NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-06-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

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SHAY STEPHENS Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending the dismantlement of the U.S. Agency for International Development. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, Rubio says it did not have to come to this. MICHELLE KELMAN Rubio is on a swing through Central America, visiting embassies, including here in Guatemala, that have big USAID missions. One U.S. official tells me that it feels like they're preparing for an evacuation from a war zone,

but where USAID staff are treated as aggressors. Rubio put the blame on the agency's officials in Washington, who he says weren't cooperating with his review. Our preference would have been to do this in a more orderly fashion from the top down, but we had no cooperation and in fact in subordination and so it required us to work from the bottom up." Now he says his staff is reaching out to embassies around the globe to decide which projects and personnel are worth keeping. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, Guatemala City. Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett says the Trump administration is considering all options when it comes to the future of

war-torn Gaza. His comment came on the heels of President Trump's proposal that the U.S. take over the territory. Meantime, Hegseth says, the U.S. is later focused on reviving its military. We're going to continue to grow our defense industrial base. We've supplied munitions that were previously not supplied, that are useful in eradicating radical enemies, and we are committed to continuing to do so. Hank Seth promised continued U.S. support for Israel's defense during a Pentagon meeting

Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Including the decision you just mentioned of supplying Israel the much needed tools for our defense, we are a lot stronger than we've ever been. Netanyahu says the alliance between the United States and Israel makes both nations stronger. China has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization over the Trump administration's latest tariffs. Details from NPR's John Ruvich. Trump announced across the board 10 percent tariffs on China on Saturday in an attempt to get Beijing to do more to stop the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States.

Beijing's WTO complaint says the tariffs violate WTO rules and are discriminatory and protectionist in nature. The complaint seeks consultations with the U.S. and warns that China reserves the right to quote, raise additional measures and claims Earlier this week Beijing flagged that it would launch this case It also announced retaliatory tariffs of 10 to 15 percent on coal oil farm vehicles and various other items that it imports from the US And it targeted three US companies starting an antitrust investigation of Google and putting two others on a quote, unreliable entity list. John Ruehich, NPR News, Beijing. The CIA is offering buyouts to staffers who agree to resign. A spokesman declined to say

how many workers received the offer. The proposal said to include national security exceptions. This is NPR. President Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in female sports. The order directs the Department of Education to inform schools that ignoring the order would violate federal law against sex discrimination in education and other programs receiving federal funding. The President of the Philippine Senate says the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is on hold until Congress reconvenes. As Michael Sullivan reports, Duterte was impeached by the House on Wednesday. Senate President Francis Escudero says any trial will have to wait until at least June 2nd when Congress resumes after midterm elections. He says senators will have to be sworn in then before they can hear the case. The impeachment resolution passed by the House accuses Sara Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, of

misusing public funds and threatening to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife assassinated, among other charges. Duterte denies any wrongdoing. The two most prominent political families in the Philippines joined forces to win election in a landslide in 2022, but have had a bitter falling out since. For NPR News, I'm Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai. Authorities in southern Pennsylvania are baffled by the theft of 100,000 eggs from a trailer

in Antrim Township. They're hoping to get some tips from the local community. Police say the crime may be linked to the rising cost of eggs, blamed on the slaughter of millions of chickens due to an outbreak of bird flu. Antrim Township is situated about 14 miles from Hagerstown, Maryland. This is NPR News.