NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-18-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

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Hey, it's Amartines. I work on a news show. And yeah, the news can feel like a lot on any given day. But you just can't ignore las noticias when important world-changing events are happening. So that is where the Up First podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out. Listen to the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his

Russian counterpart have held talks today. The discussions include ways to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting's taking place in Saudi Arabia and NPR's Aya Batraoui reports that nation is positioning itself as a mediator with strong ties to both countries. The hours-long meeting and working lunch in Riyadh came after a call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The State Department says the meeting in Saudi Arabia, which includes Trump's national security adviser and his Mideast envoy, is a follow-up on that call to see what's possible, and was not likely to be a discussion about the details of a negotiated peace deal.

Ukrainian officials are not in the Saudi meeting, but Ukraine's president is expected to visit Saudi Arabia this week after visiting the United Arab Emirates on Monday. Rubio's trip to the Mideast is his first in the region as Secretary of State. He began with a stop in Israel before meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Monday. His final and next stop is the UAE. Ayah Boutraoui, MPH News, Dubai. A federal judge has temporarily paused the Trump administration's plan to slash funding

from the National Institutes of Health. But areas that rely on health research for their economies are concerned. Steven Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom reports that includes Republican-led states that have long supported President Trump. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is one of the top recipients of NIH funding. It's also the largest single employer in all of Alabama. The Trump administration's plan to cut billions of health research funding would include tens of millions that go to the state. Sanford University economist Sarah Helmets-McCarty says that could ripple across all parts of

Alabama's economy. UAB and the biomedical research that happens there is an essential piece of our economy. If it is disrupted, it will affect businesses, restaurants, real estate, all of it. UAB says life-saving research into things like cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease are in jeopardy. For NPR News, I'm Stephen Besaha in Birmingham. Officials in Kentucky say last weekend's storm was one of the most damaging to ever hit the state.

At least 12 people died after flash flooding, powerful winds and thunderstorms struck. Teams are still looking for missing people. Kentucky is under a federal disaster declaration. Governor Andy Beshear says he is looking for specific aid. What we're going to need from the federal government is approval for individual assistance that will provide some dollars for this emergency phase, for cleaning up. But then that's up to $42,000 to help people get back on their feet. And we're going to need that system to run smoother than it has in the past.

But FEMA is here with us. They are working with us and we're grateful that they're here and for the support of the administration. He spoke to NPR's morning edition. Most of Kentucky is under a winter storm warning. So are several other states from Kansas to Virginia. There are also warnings today of life-threatening cold temperatures from Montana to Texas. This is NPR. U.S. and Canadian officials are investigating why a Delta plane overturned and landed on its roof yesterday in Toronto.

Authorities say everyone aboard escaped. 18 people were hurt, at least two of them critically. In South Korea, lawyers have summed up their arguments in the impeachment trial of South Korean President Yoon Song-yol. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul Seoul the trial is related to Yoon's brief imposition of martial law last December. The Constitutional Court is expected to deliver a verdict next month voting either to remove

Yoon from office or reinstate him. But Kim Jin-han, a lawyer for parliament, argued that if he's reinstated, Yoon could declare martial law again or attack democratic institutions. Kim added that Yoon declared martial law without any real emergency, which he says was basically an act of dictatorship. Yoon said he was forced to declare martial law because opposition lawmakers, some of whom he said are communist sympathizers, were paralyzing the government. Yoon's supporters suspect the court is biased against Youn.

Scores of them were arrested last month after attacking another court which issued his arrest warrant. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul. Costa Rica's government says it will accept migrants deported from the United States. That includes migrants from other countries. Costa Rican officials say these migrants are from Central Asia and India.

The first group is expected to arrive tomorrow. The Vatican says Pope Francis remains hospitalized in Rome for a respiratory infection. Doctors say he needs to remain on absolute rest. Vatican officials say the pontiff is in stable condition. I'm Corva Kuhlmann, NPR News. Planet money is there. From California's most expensive fires ever. condition. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News.