NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-27-2025 1PM EST

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Trump administration is cutting nearly all foreign assistance programs run by the United States Agency for International Development, the move effectively gutting the six-decade old agency and its work, reducing poverty and limiting the spread of disease in more than 120 countries. NPR's Fatma Tanis reports on what's left. The State Department says that programs that the USAID is keeping includes food and life-saving assistance for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Secretary Rubio had issued a waiver for those after the stop work order paused all existence foreign aid programs. But we're hearing from

aid groups and NGOs that life-saving humanitarian programs, including ones that provide HIV medications, have been terminated. So have programs providing vaccination for polio. NPR's Fatma Tanis reporting. President Trump is hosting British Prime Minister Kirsten Armer this hour at the White House as the UK works to forge closer ties with the new U.S. administration, including on matters involving Russia's war against Ukraine. Now, the EU has vowed to retaliate decisively against what it calls uniformly or arbitrarily imposed tariffs

by the United States. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports EU leaders were stunned by President Trump's sudden announcement that he would slap 25% tariffs on products from across the block. Europeans are deep into solving the Ukraine crisis and were caught off guard by President Trump's tariff threats. French President Emmanuel Macron always seemed to have had a positive meeting with Trump Monday.

Next up is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to reinforce the importance of Europe being involved in negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine. But Trump has doubled down on his tariff comments saying the EU had been formed to take advantage of the United States. One angry European official said the EU, the world's largest consumer-free market, had in fact been a boon for the United States. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Immigrants detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, allege they experienced

beatings and other forms of mistreatment during their two weeks at the U.S. Naval Base earlier this month. NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran spoke with two of the detainees. The detainees alleged they were not allowed to call an attorney while at Guantanamo Bay, so they held a five-day hunger strike and blocked the cameras inside their cell so they could get the guards' attention. Mayfred D Arapes says he also kicked on the cell's door as a protest. He says soldiers in riot gear would beat him up. Things got so bad, Durán Arapes says he tried to die by suicide twice. The Department of Homeland Security tells NPR the agency cannot confirm the veracity of Durán

Arapes' claims. The HSS detainees have, quote, access to phone utilization to reach lawyers, but did not provide evidence. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up nearly 300 points. From Washington, this is NPR News. Social media influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged in Romania with human trafficking, are back in the U.S. after a travel ban on them was lifted. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports they deny the allegations against them.

Rob Schmitz The brothers are charged in Romania with forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. It's not clear under what conditions the Tates were allowed to leave Romania, but earlier this month, President Trump's special envoy to Europe, Richard Grinnell, asked the Romanian government to lift the brothers' travel ban. The Tates have been supporters of Trump and boasts of millions of online followers.

The two are dual US-British citizens. They were arrested near Romania's capital more than two years ago, along with two Romanian women. Both face separate unrelated charges in Britain. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. The brothers face separate unrelated charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK. They were expected to be extradited to the UK after their case in Romania concludes. It remains to be seen if Britain's visiting prime minister, who is currently at the White House this hour, will be asked about the Tate brothers. Some analysts say they expect layoffs under the Trump administration's sweeping costs,

cutting measures across federal government will be reflected in the Labor Department's report in the coming weeks or months. Today, the government reports that last week's unemployment claims hit a three-month high of 242,000. However, the overall labor market remains healthy. The Dow is up 296 points, more than half percent. The S&P is down five. The Nasdaq is down 116 points. It's NPR News.