Morning news brief

NPR | By Leila Fadel,

A Martínez

Published February 12, 2025 at 4:15 AM EST

General Services Administration staff face huge cuts and fears of 'nonstop' surveillance, top Trump administration officials visit Europe, and how Trump and Musk may impact future U.S. space missions.

Corrected: March 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM EDT

This report incorrectly says that the General Services Administration handles almost all of the government’s contracts. The GSA plays an important role with procurement and contracts for many government agencies, but other agencies also do their own contracting.

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Leila Fadel

Leila Fadel is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.

A Martínez

A Martínez is one of the hosts of Morning Edition and Up First. He came to NPR in 2021 and is based out of NPR West.

NPR News

Homeland Security makes cuts to civil rights and immigration oversight offices

Ximena Bustillo
,
March 21, 2025

DHS confirms it is implementing a reduction in force in three oversight offices as part of the effort to cut the federal workforce.
NPR News

What's the ideal age to reach a life milestone? Many Americans say it depends

Manuela López Restrepo
,
March 21, 2025

Owning a home, starting a family or retiring: If these are things you want, what's the best age to do them? The Pew Research Center surveyed 3,600 U.S. adults to find out.
NPR News

What we know about the case of detained Georgetown professor Badar Khan Suri

Jaclyn Diaz
,
March 21, 2025

The Indian national and postdoctoral fellow is the latest scholar detained or deported by the Trump administration for speaking in support of Palestinian rights or criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza.
NPR News

Screens and sleep. Maybe not so bad?

Manoush Zomorodi
,
March 21, 2025

We hear a lot about how screens impact our sleep, but how significant is the disruption? And how much does exercise predict sleep quality? This story first appeared in the Body Electric newsletter.
NPR News

Whistleblower John Barnett's family files wrongful death suit against Boeing

Bill Chappell
,
March 21, 2025

The lawsuit includes a photo of a notebook found in John Barnett's truck when he died by suicide, bearing the message, "I pray Boeing Pays!!!" In response to the new lawsuit, Boeing said in a statement, "We are saddened by John Barnett's death and extend our condolences to his family."
NPR News

International Day of Forests arrives amid concerns over Trump's sweeping logging agenda

Alana Wise
,
March 21, 2025

The world celebrates International Day of Forests on Friday, but President Trump aims to expand American logging and roll back reforestation efforts.
NPR News

Trump wants states to handle disasters. States aren't prepared

Lauren Sommer
,
March 21, 2025

President Trump says he's thinking of getting rid of the country's disaster response agency, FEMA. States say they can't replicate what FEMA does on their own.
NPR News

Trump says Education Department will no longer oversee student loans, 'special needs'

Cory Turner
,
March 21, 2025

The president said federal student loans would move to the Small Business Administration, and hinted that the Department of Health and Human Services would take over special education oversight.