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NPR News Now

NPR News: 02-17-2026 9PM EST

18 Feb 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 19.771 Mary Louise Kelly

I'm Mary Louise Kelly. World news is changing by the hour. On Sources and Methods, NPR's national security podcast, we zoom out to explain shifting alliances, global flashpoints, and what's really happening in places like Iran, Venezuela, Greenland. Our reporters on the ground connect the dots to help you understand a world order changing beneath our feet.

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20.192 - 24.216 Mary Louise Kelly

Listen to Sources and Methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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24.719 - 40.305 Ryland Barton

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Trump administration has restored $107 million to a massive rail tunnel project between New York and New Jersey. That's roughly half of the amount a federal judge ordered last week, as Steve Kastenbaum reports.

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40.866 - 48.178 Steve Kastenbaum

Surrounded by men and women in hard hats, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the uncertainty around the Gateway Tunnel project can't continue.

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48.158 - 57.595 Unknown

Let's stop the chaos. Let's stop the insanity. Let them work, Mr. President. Let them work. Let them get back to work right now.

57.71 - 79.11 Steve Kastenbaum

She said the nation's largest infrastructure project can't get back on track until all of the money has been delivered. Governor Hochul also challenged the president's assertion that the $16 billion project is behind schedule and over budget. More than 200,000 train passengers make the crossing through the old tunnels each day. For NPR News, I'm Steve Kastenbaum in New York.

79.09 - 95.788 Ryland Barton

Lawmakers in the White House are offering no signs of compromise in their battle over federal immigration enforcement that's led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Unlike the 43-day government shutdown last fall, the closures only apply to agencies in DHS like TSA.

96.468 - 103.596 Ryland Barton

Women's figure skating has gotten underway at the Olympics, and one American had a very impressive performance, as Steve Futterman reports.

103.576 - 125.882 Steve Futterman

Alyssa Liu, the reigning world champion, came through in the short program. The 20-year-old earned high marks for technical difficulty and great of execution on her elements, including a combination triple lutz, triple loop. She is in third place, as the women now prepare for Thursday's free skate, which will decide the medal winners. The top two spots belong to Japanese skaters.

Chapter 2: What updates are there on the Gateway Tunnel project?

143.669 - 146.594 Steve Futterman

For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Milan.

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146.774 - 158.398 Ryland Barton

The late Reverend Jesse Jackson is being remembered as a civil rights icon and a charismatic preacher. He also had a sense of humor, as NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports he once read Green Eggs and Ham on Saturday Night Live.

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158.558 - 184.828 Unknown

The occasion was the death of Theodore Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss. A few days after he died in 1991, Saturday Night Live invited Rev. Jesse Jackson to read one of his classics on Weekend Update. You do not like green eggs and ham? I do not like them. Sam, I am. His performance won raves. Rolling Stone called it a fire and brimstone rendition.

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185.189 - 200.232 Unknown

The black newspaper The New York Amsterdam News wrote, The roar of the crowd raised the roof off the show. Reverend Jackson appeared on a number of TV shows, including Sesame Street, A Different World, Soul Train, and numerous documentaries. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

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200.512 - 220.641 Ryland Barton

And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. President Trump is demanding local leaders in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. ask him for help over a sewage spill in the Potomac River that could be the largest in U.S. history. Trump wrote on social media that, quote, they have to call me and ask politely to get it fixed.

220.908 - 233.662 Ryland Barton

The D.C.-based Water Authority and federal government have jurisdiction over the broken pipe. Child development specialists say parents should be supervising how their children use AI. Scott Mascione from member station WYPR has more.

234.062 - 250.78 Scott Mastione

The Children and Screens Evidence Council voted 7-2 in favor of requiring parental consent for children and teens under 18 to use AI companions. Chris Perry, the executive director of the organization, says there are a handful of mental health concerns that come along with AI use among children.

250.76 - 266.76 Unknown

Some of those risks include emotional reliance, distorted social expectations, exposure to sexual or inappropriate content, displacement of sleep and offline relationships, and sometimes dangerous advice.

266.842 - 280.36 Scott Mastione

Dissenting panel voters noted that parental permission may produce secretive use of AI. Many schools are now offering guides to AI. The Children and Screens Evidence Council also provides a webinar. For NPR News, I'm Scott Mastione.

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