Trump's World Stage, El Paso Detention Deaths, Indiana College Football Champions

0:02President Trump heads to the World Economic Forum in Davos with threats of tariffs and more talk of buying Greenland. He's also selling membership to his Board of Peace. So what does Trump plan to tell other world leaders? I'm Steve Inskeep with Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. Three people have died in just six weeks at this country's largest immigration detention center, a tent camp run by a private contractor in Texas. They are being denied access to medical attention. What are lawyers and advocates seeing inside? And Indiana pulled off one of the wildest turnarounds in college football history, winning the national championship.

0:41I'm so happy for our fans. Words can't describe it. The Hoosiers finished undefeated, beating Miami 27-21. How did they do it? Stay with us. We give you the news you need to start your day.

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1:40Mysteries of every size each week. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts. On Ye Gods with Scott Carter, hear from the faithful. I told my very Catholic mother that she needs to meet Jesus. The faithless. I just so don't believe in God. And the fearless. Serve people, connect with people. That's how we thrive. If life's a mystery we investigate, who done it? I pray to the humor God. Listen religiously to Ye Gods with Scott Carter wherever you get your podcasts. We have a story of very personal diplomacy. President Trump has been texting world leaders and they have been texting him.

2:16In one message, Trump told Norway's prime minister that he's trying to seize Greenland, in part because he did not receive a Nobel Peace Prize. That was Trump's explanation for shaking the most important U.S. alliance and disrupting the world order. Overnight, Trump shared messages he received. One comes from France's president, who tries flattery on Trump, but then raises the issue of Greenland and proposes to discuss it over dinner. Now world leaders meet face-to-face at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben is covering all this. Danielle, good morning.

2:47Hey, good morning. What's the U.S. delegation doing in Europe? Well, today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be speaking in Davos. Then Trump is scheduled to talk on Wednesday. And then on Thursday, there's what the White House is calling a charter announcement for the Board of Peace that Trump created to oversee reconstruction in Gaza after the conflict he's been trying to end between Israel and Hamas. In terms of substance, we don't know much yet. White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett has suggested that Trump will unveil a new housing policy. Beyond that, we know he likes to talk about tariffs.

3:19And days ago, he threatened to tariff goods from eight European countries until the U.S. has a deal to acquire Greenland. OK, thank you for raising that. For those who didn't follow the news over the holiday, what were these threats about tariffs? Well, Trump posted that he's going to impose 10 percent tariffs on those eight countries starting on February 1st, then raise it to 25 percent in June. That is until a Greenland deal happens. Now, we don't really know details here. I've asked the White House, for example, what law would even authorize this, and I haven't received word yet. But those European countries, meanwhile, they're all NATO members, and they've all said they stand in full solidarity with fellow NATO member Denmark, as well as with Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark.

4:04And Trump has certainly drawn all attention to himself once again with these threats, including personal messages with world leaders. What are these text messages? Well, maybe most famously over the weekend, Trump texted the Norwegian prime minister that because Trump didn't get the Nobel Peace Prize, he no longer feels the need to think, quote, purely of peace, adding that the U.S. should have total control over Greenland. Now, of course, the Norwegian government does not decide who gets that prize. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly elaborated to NPR that Greenland is important for national security and that Trump thinks, quote, Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States.

4:43That's, of course, certainly not how everyone sees it. In that overnight message from French President Emmanuel Macron that you mentioned, he said at one point, I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland. That fascinating message also mixed in some flattery. You're doing a great job in Syria. Let's get together for dinner. But this is not the only thing Trump is doing on the world stage. There's also that Board of Peace you mentioned, which is what? Well, that is something that Trump laid out when he talked about how he wants to solve the conflict between Israel and Hamas. And that announcement, that charter announcement that the White House talked about is happening on Thursday.

5:18We've learned more about that charter recently. According to a copy obtained by NPR, permanent cease will cost nations a billion dollars each. And Trump is set to be the permanent chair. And as our colleague Daniel Estrin has reported, the charter says there's a need for a more effective international peace-building body, which makes some fear that the board is attempting to create a rival to the U.N. So we're keeping a close eye on that. Russia says Trump has asked President Vladimir Putin to sign on as part of the board. So it's unclear what he'll do and what traditional U.S. allies will do.

