NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-05-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: February 5, 2025

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Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts. Perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Reaction is pouring in from all over the world a day after President Trump said the United States would take over the Gaza Strip. Trump also suggested that

Palestinians who have been displaced by the war should be permanently resettled outside of Gaza. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports Palestinians and world leaders are rejecting the idea as a violation of international law. The major Arab states, they don't want Hamas to rule Gaza, but they also don't see mass displacement as a solution either. Now, Egypt has made clear it will not accept the forced expulsion of Palestinians. Egypt has called this an injustice that they won't take part in. In Saudi Arabia, one of the countries of great wealth that the president referred to that would be needed to pay for whatever comes

next in Gaza, says it rejects attempts to displace Palestinians and that they've made this clear to the Trump administration. That's NPR's Aya Batraoui reporting. Several federal employee unions are suing the Trump administration over its deferred resignation offer, calling it misleading. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports they're asking a court to halt the directive before tomorrow's deadline to accept the deal. The Trump administration has given nearly all federal workers an offer to resign from their jobs now and keep their pay and benefits through September 30th.

But since the deal was first announced last week, questions have arisen over its legality, in part because federal agencies are only funded through mid-March. Federal employee unions have urged their members to reject the deal, calling it a trick to get people to resign. Now several unions are asking a federal judge to temporarily block the effort and to require the government to quote, articulate a policy that is lawful rather than an arbitrary unlawful short-fused ultimatum, which workers may not be able to enforce. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

The U.S. auto industry is praising a decision by the Trump administration to hold off on imposing tariffs on Mexico and Canada pending negotiations. NPR's Camila Dominovski reports the 25% taxes on Canadian and Mexican imports were set to take effect on Tuesday. Automakers like to say that the North American supply chain is highly integrated. What that means is that parts ping pong between the US, Canada, and Mexico, sometimes crossing the same border multiple times as they make their way

through the complex manufacturing process. 25% tariffs would be a serious blow, even for cars assembled in the US. Trump has threatened these particular tariffs as a negotiating lever instead of a money raiser, giving companies hope they'd never actually go into effect. But that also makes them hard to plan for, because companies don't want to spend money to try to avoid a tariff that might be imposed briefly, or never at all.

Camila Dominochki, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. The Senate has confirmed Pam Bondi as the nation's next attorney general. She was approved by a vote of 54 to 46 last night, with one Democrat, Senator John Federman of Pennsylvania, joining the Republican majority. The commissioner of the National Football League says the organization remains committed to its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. NPR's Becky Sullivan reports his statement comes as companies nationwide roll back DEI programs after criticism from President Trump.

Speaking to reporters in New Orleans on Monday ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl, Commissioner Roger Goodell said not only is the NFL sticking with DEI but also that diversity makes the league better. We're not in this because it's a trend to get in or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent. In his first term, President Trump clashed with the league over its handling of players who took a knee during the national anthem as a way to protest racism and police brutality. Back then, Trump urged fans to boycott the NFL.

Now the president is planning to attend the biggest game of the year, the Sunday's Super Bowl. He'll be the first sitting president to do so. Becky Sullivan, NPR News, New Orleans. The United States has flown a group of deported migrants to a holding facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Their arrival comes a week after President Trump issued a memo directing the government to prepare the U.S. naval base to house roughly 30,000 migrants. The policy is expected to face a number of legal challenges. This is NPR News.