NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-09-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: February 9, 2025

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NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. President Trump is defending Elon Musk and his efforts to cut the federal workforces. NPR's Franco Ordoñez reports Trump praised the billionaire's efforts in a pre-game Super Bowl interview. In a pre-taped interview, President Trump told Fox News' Brett Baier that Elon Musk is carrying out promises he made on the campaign trail to root out waste and abuse. I don't know if it's kickbacks or what's going on, but the people, look, I ran on this and the people want me to find it.

And I've had a great help with Elon Musk, who's been terrific. Bottom line, you say you trust him. Trust Elon? Oh, he's not gaining anything. Musk has drawn increasing scrutiny and criticism for his moves to dismantle federal agencies such as USAID. Trump said he'll direct Musk and his team to next look at the Department of Education and the Pentagon, promising they'll find billions of dollars in fraud and abuse.

Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, West Palm Beach. The new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is ordering it to effectively shut down. Russell Vogt is also the director of the Office of Management and Budget and is one of the architects of Project 2025, a blueprint to overhaul the federal government. He sent an email to staffers last night telling them to stop working on proposed rules, to stop any investigations, and not to begin any new investigations.

Later agency staff were told in an email that the D.C. headquarters is closed. Vote also posted on social media that the bureau would not accept any more federal money. President Trump says he's spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. He told the New York Post in an interview published this weekend, he believes Putin does care about the killing on the battlefield, that he wants to see people stop dying. A Kremlin spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the report. Snow is blanketing parts of the Northeast this weekend, including New York and Boston.

With that storm moving offshore today, another storm is forming to the south, and it's set to dump snow and ice across a wide stretch of the U.S. NPR's Amy Hald reports. More disruptive winter weather is on its way. We have overall a very active pattern across the country. We have storm after storm, pushing from west to east. Forecaster Bob Oruvek says snow will fall starting in the central U.S. overnight into Tuesday, from Kansas into Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, up to a half foot or so. Then there's also the risk of icing in parts, especially southward into Virginia and North Carolina.

Overall, tree damage and power outages are possible. Roadways are going to be dangerous to drive on, and I'm sure it's like delays Tuesday into Wednesday. In Southern California, rain is forecast later this week, again bringing the risk of landslides to burn scars. Amy Held, NPR News. This is NPR News. The Israeli military says it has now fully withdrawn from a large strip of land in the

middle of Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas. This opens up a new area where Palestinians may return without the presence of Israeli forces. Ecuador's president is expected to win today's first round of voting in the South American country's presidential race today. Once one of the safest countries in the hemisphere, Ecuador is now overrun by international drug gangs and has a crippling crime rate. NPR's Carrie Khan reports.

With all that Ecuador is facing these days, it would seem unlikely for voters to reelect the current president Daniel Noboa. But the 37-year-old heir to one of Ecuador's wealthiest banana exporters is leading in the polls. Elected in 2023 after snap elections, he's appealed to voters that such a shortened term isn't enough time for his mano duro or iron fist fight against drug gangs to take hold. His closest rival, Luisa Gonzalez, a 47-year-old lawyer with close ties to Ecuador's leftist leaders, says she will be better at tackling corruption and crime. Sandwiched between the world's largest cocaine producers, Ecuador has become a violent battleground for traffickers battling

for its lucrative ports to ship their drugs to Europe and the U.S. Kerry Kahn, NPR News. Hundreds of university students blocked a bridge and roads throughout Serbia today calling NPR News.