NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-07-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: February 7, 2025

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Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Janine Herbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. President Trump and his adviser, Elon Musk, head of the administration's government efficiency

unit, are using executive actions to dismantle federal programs funded and approved by Congress. But for the most part, most Republican lawmakers don't appear to be putting up a fight. In Piers Dierdre-Walsh reports, most GOP lawmakers say it's appropriate for the most part, most Republican lawmakers don't appear to be putting up a fight. In Piers Deirdre Walsh reports, most GOP lawmakers say it's appropriate for the president and his team, in this case Musk, to use executive authority to review departments across the government. But not all. There are some places where you could see some cracks in what's really been a really unified Republican party in Washington deferring to Trump.

Federal agencies are gonna run out of money on March 14th. Republicans wanna put their own stamp on a spending bill so they can protect programs they've helped get for their constituents, things like transportation money. It's unclear what Trump or Musk are gonna demand in that spending bill, but Musk has already shown when he inserts himself, he can really influence the process. And Pierce Deirdre Walsh reporting. Russia is welcoming the Trump administration's decision to sharply curtail American foreign aid projects under the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Russian reaction comes as the White House announced it was slashing USAID's funding

and workforce. And Pierce Charles Maynes has more from Moscow. The Kremlin has long claimed USAID is merely a front for American efforts to overthrow Moscow-friendly governments in the former Soviet space. And it was in that context that Russia's foreign ministry celebrated USAID's cutbacks. Speaking to journalists, spokesperson Maria Zakharova said USAID was, quote, anything but an aid and development agency, instead calling it a machine for promoting regime change. Critics of the Trump administration's decision say USAID's demise would be a gift to autocrats everywhere. The Kremlin banned

USAID's work inside Russia way back in 2012. Went on to pass a so-called foreign agents law used to persecute human rights groups and other critical voices that received outside funding. Charles Maines, NPR News. The Labor Department's report on hiring in January will be released this morning. NPR's Scott Horsley reports, forecasters expect to see somewhat smaller job gains than the month before. The U.S. job market ended last year on a high note. An initial tally showed employers added

more than a quarter million jobs in December, as the unemployment rate inched down to 4.1%. We'll find out this morning if those solid job gains held up once more complete information was gathered, and if that strong hiring momentum continued into January. Most forecasters expect today's report will show a somewhat slower pace of hiring as the new year got underway. Today's report will also incorporate new population estimates, taking account of higher immigration in recent years than had previously been expected. Scott Horslake, NPR News, Washington.

And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. A search is underway in western Alaska for a plane reported missing with 10 people on board. As Ben Townsend with member station KNOM reports, poor weather and limited visibility have been slowing down the search. A Bering Air flight from Uniclique to Nome stopped transmitting around 3 in the afternoon local time, officials say. The aircraft is a Cessna Caravan, a mainstay in Bering Air's fleet.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department says ground crews were dispatched along Nome's icy coastline to search for the aircraft. The department's chief, Jim West, says a C-130 from the U.S. Coast Guard has arrived in the area to aid in the effort. Next goal is to, how do we get out there to get to them? That's gonna be the challenge. Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska Regional Office,

says he has been briefed. This is an act of rescue, and we're just monitoring ourselves. Norton Sound Regional Hospital has set up a space for family members of those on board the flight to gather as the search continues. For NPR News, I'm Ben Townsend in Nome. Toyota is recalling nearly 150,000 2024 and 2025 vehicles over seatbelt and brake issues.

The Japanese automaker says certain Toyota Tacoma vehicles could have a damaged rear brake hose that could lead to a brake fluid leak and that increases the risk of a crash. In a separate recall, Toyota says it's addressing a non-compliance issue with second row center seat belts in some Camry and Lexus models that may have been damaged during manufacturing. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. This is Tanya Mosely, co-host of Fresh Air. listening to NPR News from Washington.