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

Episode Date: February 9, 2025

NPR News: 02-08-2025 10PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

John Washington works. Listen to Trump's terms from NPR. Janine Herbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. A federal judge blocked Elon Musk's team, the Department of Government Efficiency, from accessing sensitive personal data on millions of Americans kept at the Treasury Department. The order also bars political appointees or special government employees detailed to Treasury the designation given to Musk's allies. And here's Juliana Kim reports. Juliana Kim The emergency order was issued early Saturday. It prohibited the DOJ entity from accessing personal data kept at the Treasury Department's

payment system. That includes Social Security benefits and bank account information for millions of Americans. President Trump tapped Elon Musk to find and cut wasteful government funding. The ruling is the latest development in a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by Democratic Attorneys General from 19 states. They argue that Elon Musk and Doge don't have the authority to access Treasury records and are hoping to stop Musk's team for good.

Juliana Kim, NPR News. Another federal judge has temporarily blocked President Trump's efforts to put thousands of workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave. NPR's Fatma Tanis has more. Last night a federal judge issued a temporary pause on the administration's move to put 2,200 people on administrative leave. Now those are union foreign service officers who filed the suit. The judge also reinstated 500 people who were already put on leave and he paused the accelerated

return of overseas staff that was supposed to happen this weekend. This was all pushed back until next Friday. And in the meantime, there will be a hearing next week on the legality of the administration's overall moves to dismantle the agency. In Pierce, Fetma Tanis reporting. Trump accuses the agency, which manages most of the nation's foreign aid programs, of corruption and fraud without citing evidence. California's Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation yesterday making $50 million available to sue the Trump administration.

Cap Radio's Megan Mikovsky has more. 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. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. Super Bowl fans are arriving in New Orleans ahead of the big game tomorrow. More than 100,000 people are expected in town this weekend. Matt Bloom with member station WWNO reports many are noticing beefed up security. On Bourbon Street, the state has installed new metal barricades to block cars at every intersection.

No coolers or large bags are allowed. It's a step up from the usual measures here, but fans like Denae Moreno from Philadelphia appreciate it. It definitely seems like there's more of a presence, and I think because it looks a little more than I saw in Vegas or even Arizona, because we happened to go to both the last couple years. Security upgrades came after a driver intentionally plowed into a Bourbon Street crowd early New Year's Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens. More than 2,000 officers from various agencies are deployed. They're visible on almost every street corner. For NPR News, I'm Matt Bloom in New Orleans. Well, the Super Bowl of canine competitions, the most prestigious dog show, got underway in New York today. The 149th Westminster Kennel Club show started with an agility and obedience competition

and the club's first demonstration of a team sport. It's called fly ball. 2,500 dogs from 201 breeds and varieties, which are subsets of breeds, are set to compete. The show is back at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2020. The traditional purebred only breed by breed judging takes place Monday and Tuesday, and then the best in show will be named Tuesday night. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.