NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-17-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. A Delta Airlines flight traveling from Minneapolis somehow ended up upside down on a snowy runway at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. According to initial reports, passengers and crew are accounted for, but the extent and severity of injuries are unknown. A judge appears unlikely to grant a request to immediately halt an effort by tech billionaire Elon Musk to access federal data and fire government employees. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports a hearing was held today

to take up a lawsuit filed by several Democratic state attorneys general. This lawsuit argues Elon Musk's influential role in the government is illegal and should be confirmed by the US Senate. The best word to describe Judge Tanya Chutkin in this hour long hearing, skeptical. Skeptical of the government's claims

that Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency don't have that much power and skeptical that the state's suing have showed enough evidence to halt, for now, actions in seven federal agencies. Chutkin said she'll issue a ruling in the next 24 hours. Stephen Fowler, NPR News. US and Russian officials are preparing to take part in high-level talks in Saudi Arabia this week aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The top European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have not been invited to take part. Zelensky has repeatedly said that he will not accept

the outcome of any negotiations if his country is not involved. Michael McFaul is a former U.S. ambassador to Russia. He says the U.S. and Russia are going about it wrong. Michael McFaul, former U.S. it wrong. It's symbolically a mistake. There should be talks with our colleagues in Ukraine first, substantial talks, not just the kind of episodic conversations they've had, including in Munich. Second, we should talk to our European allies first. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia today. Talks are set to begin on Tuesday. Arabia today. Talks are set to begin on Tuesday. After the Eaton fire broke out in Los Angeles, it wasn't fully contained for more than three weeks. NPR's investigations team transcribed hours of first responder radio to better

understand how the power company was involved. NPR's Kara Eisner reports. When high winds and dry conditions whip up a wildfire, power lines can cause problems by sparking or falling down. That's dangerous for first responders, and it can also start new fires. NPR analyzed almost 100 hours of radio traffic exchanged among firefighters responding to the Eden fire. That evidence shows the power company, Southern California Edison, wasn't able to quickly shut off power in two key neighborhoods, and that live power lines led to new fires.

The Eden Fire burned down about 10,000 structures and led to the deaths of 17 people. Chiara Eisner, NPR News. This is NPR. The powerful storm system has brought severe flooding across parts of the South. In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear says emergency crews have been working around the clock since the weekend. We are still in the search and rescue phase of this emergency. We are still, we still have multiple different missions that are underway.

There are still people that are in harm's way. Beshear says at least 11 people have died in Kentucky. Officials have reported another death in Georgia. The storm wiped out a number of roads and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers in southern states. This spring, movie audiences may think they're seeing double or even more than double. NPR's Bob Mandello has the details. In a new mafia epic, Robert De Niro plays real life mob boss Vito Genovese. Where do I start? And also plays rival mob boss Frank Costello. You're going down a very dangerous road. And we ain't been down dangerous roads before. I tell you, but you're not where I

am. De Niro meets De Niro in The Alto Nights. Michael B. Jordan has a similar double assignment in the thriller Sinners. You twins? No, we cousins. Nope, twin brothers named Smoke and Stack. And if double casting seems tricky, it's child's play next to what Robert Pattinson

signed on for in the cloning movie Mickey 17. Every time I died, they just printed me out again. There are so many of him that one day he meets himself. I'm multiple. Multiples of movie multiples coming soon to the multiplex. Bob Mandela, NPR News. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.