NPR News: 02-12-2026 5AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now – 5AM EST, February 12, 2026

Host: Dave Mattingly
Summary:
In this concise five-minute news update, NPR covers top U.S. and international headlines, including U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions, EPA policy changes, foreign money in American universities, federal deficit projections, and highlights from the Winter Olympics. The episode distills complex stories into key facts and notable soundbites, capturing early morning news developments with clarity and urgency.

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1. U.S.-Israel-Iran Tensions and Human Rights in Iran

• [00:15-01:28] President Trump met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for about three hours.
  • Trump insists on allowing continued negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program.
  • Netanyahu's demands focus on limiting Iranian missiles and ending Iranian support for groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
• Casualty Reports from Iran
  • U.S.-based human rights activists claim more than 7,000 protesters killed in Iran’s crackdown, with fears of even higher numbers.
  • Three weeks prior, Iran had acknowledged at least 3,100 deaths.

Notable Quote

“President Trump says he's urging Israel to support continued U.S. efforts to convince Iran to give up its nuclear program.”
— Dave Mattingly [00:16]

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2. EPA Policy Rollbacks & Legal Challenges

• [01:28-02:08] The Trump administration is set to announce the largest deregulatory efforts in U.S. history by rolling back climate change policies.
• EPA's Endangerment Finding
  • The EPA intends to rescind the 2009 “endangerment finding” that enabled regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Jill Tauber (Earthjustice) vows legal action to defend the current science-backed standards.

Notable Quotes

“We've defended the endangerment finding before, and we will do it again, so we will see the Trump administration in court.”
— Jill Tauber [01:51]

“Tauber says the 2009 endangerment finding was based on scientific evidence that's even more robust now.”
— Jeff Brady [02:00]

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3. Transparency in Foreign Influence at U.S. Colleges

• [02:08-03:02] New Department of Education data show U.S. colleges received over $5 billion in foreign gifts and contracts last year.
  • Part of an administration push for transparency about foreign influence.
  • Law requires schools to report single gifts/contracts of $250,000+.
  • Data reveal significant funding from countries of concern (China, Russia, Iran), with Harvard, MIT, and NYU topping the recipient lists.

Notable Quote

“The data provided unprecedented visibility into funding from countries that threaten America’s national security.”
— Education Secretary Linda McMahon (quoted by Alyssa Nadworny) [02:36]

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4. Economy: Jobs, Stocks, and National Debt

• [03:02-03:51]
  • Wall Street ended lower despite U.S. job growth exceeding forecasts for January.
  • Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects rising federal deficits and debt, with an additional $1.4 trillion expected from 2026–2035 due to Social Security and Medicare spending.

Notable Quote

“The CBO is revising upward by $1.4 trillion its projection for the federal deficit from this year through 2035.”
— Dave Mattingly [03:30]

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5. Winter Olympics Updates:

• [03:51-04:23]
  • Ice Dancing: Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates win silver, narrowly missing gold to French skaters. French team surrounded by controversy:
    • Guillaume Cizeron’s ex-partner publicly accuses him of controlling behavior.
    • Laurence Fournier Beaudry’s former partner banned for sexual assault allegations.
  • Medal Count: Milan, Norway, and Italy lead with 13 medals each. U.S. has 12.
  • Lindsey Vonn Injury Update: Lindsey Vonn undergoes a third surgery after her downhill ski crash; reports surgery as successful.

Notable Quotes

“Chock and Bates were favored for gold, but they fell short by just over a point behind French skaters Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Baudry, who only teamed up last year.”
— Rachel Treisman [03:55]

“Vonn wiped out 13 seconds into that race.”
— Dave Mattingly [04:47]

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6. Closing & Headline Roundup

• [04:23-04:53] Host Dave Mattingly recaps the U.S. medal count and Lindsey Vonn’s update, then closes the bulletin before the next sponsor break.

