NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-07-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: February 7, 2025

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This is Ira Glass with This American Life. Each week on our show, we choose a theme, tell different stories on that theme. All right, I'm just going to stop right there. You're listening to an NPR podcast. Chances are you know our show. So instead, I'm going to tell you we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. Download us. This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A federal judge is temporarily pausing the Trump administration's efforts to place thousands of personnel with the US Agency for International Development on administrative leave. More from NPR's

Fatma Tannis. Judge Carl Nichols said he would issue a very limited temporary restraining order before midnight tonight, preventing the government from putting 2200 federal workers on administrative leave. He would also pause the accelerated removal of agency employees who are posted overseas. Since the inauguration, the Trump administration has taken steps at dizzying speed aimed at dismantling the aid agency, including putting nearly all of the more than 10,000 employees on leave by midnight tonight. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved fewer than 300 agency staff to continue

working. Today, workers were seen taking down the USAID flag and signage from the agency's headquarters in Washington DC. Fatma Tanis, NPR News. A federal judge says he'll consider whether to block billionaire Elon Musk's Doge team from accessing systems at the Labor Department. A group of labor unions are suing contending the systems contain sensitive information about workers, including those who filed safety complaints against their employers. A Democratic member of the bipartisan Federal Elections Commission says she's received a letter from President Trump attempting to remove her from her position.

Critics say the manner in which Trump is attempting to oust the commissioner is unprecedented and illegal. More from MPR's Ashley Lopez. Ellen Weintraub announced on social media that Trump was trying to remove her from the independent regulatory agency in charge of enforcing campaign finance laws. Dan Weiner with the Brennan Center says there is a legitimate process that Trump could have used but didn't.

Ultimately, we do not want to see the Federal Election Commission weaponized by one party against another. It is absolutely critical to have those sorts of checks and balances, which right now the president seems to be completely disregarding. Weiner says this is happening when the FEC is expected to deal with numerous complaints related to the 2024 election. Ashley Lopez, NPR News. Hiring slowed last month, NPR Scott Horsley reports. U.S. employers added 143,000 jobs in January, a solid pace, but slower than the two previous months.

Job gains for November and December were revised up by a total of 100,000 jobs. Hiring last month was concentrated in health care, retail and government jobs. Factories and construction companies added relatively few workers in January and temporary help services cut jobs. Average wages last month were up 4.1% from a year ago, which is likely more than enough to outpace inflation. The unemployment rate inched down to 4 percent. The Labor Department has also raised its estimate of the size of the workforce, taking into

account higher immigration levels in the last two years than had previously been accounted for. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News. In New Orleans, Super Bowl fans have arrived ahead of Sunday's big game, pitting the Philadelphia Eagles against the reigning NFL champs, Kansas City Chiefs. Matt Bloom with member station WNO reports the city's culture is on full display. In the French Quarter, street performers are out in full force.

They're entertaining fans who've packed the streets wearing their team's colors. Denae Moreno is visiting from Philadelphia. We've had a great time. Great food, great architecture. I've taken a lot of pictures so far. The city has rolled out the welcome mat. There will be dozens of free concerts and a Louisiana culture festival with Creel and Cajun food, local artists and more.

This year marks the 11th time New Orleans has hosted the big game, which ties the city with Miami for the most times hosting the NFL championship. For NPR News, I'm Matt Bloom in New Orleans. A milestone that went remarkably uncommented on at the time, but for the first time ever on Christmas Day last year, the Nielsen Company says more people were viewing on streaming services than in any day in history. More than 50 billion streaming minutes. Netflix showed two NFL games that day, with Beyonce performing at halftime for the Baltimore

Ravens Houston Texans faceoff. Nielsen showed roughly equal viewership on that day between streaming and TV networks. Just two weeks later, the second most streamed ever day came when Prime Video carried an NFL game as well. Critical futures prices moved higher, oil up 39 cents a barrel to end the session at $71 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. Donald Trump is starting his second term as president. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.