NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-15-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: February 15, 2025

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Planet Money is there. From California's most expensive fires ever. That was my home home. Yeah. I grew up there. It's ashes. To the potentially largest deportation in U.S. history. They're going to come to the businesses. They're going to come to the restaurants. They're going to come here. Planet Money. We go to the places at the center of the story. The Planet Money podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder.

At the annual Munich Security Conference today, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz likened Vice President JD Vance's speech yesterday to interfering with Germany's upcoming election. NPR's Rob Schmitz is in Munich. A day after Vice President Vance lectured European leaders on allowing far-right and populist parties more space in the political sphere, Chancellor Schultz sharply criticized Vance. He pointed out that a day before Vance made that speech, he had visited the Dachau concentration camp and said the Holocaust should never happen again. Yet said Schultz, the very political forces and ideas that created the Holocaust are now again present in Germany's

far-right Alternative for Germany party whose members have trivialized the horrors of Nazi Germany's role in World War II. Schultz says Germany does not accept people from outside interfering in its election and where its democracy goes is for the country to decide. Rob Schmitz and Peer News, Munich. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky followed up Schultz's speech with a pitch for Europe to create its own united armed forces, saying Ukraine's fight against Russia proves that a foundation for it already exists.

He also warned of danger if President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin before meeting with him, saying Putin wants Trump standing in Moscow's Red Square as a prompt. Israel has begun releasing more than 350 Palestinian prisoners and detainees after Hamas freed three more hostages today as part of the ceasefire deal that nearly collapsed this week. NPR producer Anas Babov was there when Hamas released the three in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis, including American-Israeli Sagih Dekelhin. They were holding and carrying three gifts from Hamas here.

The first one was a Palestinian map. The second was a certificate of their own release. And the third thing which was a sand clock that says that time is ticking here. The National Transportation Safety Board narrowing its focus in the investigation into what caused an Army helicopter to crash into an American Airlines regional jet. David Schaper reports the helicopter's pilots may have had inaccurate altitude readings and may not have heard a critical air traffic control message. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy says it appears the altimeters on the helicopter gave conflicting

information about its altitude and the Blackhawk was flying higher than it should have been. Homendy says the helicopter's pilots may also not have fully heard an air traffic controller's instruction to pass behind the regional jet. CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated pass behind the may not have been received by the Blackhawk crew. Transmission was stepped on by a 0.8 second mickey from the Blackhawk. The crash killed all 67 people on board both aircraft. For NPR News, I'm David Schaper. And from Washington, this is NPR News. African leaders are meeting in Ethiopia this weekend

for their annual summit with conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan topping the agenda. Heavy fighting continues in both countries, particularly in the DRC, as Emmanuel Ogunza reports from Nairobi. African leaders arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as Rwanda backed M23 rebels have seized Bukavu, the second largest city in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, amid heavy fighting with the Congolese army. In Sudan, the national army continues to gain ground against the paramilitary rapid support forces, with both sides refusing peace talks. UN Secretary General Antonio

Guterres, who is at the African Union Summit, has urged leaders to propose solutions to conflicts that have displaced millions. Several side meetings will discuss US President Trump's freeze on foreign aid, which has severely impacted American-funded programs for health, water, and agriculture across the continent. For NPR News, I'm Emanuel Igunza in Nairobi. Trump administration blocked the Associated Press from traveling with President Trump on Air Force One this weekend and also blocked the AP from covering a handful of events at the White House this week in a dispute over how to refer to the Gulf of Mexico.

AP says it will continue to use Gulf of Mexico as its style, but will note Trump's change of name as its style, but we'll note Trump's change of name as well. Team USA playing Canada at the International Four Nations Ice Hockey Tournament in Montreal. Tonight, the rivalry getting more attention as Canadian sports fans have been booing the U.S. national anthem because of President Trump's tariffs and has suggested that Canada become the 51st state. I'm Joel Snyder, NPR News. Hey, it's Rachel Martin from Wildcard. become the 51st state. I'm Jyle Snyder, NPR News.