NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-05-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: February 5, 2025

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Our long national nightmare is over. Beyonce has finally won the Grammy for Album of the Year. How and why did it take so long for Beyonce to win the top prize at Music's Biggest Night? We're talking about her big wins and breaking down the Grammys for Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Rhone, and Sabrina Carpenter. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. During a press conference Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump said he wants the U.S. to take over and own Gaza, home to two million Palestinians. As NPR's Deepa Sivaraman reports,

the White House is providing little detail on how it would work. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt called the idea, quote, out of the box, but didn't answer reporters questions in the briefing on how the U.S. would go about owning Gaza when the president came up with the plan and if he's discussed it with any leaders of Arab countries. She did not directly answer when asked if Palestinians would be forcibly removed and said the president has not committed to U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza. Levitt also reiterated that the U.S. would not be paying for the rebuilding of Gaza and that Trump wants leaders of other Arab nations to step up to do that in addition to taking

in Palestinians who Trump says can't live in Gaza as it gets rebuilt. But Trump's ideas have been opposed by Arab leaders, including the King of Jordan, who is set to visit the White House next week. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News, The White House. A coalition of nonprofits say they're joining forces to challenge sweeping efforts by the Trump administration to pause trillions of dollars in federal funding. The group's successful for now after a federal judge Monday allowed their lawsuit to move ahead and extended a temporary restraining order blocking the pause.

Head of the group Democracy Forward, which launched the lawsuits, is predicting there will be quote what she termed an avalanche of litigation to stop unlawful activity. A federal judge in Maryland has blocked President Trump's order to end birthright citizenship. It's the second time a court has found the order unconstitutional. MPO's Sergio Martinez Sergio Martinez Beltran reports. The nationwide preliminary injunction was issued by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman. According to news reports, Boardman said Trump's order to end birthright citizenship, quote, runs counter to our nation's 250 years' history of citizenship by birth. She also said no

other court has endorsed President Trump's argument that the 14th Amendment does not apply to children born to immigrants who are in the US without legal status. The plaintiffs in this particular case include five pregnant women without legal status. Judge Boardman's ruling solidifies a similar decision issued by a federal court in Seattle. The case is likely to go all the way to the US Supreme Court. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Austin. with the process. Among other things, the company says the union provided free transportation to workers on the day of the vote. Head of the local union called the company's allegations baseless and called the filings by Whole Foods Legal Maneuvering to delay the bargaining process. Stocks gained ground on Wall Street today. The Dow is up 317 points. This is NPR.

Based on new federal health data, childbirth was nearly 3 and 1 half times riskier for black women in America than their white counterparts in 2023. A new CDC report shows while maternal mortality fell back below pre-pandemic levels overall, racial gaps have actually grown. It's not entirely clear why it happened, though health experts say while COVID-19 affected all pregnant women, the return to normal levels was not shared equally.

The National Women's Soccer League has agreed to a $5 million settlement. It's over an abuse scandal that erupted in 2021 when players accused coaches of sexual coercion and other mistreatment. NPR's Becky Sullivan reports. In 2021, the NWSL was roiled by a flood of abuse allegations about coaches who sexually harassed players or subjected them to racism and verbal abuse. League officials and head coaches resigned or were fired. Two major investigations, one by the league and its players union and another by a former deputy U.S. Attorney General, substantiated the claims and concluded the problems were

systemic across the league. Afterward, attorneys general from two states and the District of Columbia opened their own inquiry. Now they've announced a settlement. The league will set aside $5 million for victims and implement other reforms including regular anonymous surveys of players that will be reported back to prosecutors. Becky Sullivan, NPR News. Scientists using satellite trackers say they're finding out more about the whereabouts of

young sea turtles. For decades, scientists have been uncertain about where the turtles are during their so-called lost years, a period of one to ten years. Now, new research finds the fledgling turtles move between the continental shelf waters and the open ocean and are swimming rather than just drifting. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.