The Headlines - Midnight Deadline for Federal Workers, and Anti-Trump Protests Across U.S.

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

Plus, the N.F.L.’s first fashion editor.  On Today’s Episode:Trump Administration Deepens Pressure on Federal Workers to Resign, by Michael C. Bender, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Christopher FlavelleTrump Officials Walk Back Plan to Take Over Gaza, by Luke Broadwater and Michael CrowleyTrump Signs Order Barring Transgender Student-Athletes From Women’s Sports, by Zach MontagueThousands Protest Trump Policies Across the U.S., by Sara RubergGlobal Temperatures Shattered Records in January, by Raymond ZhongDid You Know the N.F.L. Has a Fashion Editor?, by Chantel TattoliTune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. 

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, February 6th. Here's what we're covering. The clock is ticking for federal workers as they face a deadline of midnight tonight to decide whether or not to take a payout offer and quit their government jobs. Last week, the Trump administration gave roughly two million employees a choice—leave their posts and get paid through the end of September, or stay on and face potentially drastic downsizing, as well as demands for loyalty. It's part of a push by President Trump and Elon Musk to aggressively overhaul the federal government

and slash billions in spending. So far, the administration says tens of thousands of workers have agreed to leave their roles, even as unions representing government employees are warning against it. There are concerns that the deal might not be legal and that the administration might not follow through on its promise to keep paying people, since funding for the plan hasn't been approved by Congress. Other federal workers tell The Times they're angry and disgusted at the effort to force them out of their careers. One said, quote, this is an unreasonable situation with unreasonable people.

The administration is also signaling that this is only the start of its efforts to slash through the government. It said that the amount of building space the government owns or leases across the country, excluding military property, should be reduced by at least 50%. The Times has learned that when President Trump laid out his brazen proposal to take over Gaza and relocate the two million people who live there, he caught even his own staff by surprise. There had been no meetings about the plan or even an outline of how it might work before he announced it.

A number of reporters tried to get details about this idea of his. When those details were not available, it became clear that they didn't exist. My colleague Maggie Haberman covers the White House. She says the sudden unveiling of the controversial proposal, which could violate international law, lacked any details at all and immediately raised enormous questions. Where would Gazans go? What would it cost? And who would carry it out? And it left the White House scrambling to answer. So on Wednesday, some White House officials tried to, if not walk back, soften President Trump's statements.

— He did not rule out American troops in Gaza last night. Are you doing that now? — I am saying that the president has not committed to that just yet. He has not made that commitment, and you know that. — White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt tried to clarify the plan, including saying that Palestinians would only be relocated temporarily. Now Levitt making the statement she did that seemed to soften Trump's earlier stance does not mean Trump himself is moving away from what he said.

In fact, he may repeat it again. But what it is, is a cycle we have seen play out repeatedly where Trump says something and an aide tries to retrofit it to mean something slightly different. Also on Wednesday. From now on, women's sports will be only for women. President Trump signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender women and girls from competing in women's sports. The order directs federal agencies to pull funding from K-12 schools and universities

that don't comply. In recent years, the radical left has waged an all-out campaign to erase the very concept of biological sex and replace it with a militant transgender ideology. You've heard a little bit about this, haven't you, huh? Just a little bit. Does anybody agree with them? No. A poll last month from the New York Times and Ipsos

showed there's public support for the move. Over 90% of Republicans said transgender women shouldn't be allowed to compete in women's sports. 67% of Democrats agreed. But the new order's been denounced by multiple civil rights groups. The executive of one organization told the Times it, quote, segregates a group of young children, bars them from something that all other kids get to do. The order is Trump's latest, restricting trans rights.

He previously ordered a crackdown on gender transition care for minors and moved to push transgender people out of the military. Meanwhile, thousands gathered across the country on Wednesday to protest President Trump and the sweeping changes he's pushed through so far. It was part of a grassroots effort called 50-51. The goal was 50 protests in 50 states, all on one day. People chanted, waved flags, and spoke out in support of immigrants and transgender rights. Arrest Elon Musk! Arrest Elon Musk! Some of the crowds took aim at one of Trump's closest advisors, Elon Musk,

who's been largely given free rein to slash government programs. And many in the crowds vowed to keep the pressure on. Every single thing has bothered me to the point where now it's just like, it's just so out of control. government programs. Many in the crowds vowed to keep the pressure on. Every single thing has bothered me to the point where now it's just like, it's just so out of control, is that what are you supposed to do? You have to come out and you have to get involved. Overall, the backlash to Trump's second term has been far more muted than his first. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of people marched in Washington, D.C., just a day after his

inauguration. A new report out this week argues that the effort to cut air pollution is actually speeding up global warming. The finding might be counterintuitive, but the theory goes like this. For more than a century, humans have been spewing greenhouse gases into the air, driving dramatic climate change. Those gases were often mixed with other particles, including sulfate. Sulfate pollution is dangerous for people's lungs, but it also helped make more clouds,

which shielded the planet from the heat of the sun. So the study says that as countries around the world have pushed to clean up the air, that shield effect has been reduced. The study is by James Hansen, one of the first scientists to raise the alarm about climate change. It comes as researchers have been somewhat stumped

by just how fast the world is warming. The main explanation is carbon emissions, but temperatures are going up faster Researchers have been somewhat stumped by just how fast the world is warming. The main explanation is carbon emissions, but temperatures are going up faster than those emissions alone can explain. Last month was the hottest January in recorded history. And finally, the Super Bowl is this weekend. Philadelphia Eagles are playing the Kansas City Chiefs. You can imagine the players, the coaches, the officials all gearing up. One person deep in preparations who you might not imagine is the NFL's first ever fashion

editor. Kyle Smith started the job last fall with the mandate to use fashion and style to reach new audiences for the NFL. It's an acknowledgement that athletes have become major style influencers. On the field, they may all wear the same uniform and look the same, but off the field, they are making their individual mark with tailored suits, furs, high-end labels, designer track suits. Smith works with the players to showcase their personal style. This year, the Super Bowl will have a brand new red carpet segment before the game.

Smith will be providing coverage of what the players are wearing. One NFL player credited Smith with building a bridge between the worlds of fashion and football, which had previously seemed miles apart. He told the Times, "'It was a problem before if you were into anything "'but grass, football, which had previously seemed miles apart. He told the Times, It was a problem before if you were into anything but grass, football, and dirt. It's finally normal for football players to like fashion.

Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a look at how the Democratic Party is struggling to respond to President Trump's second term. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.