NPR News Now: February 11, 2025, 6 AM EST

Hosted by Korva Coleman

International Relations: Trump's Meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah

At the forefront of today’s headlines, President Donald Trump is set to host Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House. This meeting carries significant weight as it follows President Trump’s recent assertions regarding Gaza. Aiming to escalate U.S. involvement, Trump has insisted that the U.S. take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt—nations already burdened with hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. However, both Jordan and Egypt have firmly rejected these demands.

Korva Coleman reported at [00:15]:

"President Trump will receive Jordan's King Abdullah today at the White House. Their meeting could be significant. It comes days after Trump doubled down on his claim the US will take over Gaza, and he insists that all Palestinians there should be relocated to other countries, such as Jordan and Egypt."

Federal Funding Battle: Court Orders vs. Administration Decisions

In a pivotal legal confrontation, a federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must comply with a court order to release previously frozen federal funds. This decision comes after Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit demanding the restoration of payments for grants and other federal programs, which President Trump had halted last week.

Elena Moore of NPIER details at [00:58]:

"The Trump administration is being directed to immediately end any federal funding pause, pointing to information from states that details how some funding has remained inaccessible."

The administration, however, is not backing down and has appealed the judge’s decision. Central to this dispute is a memo from the Office of Management and Budget released last month, which the administration has since rescinded. Despite the memo's retraction, the White House maintains that a thorough review of federal funding is still imperative. The judge has mandated that all federal funding be restored pending a hearing on a potential long-term court order.

Education Sector Under Strain: Shutdown of the Institute of Education Sciences

In another blow to federal operations, the Trump administration's cost-cutting measures have led to the near-complete shutdown of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a critical research arm within the U.S. Department of Education. The move has sparked concerns about the future of essential educational research.

Janaki Mehta from NPR explains at [01:31]:

"The Institute of Education Sciences, or IES, is an independent organization within the department... IES is responsible for gathering and sharing data about a huge swath of things like how students learn best, enrollment numbers, how cost-effective college is."

The Department of Education's cost-cutting unit, DOGE, announced significant contract cancellations, leaving IES employees uncertain about the sustainability of ongoing research projects.

Aviation Tragedy: Plane Crash at Scottsdale Airport

A tragic accident occurred yesterday at Scottsdale Airport near Phoenix, where a small plane crashed into another aircraft, resulting in one fatality. The collision involved two midsize business jets, leading to the closure of the runway.

Kelly Kuester, a Scottsdale Airport official, provided insights at [02:32]:

"We had a midsize business jet upon arrival collide with another midsize business jet that was parked on private property. Our Runway is currently closed and will remain closed for the foreseeable future."

Preliminary reports suggest that a landing gear failure may have caused the crash. Notably, the aircraft involved is owned by Vince Neil, the lead singer of Motley Crue, though a representative confirmed that Neil was not aboard during the incident.

Healthcare Under Threat: Immigrants in Chicago Avoiding Medical Care

The implementation of President Trump’s declaration to deport millions of undocumented immigrants across the United States is having dire consequences on public health services. In Chicago, hundreds of immigrants are reportedly skipping essential doctor's appointments out of fear.

Kristen Shorsh from NPR’s member station WBEZ reports at [02:58]:

"Margaret Bavis is a nurse practitioner at Community Health, a free clinic on Chicago's west side. Bavis says lately many of her regular patients have stopped showing up... In the first two weeks after Trump took office, nearly 30% of patients skipped appointments or lab tests at Community Health."

One unnamed patient expressed her fear, stating at [03:44]:

"Right now I just am so afraid and I can't go anywhere and I can't go to the hospital. Like, I can't do anything. And it's just been very, very heartbreaking to just hear that kind of despair from people."

In response, the clinic has begun offering virtual visits to accommodate patients hesitant to visit in person.

Political Pardons and Legal Maneuvers: Blagojevich and Adams

In recent political developments, President Trump has exercised his pardon power to absolve former Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich of corruption-related crimes. Blagojevich was convicted for attempting to sell former President Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, among other corruption allegations.

At [04:14], Korva Coleman noted:

"President Trump has pardoned former Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich of his corruption crimes... Trump says Blagojevich's sentence was an injustice."

Additionally, the Justice Department has instructed federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams. The charges against Adams included allegations of accepting bribes, which he has vehemently denied.

Korva Coleman continued:

"Separately, the Justice Department is ordering federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against New York City's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams. The charges include taking bribes. Mayor Adams has denied any wrongdoing."

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and developments from the February 11, 2025 episode of NPR News Now. For more detailed coverage, tuning into the full episode is recommended.