NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-18-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. U.S. and Russian officials have held talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at finding a negotiated settlement to end the war in Ukraine. With no Ukrainian or European officials invited to attend, the discussion marked a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward Moscow. NPR's Charles Maines has details. The meeting was a follow-up to last week's phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders agreed to work together to end

the war in Ukraine. The sudden US-Russian detente has stunned US allies, with Kiev rejecting any agreements over which it has no say. Leading the American delegation was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said his goal was a resolution acceptable to all. In four plus hours of talks, the two sides agreed to remove irritants in relations. For now, that means increasing staff levels at embassies and exploring business deals, as negotiations over Ukraine and plans for an eventual meeting between Trump and Putin move forward. Trance Maynes, NPR News.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is at risk of being ousted as he fights corruption allegations. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to meet with Manhattan leaders today after signaling she might use her authority to remove her fellow Democrat from office. Adams denies bribery charges, as well as claims that he agreed to collaborate with the Trump administration's crackdown on migrants in exchange for the Justice Department's decision to drop its case against him. Yesterday, four of Adams' top aides resigned, and last week at least seven experienced prosecutors, including the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, quit in protest. Efforts in flooded parts of Kentucky are

transitioning from search and rescue to recovery. Officials confirmed at least 14 people have died. Stan Engold of Member Station WEKU reports on an emerging threat this winter to many Kentucky residents. Officials say the two most recent deaths were due to hypothermia. This is alarming because a winter storm is forecast for the next few days throughout the entire state. Eric Gibson is the director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management. He says there are still rescues happening and while the flood situation is stabilizing, there is more work to be done. So as we continue to stabilize the ongoing flooding event, we're expanding our efforts to

help in this new winter storm event as we know that many of people are still without power. Warming stations are being set up along with shelters for those impacted by the floods. Some parts of the state could see up to seven inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits in the next few days. For NPR News, I'm Stan Engold in Richmond, Kentucky. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 100 points at 44,440. It's NPR News. In the middle of tax filing season, unions and taxpayer groups are suing the Trump administration's government cost-cutting entity known as DOJ.

They're challenging the DOJ team's access to IRS files under tech mogul Elon Musk's oversight. Nina Olsen spent nearly 20 years as the national taxpayer advocate inside the IRS. She questioned the qualifications of those seeking access to a database containing the financial records of millions of people. Nina Olson, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Center for Taxpayer Rights, NPA. Do these folks have background in tax law? We have a very complex code.

And the people that are actually making the determination, so the delegated authority to decide that something is an error or is incorrect or is on the fraud side, which is very rare. Nina Olson, executive director of the Nonprofit Center for Taxpayer Rights, spoke with NPR's morning edition. Southwest Airlines is moving forward with its first ever major layoffs. Caroline Love of member station KERA has the latest. The layoffs affect more than 1,700 employees. CEO Robert Jordan said in a statement it was a difficult and monumental decision.

The airline has faced challenges in recent months, including declining profit margins and a civil lawsuit over alleged mismanagement of an employee retirement plan. The airline announced several changes last fall to boost revenue, including the end of its open seating policy next year. Eligible employees impacted by the layoffs will receive salary and benefits through late April. For NPR News, I'm Caroline Love in Dallas. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.