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Episode Date: February 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The Trump administration has rescinded an extension of the temporary protective status shielding hundreds of thousands of Haitians from deportation. TPS status granted due to ongoing political strife and natural disasters in Haiti now expires in early August instead of February of next year. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggests the Biden administration granted that extension to spite the current administration. She revoked the move only weeks after ending TPS status for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans. Many of the

178 Venezuelan migrants recently sent to Guantanamo Bay have now been repatriated. More from NPR's Jasmine Garst. A spokeswoman for DHS said 177 migrants have been sent back to Venezuela and one brought back to an immigration facility in the U.S. The move to hold migrants at Guantanamo was controversial. In recent days, immigrants' rights lawyers went to court to seek access to the detainees. The Trump administration alleged that many were members of the international criminal organization Tren de Aragua, which has been recently designated

as a foreign terrorist organization. But in an official statement from the Colonel running the operation, it is now revealed that 51 of the detainees were considered low threats. Jasmine Garst, NPR News, New York. Elon Musk has so far drawn the most excitement at CPAC, an annual

gathering of conservatives, and NPR Stephen Fowler has more. After Musk took the CPAC stage, Argentina's president Javier Malé brought him a golden chainsaw to symbolize his work to slash the size, scope, and spending of the US government. Musk hyped the idea of taking some of that savings identified by Doge and giving it back to taxpayers. It's money that's taken away from things that are destructive to the country and from organizations that hate you.

But that idea is a long way from coming to fruition. An NPR review finds the Doge effort has overstated its savings claims so far by billions of dollars. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Washington. The Senate panel has narrowly advanced the nomination of Linda McMahon to become Education Secretary. NPR's Corey Turner reports. The vote in the full Senate has not yet been scheduled. Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing last week was contentious,

with protesters repeatedly interrupting the proceedings. The former pro-wrestling CEO has vowed to try to carry out President Trump's commitment to dismantle the department, something she acknowledged in her hearing would require

Congress since it was Congress that created the department and much of what it does. The vote comes as the department has told schools across the country to stop all Biden-era diversity and inclusion programs or risk losing their federal funding. Former prosecutor and FBI critic Cash Patel has received Senate confirmation to lead the agency. Patel says the FBI has been politicized and that he'll fix it. Critics say he's unqualified to lead the Bureau.

The James Bond franchise will now be controlled by Amazon MGM Studios. It had been under the control of a single family for more than 60 years. As NPR's Andrew Limbong reports, the last James Bond film was 2021's No Time to Die. Sibling movie producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson were behind casting Daniel Craig as James Bond, redefining the character for the 21st century, starting with 2006's Casino Royale. The name's Bond. James Bond. Now they're handing creative control over to Amazon.

In a statement, Amazon MGM Studios chief Mike Hopkins wrote that they quote, "'Look forward to ushering in the next phase "'of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.'" No time to die was Craig's last go as Bond, no word yet on who will take up the mantle, but Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has already taken to social media to ask for suggestions. Andrew Limbong and PR News.

An Argentine court has dropped negligence charges against three of five people indicted in the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne. The 31 year old singer died last October after falling from a hotel balcony in Palermo. The court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove that the defendant should have kept pain away from his hotel room and sought medical care because he had been severely intoxicated. This is NPR News.