NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-08-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: February 8, 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 heelies, 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. Giles Snyder Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. A federal judge in New York issued an emergency order overnight blocking Elon Musk's cost-cutting team from accessing sensitive Treasury records. NPR's Amy Held reports

the data includes the personal and financial information on millions of Americans. Amy Held The judge ordered Musk and his team to destroy any material already downloaded from the Treasury. Its systems process trillions of dollars in spending, including Social Security benefits, tax refunds, and more. The ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed Friday by 19 attorneys general, led by New York's Letitia James. To stop this unprecedented and unauthorized attack and to protect your personal information. Trump and Musk say, without providing evidence, that they are going after waste and fraud. The judge's order is temporary, but marks the latest success in the legal battle to

stop the Trump administration's efforts to radically change parts of the U.S. government. Amy Held, NPR News. In a separate case, a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration's efforts to dismantle USAID, handing a reprieve to some 2,200 staffers who face being put on administrative leave overnight. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation Friday to make $50 million available to sue the Trump administration. CapRadio's Megan Myzkowski in Sacramento reports. The funding will support the state and nonprofits in lawsuits over federal policies that conflict with California's more progressive stances, including on issues related to the environment,

access to abortion, and LGBTQ-plus rights. One bill designates $25 million to support legal services for immigrants, including in deportation cases. Newsom says funding set aside for litigation related to immigration is not intended to support non-citizens who have been convicted of serious or violent felonies. Republicans in the California assembly say the measures take away from dealing with wildfires and California's high cost of living. Newsom signed the bills after meeting with President Trump in Washington, D.C., where they discussed aid for recent

wildfires in California. For NPR News, I'm Megan Mieskowski in Sacramento. The three Israeli citizens released by Hamas today appeared to be in worse condition than the 18 hostages who had previously been freed under the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Stephen Brissley spoke to the BBC about his brother-in-law, Eli Sharabi. Stephen Brissley You can see that his wrists were skinny, but what really hit home was his face, his gaunt, the darkness under his eyes, the light gone from his eyes, the light that is always there with Eli. And I think

that's the most distressing part of seeing what these 491 days have done to him. The three men looked malnourished when they were paraded by Hamas fighters on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross. In exchange for the release, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners. This is NPR News. Crews are working against time to recover a commuter plane that crashed Thursday on sea ice while it was on its way to Nome, Alaska. All 10 people on board were killed. Crews are working to recover the wreckage and the remains of those killed on unstable and slushy ice before bad weather moves in.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are being sent to the scene. New York State is shutting down live bird markets in and around New York City over concerns about avian flu. Jimmy Viokind of Member Station WNYC reports. Officials say they found seven cases of H5N1 or avian flu in birds at markets in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. So the state's pausing live bird deliveries at 80 markets in the city, as well as Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.

No cases have been detected in humans in the area. Elizabeth Walters of the state's Department of Agriculture and Markets says the state is stepping up testing. I want New Yorkers to know that we are on top of this and doing everything we can to keep New York animals and people safe. The bird markets can reopen after they've been disinfected and shut down for five days. For NPR News, I'm Jimmy Vielkind in Albany. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is returning to New York's Madison Square

Garden. The competition hasn't been held there since early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The show starts today. Some 2,500 dogs from 201 breeds and varieties have signed up to compete for the Best in Show trophy, which will be awarded Tuesday night. I'm Jial Snyder. This is NPR News.