NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-19-2025 12PM EST

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

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Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts. Perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is attacking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a message posted on his Truth social media platform today. Days after Trump signaled warming relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the president appears to accuse Zelensky of starting the war and talking the US into spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a conflict that

Trump says Zelensky won't be able to settle without quote the US and Trump. In Kiev Zelensky accused Trump of echoing false Russian rhetoric. We are seeing a lot of disinformation and it's coming from Russia. We understand this and we have proof that these figures are being discussed between America and Russia. President Zelensky has heard through an interpreter on the BBC. A U.S. special envoy on Ukraine and Russia arrived in Kiev today. It has been nearly three years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Attorneys for the Justice Department and New York City Mayor Eric Adams go before a federal

judge this afternoon in Manhattan. The judge is reviewing arguments that corruption and bribery charges against Adams should be dropped. Here's NPR's Brian Mann. This case has erupted into a legal and political scandal that threatens to force New York's Mayor, Eric Adams, from office. He was charged last year with taking gifts and illegal campaign contributions from foreign agents, but denies any wrongdoing. Under the Trump administration, the DOJ moved to suspend the charges, while Adams offered to help the White House crack down on migrants without legal status. That deal was so controversial, seven DOJ attorneys resigned in protest. Judge Dale Ho is now reviewing whether there are proper legal grounds for the case to be put

on hold. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is deciding whether to use her authority to oust Adams. She met with civic leaders here in Manhattan yesterday. Brian Mann in PR News, New York. Among the casualties of the mass firings across federal health agencies in the US are regulators who ensure drugs for pets and livestock are safe and effective. And PRS-Wilstone reports the cuts hit the Center for Veterinary Medicine which is an arm of the Food and Drug Administration. The Center's work has an impact on many different animals including household

pets like cats, dogs, and hamsters. Some of those who lost their jobs were responsible for reviewing data-heavy material from companies that manufacture veterinary drugs to determine whether those are safe and effective. That's according to three FDA staffers who are not authorized to speak publicly. Marcos Contrera is a pharmacist at the University of California Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He says the job cuts are concerning. You want to make sure that anything entering the market, just like a human drug, it would meet standard. As with most other federal employees who have been fired, the FDA drug reviewer who spoke

to NPR said they were still in their probationary period and had worked there less than two years. Will Stone, NPR News. This is NPR News. This is NPR. The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been charged with plotting to overthrow his country's democracy after he lost the 2022 election to President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. He was charged last night with leading a criminal organization that allegedly planned to poison

President Lula. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. He says he is the target of a political witch hunt The National Weather Service in the US says an Arctic air mass is plunging into the central and eastern US this week Millions of people in the path of possibly record breaking low temperatures Along with bitter cold forecasters project anywhere from six inches to nearly a foot of snow and some ice from North Carolina on up to Delaware starting today. Life expectancy for a man in the U.S. is almost 76 compared with 81 for a woman. Ashley Milntight reports.

The longevity gap between men and women has grown in the past couple of decades. That worries Professor Derek Griffith. He teaches health equity and population health at the University of Pennsylvania. He says his research shows men generally don't focus on staying healthy and he says society hasn't worked out how to successfully engage men with messages about their health. I mean we're not talking about a sporting event because if you try to you know hey let's talk to you about your prostate at a football game. This is not going to go well. He says deaths from cancer, heart disease, accidents and suicide are all higher among

men than women. He'd like to see the U.S. do more research on the many factors that affect men's physical and mental health. For NPR News, I'm Ashley Miltite. This is NPR News.