NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-17-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. As the Trump administration effort to drastically cut back government continues, criticism is growing over the role of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, an entity known as DOJ. One concern comes from the lack of documentation of its work, as NPR's Deepa Shivram tells us. There has been pretty much little to no transparency about how Elon Musk is going about doing any of this.

I went to the Doge government website and under the tab that says savings, it says receipts coming over the weekend. There haven't been any receipts posted at this point. And in the meantime, there have been a lot of blocks from federal judges and courts this week. 14 states have sued Elon Musk and Doge and the president saying that these cuts to government spending are unconstitutional. That's NPR's Deepa Shivram.

European leaders will meet in Paris today for a crisis summit on Ukraine. The meeting is in response to President Trump's plans to negotiate an end to the war directly with Russia. The European leaders will seek to present a unified front on issues, including defense spending and the continent's future security. The BBC's Katja Adler has more. Europe's leaders see a tiny window of opportunity to unite and prove to Donald Trump that they're taking action and must be involved in talks with Russia about Kiev's future. They're still in shock at being excluded. For them, it's about more than Ukraine. It's the cold realization

that the Trump administration doesn't prioritize relations with Europe or its defense. And it's the fear, depending on how emboldened President Putin emerges from peace talks, that the Russian leader might then threaten others. That's the BBC's Katja Adler reporting. At least nine people have died because of flooding in Kentucky this weekend. Because of the damage, the Trump administration has approved an emergency disaster declaration which was requested by the governor. Karen Zierer of Member Station WUKY reports. Kentucky has seen rain, snow and sleet causing flooding, mudslides and dangerous conditions

in all of the state's 120 counties. Governor Andy Beshear says the emergency phase this state is in will last for several days. That's the type of event we're dealing with and we're going to be actively dealing with this flood for probably the next week in different parts of at least getting things cleaned up. There are 19 active swiftwater rescue teams working around the clock and more than a thousand rescues were done within the first 24 hours of this storm. Because of the disaster declaration, FEMA is already on the ground. For NPR News, I'm Karen Zahr in Frankfort.

Asian markets crept higher on Monday and Japan, Tokyo's Nikkei average moved marginally higher after Japan reported surprisingly strong economic growth of 2.8% annualized for the fourth quarter. Shares in Taiwan meanwhile finished up 1.5%. European stocks rose at the open. You're listening to NPR News. There was turmoil this week in the agency tasked with working with the nation's nuclear weapons programs. The Associated Press reports that as many as 350 employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration were fired late Thursday.

Then on Friday night, the agency's acting director rescinded all but 28 of those firings. Experts are cautioning that such blind cost-cutting can place communities at risk. The man accused in the December fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is expected back in court this weekend for state charges in New York. And as NPR's Ava Pukac reports, a legal fundraiser for Luigi Mangione has so far raised more than $400,000. On a website set up by his attorneys to provide updates on the case, a statement from Mangione reads, quote, I am overwhelmed by and grateful for everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support.

Pennsylvania's governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro, and other lawmakers have said that Mangione should not be treated like a folk hero. Mangione pleaded not guilty to 11 charges in New York, including first-degree murder. He also faces charges in federal court as well as in Pennsylvania. While New York has abolished the death penalty, prosecutors could pursue it in the federal case.

Eva Puchach, NPR News. Colombian singer Shakira is in a Peruvian hospital this weekend, and a post on social media, she said she's being treated for an abdominal condition and doctors have told her she cannot perform. She had two scheduled concerts in Lima which is the second stop on her Latin American tour. I'm Dale Willman and PR News.