NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-21-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: February 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. A federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to put thousands of U.S. agency for international development staff on administrative leave. NPR's Fatma Tanis has more. Unions representing agency employees lost their bid to challenge the administration's moves to dismantle America's aid agency. Two weeks ago, Judge Carl Nichols had issued a pause on the moves to put most of the agency's staff on administrative leave and bring back foreign service officers who are posted overseas, many in conflict zones, within 30 days.

The unions argued that dismantling the agency would put its overseas staff in danger and cut them off from communication and resources. Judge Nichols said the unions failed to prove irreparable harm to the employees and removed the temporary block. The administration has significantly downsized USAID. Only 600 people out of the more than 10,000 will be allowed to continue working. Fatma Tanis, NPR News. The Senate has passed its budget resolution, that was early today.

It acts as a framework to implement President Trump's legislative agenda. As NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, the resolution would provide $175 billion for border security and $150 billion in military funding. The resolution would provide $175 billion for border security and $150 billion in military funding. The Senate's adoption is an early step in the process, which requires committees to work out the details of spending, as well as any offsets to help pay for the additional funds. The budget resolution is at odds with the House's approach.

The House wants to pass one bill that addresses spending for the border and extends the 2017 tax cuts. The Senate wants to break those elements into two distinct bills. Both chambers ultimately have to be on the same page to get the legislation across the finish line. Barbara Sprint and Peer News, Washington. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has removed the city's fire chief after the massive wildfires last month destroyed thousands of buildings, leaving at least 29 people dead.

Bass said she removed Fire Chief Kristen Crowley because firefighters were sent home instead of being used to fight the fires last month. We all know that a thousand firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke were instead sent home on Chief Crowley's watch. These actions required her removal. There was tension between Bass and Crowley. Crowley was critical of Bass for budget cuts that Crowley had said hurt the department, and Bass was criticized for being out of the country when the fires broke out. Sales of existing homes fell 4.9 percent in January from the month before, and the National Association for Realtors says there were 1.1 million homes for sale

last month. That's a three and a half increase from December, but still the supply of homes for sale remains tight. Wall Street sharply lower by the close the Dow down 748, NASDAQ down 438. This is NPR. Media mogul Jimmy Lai is giving his sixth consecutive week of oral testimony in a Hong Kong national security trial. The billionaire has been charged with collusion with foreign countries. His trial has been closely watched as Beijing cracks down on civil society groups

in Hong Kong. And Piers Emily Fang has more. Jimmy Lai founded the now-shuttered news outlet Apple Daily that often criticized the Chinese government. He has remained in jail for nearly four years as a trial date for his national security case was set. Last November, he started giving his first oral testimony. This week, the court grilled him on two editorials he wrote criticizing Beijing and whether they, quote, incited public hatred towards the government. This week, one of Hong Kong's biggest and last remaining opposition political parties also announced they were moving to shut themselves down after years of pressure from Beijing's

national security law curtailed nearly all of their political activities. Emily Fang and Pure News, Washington. The man accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy Manhattan sidewalk was in a courtroom in New York today for a status hearing on state charges. Luigi Mangione was indicted on 11 counts, including one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree, along with weapons and forgery charges. He pleaded not guilty to state charges, but he hasn't yet entered a plea on federal murder charges. The Manhattan district attorney says he faces life in prison without parole if convicted in the state case.

I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.