NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-19-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

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Laxmelea Sing Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Laxmelea Sing. Attorneys for the Justice Department and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are going before a federal judge in Manhattan this hour. NPR's Brian Mann reports the judge is weighing the Justice Department's arguments for dropping corruption charges against Adams. 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, NPR News, New York.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is asking the U.S. to stop using Kremlin disinformation when talking about Russia's war in Ukraine. Yesterday President Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia. That is not true. Russia launched a full-scale surprise invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. NPR's Joanna Kikis's reports this comes as Trump's special envoy on Russia and Ukraine visits Kiev. Zelensky looked grim and exhausted as he briefed reporters in Kiev about the challenges facing Ukraine a day after the U.S. and Russia appeared to take the first steps toward normalizing

ties. After Trump recently said, you shouldn't have started the war, a Kremlin talking point, Zelensky said Trump appeared to be living in't have started the war. A Kremlin talking point, Zelensky said, Trump appeared to be living in a zone of disinformation. I would like to see more truth out of the Trump team, Zelensky said, because this affects Ukraine and not in a positive way. He said he hopes to make his case to Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg,

who is in Kyiv for talks. Joanna Kekises, NPR News, Kyiv. Another protest against Doge cuts this time outside the Department of Health and Human Services. One of many federal agencies experiencing cuts under the Trump administration entity known as the Department of Government Efficiency or DOJ. President Trump says he is on a quest to end wasteful spending and root out fraud. Opponents argue the sweeping reductions to federal staff and services risk endangering

the health and safety of people across the United States. U.S. stocks are mixed this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 132 points at 44,423. The S&P has risen slightly. The NASDAQ is also up slightly. This is NPR News. A Los Angeles jury has found the rapper ASAP Rocky not guilty of felony assault. Rocky and his partner Rihanna celebrated the news of his freedom in the courtroom as NPR's Isabella Gomez-Admiento reports. After ASAP Rocky's three-week trial, jurors deliberated for only about three hours. The verdict?

Rocky was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. In 2021, he fired two shots with a handgun at a former friend in Hollywood. The defense argued that Rocky fired blanks from a prop gun he carried for security. The jurors were also told they could find the rapper not guilty if they believed he acted in self-defense. Without needing to agree or explain their reasoning, the jury reached their consensus. For both counts, the rapper could have received a sentence of more than two decades.

Instead, A$AP Rocky returned home. Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News. The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 58 cases with more than a dozen hospitalizations. In neighboring eastern New Mexico, eight more people have contracted the measles, even though people can get vaccinated against the highly contagious illness.

A spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Health, Robert Knott, describes what officials are doing to address all the cases in Lee County. We have, the New Mexico Department of Health has set up several vaccination clinics at no cost. We also have free vaccines, absolutely free for children in the state from these also. Nott says his agency has not yet found any direct contact between any of the cases in

New Mexico and in Texas. This is NPR News.