NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-11-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: February 11, 2025

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At the Super Bowl halftime show, Kendrick Lamar indeed performed his smash diss track Not Like Us and brought out Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and SZA. We're recapping the Super Bowl, including why we saw so many celebrities in commercials this year. Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Donald Trump is hosting the King of Jordan at the White House today. NPR's Franco Ordonnier reports Trump has launched a pressure campaign against Jordan and other

regional partners to take in Palestinians from Gaza. With the King sitting beside him in the Oval Office, Trump again outlined his plans to move Palestinians out of Gaza so that the territory could be redeveloped. I believe we'll have a parcel of land in Jordan. I believe we'll have a parcel of land in Egypt. We may have someplace else, but I think when we finish our talks, we'll have a place where they're going to live very happily and very safely. It's a plan that Arab leaders have roundly rejected. But when it was his time to speak, King Abdullah proceeded more cautiously, saying Arab leaders will meet soon in Saudi Arabia to discuss how they can work with the US.

The King did announce that Jordan would take in 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or are sick. Franco Ordonez NPR News Also at the White House today, President Trump was joined by billionaire Elon Musk to tout and defend the ongoing government cost-cutting efforts. Musk standing next to the President's Oval Office desk listed a series of examples of the billions in waste he claims to have uncovered as part of his Doge investigations into federal agencies. Most questioned about whether he is leading a hostile takeover of government in a non-transparent

way responded, quote, the people voted for major government reform. He says everything they're doing is transparent. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the central bank does not need to be in a hurry to cut interest rates. NPR's Scott Horstley, Powell testified before Senate committee today. Powell told the Senate Banking Committee that while inflation has eased significantly, prices are still climbing faster than the central bank would like. The job market is also in a solid state, so the feds expected to hold interest rates steady for some time to come. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy gave Powell and his fed colleagues credit for helping

to curb inflation without dipping the economy into recession. Things aren't perfect. Inflation's obviously still sticky, but knock on wood. We have experienced a soft landing. Powell declined to comment on President Trump's new tariffs, which could put more upward pressure on prices. Scott Horsley in MPR News, Washington. A federal judge has left intact a ban that prevents Elon Musk's government downsizing

entity Doge from accessing Treasury Department records that include the sensitive data of millions of Americans. However, the judge said that does not include new Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. Judge Jeanette Vargas issuing the order today continuing a ban put in place by another judge. The order came after 19 Democratic Attorneys General sued President Trump over the matter. Stocks closed mixed on Wall Street today as investors continue to monitor the possible effects of tariffs. The Dow was up 123 points, the Nasdaq fell. This is NPR. Top Canadian leaders began a two-day visit to Washington today to meet with key officials of the Trump administration.

CNPR's Jackie Northam reports the visit is an effort to head off a trade war between the U.S. and Canada. The visit by 13 provincial premiers and territorial leaders comes one day after President Trump announced steep tariffs on steel and aluminum. Canada is the largest supplier of both to the U.S. They'll meet with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as well as lobbyists and administration officials in an effort to get insight into why punishing tariffs are being threatened not only on Canadian aluminum and steel but a whole array of other Canadian

products. Their message is that tariffs will hurt both countries which do about 800 billion dollars in cross-border trade each year. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the country will act hard and fast if Trump goes through with its threats to tariff aluminum and steel. Jackie Northam, NPR News. Well, there was some concern about the possible effect of tariffs on Valentine Day's flowers this year. It appears that is not going to fly as an excuse for anyone who

drops the ball. That's because in the run-up to this Friday millions of cut flowers have already wended their way into the US. About 940 million stems of cut flowers overall. About 90% of the flowers being sold in the US come through Miami. Others pass through Los Angeles. That includes roses, carnations and other flowers from in mostly from Colombia and Ecuador. Critical futures prices bumped up to a two-week high today mid worries about Russian and Iranian oil supplies and rising Mideast tensions oil up a dollar a barrel to settle at 73.32 a barrel. I'm Jack Spear NPR News in Washington