Loading summary
Transcript15 lines
- [00:01]
NPR Announcer
This message comes from Intuit. TurboTax now taxes is matching with an expert backed by tech to get you the most money back@turbotax.com experts only available with TurboTax Live. See guarantee details@turbotax.com guarantees live from NPR.
- [00:19]
Dan Ronan
News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. In his first broadcast interview, President Donald Trump defended his decision to issue pardons or commutations to roughly 1500 January 6th defendants, many who pleaded guilty to criminal charges, including assaulting police officers. Speaking with Fox, he explained why he issued the pardons.
- [00:40]
Donald Trump
They were treated like the worst criminals in history, and you know what they were there for? They were protesting the vote because they knew the election was rigged and they were protesting the vote and that you should be allowed to protest the vote.
- [00:55]
Dan Ronan
Some of the police officers who were injured on January 6 held their own news conference on Wednesday and were harshly critical of the pardons. Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services have been told to halt all public communications. This is according to a memo obtained by NPR to the heads of all of the health agencies, including the CDC and the FDA. NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports.
- [01:21]
Selena Simmons Duffin
The memo was sent by acting Health Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink. It instructs all health agencies to institute an immediate pause on external communication, including social media, until items can be reviewed by an appointee of the Trump administration. Such a pause as, quote, consistent with precedent. The freeze on communications was first reported by The Washington Post. Dr. Georges Benjamin is the president of the American Public Health association and says he's giving the HHS team the benefit of the doubt.
- [01:48]
Donald Trump
They're simply trying to get their hands around the government. This is a big government, but it creates enormous confusion.
- [01:53]
Selena Simmons Duffin
He believes the communications pause could have been avoided if there had been a smoother transition between the Biden and Trump administrations. Selena Simmons Duffen, NPR News.
- [02:02]
Dan Ronan
A cryptocurrency coin created by President Trump is raising questions. NPR's Chandelyse Duster has more.
- [02:09]
Chandelyse Duster
Trump's meme coin launched on Friday and shot to a high of $73 on Sunday. Its market cap has reached over $8 billion in the past few days. A first lady, Melania Trump meme Coin has seen a market value of nearly $1 million, but legal experts see potential conflicts of interest now that Trump is president, since he has previously promised to promote the crypto industry. He told CNBC in December he believes crypto could benefit the U.S. economy.
- [02:37]
Donald Trump
We're going to do something great with crypto because we don't want China or anybody else, not just China, but others are embracing it and we want to be the head.
- [02:45]
Chandelyse Duster
The Trump family also has stakes in a crypto related company called World Liberty Financial. Chandelyse Duster, NPR News.
- [02:52]
Dan Ronan
Police in San Antonio now say seven police officers were wounded Wednesday night by gunfire when officers responded to a suicide in progress that later turned into a barricade situation. The gunman is dead. The police chief said that the officers suffered non life threatening injuries and a perimeter was set up around the apartment complex. You're listening to NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Wednesday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The State Department said the purpose of the call was to underscore the importance of the U S. Israeli relationship. In a statement, the State Department said Rubio congratulated Netanyahu for his military action against Hamas and Hezbollah and pledged to help efforts to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Rubio also said he looks forward to working with Israel in what the State Department said are threats from Iran and other ways to pursue peace. Prince Harry and a senior British lawmaker have settled a years long litigation with Rupert Murdoch's British tabloids. NPR's David Folkenflick has more from London.
- [04:01]
David Folkenflick
With the settlement, Murdoch avoids a public trial at which Prince Harry and former Member of Parliament Tom Watson's lawyers would have laid out evidence of copious lawbreaking by the tabloids and by the executives that oversaw them. The apology was the first time the Murdoch company had acknowledged wrongdoing at the Daily sun tabloid. The papers also apologized for putting Watson under surveillance while he was investigating the Murdoch owned tabloids. In Parliament outside the courthouse, Watson called for Scotland Yard to review the evidence that senior Murdoch executives covered up criminal acts by the tabloids. Among them the company British CEO as well as the current publisher of the Washington Post, William Lewis. David Folkenflick, NPR News.
- [04:40]
Dan Ronan
On Wall street, markets Wednesday closed the day with all three of the indexes in positive territory. The Dow gained 131 points. The NASDAQ added 252. The S&P rallied 37 points as well. From Washington, this is NPR News. I'm Dan Ronan.
- [04:56]
NPR Announcer
Support for NPR this message comes from Mint Mobile. From the gas pump to the grocery store, inflation is everywhere. So Mint Mobile is offering premium wireless starting at just $15 a month. To get your new phone plan for just $15, go to mintmobile.com switch.