NPR News: 02-26-2025 11PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: February 27, 2025

Hosted by NPR's Shea Stevens, this episode of NPR News Now delivers the latest national and international news in a concise, five-minute format. Below is a comprehensive summary of the key stories discussed.

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1. President Trump Expands Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Timestamp: [00:17]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that significantly broadens the authority of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE. This move marks a notable enhancement of Musk's team, entrusting them with greater control over federal expenditures.

Timestamp: [00:36]

Reporter: Bobby Allen

The executive order mandates federal agencies to collaborate with DOGE in reviewing contracts, grants, and other forms of spending with the aim to implement cuts "where appropriate." Notably, the order includes a freeze on all government credit cards for 30 days, allowing only limited exceptions. This directive not only restricts government spending but also imposes strict limitations on government travel for certain agencies.

President Trump's decision underscores his support for Musk’s aggressive strategies to reduce federal bureaucracy. To date, Musk’s team has already terminated thousands of public sector positions and canceled numerous contracts. However, questions remain regarding the actual financial benefits to taxpayers, as some contract cancellations appear to involve counting errors or miscalculations, such as doubling contract amounts or mistakenly adding zeros to sums.

Quote:

"Where appropriate." — Bobby Allen, [00:36]

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2. Department of Veterans Affairs Revises Contract Cut Plans

Timestamp: [01:19]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reconsidering its previously announced plan to eliminate billions in contracts. Initially, VA Secretary Doug Collins asserted that canceling what he termed "wasteful contracts" would save nearly $2 billion.

Timestamp: [01:29]

Reporter: Doug Collins via NPR

VA Secretary Doug Collins stated on social media, "That's billion with a B that we found in contracts that are cutting. Those are things that we're saving now that we can put back into health care benefits."

However, upon further review, significant backlash emerged as NPR accessed a partial list of the targeted contracts. The cancellations included essential services such as cutting-edge cancer treatments, outreach programs to recruit desperately needed doctors, and critical safety inspections and audits of VA programs aimed at preventing waste and abuse.

Within 24 hours of the initial announcement, a VA spokesperson clarified that the review of contracts was ongoing and had not been finalized. Collins emphasized that these potential cuts "won't hurt VA health care benefits or beneficiaries," effectively halting the drastic measures previously outlined.

Quote:

"That's billion with a B that we found in contracts that are cutting." — Doug Collins, [01:29]

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3. First Measles Death in the U.S. in Years Sparks Concern

Timestamp: [02:14]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

The United States has reported its first measles-related death in several years. The victim, a school-aged child from West Texas, succumbed to the highly contagious respiratory disease after weeks of a growing outbreak extending into New Mexico.

Timestamp: [02:25]

Reporter: Ping Huang

The deceased child was not vaccinated against measles, a fact confirmed by state and local health officials. Measles had been declared eliminated in the U.S. 25 years ago, largely due to high vaccination rates achieved through widespread administration of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

However, over the past five years, vaccination rates have dipped below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended threshold of 95% needed to prevent outbreaks. In the Texas county at the heart of the current outbreak, vaccination rates have plummeted to approximately 80%, creating susceptible pockets that facilitate the spread of the disease.

Quote:

"Measles is a very contagious respiratory disease." — Ping Huang, [02:25]

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4. Wall Street Closes Mixed Amid Economic Uncertainties

Timestamp: [03:04]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

In today's stock market activity, major indices experienced a mixed close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 188 points, reflecting investor concerns and volatility. Conversely, the NASDAQ Composite Index saw a modest gain of 48 points, while the S&P 500 edged upwards by a slight margin. These fluctuations indicate a period of economic uncertainty and cautious trading among investors.

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5. Chevron Loses Oil Export Permit from Venezuela

Timestamp: [03:04]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

Chevron Corporation has been stripped of its permit to pump and export oil from Venezuela. President Trump announced this decision via his social media platform, citing the Venezuelan president's failure to meet specific conditions related to democracy and the repatriation of U.S. deportees.

The revoked permit had previously granted Chevron an exemption from the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela. This development signifies a tightening of sanctions and a push for the Venezuelan government to comply with democratic and repatriation standards set by the Trump administration.

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6. Advances and Challenges in Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment

Timestamp: [03:55]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

Thousands of Alzheimer's patients across the nation are undergoing treatment with new pharmaceuticals designed to slow the progression of the disease. These treatments involve a pair of drugs approved in 2023 that target and remove amyloid plaques—sticky protein accumulations in the brain associated with Alzheimer's.

However, determining the efficacy of these drugs remains a challenge for families and healthcare providers. The variability in disease progression among patients makes it difficult to assess whether the treatments are providing the intended benefits.