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Episode Highlights by Timestamp:

• [00:16] Trump and Netanyahu meet on Iran negotiations
• [01:51] Jill Tauber promises courtroom battle over EPA deregulation
• [02:36] U.S. reports record foreign money to top colleges
• [03:30] CBO deficit warning
• [03:55] U.S. silver in Olympic ice dancing / French team controversy
• [04:47] Update on Lindsey Vonn’s recovery

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Tone: Direct, factual, and fast-paced, in typical NPR newscast style—delivering context with concise clarity.

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For Listeners:
This five-minute bullet-pointed episode covers major U.S. political moves, legal environmental battles, college financial transparency, big economic forecasts, and top Olympic stories. It’s a rapid yet thorough primer for anyone starting their day with the world’s latest headlines.

Transcript

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[Dave Mattingly]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingley. President Trump says he's urging Israel to support continued U.S. efforts to convince Iran to give up its nuclear program. Trump met privately at the White House yesterday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about three hours. Afterwards, Trump says he insisted negotiations with Iran be allowed to continue. Netanyahu's office says Israel wants any deal with Tehran to include limits on Iranian missiles and an end to Iran's support of groups including Hezbollah and Hamas. Human rights activists based in the US Say the number of anti government protesters killed in Iran's crackdown on demonstrators in that now tops 7,000. The human rights activist news agency says many more in Iran are feared dead. Three weeks ago, the Iranian government acknowledged more than 3,100 deaths in that crackdown. Later today, the Trump administration is expected to announce rollbacks in policies dealing with climate change. As NPR's Jeff Brady reports, the White House says the actions by the EPA are part of the largest deregulatory effort in U.S. history.

[Jeff Brady]

The Environmental Protection Agency found in 2009 that greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels endanger public health. The agency then regulated climate pollution from cars, power plants and the oil and gas industry. But now the Trump EPA says that's illegal and wants to rescind what's called the endangerment finding. Jill Tauber with Earthjustice spoke outside EPA headquarters in Washington.

[Jill Tauber]

We've defended the endangerment finding before, and we will do it again so we will see the Trump administration in court.

[Jeff Brady]

Tauber says the 2009 endangerment finding was based on scientific evidence that's even more robust now. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

[Dave Mattingly]

The Department of Education says colleges and universities in the U.S. received more than $5 billion in reportable foreign gifts and contracts last year. Here's NPR's Alyssa Nadworny.

[Alyssa Nadworny]

The data release and accompanying website. It's part of a push by the Trump administration to make foreign influence in colleges and univers more transparent. Under existing federal law, schools are required to report gifts or contracts from foreign entities of $250,000 or more. In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the data provided unprecedented visibility into funding from countries that threaten America's national security. The new data includes a look at which universities are receiving funds from countries of concern, including China, Russia and Iran. Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University top those lists. Alyssa Nadworny, NPR News.

[Dave Mattingly]

Wall street is coming off a down day for stocks, despite the labor department reporting stronger U.S. job growth in January than economists had been predicting. This is NPR News. The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting rising federal deficits and debt over the next 10 years. This latest projection from the CBO cites in part increased spending that'll necessary to fund Social Security and Medicare. The CBO is revising upward by $1.4 trillion its projection for the federal deficit from this year through 2035. At the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates won a silver medal after narrowly missing out on gold. NPR's Rachel Treisman reports from Milan.

[Rachel Treisman]

As four time Olympians and the reigning world champions three years running, Chalk and Bates were favored for gold, but they fell short by just over a point behind French skaters Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Baudry, who only teamed up last year. The French ice dancers have been dogged by controversy. Cizeron's longtime former partner just published a tell all accusing him of controlling behavior, which he denies. Beaudry's former partner was banned from the sport over sexual assault allegations, which he also denies. Rachel Treisman, NPR News.

[Dave Mattingly]

Milan, Norway and Italy lead the medal count with 13. The US has won 12 overall. American skier Lindsey Vonn says she's undergone a third surgery on her broken left leg following Sunday's downhill crash at the Olympic Games in Italy. In a post on Instagram, Vaughn describes this latest procedure on her complex tibia fracture as having been successful. Vaughn wiped out 13 seconds into that race. David. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.

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