Limit on immigration judges; Special House election : NPR

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Today’s top stories

Today, Democrats in Washington introduced a bill that would limit who the Trump administration can appoint as a temporary judge. The bill, introduced by California’s Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Juan Vargas, would allow the attorney general to appoint temporary immigration judges who have served on appellate panels, are administrative judges in other agencies, or have at least 10 years of experience in immigration law. This legislation comes after the White House authorized up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges, while eliminating the requirement for them to have prior immigration law experience. The administration has fired at least 14 immigration judges in the last two weeks, according to the union that represents them.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday that he authorized and observed the first round of strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September, but didn’t personally make the call for the second strike that killed two survivors. He says the second strike was a decision made by Adm. Frank Bradley, who leads U.S. Special Operations Command. Congress is now investigating the details of what happened, as some suggest that the orders could leave servicemembers facing eventual prosecution.

🎧 Lawmakers’ questions center around whether the second strike violated U.S. law or would be deemed a war crime if the administration’s claim of being at war with narco traffickers is accepted, NPR’s Deirdre Walsh tells Up First. Senate Majority Leader John Thune backed the current U.S. policy, stating that the administration has the authority to conduct these attacks. But he sidestepped the question of whether he has confidence in Hegseth when asked directly. Thune did state that the Trump administration’s peace through strength policies are effective, and Hegseth is part of that team.

Republican Matt Van Epps last night won the special election for a U.S. House seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Though it is a win for Republicans, Democrats are also claiming victory. This is because Van Epps won by 9 percentage points in a district where, last year, President Trump claimed victory with roughly 60% of the vote.

🎧 Yesterday’s race showed that Republicans were able to motivate their base voters to head to the polls without Trump being on the ballot, NPR’s Stephen Fowler says. It also showed that Democrats are moving past their losses from 2024, have motivated Democratic voters who have soured on the party, and appear to have persuaded independents that Republicans won’t solve key issues.

The Trump administration has fired or attempted to fire numerous federal staff members at the U.S. Department of Education who manage and enforce federal disability law. While Secretary Linda McMahon assures that special education funding is secure, NPR found concerns among 40 parents, educators, disability rights advocates, subject matter experts and Education Department staff. They say they fear that reducing federal staff and oversight may result in a return to pre-1975 conditions, when schools denied access and services to children with disabilities.

From our hosts

by Steve Inskeep, Morning Edition and Up First host

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox got a lot of attention last September for his handling of an assassination’s aftermath. Cox delivered remarks about a divided nation after the activist Charlie Kirk was killed in his state.

But Cox is involved in another issue of sweeping significance. He’s promoting nuclear plants to supply data centers for artificial intelligence.

In an NPR video interview, I spoke with the governor about our divisive present and his efforts to help build the future.

Cox sees the U.S. in a race with China to dominate AI. That’s one reason that Utah is doing all it can to encourage the expansion of nuclear power. “We’re trying to build it, and lots of it,” he said. The state is working to lower regulatory barriers and lobbying the federal government to do the same.

Yet Cox knows the dangers of AI technology. He told me he’s concerned that AI could supercharge the damage from social media, our addiction to devices and our disconnection from reality.

He wants states to preserve their power to regulate AI. Some in Congress have tried, so far without success, to ban states from limiting the technology.
This led to one of my questions: If we’re building more power plants to supply more data centers to run more AI, are we simply going to overwhelm any efforts we make to control it?

You can hear his answer and more in our video interview.

3 things to know before you go

YouTube released its annual list of trending videos, songs, creators and cultural moments yesterday. The list features a variety of topics from a 1960s pop song to a must-have soft toy. Here’s a breakdown of the 2025 report.From indie games like Blue Prince to major console exclusives such as Donkey Kong Bananza, NPR staff and contributors have compiled their favorite games of 2025. Discover your next favorite game through this interactive list.Have you ever looked at a raccoon and thought it would make a great pet? Well, you are not alone, and you may be in luck as a new study shows that the wild animal could be showing early signs of domestication. (via WBUR)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.