NPR News: 02-25-2025 5PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: February 25, 2025, 5 PM EST

Host: Jack Speier
Release Date: February 25, 2025

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Civil Service Resignations from Elon Musk’s Government Efficiency Team

At the outset of the episode, Jack Speier reports on a significant development within Elon Musk's government cost-cutting initiative. Bobby Allen, an NPR correspondent, elaborates on the mass resignation:

"21 civil service employees, mostly engineers and data scientists, have resigned. They used to work for U.S. Digital Service but have since been folded into Musk's Department of Government Efficiency."
[00:31]

The former employees released a joint resignation letter stating their refusal to:

"...use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize American sensitive data or dismantle critical public services."
[00:31]

Allen highlights that these resignations occurred shortly after Musk launched the "Doge" initiative, during which employees faced intense scrutiny regarding their work and political affiliations. Musk has publicly stated that the Doge team aims to "shrink the size of government and combat waste and fraud."

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Republican $4.5 Trillion Tax Cut Proposal Faces Opposition

Moving to domestic policy, Jack Speier discusses the Republican Party's ambitious budget proposal. House leaders are advancing a $4.5 trillion tax cut, though its passage remains uncertain amidst internal dissent.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticizes the proposal, asserting:

"Do not pretend that any of this, that this budget resolution has anything to do with fiscal responsibility or keeping your promises to the American people. You promised to lower the high cost of living, have done nothing about it."
[01:29]

Democrats oppose the tax cuts, warning that they could:

• Increase the federal deficit
• Threaten funding for essential programs like Medicaid, food assistance, and student loans

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump are reportedly negotiating behind the scenes to secure the necessary votes for the resolution's passage.

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White House to Select Its Own Press Corps

A significant shift in media relations was reported by Speier. The White House announced plans to select its own press corps, deviating from the long-standing tradition managed by the White House Correspondents Association.

Caroline Levitt, White House Press Secretary, emphasized the administration's intent:

"It's beyond time that the press poll reflects the American people in 2025."
[02:11]

Windsor Johnson, NPR reporter, added context:

"There are hundreds of journalists who show up to this building every single day and are not granted that luxury of flying on Air Force One and asking the president of the United States questions. And so we want to ensure again everyone has a seat at that highly coveted table."
[02:20]

Levitt further stated:

"The decision by the administration breaks decades of precedent."
[02:33]

The White House Correspondents Association criticized the move, arguing it undermines the independence of a free press by allowing the government to determine which journalists can cover the president.

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U.S. Financial Markets Respond to Consumer Confidence Concerns

The episode covers recent fluctuations in the U.S. stock markets amid growing worries about consumer confidence. Key market movements include:

• NASDAQ: Fell by 260 points
• S&P 500: Dropped by 28 points
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: Rose by 159 points

These changes reflect heightened anxiety over the stability of U.S. consumer spending, which is a critical driver of the economy.

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Home Depot Reports Strong Q4 Earnings and Expansion Plans

In corporate news, Home Depot announced a robust fourth quarter, surpassing revenue growth expectations. Marlin Hyde from WABE highlights that the retailer achieved over $159 billion in sales for the 2024 fiscal year and plans to open 13 new stores.

Ted Decker, Home Depot CEO, provided insights into the company's performance:

"Sales grew a little over 14% in the fourth quarter from the year before to nearly $40 billion. Sales at stores open for at least a year also grew last quarter, ending the streak of eight straight quarters of decline."
[03:31]

Despite the positive growth, Decker noted:

"Interest rates are impacting the demand for home improvement, but consumers continue to hold off on major projects such as redoing a kitchen."
[03:31]

Marlon Hod added:

"Our fourth quarter results exceeded our expectations as we saw greater engagement in home improvement spend. Despite ongoing pressure on large remodeling projects."
[03:54]

Looking ahead, Home Depot forecasts 2.8% net sales growth for the fiscal year.

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NASA and ESA Reassure Public About Newly Discovered Asteroid

Concluding the episode on a positive note, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have declared that a recently discovered asteroid poses negligible risk to Earth. After two months of observation:

• The likelihood of the asteroid striking Earth in 2032 has decreased from 3% to a fraction of that chance.
• There remains a 1.7% probability of the asteroid impacting the Moon.

