NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: February 24, 2025

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JANINE HERPST, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, WASHINGTON. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herpst. President Trump said this weekend he wants Elon Musk to be more aggressive with his Department of Government Efficiency Unit. But a Republican senator is giving Musk the opposite advice. And Piers Luke Garrett has more. GOP Senator John Curtis of Utah supports cuts to federal spending. But he tells CBS News that Musk and Doge have been too hard on federal workers.

If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives. Doge and Musk have worked to shut down entire agencies and fire probationary employees in the federal government. And recently, Musk threatened to fire any government employee that doesn't email a list of what they've accomplished in the last week. Senator John Curtis defended this request in principle.

I don't think this is a request. It's that difficult. I would ask my employees to let me know what they're doing. But I will double down on the fact of we don't need to be so cold and hard. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. The U.S. Agency for International Development says it's firing 1,600 people in the U.S. as part of a reduction in force and putting nearly all of the rest of its workers around the globe on administrative leave at midnight tonight.

In a memo, the agency says the exceptions are those working on mission-critical programs, core leadership, and employees supporting specially designated programs. This after a federal judge Friday ruled that the Trump administration could proceed with layoffs and administrative leave and close down operations overseas, forcing employees based abroad to come back to the U.S. President Trump has issued a memorandum to limit Chinese investment in strategic sectors in the U.S. Those include technology, critical infrastructure, and energy, among others.

China says the move is discriminatory. And here's John Rewich has more. Trump signed the America First investment policy on Friday, following a tense call between Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Vice Premier He Li-feng, who's Beijing's point man for China-U.S. economic ties. While the memo aims to promote investment in the U.S., it also accuses China of exploiting opportunities in U.S. capital to enhance its military and security agencies.

China's Ministry of Commerce says the memo will seriously affect normal economic and trade cooperation and undermine the confidence of Chinese companies investing in the U.S. It calls instead for a fair, transparent, and predictable business environment for investors and says China will take necessary means to defend its rights and interests. John Ruehich, NPR News. In Germany, exit polls show the candidate for the conservative Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, appears poised to become the country's next chancellor. The alternative for Germany

Party, the AfD, is in second place. That's the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II. Voters were focused on the economy and immigration. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. People around the world are offering prayers for Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized in critical condition with double pneumonia and a mild kidney issue. The 88-year-old, who's been hospitalized for a week and a half, is getting oxygen and also required a blood transfusion to treat a low platelet count. New York Yankees players may look a little hairier this season. That's because of changes to the team's famously strict beard policy, which has been in place for 49 years. MPR Chandelier-Stuster has more. New York Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced the team will no longer

prohibit facial hair such as beards. He said he came to the conclusion after speaking with current and former players and that he worried the old policy was keeping them from recruiting star players. I did make the decision that the policy that was in place was outdated and given how important it is to that generation and given that it is the norm in this world today, that it was somewhat unreasonable. He added that there will be parameters for the new policy and that he told players it's going to be a well-groomed clean look. Chandelis Duster, NPR News.

At the weekend box office, Captain America, Brave New World took the top spot for the second weekend in a row with $28 million in ticket sales. The Anthony Mackie-led installment in the Marvel franchise has been slammed by critics, and also audiences have graded it poorly with a B- Cinema score. But the movie has grossed $289 million around the world. This is NPR News.