NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-13-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: February 14, 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 Janene Herbst. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Trump in the White House this afternoon, heaping praise on Trump, possibly in hopes of avoiding the reciprocal tariffs Trump announced

today on U.S. trading partners, along with the other tariffs he imposed on China, Canada, and Mexico earlier. Trump has repeatedly singled out India for its high tariff rates on U.S. imports. In a joint news conference after the meeting, though, Trump announced a new energy deal. The Prime Minister and I also reached an important agreement on energy that will restore the United States as a leading supplier of oil and gas to India. It will be, hopefully, their number one supplier and the groundbreaking.

Before Modi met with Trump, he met with his advisor, Elon Musk, saying on X that his meeting with Musk was very good and that they talked about things Musk is passionate about, including space and technology. Florida's governor today signed into law measures that supporters say will help the Trump administration crack down on illegal immigration. And Pierce Greg Allen reports the new law was crafted in consultation with Trump officials. The new law makes it a state crime for people without legal status to enter Florida. It also mandates the death penalty for those without legal status who are convicted of murder and other capital offenses. It includes funding to house people being held for deportation

and to pay bonuses to local cops who participate in immigration operations. Here's Governor DeSantis. The state of Florida will be safer and secure as a result of this legislation. It also repeals a law that allowed students without legal status to pay in-state tuition costs at public colleges and universities. The new law came after weeks of political wrangling between the governor and Republican leaders who ended up removing much of what DeSantis wanted. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

Danielle Pletka Union leaders and Democrats demonstrated today outside the Department of Veteran Affairs. And here's Quill Lawrence reports they're condemning Elon Musk's efforts to shrink the workforce that fulfills the U.S. government's commitments to its military veterans. Quill Lawrence VA has hundreds of thousands of mostly health care staff nationwide. Protesting workforce that fulfills the U.S. government's commitments to its military veterans. VA has hundreds of thousands of mostly health care staff nationwide. Protesting outside the VA was Everett Kelly, a veteran and president of the largest federal employees union.

If Doge actually believe in efficiency, of course they don't. And we all know that, right? They should study what the VA does and not destroy it. VA Secretary Doug Collins posted a video on ex-defending Doge staff at VA. I'm happy to partner with them to find things that we need to get rid of so that we can put the money where it belongs. You know who that is, back with our veterans. VA cares for about nine million veterans and studies rated as good or better than private

health care on important measures including clinical quality and safety. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. Wall Street was hired by the closing bell, the Dow up 342 points. The NASDAQ gained 295 points. That's up 1.5 percent. The S&P 500 up 63. This is NPR News. In Los Angeles, closing arguments took place today in the trial of rapper A$AP Rocky, who's accused of two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Prosecutors say he fired at a former friend on a Hollywood street corner in 2021. The defense says he only shot blanks from a prop gun he carried for security. If convicted, the hip-hop star could get up to 24 years in prison.

The Grammy-nominated rapper, fashion maven, and actor is the longtime partner of singing superstar Rihanna, with whom he has two young sons that she brought to court for the first time today. The defense will complete closing arguments tomorrow, and it then goes to the jury. A Brazilian neuroscientist says she and her team have amassed the largest

collection of whale and dolphin brains in all of Latin America. Reporter Ari Daniel has more. When Camila Souza received word of a deceased baby humpback whale off the coast of southeastern Brazil, she raced to extract its brain. It was the first extraction of a whale brain here in Brazil. Back at the Orca Institute, where she worked, she lifts the brain out of a large plastic container. It's twice the size of a human brain. So this brain is huge. I need the two hands to hold this brain. Wow. Sosa and her team map brains like this one to gain insights into cetacean behavior and

adaptations. And, she says, these brains might serve as models for human diseases like Alzheimer's. For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel. And I'm Janine Herbst, 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.