NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-10-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

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Want to know what it's like to play behind the tiny desk if you've got the talent we've got the desk Unsigned artists enter the 2025 tiny desk contest for an opportunity to play your own tiny desk concert our nationwide Starsearch starts now and the winner will play their own tiny desk concert and a US tour to learn more visit NPR org slash tiny desk contest Live from NPR news in Washington on Korova Coleman, President Trump says today he'll announce new tariffs of 25 percent on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. It's not clear when these could take effect, but South Korean officials and steel makers held an emergency meeting today.

NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports in Seoul, South Korea, accounts for about 13 percent of U.S. steel imports. At the meeting, Deputy Trade Minister Pak Jong-Won said the government will work closely with industries and proactively respond to shifts in U.S. trade policy. The first Trump administration also hit Korean steel and aluminum exports with tariffs, citing national security, but in 2018 they waived the tariffs for exports within certain quotas. It's not clear whether the second Trump administration intends to keep or scrap those quotas. South Korea has exported more steel to the U.S. in part to supply Korean companies producing

for the U.S. market. Those include Hyundai Motors plants in Alabama and Georgia and LG Electronics factories in Tennessee and Texas. Anthony Kuhn in PR News, Seoul. President Trump also says he plans to announce reciprocal tariffs this week on other countries. This comes as China imposes tariffs today on U.S. products of 10 to 15 percent. These include farm products and U.S. crude oil. The work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been slowed down.

Staffers were told the Bureau's Washington headquarters are closed for the week and they should work at home. And as Laurel Wallamsley reports, it's the latest indication the Trump administration is trying to shut down the 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. Vote posted on X that he will not ask for the agency's next round of funding from the Federal Reserve.

CFPB staff warn that without the agency doing its job, American families are left exposed to fraud and financial abuse. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News, Washington. A union for agency workers has now filed a lawsuit. The workers say the acting chief does not have the legal or constitutional power to stop the Bureau's work. Another agency that could be targeted by the Trump administration is the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

New Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says she wants an end to how FEMA exists today. We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California. But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed so it can be deployed much quicker, and we don't need this bureaucracy. She spoke to CNN's State of the Union.

You're listening to NPR. The Senate is scheduled to vote later this afternoon on the nomination of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence. The Senate Intelligence Committee advanced her nomination to the full Senate last week. She faced questions about her knowledge of the job and was accused of echoing Russian propaganda. Gabbard had also previously called for a pardon for leaker Edward Snowden, but reversed herself.

Gabbard rejected other criticisms and won support from Republican senators. The Philadelphia Eagles won their Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs last night, 40 to 22. Greg Eklund reports from New Orleans. This is Philadelphia's second Super Bowl championship. After losing Super Bowl 57 two years ago in Phoenix, the Eagles rebounded for their first Super Bowl win since 2018. They opened up a 24-0 halftime lead and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hertz says they didn't want to let up in the second half.

You want to put a high value on finishing, having great focus and finishing, you know, and think about the last time we were in this game we were up 10 and a half time. Hertz was named the game's most valuable player. He finished with 221 passing yards and through two touchdowns. He also rushed for 72 yards and another score. For NPR News, I'm Greg Eklund in New Orleans. Weather forecasters have issued extreme cold warnings for the northern plains. Wind chills may fall to 50 degrees below zero in Montana, North Dakota, and northwestern Minnesota. More very cold weather is expected in northern California, Oregon, and

Washington State. This is NPR.