NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-21-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: February 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. A federal judge today declined to block the Trump administration from putting more than 2,000 U.S. Agency for International Development workers on leave. It's a setback for two labor unions that are suing the administration, saying dismantling USAID would put its overseas staff in danger and cut them off from communications and resources. But the judge says the unions failed to prove irreparable harm. The Trump administration is only allowing 600 out of more than 10,000 agency workers to continue in their jobs. President Trump and Elon Musk are often spotted together these days as Musk leads an effort

to slash the federal government. And Pierce Tamra Keith reports that Tesla CEO also continues involvement with his many businesses that have government contracts and face federal regulation. As a special government employee, a temporary role, Musk is not required to divest from his companies, but he still has to follow laws barring conflicts of interest. Columbia law professor Richard Brafalt specializes in government ethics. He's basically a walking conflict of interest. Even the appearance of such conflicts can be a problem, says Don Fox, who used to lead

the Office of Government Ethics. The thing that the public should be concerned about is, well, we don't know. Is he looking after our interests as taxpayers and citizens, or is he looking after his own business interests? Trump and Musk insist the billionaire businessman will recuse himself when necessary. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Election officials from around the country are asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to cut services aimed at making elections safe

and secure from foreign influences. And here's Ashley Lopez reports. The National Association of Secretaries of State, a nonpartisan organization of state election officials, wrote that they want to continue to be able to voluntarily coordinate with DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA. These partnerships, they say, have helped them defend their infrastructure against national security threats. That includes cybersecurity and physical security services provided by CISA. Since taking office, the Trump administration has put various election security advisors

working at CISA on administrative leave. This is raising concerns about the safety of American elections, which are mostly administered by state and local officials. Ashley Lopez, NPR News. Six weeks after devastating wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the city's fire chief, Kristen Crawley, today amid a public rift over preparations for the fires and finger pointing between the chief and City Hall. Bass says a000 firefighters could have been on duty the morning the fires broke out, but she says instead they were sent home.

Wall Street sharply lower by the closing bell after economic data on a slowing economy and stubborn inflation spooked investors, the Dow down 748 points. This is NPR. The tomb of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, who reigned three to 4,000 years ago, has been unearthed in Egypt. As MPR's Ayah Batraoui reports, it's being hailed as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in years.

Egypt's Antiquities Council says the discovery of King Thutmose II's tomb is the first to be unearthed since that of King Tutankhamun's in 1922, over a century ago. It's believed to be the last lost tomb of the kings of the 18th dynasty in Egypt. While the tomb's main passage was discovered two and a half years ago, recent excavation work revealed parts of alabaster vessels inside with inscriptions bearing the king's name, along with that of his main royal wife, Queen Hatshepsut. King Thutmose II's tomb was found about a mile and a half from the famed Valley of the Kings in Luxor and moved to its unusual location by the ancient Egyptians after floods. The team of Egyptian and British archaeologists say fragments of the burial chamber's plaster show blue inscriptions and yellow sky stars, as well as excerpts from

religious scripture specific to the tombs of pharaohs. A. Abel Traoui, Ampear News. Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is selling his controversial denim for charity. The Norwegian chess grandmaster says he's auctioning off the Italian luxury brand Jeans that started a dress code dispute at December's World Rabbit and Blitz Chess Championships. He ultimately quit the New York competition after accepting a $200 fine while refusing to change his pants. Now the auction to benefit big brothers and big sisters of America will end March 1st.

The highest bidder as of this morning was $8,200. I'm Janene Hurst and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.