This reassessment offers reassurance to the public regarding potential celestial threats.

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Market Update

In addition to the earlier market movements, crude oil futures saw a decline:

• Oil Prices: Dropped by 2.5%, settling at $68.93 per barrel.

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This summary captures the key discussions and insights from the February 25, 2025, episode of NPR News Now. For the most current news updates, tune in to NPR News Now or visit plus.NPR.org.

Transcript

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[Jack Speier]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Speier. 21 Civil Service employees are resigning from Elon Musk's government cost cutting team. As NPR's Bobby Allen explains, the workers say they refuse to lend their technical expertise to dismantling critical public services.

[Bobby Allen]

21 civil service employees, mostly engineers and data scientists, have resigned. They used to work for U.S. digital Service but have since been folded into Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. In a mass resignation letter posted publicly, the former government workers say, quote, we will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize American sensitive data or dismantle critical public services. The former federal government employees say soon after Musk began Doge they started to be grilled about their work and political loyalty by people who wouldn't give their name. Wearing White House visitors badges. Musk has said the Doge team is focused on shrinking the size of government and combating waste and fraud. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Jack Speier]

Republican leaders in the House are pushing towards a vote on a massive budget blueprint that includes a $4.5 trillion tax cut. Though its future remains uncertain, with some GOP party members reportedly faltering, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it business as usual for Republicans.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

Do not pretend that any of this, that this budget resolution has anything to do with fiscal responsibility or keeping your promises to the American people. You promised to lower the high cost of living, have done nothing about it.

[Jack Speier]

Democrats say the tax cuts would not only drive up the deficit, but could potentially threaten federal spending for Medicaid, food assistance and student loan programs. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump are working behind the scenes to get the votes needed to pass the resolution. Later this evening, the White House says it will choose its own press Corps moving forward. NPR's Windsor Johnson reports. Traditionally, the pool of journalists who cover the president's daily activities is determined by the White House Correspondents Association.

[Caroline Levitt]

White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says it's beyond time that the press poll reflects the American people in 2025.

[Windsor Johnson]

There are hundreds of journalists who show up to this building every single day and are not granted that luxury of flying on Air Force One and asking the president of the United States questions. And so we want to ensure again everyone has a seat at that highly coveted table.

[Caroline Levitt]

The decision by the administration breaks decades of precedent. In a statement, the president of the White House Correspondents association, says the move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States by allowing the government to choose which journalists can cover the president. Windsor Johnston, NPR News, Washington.

[Jack Speier]

The broad market fell further from recent record run ups amid heightened concerns about the confidence of U.S. consumers. The NASDAQ fell 260 points. The S&P 500 dropped 28 points today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 159 points. You're listening to NPR. Atlanta based Home Depot posted a strong last quarter in overall positive revenue growth as sales increased to more than $159 billion in its 2024 fiscal year. Marlin Hyde from member station WABE reports. The home improvement retailer plans to open 13 new stores.

[Ted Decker]

Home Depot CEO says interest rates are impacting the demand for home improvement, but still, sales grew a little over 14% in the fourth quarter from the year before to nearly $40 billion. Sales at stores open for at least a year also grew last quarter, ending the streak of eight straight quarters of decline. But CEO Ted Decker says consumers continue to hold off on major projects such as redoing a kitchen.

[Marlon Hod]

Our fourth quarter results exceeded our expectations as we saw greater engagement in home improvement spend. Despite ongoing pressure on large remodeling projects.

[Ted Decker]

Home Depot predicts net sales to grow by about 2.8% this fiscal year. For NPR News, I'm Marlon Hod in Atlanta.

[Jack Speier]

The good news is NASA and the European Space Agency are giving Earth the all clear in terms of a newly discovered asteroid. They say after two months of observation, scientists have almost entirely ruled out any threat the football field size object will strike the Earth. At one point, the odds of a strike in 2032 were as high as 3%, but have now fallen to a fraction of that. Where they are not entirely ruling out the asteroid hitting the moon, they say there's still a 1.7% chance that could happen. Crude oil futures prices moved lower today. Oil down 2.5% to settle at $68.93 a barrel. In New York, I'm Jack Spear, NPR News, in Washington.

[Carvana]

Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now. [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.