NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-16-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

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On the Thru Line podcast, the myth linking autism and vaccines was decades in the making and was a major moment for vaccine hesitancy in America, tapping into fears involving the pharmaceutical industry and the federal government. No matter how many studies you do showing that this is not a problem, it's very hard to unring the bell. Listen to Thru Line from NPR, wherever you get your podcasts. JANENE HERBST, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, NPR NEWS ANCHOR,

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I think it's important to constantly point that whether we talk about Hamas or we talk about Hezbollah or we talk about violence in the West Bank or we talk about destabilization in Syria or we talk about any of these issues, the militias in Iraq, they all have behind them one common theme, Iran. And that must be addressed. This has talks for the second phase of the ceasefire haven't started yet. They were supposed to get underway a week ago. Widespread flooding in Kentucky is expected to continue through tomorrow. Kentucky's governor says at least eight people are confirmed dead and more than 1,000 people have been rescued.

For Member Station W-E-K-U, Shepard Snyder has more. The National Weather Service says river levels across the region were already high after a round of precipitation early last week. Meteorologist Alex Vorst says Saturday's rainfall worsened the situation. We throw anywhere from four to five, six inches of rain on top of what was already high water issues anyways. It is really culminated in and widespread flooding and W. S. Report Central and Western Kentucky got the heaviest rainfall communities in the eastern Kentucky mountains have also been affected, including denser population centers likeard and Pikeville. For NPR News, I'm Shepard Snyder

in Lexington, Kentucky. The storms in the Southeast have left hundreds of thousands of customers without power in that region. About 1,000 National Park Service employees were fired this past week. The recent cuts to the federal workforce, which target target probationary workers are part of the Trump administration's plan to shrink federal spending. Empires Emma Bowman spoke to a National Park Ranger after losing what he called his dream job. Brian Gibbs got the news on Valentine's Day. He was an environmental educator at the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Northeast Iowa, an ancient Native

American burial site. The park holds a lot of meaning for him. This is home. It's the first place I told my spouse that I loved her. It's the first park that I took my son to. But he says the public stands to lose a lot more. You're losing people who are teaching youth such as myself, you know, the value of protecting and preserving these places for current and future generations. I mean, you know, the value of protecting and preserving these places for current and future generations.

I mean, that's what the Park Service is founded on. That's their mission. Gibbs says he has other skill sets, but that this job was his passion. Emma Bowman, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. In India, at least 18 people have died after a stampede at a railway station in New Delhi. It happened as thousands of people were waiting to board a train. And here's Deah Hadid has more from Mumbai.

The New Delhi caretaker chief minister said on X that many victims were Hindu pilgrims who were heading to the Mahakum festival in India's north. The festival lasts for six weeks and gathers tens of millions of worshippers. This stampede comes after more than 30 people died at the Kummela last month in another stampede. Critics of the Hindu nationalist BJP, which rules both the federal government and the state where the festival takes place, say not enough has been done to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims. Prime

Minister Narendra Modi said on X that he was distressed by the stampede. Deah Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai. Danielle Pletka Rwanda-backed rebels have occupied a second major city in mineral rich, rather, eastern Congo. This is M23 rebels positioned themselves at the governor's office in Bukavu, pledging to clean up after the quote, old regime. The Associated Press reports scores of residents cheered as the rebels entered the city following a days-long march from Goma.

That's a city of around 2 million that they seized last month. Congo's government is vowing to restore order in Bukhava, but residents there say there's little sign of soldiers, and many of them were seen fleeing alongside thousands of civilians. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News in Washington.