NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-21-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

NPR News: 02-21-2025 7PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. The Supreme Court has declined to take up the Trump administration's request to uphold his firing of an independent ethics watchdog. As NPR's Stephen Fowler reports, the procedural decision doesn't address the merits of President Trump's argument. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, The Supreme Court of Washington, D.C. President Trump asked the Supreme Court to block a court order issued February 12th that reinstated

the head of the Office of Special Counsel for two weeks while the judge considered the larger case. The short shelf life of that ruling means it usually can't be appealed, but Trump's lawyers tried anyways. After the D.C. Court of Appeals declined to make an exception, Trump went to the Supreme Court, who also did not step in. This was a procedural question that does not address the administration's larger legal argument that the president has complete power to determine who runs executive

agencies, even independent ones. Stephen Vowler, NPR News. President Trump has been in office for a month now and with a flurry of executive actions and orders, he's working to remake the federal government. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off and finding cuts to numerous agencies, funding cuts rather. This is federal workers unions and attorneys general from states around the country go to court to try to stop the measures. Now, NPR's Domenico Montanaro reports, new polls out this week show Trump's support may be waning. The bottom line is that it looks like that the honeymoon for Trump appears to be over.

The country has largely always been split on Trump, slight majority disapproving. And that's what we saw in back-to-back polls with CNN and Washington Post Ipsos. People were split on Trump's approach to immigration, but both polls found a majority think that he's exceeding his power as president. CNN's poll also found that 62% think that he hasn't done enough to reduce the price of goods. And here's Domenico Montanaro reporting. A U.S. District Court judge in Boston today said she's continuing the temporary pause

on a Trump administration policy to slash billions of dollars in research funding from the National Institute of Health. For Member Station WBUR, Priyanka Thayel-McQuiskey has more. Twenty-two states, along with groups of colleges and universities, have filed lawsuits to stop a federal policy change that would cap the indirect costs covered by NIH. These include the costs of research facilities and some staff. Heather Pierce with the Association of American Medical Colleges spoke with reporters after the court hearing. The impact to cutting federal funding for research is felt immediately by not just researchers but by

patients, by families, by anyone who's waiting for medical progress and that's all of us. The cuts are on hold until federal judge Angel Kelly rules on whether to grant an injunction. Kelly promised to rule quickly. For NPR News, I'm Priyanka Theal McCluskey. Wall Street, sharply lower by the closing bell, the Dow down 748 points, NASDAQ down 438, S&P 500 down 104. This is NPR. The former leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, Enrique Terrio, was arrested today near the U.S. Capitol after an altercation with a counter-protester.

Theriot was at the Capitol today with other Proud Boys, hosting a press conference on cryptocurrency and announcing a possible lawsuit against the Justice Department. Police say he was arrested today on a charge of simple assault. He was one of 1,500 people sentenced over the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, who President Trump pardoned. He was serving a 22-year prison sentence. R&B legend Jerry Butler has died at his home at the age of 85. A baritone known as Iceman, he rose to fame in the 1950s with fellow Chicagoan Curtis Mayfield in the doo-wop of band, The Impressions.

Noah Jennings of Member Station WBEZ reports Butler's singing was rooted in his faith. Noah Jennings of Member Station WBEZ reports Butler's singing was rooted in his faith. In a 2004 interview with WBEZ, Butler said it was the church that inspired his musical career. The first place mother usually takes a young son is to church. And no matter how off key or out of key that young person sings, somebody's gonna say, amen. And so, you get this encouragement out of the church.

Noor Sattel That encouragement led to a long solo career that saw 38 of his songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Impressions in 1991. For NPR News, I'm Noah Jennings in Chicago. JANINE HURST. Critical prices were lower by the close down 3 percent at $70.25 a barrel. I'm Janine Hurst, NPR News in Washington.