NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-09-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: February 9, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm.

The Trump administration is defending its use of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to house people arrested by immigration authorities. Thousands have been taken into custody since President Trump took office. Some have been released, others taken to private or local detention facilities. The Guantanamo Bay base had been used to hold suspected terrorists after the September 11th attacks. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says it's appropriate for these detainees as well. The president's comfortable with that and his legal scholars are. And obviously there'll

be people that will be critics of that. But we are standing up the operations believing we have all legal right and authority to do so. And that facility has been used for migrants in the past. The direction that they're flowing and the agreements that we have with their home countries will continue to keep that population changing. Nome was interviewed on CNN. Some religious groups are criticizing the Trump

administration for suspending the US refugee resettlement program. NPR's Jason DeRose reports that work is often done by faith-based groups. Jason DeRose Of the 10 U.S. resettlement agencies that work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the majority are faith-based. They include Catholic, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, and Jewish groups. Melissa Rogers was head of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships under both the Biden and Obama administrations. The government does a smart thing when it works with these organizations who know how

to bring about change in people's lives that can be transformational. Meanwhile, Trump adviser Elon Musk has, without evidence, called federal money going to a group of Lutheran charities illegal. Jason DeRose, NPR News. The Israeli military has fully withdrawn from a large strip of land bisecting Gaza. The troop withdrawal is part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. Israeli troops have withdrawn from the Nitsarim corridor in the middle of Gaza that Israel's

military occupied as its main base during the war. NPR producer Anas Baba. This now opens up a new area where Gazans are allowed to return and move freely without the presence of Israeli forces. No traces of the area remain. What was once a paved highway is now a dirt path, and one can see sewage pipes beneath the ground. Troops razed entire neighborhoods to make way for the corridor.

A body was found under a sand dune. Soldiers left ammunition canisters and graffiti. One message reads, Trump Tower, Gaza. Hamas said the withdrawal shows Israel did not achieve total victory over it. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv, with Anas Baba in Gaza. Egypt says it's calling an emergency meeting of Arab leaders this month on the future of Gaza. This comes in response to President Trump's comments that the U.S. take control of Gaza

and the Palestinians are moved out. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. Leaders from around the world are gathering in Paris for a summit on artificial intelligence. The two-day meeting begins tomorrow. It's being hosted jointly by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister René Modi. Vice President JD Vance will represent the U.S. Along with tech leaders, they'll discuss how to establish rules for AI so that

it benefits everyone while containing its risks. Macron says the technology can't be the Wild West. In 2008, someone tweeted, Superb owl party tonight. And from that, an Internet typo took flight. Since then, the typo has given people a space for those who scavenge the web for hashtags, memes, and owl pictures. NPR's Amy Held explains. In case it flew over your head, SuperbOwl is Super Bowl with a misplaced space. Maybe a perfectly placed space for owl lovers. The subreddit SuperbOwl was hatched now with nearly half a million members.

It's active year-round and really soars around Super Bowl time. And it's not just internet fluff. Owls are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. The superb owl meme experts say has driven people to learn more about the birds of prey and their incredible features like night vision and full head rotation. This weekend, enthusiasts can even attend superb owl parties, scheduled outside game time for those who give a hoot about football, too. Amy Held, NPR News. The Super Bowl is tonight and New Orleans kickoff is 630 Eastern Time.

The Philadelphia Eagles are taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, who are seeking their third Super Bowl win in a row. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington. Want to know what it's like to play behind the tiny desk? If you've got them, NPR News in Washington.