Grammy Award winners; Marco Rubio in Panama : NPR

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Today’s top stories

The Trump administration has halted all programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Developmentwhich funds aid projects worldwide. USAID’s website went down sometime after 3 a.m. on Saturday. Within the past week, hundreds of employees and contractors have been laid off amid reports that President Trump is considering folding the agency into the State Department.

• 🎧 Democrats have warned that Trump cannot shut down USAID without going through Congress, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. Elon Musk says Trump is supportive of the Department of Government Efficiency’s current efforts to close USAID. Reportedly, the Trump administration put two USAID security officials on administrative leave after workers at DOGE were denied access to confidential documents at USAID.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C. He was invited to speak with Trump about negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which is currently holding in its third week. This will be Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader in his second term in office.

• 🎧 Former President Joe Biden helped create the framework for the second phase of the dealwhich is crucial in ending the war, NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf says. The possible deal could include the release of male Israeli soldiers who are being held hostage in Gaza in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hamas has not released any male Israeli soldiers so far. Netanyahu is in a tricky political situation because far-right members of his government are threatening to leave if he doesn’t secure Hamas’ elimination as part of the deal.

Trump has started talks of retaking the Panama Canal as part of a new expansionist agenda that emerged after his election. Panama has controlled the U.S.-built canal for decades. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino says this action is not up for discussion. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent yesterday discussing it during a visit to the region.

• 🎧 Rubio delivered a message that Trump has made a preliminary determination that China has too much influence over the canalwhich he says violates international treaties, according to NPR’s Ari Shapiro. Unless there are immediate changes, the administration has expressed that the U.S. will do what it has to to protect its rights. A company based in Hong Kong does operate ports at either end of the canal, but Panama runs the canal itself. Shapiro says the U.S. is not backing down and Panama is not caving either. With 40% of all U.S. container traffic coming through the canalthe stakes are significant.

Today’s listen

Colombian musician Ela Minus is trying to bring a more human touch to the largely electronic music scene, which can often be created without instruments. Minus tells Morning Edition she was very used to the sound of laptops and wanted to switch it up, so she found hardware synthesizers. A synthesizer is an instrument — separate from a computer — with piano keys. She used the synthesizers and inspiration from dance clubs to make the music on her new album DAY. Listen to snippets of her album and learn why she chose to go this direction with her sound.

Picture show

Last night’s Grammy Awards celebrated music’s biggest stars with a remarkable sweep of awards, some surprising losses and a message of unity. The show partnered with MusiCares to raise money to support wildlife relief efforts and aid music professionals impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires. Before the show started, many artists walked the red carpet donned in some memorable looks. Check out photos of these looks.

• ➡️ Here’s the complete list of winners at the 67th Grammy Awards.
• ➡️ Before they were Grammy winners, they were Tiny Desk performers. Watch some of their shows here.

3 things to know before you go

1. Composer Edmond Dédé completed possibly the oldest opera by a Black musician in 1887 but never got to perform it. Now, the nearly forgotten Morgiane is premiering in Washington, D.C.
2. In 2008, Cara Beth Rogers learned her brother died in a boating accident just weeks into her study abroad trip to Morocco. She soon found herself filled with overwhelming grief on a plane ride home. A stranger and unsung hero reached out to her midway through the flight in a way that made the journey a little more bearable.
3. Researchers have found that texture can be just as important as taste when it comes to food preferences for fruit fly maggots.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.