NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-06-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: March 6, 2025

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When she teaches her students how to write a song, musician Scarlett Keys says they need to ask themselves certain questions. What is the thing that keeps you up at night? What's the thing you can't stop thinking about? As songwriters, we are repurposing human tropes and a new viewpoint with new words, with new music. The people and technology behind the soundtracks of our lives. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Dua Lisa Coutao Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua Lisa Coutao. Elon Musk met with Senate Republicans at the Capitol for more than an hour on Wednesday. NPR's Deirdre Walsh reports that Musk explained how the unit known as the Department of Government Efficiency is analyzing federal agencies. Some GOP senators want more specifics about cuts, and Musk offered to provide a phone number they could call for answers.

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott said Musk explained how the Doge team was operating. They're going through and looking for anomalies where they can say, hey, does this make sense? Should we be spending money this way? But Scott insisted that agency heads are the ones making decisions about any changes. Doge's critics dispute that. Democrats have railed on Musk's blunt and fast moves to fire federal workers without regard for function, merit, or performance.

Congress approved spending levels for federal departments. But so far, few Republican lawmakers are publicly complaining about Musk stepping on their power of the purse. Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, The Capitol. The Supreme Court flased a yellow warning light at President Trump's increasingly muscular assertion of executive power. The court refused for now to avoid a lower court order requiring the government to pay foreign aid contractors for work already completed, and PR's Nina Totenberg explains. The court's action will in the end likely be a minor blip in what promises to be a monumental struggle over Trump's increasingly muscular assertions of executive power. Power to cut spending authorized by Congress, as

in this case, or power to fire thousands of civil servants at will, and the power to regulate and deregulate. Still, today's action may mark the first time that the court has pushed back against Trump at all since his election. Last night Trump didn't know about what would happen today. As he left the chamber following his address to Congress, he was caught on camera telling Chief Justice Roberts, Thank you again, I won't forget. Apparently a reference to Roberts' opinion last year granting Trump broad immunity from prosecution. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

After the U.S. paused military aid to Kiev and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented a Europe-led framework to end Russia's war with Ukraine, opposition leaders said they worried about the safety of potential British peacekeeping troops, but Starmer was careful to reassure lawmakers. The whole point of ensuring that there's a lasting peace and that any deal, if there's a deal, is defended is to avoid conflict to ensure that we do have peace. The way to ensure we have peace is to ensure there are guarantees for any deal that is in place.

Again Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking in Parliament on Wednesday. You're listening to NPR News from New York City. Israel's domestic security agency had Hamas's battle plans for the Listening to NPR News from New York City. Israel's domestic security agency had Hamas' battle plans for the October 7, 2023 attacks, but didn't take them seriously. That is the main conclusion of an investigation by the Israeli security agency into its failure to prevent the attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deflected responsibility

for the security failure and Piers Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. This is the first inquiry by the Shin Bet, Israel's agency tasked with spying on Hamas into why Israel failed to prevent the Hamas-led attack when nearly 1,200 people were killed. Hamas code-named its battle plan the Promise of Judgment Day. As early as 2018, the spy agency caught wind of the plan, but did not consider it a realistic threat. In the hours before the attack, the agency reported worrying signs from Gaza, but did not consider them a major concern.

The Shin Bet blamed policies over the years, like Israel propping up Hamas rule in Gaza to buy Calm. The report sparked a retort from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has deflected responsibility for the security failure. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against the public utility company Southern California Edison, alleging that Edison's equipment failed to work properly and caused the January Eaton fire that killed 17 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. An attorney for the county said in a statement that they are committed to seeking justice for the Altadena

community and the taxpayers of Los Angeles County. I'm Dua-Halisa Icautel, NPR News in New York.