NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-13-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: February 13, 2025

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Donald Trump is back in the White House and making a lot of moves very quickly. Keep track of everything going on in Washington with the NPR Politics Podcast. Every day we break down the latest news and explain why it matters to you. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen every day. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump has signed a memorandum that he says will lead to reciprocal tariffs on countries for a variety of reasons, for their tariffs as well as for non-tariff trade barriers. Trump says it's going to bring jobs.

If somebody wants to come in, including the car companies, if they want to come in and build car plants, they'll do it without tariffs and therefore prices won't go up. There could be some short-term disturbance, but long-term, it's gonna make our country a fortune. During a more than hour-long Q&A with reporters at the White House today, Trump referenced former President Joe Biden as he panned the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, upending Kiev's mission for stronger protections

in light of Russia's military invasion in 2022. I believe that's the reason the war started because Biden went out and said that they could join NATO and he shouldn't have said that. Russia's war against Ukraine and Israel's war with Hamas and Gaza will dominate Secretary of State Marco Rubio's second trip abroad. He leaves tonight for the Munich Security Conference and then on to the Middle East. And Piers Michelle Kellerman has details. The Munich Security Conference is an annual gathering of international diplomats, business

and military leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be there to meet Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary Rubio to hear about President Trump's ideas on how the war should end. Later in the weekend, Rubio will head to Israel, then to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. His spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, says he will focus on freeing all hostages from Hamas captivity, including Americans, and to push forward the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Saudi Arabia is also offering to host talks at some point between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. Federal workers are beginning to receive layoff notices as the Trump administration moves ahead with plans to drastically downsize the government. NPR's Shannon Bond reports many of the first cuts are targeting employees who were recently hired and still on probationary status. Some probationary staff at the Department of Education received notices they were being terminated effective immediately, according to employees who spoke with NPR on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

At the General Services Administration, many recently hired employees were called into meetings late Wednesday and told they were being let go. The cuts come days after President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to start preparing to, quote, initiate large scale reductions in force. Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, say they are slashing what they say is excessive government spending. Shannon Bond, NPR News. Today a federal judge ruled that the administration's plan to put thousands of staffers at USAID

on paid leave is set to remain on pause through at least February 21st. U.S. stocks have ended the day higher with the Dow closing up 342 points. From Washington, this is NPR News. The National Weather Service warns flooding is possible over the next few days in Southern California. Steve Futterman reports on areas recovering from last month's wildfires.

The heaviest rains are forecast for this afternoon through tomorrow. The biggest concern is in the Alta Dena and Pacific Palisades areas, where foothills and mountains are without vegetation following the fires. The barren mountains are especially vulnerable to potentially dangerous mudslides. Steve Futterman reporting. Carnegie Hall, one of the country's top music presenters, has announced its upcoming season. At its center will be a six-month festival,

United in Sound America at 250, celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And Harry Connick Jr. will be making his debut there. As part of it, Jeff London has more. Harry Connick Jr., the New Orleans-born crooner pianist, composer, and arranger has never been on Carnegie Hall's main stage, but that will change next May.

It had to be you. It had to be you. I wandered around and found... Connick will present two evenings of his work, but May 22nd will be extra special, he says. That date is my mother's 100th birthday. She always wanted me to play at Carnegie Hall. Connick will premiere a three-movement orchestral work with piano dedicated to his mother's memory on that evening. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington. 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.