NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-05-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: February 5, 2025

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Hey, it's Robin Hilton from NPR Music. Many years ago, I helped start the Tiny Desk Concert Series. Right now, NPR is looking for the next great undiscovered musician to perform behind the famous desk. Think you've got what it takes? Submit a video of you playing an original song to the Tiny Desk Contest by February 10th. Find out more and see the official rules at npr.org slash tiny desk contest.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump is proposing a temporary U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip and suggests that displaced Palestinians should leave. Trump says the U.S. should clear the debris from the war in Gaza and redevelop the territory. He outlined that proposal during a joint White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I do see a long-term ownership position and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East.

And everybody I've spoken to, this was not a decision made lightly, everybody I've spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent and a really magnificent area that nobody would know. Nobody can look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble. Saudi Arabia has rejected the proposal. Its foreign ministry says that the international community has a duty to alleviate suffering endured by the Palestinian people who remain committed to their land. The State Department is in the process of withdrawing all employees at the U.S. Agency

for International Development, or USAID. NPR's Shannon Bond reports on the latest effort to dismantle the agency. An email to State Department staff said the department is recalling USAID employees to the U.S. as soon as this weekend. About two-thirds of USAID's 10,000 employees serve overseas in more than 60 missions around the world. Current and former employees say such an abrupt recall would be logistically challenging and expensive.

USAID has been in turmoil in recent days as President Trump and his advisor Elon Musk seek to shutter the agency and fold its operations into the State Department. Shannon Bond, NPR News. The U.S. Postal Service says it is temporarily suspending acceptance of inbound packages from China and Hong Kong. The move comes after President Trump's tariffs on Chinese products went into effect Tuesday. More from NPR's Giles Snyder. It's not clear if the suspension is tied to the Trump administration's additional 10% tariff on Chinese products.

A brief message on the Postal Service's website simply notes the suspension. But as part of his tariff implementation, President Trump ended what are known as de minimis shipments. The de minimis rule applies to packages entering the U.S. that are worth less than $800. It allows overseas online retailers to send small packages directly to people in the U.S. without paying a tax. According to a 2023 congressional report, nearly half of all packages shipped to the U.S. under the de minimis tariff exemption come from China. Charles Snyder, NPR News.

A workplace shooting in the central Ohio city of New Albany has left at least five people hospitalized with injuries. The shooter is believed to be still at large. The attack occurred at a warehouse that makes beauty products and toiletries. This is NPR News. Crews are still removing debris from the Potomac River where a passenger jet and a military helicopter landed a week ago after colliding in midair near Washington's Reagan National Airport.

The remains of all 67 crash victims have now been recovered. The National Transportation Safety Board says it's reviewing new data on the crash but still needs more information from the military chopper to verify that data. Google has abandoned its promise not to use its artificial intelligence systems for surveillance or weapons. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, the tech giant says his new AI policies are aimed at protecting people and supporting national security. Back in 2018, when it was revealed that AI developed by Google was being used by the U.S. military's drone program, the backlash was swift. Both Google employees and outside groups put pressure on the company to end the relationship.

And it did, with guidelines stating it would no longer work with the government on drone projects. Now, Google has reversed its decision. In an update to its ethics guidelines, Google removed a ban on using company AI for weapons, surveillance, or any other uses that could cause harm. In a blog post about the move,

Google executives wrote that the company will respect international law and human rights, but that there's global demand to use its technology to support national security. Bobbi Allen, NPR News. One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen has died at the age of 100. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Harry Stewart Jr. was a combat pilot with the famed 332nd Fighter Group. Stewart earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for downing three German aircraft in April 1945.

This is NPR News. The indicator for Plano Money is diving into the world of batteries. Not the kind you buy April 1945. This is NPR News.