NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-14-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Vice President JD Vance told European leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference their biggest security threat was not from Russia or China but from their own suppression of free speech inside Europe. MPOs Rob Schmitz reports from Munich. After a week of top US officials making comments about negotiations with Russia to end its war in Ukraine, European leaders were expecting Vance to lay out the Trump administration's vision about the future of Ukraine. Instead, Vance delivered a lecture on how European leaders should listen more to supporters of far-right and populist political parties, and by not doing so, said Vance, they're failing to live up to their democratic ideals. Vance also warned the audience about out-of-control migration. Vance received only

tepid applause throughout his 20-minute speech. Rob Schmitz, then Peer News, Munich. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with President Trump's new border czar, Tom Homan, appeared on the show Fox and Friends today He comes as the interim prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, along with other career prosecutors, have been stepping down, claiming corruption charges against the Democratic mayor were dropped in exchange for his cooperation on immigration. Adams said immigration has been ongoing concern for him, and he praised Holman's work. That's what's good about what we're doing right now, what Tom, the Borders are, has done. I've

said it over and over again, we need to control our borders and not allow people to come into the country, gang members coming into the country, people who are here to commit crime. I think what we witnessed the Borders are has done. We have seen a substantial decrease in that flow. Re-establishing an immigration office at New York's notorious Rikers Island would be just the first step in an agreement the Trump administration has reached with Adams. Defense officials tell NPR-London-Musk

government efficiency team has a target of cutting 8% of the Pentagon's more than $800 billion defense budget. NPR's Quo Lawrence reports. The Pentagon has failed to pass an audit for seven years running, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in his confirmation hearing that the department has grown too big, with three million troops and civilians on the payroll. But former defense officials tell NPR they're concerned that hastily made cuts often target

newer, promising programs, while more established and expensive systems endure. Eliminating waste at the Pentagon has bipartisan support. At the same time, Republicans in Congress have proposed increasing the DOD budget by at least $100 billion, while some Democrats have warned that boosting defense plus tax cuts floated by the White House will starve government services that millions of Americans rely on. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. Layoffs have been ongoing across the federal government. Stocks closed mixed today as the broader market pushed again toward record highs.

Treasury yields fell the day after President Trump revealed reciprocal tariff plans. The Dow was down 165 points. This is NPR. Taiwan says it is going to invest more in the US and work to develop semiconductor supply chains. The move comes after a Taiwanese delegation wrapped up a trip to Washington this week. MBR's Emily Fang reports it's an effort to head off a 100% tariff President Trump has threatened on Taiwanese semiconductor chips. Trump said of the Democratic island of Taiwan that they, quote,

stole our chip business, something Taiwan has denied. But Taiwan's tried to head off any potential tariffs and is also exploring purchasing more US liquefied natural gas. Taiwan developed cutting edge chip making technologies in the 1980s. Now companies in the US use Taiwanese chip makers to manufacture custom semiconductors,

including those that undergird the latest generative artificial intelligence computers. Taiwan's biggest chip maker, TSMC, said the tariff would not affect it too badly, however. And because Europe and the U.S. cannot make some of the semiconductor chips that Taiwan produces, they would bear the brunt of the cost of tariffs. Emily Fang and Pure News. The Michigan judge has come up with a unique punishment for those found guilty of shoplifting at the local Walmart, putting them in the parking lot with sponges and having them wash

customers' cars. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clodier says he hopes the unusual form of community service will discourage people from stealing while also rewarding honest citizens. The judge is not heartless, though, given Michigan's climate. Clodier says he'll wait to impose the sentence in the spring. He says he intends to also wash cars alongside those being punished. Oil closed down 55 cents a barrel today to 70.74 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.