Timestamp: [04:12]

Reporter: Ken Bell via NPR

Ken Bell shared his personal experience, stating, "Leqembi may have given them more time." He reflected on his wife Sue Bell's participation in a clinical trial for the drug Leqembi, which began in 2020. Although Sue ceased taking the medication in 2024 after cognitive tests indicated diminishing returns, Ken believes the treatment may have extended her quality of life.

Quote:

"Leqembi may have given them more time." — Ken Bell, [04:12]

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7. Mourning the Passing of Actress Michelle Trachtenberg

Timestamp: [04:33]

Reporter: Shea Stevens

Fans and colleagues are mourning the untimely death of Michelle Trachtenberg, a 39-year-old actress renowned for her roles in iconic television series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl." Trachtenberg was found unresponsive at her New York home, and while police are conducting an investigation, foul play is not currently suspected.

Her passing marks a significant loss to the entertainment industry, with many remembering her for her memorable performances and contributions to popular culture.

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This summary aims to provide a detailed overview of the key news stories featured in the February 27, 2025, episode of NPR News Now. For full coverage and additional details, listeners are encouraged to tune into NPR News Now directly.

Transcript

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[Shea Stevens]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump has signed an executive order expanding the powers of Elon Musk's cost cutting team. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, may now oversee routine federal spending.

[Bobby Allen]

Trump's executive order instructs federal agencies to work with DOGE to review contracts, grants and other spending and make cuts, quote, where appropriate. The order also freezes all government credit cards for 30 days with few exceptions. This impacts spending, but also strictly limits government travel for some agencies. It's the latest sign of support from Trump of Musk's work making aggressive cuts to the federal bureaucracy. Already, Musk's deputies have fired thousands of public sector workers and terminated contracts, but the real savings to taxpayers remains an open question. Some of the canceled contracts are old, counted twice or more by Musk's DOGE website, or have had zeros mistakenly added to the sums. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

The Department of Veterans affairs appears to be walking back its plan to cut billions of dollars worth of contracts. As NPR's Gwill Lawrence reports, the cuts are under review.

[Doug Collins]

VA Secretary Doug Collins posted on X Tuesday about a big number the VA was saving by canceling what he called wasteful contracts, almost 2 billion.

[Gwill Lawrence]

That's billion with a B that we found in contracts that are cutting. Those are things that we're saving now that we can put back into health care benefits.

[Doug Collins]

But a partial list of hundreds of the contracts to be cut, viewed by npr, included things like cutting edge cancer treatment and outreach to recruit badly needed doctors at va, and safety inspections and and audits of VA programs for waste and abuse. Within 24 hours of the announcement, a VA spokesman said instead that the review of contracts is ongoing and not final and won't hurt VA health care benefits or beneficiaries. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

The United States has recorded its first measles death in years. As NPR's Ping Huang reports, the measles outbreak in West Texas has claimed the life of a child.

[Ping Huang]

The child who died, was of school age and was not vaccinated for measles. The death was confirmed by state and local health officials and comes after weeks of a growing outbreak that spans West Texas and New Mexico. Measles is a very contagious respiratory disease. It was declared eliminated from the US 25 years ago due to high rates of vaccination with the measles, mumps and rubella shot. But in the last five years or so, school vaccination rates have fallen below 95%, which is the CDC's level for preventing outbreaks. The vaccination rate is far lower in pockets like the Texas county at the center of the outbreak, where the rate has dropped to around 80%. Ping Huang, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

On Wall street, stocks closed mix today with The Dow losing 188 points. The NASDAQ Composite Index gained 48 points and the S&P 500 added a fraction. This is NPR. The Chevron Corporation has lost its permit to pump and export oil from Venezuela. President Trump made the announcement on his social media site. He says the Venezuelan president has failed to certain conditions regarding democracy and repatriating citizens deported from the United States. The permit gave California based Chevron an exemption from economic sanctions against Venezuela. Thousands of Alzheimer's patients are being treated with a pair of new drugs that can sometimes slow down the disease. But NPR's John Hamilton reports that it's often hard for family members to know whether the drugs are working.

[Ken Bell]

Sue Bell started taking the drug Leqembi in 2020 as part of a clinical trial. It's one of two drugs approved since 2023 that can remove sticky amyloid plaques from the brain. Neither drug can stop the disease, but Sue's husband, Ken Bell, thinks Leqembi may have given them more time.

[John Hamilton]

So many of the people who are diagnosed have deteriorated a lot quicker than I think sue did.

[Ken Bell]

He's not sure, though, because Alzheimer's course varies from person to person. Sue Bell stopped taking Lekembe in 2024 when cognitive tests indicated it was no longer likely to help her. John Hamilton, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

Fans are mourning the death of Michelle Trachtenberg. The 39 year old actress was found non responsive at her home in New York today. Police are investigating her death, but say foul play is not suspected. Trachtenberg is best known for her roles in the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl. This is NPR News.

[Warby Parker]

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