NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-12-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: February 12, 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 Shea Stevens. The government efficiency offers run by billionaire Elon Musk is tasked with finding ways to reduce the size of government and spending.

In an Oval Office appearance with Musk Tuesday, President Trump said that Doge had already found billions in wasteful spending by cutting contracts deemed wasteful. But NPR's Stephen Fowler says neither Trump nor Musk offered any evidence to back up the claim. Doge doesn't have a functional website. They don't have a responsive press office. They don't share their work or evidence to back up the claims about savings and contract terminations.

One of the only public places to find examples of Doge's work has been on X, the social media site owned by Musk, where roughly three dozen posts by the Doge account in recent weeks outlines billions in alleged cuts. I asked a Doge spokesperson for details, like what was canceled, how much was saved, how they calculated the savings. They didn't respond. NPR's Stephen Fowler. President Trump has met with an American who served over three years in a Russian prison.

Mark Fogle returned to the United States late Tuesday as part of a negotiated deal with Russia. NPR's Ayanna Archie has the story. Fogel, who was 63 years old, was arrested more than three years ago by Russian customs agents who say he had medical marijuana in his luggage. The State Department deemed Fogel unjustly detained last year. His mother was persistent in bringing attention to her son's case, which eventually got the attention of President Trump, who promised to bring him home.

I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all. And President Trump is a hero. These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes. National security adviser Mike Walz said Fogel was brought back as part of an exchange with Russia, but it is unknown what the U.S. provided. Ayanna Archie, NPR News. More than 2,000 religious groups are suing the Trump administration for giving immigration agents the authority to make arrests at sensitive locations.

As NPR's Sarah Ventry reports, the plaintiffs include the Mennonite Church and the Union for Reform Judaism. The religious groups say the administration's change to the sensitive locations policy infringes on their religious freedom. Multiple churches say they face an imminent risk of immigration enforcement actions, and their congregations have decreased in attendance due to fear. The lawsuit states, quote, they bring this decreased in attendance due to fear. The lawsuit states, quote, they bring this suit unified on a fundamental belief. Every human being,

regardless of birthplace, is a child of God worthy of dignity, care, and love. Welcoming the stranger or immigrant is thus a central precept of their faith practices. The groups are seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting immigration enforcement activities at houses of worship or during religious ceremonies, except with a judicial warrant or under certain pressing circumstances. Sarah Ventry, NPR News. Sarah Ventry, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading on Wall Street.

This is NPR. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the renaming of the Army base in North Carolina. Fort Liberty is once again being called Fort Bragg, honoring Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Its name was changed to Fort Liberty in 2021, after a new commission was created to change the names of nine Army installations honoring Confederate leaders. The city of Los Angeles is seeking ways to reduce the risk of extreme wildfires after thousands of homes were destroyed in January.

Some experts have suggested clearing brush along hillsides, while others say it could make the fire danger worse. More from NPR's Lauren Summer. During the Los Angeles fires, President Trump threatened to withhold federal aid over California's wildfire policies. He said the brush and leaves needed to be cleared. That brush is known as chaparral, a unique ecosystem of shrubs. But fire experts say cutting it all down would actually increase the risk of extreme wildfires. When chaparral burns too often, the shrubs can't recover, allowing invasive grasses to move in. Those grasses are even more flammable.

The most effective thing, they say, is to focus on making homes safer by using fire-resistant building materials and clearing the plants within five feet of the walls. Lauren Summer, NPR News. Paul McCartney gave a pop-up concert for a crowd at the Bowery Ballroom in New York on Tuesday. The former Beatle performed many selections from his entire catalogue only hours after the show was announced. The Bowery Room seats about 575 people.

U.S. futures are flat and after-hours trading, Asia-Pacific markets are mostly higher. This is NPR News. Support for NPR and the following message come from Yarle and Pamela Moan, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.