NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-03-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: February 4, 2025

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Are you the greatest musician the world has never heard? Unsigned artists, now's your opportunity to play the Tiny Desk. Enter the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest, our nationwide search for the next undiscovered star. The winner will play a Tiny Desk concert and a U.S. tour. To learn more, visit npr.org slash tiny desk contest. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the U.S. may soon lose their temporary legal status under new regulations released by the Trump administration.

NPR's Greg Allen reports in Florida Venezuelan-American leaders are calling the TPS policy change a betrayal and plan to challenge it in court. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says renewing temporary protected status for more than 300,000 Venezuelans is, quote, contrary to the national interest. That comes as a blow to Venezuelans who came to the U.S. seeking refuge from the authoritarian Nicolas Maduro regime and now face possible deportation. Adelise Ferro, with the Venezuelan American caucus, says her community is shocked and disappointed.

During the campaign, the elected officials from the Republican Party, they actually told us that he was not going to touch the documented people. TPS designations are generally 6 to 18 months, but repeated extensions are not uncommon. Greg Allen, NPR News Miami. As head of DOJ, President Trump's team tasked with slashing federal spending, Elon Musk says his mandate includes shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. NPR's Shannon Bond reports DOJ's actions are causing chaos at federal agencies and raising security and legal questions. Elan Musk says he has President Trump's backing in what he described as, quote, feeding USAID

into the woodchipper. But Democrats and legal experts say it's not clear Doge can dismantle a federal agency without congressional approval. They're also raising alarms over reports Doge staff have gained access to classified USAID material and to a key treasury payment system. The White House says Musk has been named a special government employee, which is a temporary appointment to perform, quote, limited services. It's not clear what the status of other people working at Doge is or whether they have security clearances. Shannon Bond, NPR News. John O'Brien, The Georgia Judge, is dismissing one of two charges against a former prosecutor accused of interfering

with a police investigation in the murder of Ahmet Arbery. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports Arbery was the black jogger chased and killed by three white men in 2020, but no arrests were made until months later. Ruling from the bench, senior judge John Turner said there was quote, not one scintilla of evidence supporting an obstruction charge against former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson. She still faces a felony charge of violating her oath of office. Prosecutors with the Georgia State Attorney General's Office say Johnson sought to shield Arbery's killers from arrest.

One of them had previously worked as an investigator in her office. The judges directed verdict came after prosecutors rested their case having presented no testimony that Johnson tried to influence police. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. That was down 122 points. This is NPR. Two weeks into the ceasefire between Israel and Amas and Gaza aid is flowing back into the war-torn region again. Supplies offering some relief to an area devastated by 15 months of fighting. But Palestinian aid workers say it's also been an uphill battle getting help to everyone who needs it. There also remains the possibility fighting will resume if the ceasefire breaks down. Further complicating things getting the aid to those who need decade. That's according to a survey by Gallup.

But NPR found it still difficult for many Americans to find marijuana that's legally sourced with proper consumer protections. More from NPR's Brian Mann. For a lot of people in the U.S., using cannabis feels as normal as drinking a glass of wine or beer. But it's not the only thing that's been happening in the U.S. The U.S. is from NPR's Brian Mann. For a lot of people in the U.S., using cannabis feels as normal as drinking a glass of wine or beer. But a dozen years after states started legalizing recreational cannabis, regulatory oversight

is still a confusing patchwork. The drug is still illegal federally. And it's often difficult for consumers to distinguish between legal weed and cannabis produced by illegal growers and criminal gangs. Bo Hilmer studies marijuana markets for the Rand Corporation. When you move from prohibition to legalization, you know, it takes time to significantly reduce the size of the illegal market. Cannabis experts say they expect legal weed will eventually push out black market products.

Brian Mann, NPR News. With President Trump imposing tariffs or talking about imposing them on allies and trading partners alike, members of the European Union say they're bracing for similar possible treatment. EU leaders meeting in Brussels today for what is billed as a defense summit.

I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This is Tanya Mosley, co-host of Fresh Air. And I just talked to Pamela Anderson about her big career comeback NPR News in Washington.