 In the termination letters, McHenry wrote that he did not trust the officials to faithfully implement the president’s agenda due to their role in prosecuting him, NPR’s Carrie Johnson tells Up First. A longtime lawyer informed Johnson he could not recall a time in modern DOJ history when so many prosecutors from a single case were dismissed. While the fired prosecutors could protest, sue, and potentially regain their jobs with back pay, the process could take time. Meanwhile, some senior civil Justice Department officials have been reassigned in recent days to work on a sanctuary city task force, which Johnson says could be a tactic designed to get them to quit.

The future is unclear for more than 1.4 million immigrants in the U.S. legally under several Biden-era programs. These programs provided temporary legal status to migrants from specific countries, many of whom were escaping violence in their home countries. However, Trump has now ended these programs and given immigration officials the authority to swiftly deport these asylum seekers.

• 🎧 One program is known as CHNV parole, which is specifically designed for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán says. People from those countries were allowed into the U.S. as long as they had a sponsor and passed a background check. Trump has expanded the expedited removal, which was originally only applied to migrants who had recently crossed the border. Martínez-Beltrán adds, “it’s one thing to issue an order; it’s a lot more complicated to actually deport people, and it’s unclear how that will happen.”
• ➡️ Immigrant and mixed-status families are changing their routines as immigration raids have begun.
• ➡️ How districts are responding to Trump clearing the way for immigration arrests at schools.

Tech stocks worldwide have plummeted over the past day as investors digest reports that a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, DeepSeek, developed a competitive AI model at a low cost. The company has attracted Trump’s attention. In addition, DeepSeek became the No. 1 most downloaded app on Apple’s U.S. app store, ousting OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

• 🎧 What rattled markets is a narrative that DeepSeek, with some caveats, basically did it all cheaper, quicker and with less powerful microprocessors than its big competitors, NPR’s John Ruwitch reports from China. It’s a spinoff from a Chinese hedge fund, established in 2023. The founders hired great engineers and developed new algorithms. DeepSeek says it spent under $6 million to make, but analysts say that number can be misinterpreted as it doesn’t include the cost of developing versions in which the latest was distilled. Ruwitch adds that while this development is pathbreaking, China faces growing challenges from the U.S. export ban on microprocessors.

Life advice

You can see the world and save money — it just takes a little savvy planning.

Photograph by Tsering Bista and Beck Harlan

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Photograph by Tsering Bista and Beck Harlan

Traveling on a budget doesn’t have to involve staying in hostels, eating cheap food or sleeping in train stations. You can enjoy a great trip without draining your bank account or compromising your safety or quality. Whether you are planning a quick weekend getaway or an international trip, here are some tips: 

• ✈️ Find an affordable lookalike for your dream destination. Can’t afford Paris? Consider Montreal or Quebec City.
• ✈️ Be flexible with travel dates.  Avoid flying on Sundays and Mondays, which are often pricier due to weekend trips.
• ✈️ Compare accommodations: Airbnb or other vacation rental services are not always more affordable. Check hotel rates or consider a home swap.

For more tips, check out the full list here.

Picture show

Qing Bao, one of the Smithsonian National Zoo’s new Giant Pandas, eats an apple on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. In November 2023, the National Zoo sent its three pandas — Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who had lived there since 2000, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, in advance of the expiration of their loan agreement and amidst rising tensions between the two countries.

Tyrone Turner/WAMU

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Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Panda-monium has officially begun in the nation’s capital. After a three-month wait and an 8,000-mile trip from China, giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are finally on display at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Their debut marks the latest chapter in China’s “panda diplomacy” in the U.S.

3 things to know before you go

When Claire Burnside Och was a young waitress, a customer’s unexpected reply put her at ease.

Claire Burnside Och

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Claire Burnside Och

1. In 2004, Claire Burnside Och was a server at a high-end restaurant when she made a mistake opening a bottle of wine. She had broken the cork, leaving half on her corkscrew and the other portion stuck in the bottle. Instead of being annoyed, the customer handled it with grace and left her with words she now uses to respond to others’ fumbles.
2. The last of the 43 monkeys that escaped from Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, S.C., in November of last year have been recovered, according to the local police department. 
3. The First State of Being and Chooch Helped have won the Newbery and Caldecott awards, respectively — the biggest honors in children’s literature.

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.