5:51Okay. And Piers, Daniel Kurtzleben, thanks so much. Really appreciate it. Of course.

6:02There is growing concern about conditions at the largest immigration detention center in the United States. And here's why. Three people have died in custody in the last six weeks at a tent camp, which is run by a private contractor. The most recent death happened this past week at the camp located at Fort Bliss in El Paso. Angela Cocherga with member station KTEP is with us now with the latest. Good morning, Angela. Good morning, Michelle. Could you just start with some background on this facility? How big is it and who's sent there? Yeah, well, the camp has a capacity to hold 5 ,000 people and it can be expanded.

6:36And at the end of last year, the average daily population was about 2 ,800 people. Advocates and lawyers say that some immigrants picked up in Minneapolis recently are being sent to the tent facility, but people from all over the country are there. The facility is considered a hub for ICE because it's so large and there's a nearby airport for deportation flights. So tell us about the people who have died at the facility. What do we know about them? Well, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says 36-year-old Victor Manuel Diaz was found dead last Wednesday. He had been in custody since January 6th when ICE said agents, quote, encountered him in Minneapolis and determined the Nicaraguan man was in the country illegally.

7:14Now, according to ICE, staff at the detention camp here in El Paso found Diaz unconscious and called for emergency medical help. ICE says the death is a presumed suicide. And earlier this month, ICE reported a 55-year-old man named Geraldo Lunas Campos tried to take his own life and staff intervened to save him, but he died. Both cases are under investigation. The third death in custody happened in early December. That was 48-year-old Francisco Gaspar Andres. He died after he was transported to a local hospital for a medical condition. So the Department of Homeland Security oversees ICE. What does the department have to say about this?

7:50In an emailed response yesterday to a question about medical care at the facility, DHS said it has a long-standing practice to provide comprehensive medical care in custody, and that includes medical and mental health intake screenings within 12 hours of arriving at a facility. DHS said there's also access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. And what about lawyers or other advocates for the detainees? What do they say about this? Human rights advocates and multiple lawyers have lots of concerns, and they've documented cases of medical neglect, physical abuse, and unsanitary conditions at the facility known as Camp East Montana.

8:29And all of those were included in a report by the ACLU. Marisa Limon Garza is the executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. We know from people that we speak with every day at Campis Montana that they are being denied access to medical attention, whether that's actual medicine or whether that's actual access to a doctor or physician. And El Paso's Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, a Democrat, toured the facility when it opened in August and she's calling for it to shut down. It has never adhered to basic or appropriate standards to ensure the safety and dignity of the human beings in custody.

9:04Escobar is among 122 members of her party, supporting legislation to create enhanced oversight for detention centers and phase out private contractors over three years. That is Angela Kochega in El Paso. Angela, thanks so much for your reporting. Thank you, Michelle.

9:29For more than a century, the Indiana Hoosiers, with a punching bag of big-time college football, those days are over. Last night, IU completed an undefeated season to win the national championship game 27-21 over the Miami Hurricanes for their first title in school history. I'm so proud of you for not gloating about that, Steve. I'm not going to gloat because I follow Purdue. I confess it, but I'm glad for my statement. Okay. Well, NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan is with us now to tell us more about it. An early morning after a late night. Becky, thank you. Yeah, good morning. So is this the biggest turnaround in college football history?

10:03I mean, I certainly think you should make that case. I mean, before this season, Indiana had lost more games in the top level of college football's history than any other school, not counting last year. They've had only three winning seasons in the past three decades. Then they hired this guy, Coach Kurt Signetti. He walked in the door a couple years ago, uttered this iconic line in one of his first press conferences. Yeah, it's pretty simple. I win. Google me. He wasn't lying. He rapidly transformed this program. I mean, I'm not sure what else stacks up to this fast. A turnaround two years ago, Indiana went three and nine.

10:36This guy walks in the door. Now they are 16 and 0. Their last four wins came against some of the sports best programs, Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, Miami. Here he is talking to ESPN on the field after the game. We won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done. And I'm so happy for our fans. Words can't describe it. Rare show of emotion from that one. So, okay, I lack your stamina, Becky, so I only made it to the first half having to get up early. So it was a close game, right? It was, yeah. You know, Indiana had scored a ton of points in their previous two playoff games. This one kind of got off to a slow start, and I was wondering, geez, maybe this Miami defense will be able to slow the Hoosiers down.

