NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-09-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

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This is Ira Glass with This American Life, each week on our show. We choose a theme, tell different stories on that theme. All right, I'm just going to stop right there. You're listening to an NPR podcast, chances are you know our show. So instead, I'm going to tell you, we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. Download us. This is American Life. Janine Herbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. President Trump says tomorrow he will announce 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including those from Canada and Mexico, and also reaffirmed that he would announce

reciprocal tariffs later this week. Those are import duties on products from countries that have levied tariffs on U.S. goods. Meanwhile, China's new tariffs on U.S. goods, including 10 percent on crude oil, farm equipment, and some farm vehicles, and 15 percent on liquefied natural gas and American coal, are set to go into effect tomorrow. It's China's retribution for Trump imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese goods. Staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have been told that their Washington headquarters is closed for the week and to work remotely. As NPR's Laurel Wamsley reports, the move is the latest

indication that the Trump administration is attempting to dismantle the independent agency. CFPB staff were told of the closure in an email obtained by NPR. No reason was given for the building's closure. Representatives of Elon Musk's government efficiency team were seen at the headquarters on Friday, according to the CFPB union. Musk's team has been granted access to key systems, stirring concerns about the fate of vast amounts of sensitive

information maintained by the Bureau. Over the weekend, Russell Vogt took over as acting director at the agency and issued a directive for staff to cease virtually all of its work. Vogt posted on X that he will not ask for the agency's next round of funding from the Federal Reserve. CFPB staff warned that without the agency doing its job, American families are left exposed to fraud and financial abuse. Laurel Wamsley and PR News Washington. More than 30 years after declaring their independence from the Soviet Union, the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have ended their reliance on Russia's energy grid. In a complex weekend maneuver, the three small nations disconnected

their electrical systems from Russia to join a European alternative. And Piers Charles-Mains has more. The Baltic countries decision to switch from Russian to European power had long been planned, but took on new urgency in the wake of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Government officials said cutting the cord with Moscow

was now a matter of national security, arguing any connection to Russian energy left their nations open to blackmail or sabotage. The move comes amid a spate of mysterious attacks on regional infrastructure that have further raised tensions with Moscow. In a ceremony in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, European dignitaries hailed the successful power switch as ushering in a new era of freedom, with locals later given chunks of souvenir wire from the now-dead Russian transmission lines. Charles Mains, NPR News.

U.S. futures contracts are trading higher at this hour. Dow futures are up about two-tenths of a percent. NASDAQ futures up about four-tenths of a percent. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A conference focusing on the growing development of artificial intelligence will be held in Paris tomorrow. The gathering, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, involves world leaders, including Vice President Vance, along with tech experts, focusing on the risks and the benefits of AI.

It's Super Bowl game day in New Orleans as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles battle for the win. The score at last check, 17 to zero, Eagles in the bottom of the second quarter. Joseph King from the Gulf States newsroom talked to fans as they entered the stadium. Excitement is in the air for the highly anticipated rematch in the Caesar Superdome.

Randy Oliver made his trip from Kansas City to watch the Chiefs in the big game. I've been thinking about it since we got the tickets on Wednesday. President Donald Trump is in attendance. He's caused a lot of chaos today in the blockage of all these roads. The president's presence at the game has added an extra layer of security to the enhanced security zone put in place following the deadly New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street. Trump is the first president to attend a Super Bowl while in office. For NPR News, I'm Joseph King in New Orleans.

At the weekend, Box Office DreamWorks Animation's Dog Man took the top spot with an estimated $13 million in ticket sales. With a production budget of $40 million, the film, based on a graphic novel, has already taken in $54 million domestically in the two weeks it's been in theaters. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from NYU Langone. and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.