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Join them@brex.com live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to Minnesota Governor Tim Walls, the state's attorney General, Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry. As NPR's Meg Anderson reports, the Trump administration claims the Democratic officials are getting in the way of the federal immigration crackdown in the state.
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In a statement, Mayor Frey accuses federal government of weaponizing its power in order to try to intimidate local leaders. He says, quote, we shouldn't have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics. State Attorney General Ellison points out that the subpoena came shortly after his office sued the Trump administration over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in the state. He says, quote, let's be clear about why this is happening. Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I'm standing in his way. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Meg Anderson, NPR News.
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On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to cut Americans energy bills in half one year after his inauguration. Gasoline is cheaper, but electricity costs have gone up. NPR's Camilla Dominoski reports.
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Gasoline prices are down about 10% from a year ago. Market forces drive prices, but cheaper crude has been a major focus for President Trump. The cost of electricity, on the other hand, is rising. Charles Hua founded Powerlines, a consumer education nonprofit.
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I think the issue of utility affordability is has now very much become a crisis and a political crisis at that.
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Hua says cutting electricity costs has not seemed to be a policy priority for the White House. However, Trump is now talking about making AI data centers pay more for power, which could be an opportunity to help consumers. Camila Dominoski and NPR News.
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The U.S. postal Service is starting to take bids from businesses for one of its key package delivery services. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports.
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The U.S. postal Service has usually prioritized big businesses like Amazon when offering special rates for delivering packages nationwide to their final destinations. But the mailing agency is now accepting bids from smaller businesses, too, for access to what USPS calls its Last Mile network. The move comes after Postmaster General David Steiner warned the agency's financial situation is unsustainable. USPS generally receives no tax dollars and relies on shipping and stamp fees to keep running. In the past fiscal year, the Postal Service had a net loss of $9 billion. USPS says it's now trying to boost revenue by taking bids from both large and small businesses. Some shipping industry experts say the move could push bigger shippers to stop relying on usps, and that could further destabilize the agency. Ansi Le Wang, NPR News.
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Stocks sank on Wall street today after President Trump threatened to hit European countries with new tariffs over his attempts to take over Greenland. The S&P 500 fell more than 2%, dropped more than 1.7%, and the Nasdaq slid nearly 2.4%. This is NPR. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has launched more than 300 drones and missiles in a nighttime attack on Ukraine's power grid. The assault knocked out heating to more than 5,600 apartment buildings in Kyiv. Ukraine is facing one of its coldest winters with temperatures dropping below zero. Netflix has sweetened its offer to take over most of Warner Brothers discovery. It's still valued at nearly $83 billion, but that be all cash instead of a mix of cash and Netflix shares. NPR's David Folkenflick reports.
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Netflix wants to take over HBO, Max, Warner Brothers Studios, the back catalog and intellectual property like Harry Potter and DC Comics. Warner's board has already accepted the revised bid, but Paramount is making its case directly to Warner shareholders. Paramount's offer of $108 billion would take everything, including CNN, TBS and other cable channels. Paramount already owns Paramount Pictures, Paramount plus and cbs, a wildcard President Trump wants to say in how the transaction turns out. Paramount is financially controlled by two Trump allies, David Ellison and his father, Oracle co founder Larry Ellison. Trump trashes CNN but has been critical of CBS News under the Ellison's too. And Netflix executives have been cozying up to the president. David Folkenflick, NPR News.
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A new study finds that warming temperatures are causing Antarctic penguins to breed earlier, threatening some species with extinction by the of the century. Researchers found that three penguin species are starting their reproductive processes about two weeks earlier than a decade ago. The shift could lead to food shortages for young chicks. The penguin's breeding ground warmed by more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit in a decade. It's NPR.
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Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News. Now plus@plus.NPR.org that's plus.NPR.org.