NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-01-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: February 1, 2025

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Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.

A medical transport jet carrying a pediatric patient, a patient escort and four crew members crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood Friday night. Mayor Sherrell Parker says it's unknown if anyone has survived the crash, but everyone is jumping in to help in the aftermath. I've spoken to our governor, Josh Shapiro. He is in route. I've spoken to our U.S. Senator John Fetterman, other federal officials, and everyone, all hands on deck.

That's where we are right now. Officials say all data recorders have now been recovered from Wednesday's crash of a commercial jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. Investigators say they're now reviewing the flight data for a possible cause of the crash. Efforts to recover the bodies of crash victims meanwhile continue. So far the bodies of 41 of the 67 people who died have been recovered. The deadly plane crash near Reagan National Airport has heightened concerns about air traffic controller staffing and some local congressional leaders are worried the problem is going to get worse.

Matt Blitz of Member Station WAMU reports. A preliminary FAA report confirmed staffing levels at Reagan National Airport's air traffic control tower on Wednesday were below what they should have been. That's been the case for years, with staffing nearly a third below targeted levels per a 2023 workforce plan. Now Virginia Senator Mark Warner is warning that President Trump's push to shrink the federal workforce could further deplete staffing levels. Speaking to NPR's member station WAMU, Warner worried about some taking the White House's

delayed resignation offer. If a few thousand air traffic controllers say, we're done with this, too much stress, too much hassle, I don't know how we'd operate airspace in America. He also expressed concerns about overcrowding, noting Reagan National Airport has the busiest runway in the country. For NPR News, I'm Matt Blitz in Washington. Three Canadian federal cabinet ministers are in Washington, D.C. this weekend in the last-ditch attempt to stop crippling tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, Trump says he's ready to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports starting later today.

The tariffs could disrupt more than a trillion dollars in annual trade. Now senior Canadian government officials are meeting with Republican lawmakers and members of the Trump administration to try to persuade the president not to impose the punitive measures. Trump called for the tariffs weeks ago, saying Canada and Mexico failed to stop the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the U.S. Since then, Ottawa announced a more than $1 billion plan to bolster border security, and says only a small percentage of illegal drug and immigrant crossings come from Canada. Political leaders also say both countries will suffer in a tariff war.

For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpanchuk in Toronto. Hamas has handed two hostages over to the Red Cross and the southern Gaza Strip as part of its ceasefire deal with Israel. The militants released Yarden Bibas and Alfer Calderon. You're listening to NPR News. McDonald's says it's changing a scholarship program for Latino students after it was sued by a group that opposes affirmative action. The Hacer Scholarship Program has awarded college scholarships to students with at least one Latino parent.

The company says the program will now offer scholarships to anyone who can demonstrate a commitment to the Latino community. A mountain in New Zealand has been granted legal rights similar to a person. As Christina Kukulia reports, it's part of a government settlement compensating indigenous Maori people for land theft and other harms caused by British colonisation. Under a new law passed on Thursday, Taranaki Maunga, formerly Mount Egmont on New Zealand's North Island, has been given the legal rights, powers, duties and responsibilities of a person.

Local indigenous Māori communities regard the dormant volcano as an ancestor, and together with the government will manage the mountain's natural resources. The new status is also intended to help protect the popular tourist spot and surrounding peaks and land. New Zealand has already granted legal personhood to a river and native forest land on the North Island. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kukola in Melbourne, Australia. Some rough weather is expected this weekend at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am Golf Tournament in California. Sepp Straka is currently in the lead after shooting another 65 on Friday.

Cameron Davis is three strokes off the pace, while Rory McIlroy had four bogeys over a six-hole stretch to end the second round with a 70. He is now sitting at six strokes back. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Hey, it's Robin Hman, NPR News.