NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-17-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Controversy surrounding New York City Mayor Eric Adams deepened today as four of his top aides and deputy mayors announced they are resigning. It comes after the Trump administration's Justice Department moved to drop corruption charges against Adams, NPR's Brian Mann reports. Critics say the DOJ shelved criminal corruption and bribery charges against Mayor Adams, a Democrat, after he agreed to collaborate with President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Adams faces growing calls to resign, and now four of Adams' most senior aides say they're

leaving office. In a joint statement, three of the officials pointed to the extraordinary events that have rocked Adams' administration in recent weeks. They said, quote, to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers, we've come to the difficult decision to step down. Speaking over the weekend, Adams rejected calls that he leave office. In a statement sent to NPR, Adams says he's disappointed by the resignations. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York.

The extent of injuries are still being assessed after a Delta Airlines plane from Minneapolis coming in for a landing in Toronto ended up on the runway upside down. Officials at Toronto's Pearson Airport say all 80 passengers accrue aboard the plane are accounted for. At least eight people were injured, though the number and details are still coming in. It's not known what caused the incident. A program in Chicago is helping reduce arrests for violent crimes among young people in some of the city's neighborhoods most affected by gun violence, Bureau's Meg Anderson reports. Meg Anderson The program pairs students with a mentor, and for six months they attend group therapy, where clinicians help them change thought

patterns and manage emotions. The University of Chicago Crime Lab found teenagers who took part were nearly 40 percent less likely to be arrested for a violent crime compared to students who didn't. Researcher Jens Ludwig says the program offers a way to make progress against violent crime without gun control. If we have 400 million guns in America and they're not going anywhere anytime soon, then how do we get people to be less willing to use guns against one another? The difference in arrests held true even two years after students finished the program.

Meg Anderson, NPR News. In a holiday shortened trading week, some major economic numbers to be released, along with minutes from the Fed's January meeting and a report on leading economic indicators. NPR's Scott Horsley previews 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 will 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. The U.S. financial markets are closed for the President's Day holiday shares up in Germany and Britain today. You're listening to NPR. The Vatican says Pope Francis will remain in the hospital to treat what it calls a complex clinical situation. MPR's Jackie Northam reports the 88-year-old pontiff was admitted late last week for a respiratory infection.

Before his hospital admission Friday, Pope Francis had shown signs of bronchitis for several days. But the Vatican says recent tests indicate the pontiff has polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, which can be caused by a combination of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, according to the National Institutes of Health. The diagnosis prompted a change in the Pope's drug treatment, and the Vatican says he will stay in the hospital for as long as necessary. The Pope has had challenging health conditions in the past, including the removal of part

of a lung after a pulmonary infection when he was a young man. He was hospitalized for several days in 2023 with a bout of pneumonia. Jackie Northam, NPR News. Appropriate on President's Day, a more than 240-year-old letter from then President George Washington is being put up for sale today by a firm in Ardmore, Pennsylvania that buys and sells historical documents. Written on a single sheet of paper on both sides, the letter penned on April 16, 1777 during the Revolutionary War seeks to lessen the blow from a British raid that destroyed an American supply depot in Denbury, Connecticut. Writing to a subordinate, Washington noted that British forces were repeatedly attacked by American militia as they were treated.

The letter, aged and a bit stained, discolored as well as being sold for about $150,000. Oil closed higher today, up 65 cents a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.