NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-12-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: February 13, 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. A federal judge in Boston is declining to block the Trump administration's deferred resignation program. For now, it means the offer to federal employees can move ahead.

And here's Andrea Schuessmore. The Trump administration had given workers a choice. They could offer their resignations now in exchange for pay and benefits through the end of September. The expectation was they'd be on leave most of that time. Or they could remain in their positions and risk being laid off as Trump downsizes the federal workforce. Labor unions representing civil servants asked the court to block the offer, calling it unlawful. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole declined that request, finding that the unions didn't have standing to bring the case because they are not directly affected.

He did not rule on the legality of the deferred resignation program. The unions called the ruling a setback, but not the end of the fight. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. President Trump says he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are likely to meet in person in Saudi Arabia as part of an effort to end the war in Ukraine. NPR's Deepa Sivaram reports Trump says he expects Putin also to meet him in the US and he'll travel to Russia. Trump didn't provide a date for when he'll first meet with Putin.

He also did not commit to traveling to Ukraine, though he said he would think about it. Trump didn't go into detail on what he thinks a peace agreement will look like, but he said he doesn't think it's practical for Ukraine to join NATO, something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for for years and Putin is opposed to. They've been saying that for a long time that Ukraine cannot go into NATO and I'm okay with that. Trump's remarks come after the president spoke over the phone with Putin in a lengthy call. After he spoke with Zelensky. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News.

The Trump administration is taking credit for a record number of recruits joining the U.S. military last month. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports that number has been on the upswing for a year. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth has claimed that high numbers of Americans joined the army in December and January because of President Trump's leadership and a new emphasis away from diversity initiatives. That may be true, but Army data show that after a slump in 2022 and 2023, recruiting goals have been met over the past year, with a surplus from 2024 to start off this year. One reason is an Army program for future soldiers that helps Americans get physically

fit or academically caught up so they can qualify to serve. Another factor is a growing number of women enlisting over the past three years. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. The Federal Reserve at its meeting in January held off on cutting interest rates and based on the latest inflation numbers that stance may continue for a bit longer. Government says its consumer price index, which measures a market basket of goods, ticked up slightly last month, rising to 3%. Many economists worry the Trump administration's tariffs could cut prices to go even higher. On Wall Street today, the Dow is down 225 points. You're listening to NPR. A judge in London is allowing a Gazan family to resettle in Britain through a special visa

program that was specifically designed to help Ukrainians. CNBR's Lauren Freyre reports from London the decision has been criticized by British politicians because it may set a precedent for more Palestinians and others fleeing violence elsewhere. After an Israeli airstrike destroyed their home in Gaza, a Palestinian couple and their four children applied to come to the UK where they have relatives. And they were ultimately granted permission to settle here on appeal through a special visa scheme designed for Ukrainians. This is not what the scheme was designed to do.

Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenok told parliament a judge was wrong to allow this family into Britain. And the centre-left Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he agrees. The home sector is already looking at the legal loophole which we need to close in this particular case. The UK has special visa programs for people fleeing from Ukraine and Hong Kong, but not for Palestinians. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London.

President Donald Trump, after essentially firing the board of the Kennedy Center and installing a new board of trustees, has himself been elected as the new board chairman, placing billionaire philanthropist David Rubinstein, who representing a swift takeover by Trump and his allies of a beloved Washington cultural institution, known for its Kennedy Center honors performances, and as home of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. Critical futures prices gave up some of their recent gains as markets try to gauge how a

possible end to hostilities between Russia and Ukraine could affect prices. Oil fell $2 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear at NPR News in Washington. This message comes from NYU Langone. The NYU Langone Health App gives you access to your electronic health record. Keep track of your visits, lab results, and images all in one place. Better health starts with a better health system.