11:19They have all this NFL talent on their defensive line. They were getting a lot of big hits on the Indiana quarterback earlier. That's Fernando Mendoza, but he ended up being the hero for the Hoosiers tonight. He had two key late fourth down conversions in the fourth quarter, including this rushing touchdown where he made this big picturesque leap toward the end zone with the ball outstretched. That put them ahead 10 points and showing what made him the winner of the Heisman Trophy and probably the number one pick in this spring's NFL draft. As we said, first football title in Indiana's history.

11:48How are Hoosier fans taking all this? I think they're out of their minds. You know, Miami got the ball back down six with just like about two minutes to go last night. It was their last chance. And the crowd at the game in Miami was so loud that Miami couldn't snap the ball in time. Their own stadium, you know, after the game, fans packed Kirkwood Avenue. That's the main drag off of campus in Bloomington. I think Indiana fans just probably thought this was literally never going to happen in their entire lives. How could it even be possible to win like the Big Ten with Ohio State and Michigan standing in the way, let alone a national title?

12:20But here they are. So before we let you go, what do you think this says about the state of college football? Yeah. I mean, I think there's been this transformation in the sport of the last few years that has really paved the way for this run from Indiana. I mean, there's no restrictions anymore or much fewer on players transferring from school to school. Players can earn money now. And so there's been a lot made of how Kurt Signetti aggressively was recruiting transfers, more experienced players to come in and make an impact right away. Indiana's also just invested more money into its football program.

12:51And it just shows how quickly things can change, how schools that aren't your traditional powerhouses like Alabama, Ohio State, can suddenly become contenders much more easily before. You know, I'll tell you, Michelle, I'm a graduate of the University of Kansas. That's another school that's way up high on that list of college football's most losses all time. Fans of all sorts of schools are now asking themselves, why not us? So congrats to Indiana fans. I hope you all enjoy it today. All right. That is NPR's Becky Sullivan. Becky, thank you. You're welcome.

13:26The voices on NPR today include Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer. The governor of a swing state told Steve that Democrats are expecting President Trump's administration to try to game the results in this fall's midterm elections. We know that there will be efforts to compromise the election or to dissuade people from showing up, to scare people away, to threaten people. We cannot let that stand. I'm concerned about it. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. In an NPR video interview, Whitmer asserted that Democrats are, quote, around the tabletop, unquote, gaming out different scenarios. She said it is not paranoia to think that U.S.

14:02troops could be told to play some role. The comments come from a governor who has tried to work with Trump occasionally with success. She leads a state that Trump lost in 2020 but then won in 2024. Whitmer is thinking about why Democrats did worse with men and also why some men seem to be falling behind in society. I don't know all of the different pressures. I've been studying it. I'm listening to probably a lot of the same podcasts that you are to understand what can we do, how do we bridge this gap. It is real, and I think that's the first step. And the second is really reaching out and listening and making sure that every part of our society can take advantage of opportunities that are available.

14:48And we create ones where maybe we need to. Steve also asked if the country is ready for a woman as president. You can hear Steve's full interview with Governor Whitmer on our radio show Morning Edition. Find it on your local NPR station or watch the video interview on the NPR app.

15:08And that's up first for Tuesday, January. 20th. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Steve Inskeep. Up First gets you caught up on the news of the day and then Morning Edition, a radio program that the same people co-host takes you deeper. We are live every morning on your local NPR station in your community with reporting and interviews and context. And if you want to listen in the afternoon, you can do that too. Download the NPR app and listen anytime. You can find all of NPR's most popular shows mixed up together. And that includes stories from this podcast Up First, as well as Morning edition. So many options to get the news you need to start your day.

15:42Today's episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Alfredo Carbajal, Russell Lewis, Mohamed El Bardisi, Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Zia Butch, Ben Abrams, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hines, our technical director is Carly Strange, and our supervising senior producer is Vince Pearson. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.

16:08NPR's podcast, Trump's Terms, is your source for same-day updates on big news about the Trump administration. Short, focused episodes, one topic at a time, about five minutes or so. We carry out reporting from across all of NPR's coverage, so you are always getting the biggest, most urgent stories. Listen to Trump's Terms on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.