NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-17-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The union that represents some workers at the Federal Aviation Administration says the White House has started firing employees at the agency. The move comes nearly three weeks after a deadly midair collision between a jetliner and Army helicopter in Washington, D.C. It also comes as the FAA struggles with shortages of air traffic controllers. The White House says it will nominate political activist Ed Martin as the top federal prosecutor to serve in Washington, D.C. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports

Martin's record has come under scrutiny. Carrie Johnson, NPR Reporter Martin has no prosecutorial experience, but he has defended people accused of crimes at the US Capitol four years ago. As interim US attorney in DC, Martin's attracted attention for bombastic social media posts, where he promised to investigate people who intimidated billionaire Elon Musk and his Doge team.

Martin's already fired a couple of dozen prosecutors who worked on Capitol riot cases, and launched a review of how the office used an obstruction statute against January 6th defendants. The U.S. Attorney's office in D.C. is one of the largest in the country. It often handles sensitive cases about political corruption and national security. Kari Johnson, NPR News, Washington. An Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo today to hash out the details on the second phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi reports from Tel Aviv.

The Israeli delegation's trip to Cairo comes a day after the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a press conference alongside Rubio, Netanyahu signaled he was moving forward with President Donald Trump to displace Gaza's population to other countries and rebuild the strip under U.S. ownership. The news shocked the Arab world, drawing condemnation and rejection of the plan. Phase two negotiations of the ceasefire were meant to begin nearly two weeks ago. Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia. He's preparing for a series of high-level talks this week that are aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The discussions are set to get underway on Tuesday. The U.S. stock market is closed today for the President's Day holiday. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on some upcoming data on the housing market. Investors will get some updates this week on the health of the housing market. The Commerce Department reports Wednesday on new home construction. That'll be followed on Friday

by a Realtors report on sales of existing homes. High prices and high mortgage rates have been a drag on the housing market, which has knock-on effects for appliance and furniture sales. Mortgage rates dipped a little bit last week but are still hovering just under 6.9 percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. The White House is asking the Supreme Court to intervene in favor of its efforts to fire the head of an independent agency that protects government whistleblowers. The Trump administration says the president has the power to remove government officers.

The acting Solicitor General says the case is an unprecedented assault on the separation of powers. New research finds periods of extreme stress can cause unexpected cardiovascular problems. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports on stress cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart syndrome, which can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack. Broken heart syndrome can come on after a stressful emotional or physical shock, everything from the loss of a loved one to a bad breakup or a scary event. Symptoms include shortness of breath and chest pain. The key difference is that there are no serious blockages in the arteries. Instead, Dr. Grant Reed, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, says broken heart syndrome

is caused by a weakening of the heart muscle linked to a rise in stress hormones, including adrenaline. And that adrenaline surge causes the heart muscle to weaken in a certain way. It's almost like the heart is overworked for that period of time and then it weakens. With time and medications, most people with broken heart syndrome make a full recovery. Allison Albrey, NPR News. Forecasters say a polar vortex is gripping many parts of the nation. This after, a series of winter storms swept across parts of the U.S. over the weekend. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.