NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-19-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

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Whatever your job is, wherever you're from, NPR is a resource for all Americans. Our mission is to create a more informed public. We do that by providing free access to independent, rigorous journalism that's accountable to the public. You, federal funding for public media, provides critical support of this work. Learn more about how to safeguard it at ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump says he's instructed the Justice Department to fire all federal prosecutors who were appointed during the Biden administration. Several of them have already resigned over

administration orders affecting other GOJ employees and operations. Some agency veterans say Attorney General Pam Bondi seems to be protecting DOJ workers who seem loyal to Trump while targeting those he doesn't like. More from NPR's Carrie Johnson. Bondi seems to be focused on people who help bring cases against Donald Trump. Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith wrote this week, this all seems to be doublespeak, part of a play playbook to weaponize DOJ law enforcement like never before against Trump's perceived

enemies. And the fear of many of my sources is that the DOJ will on one hand move to help Trump's friends get out of trouble and on the other use its vast powers of investigation and prosecution against people who have criticized the president. And here is Kerry Johnson reporting. Demonstrators gathered at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta Tuesday. As Georgia Public Broadcasting's Sophie Grotus reports, they were protesting the dismissal

of thousands of workers across federal health agencies. The CDC has lost about 10 percent of its workforce, more than a thousand people, since termination letters went out across the Department of Health and Human Services last week. Barbara Stanky, retired from state public health, says that the cuts will leave frontline workers without critical guidance. The CDC is sponsoring that, you know, they're the ones who coordinate that. It takes a lot. It takes a lot to get from federal to state to local to the people and communities." And those communities need good information, she says, to fight infectious and chronic

diseases. For NPR News, I'm Sophie Grotus in Atlanta. The U.S. Senate has confirmed businessman Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary. Lutnick is a former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a New York-based financial services firm. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering whether to force Eric Adams out of office over a corruption scandal involving the Trump administration. Hochul discussed the matter with top political and civic leaders in Manhattan Tuesday, and NPR's Brian Mann reports she could make a decision as soon as today.

Mayor Adams was charged last year with federal bribery and corruption charges. Last week, the Trump administration's DOJ agreed to suspend that criminal case. It was a move so controversial, seven DOJ attorneys resigned rather than go along with it. Critics say Adams leveraged the favor from Trump's team after agreeing to collaborate with the White House's crackdown on illegal immigration. After four of Adams' own top aides resigned this week, Governor Hockel began talks with officials about whether to use her authority to remove Adams from office. It's unclear when she'll decide.

Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. A winter storm has pushed temperatures to record lows from the northern plains to areas near the Gulf. Meanwhile, heavy snow and ice could blanket areas from Missouri and Arkansas East to the Mid-Atlantic today, threatening to cause more misery in areas

cleaning up from weekend flooding. The Vatican says Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs. NPR's Sarah Ventry reports on concerns about the 88-year-old Pontiff's ability to fight off infection. The Vatican says laboratory tests, chest x-ray, and the Holy Father's clinical condition continue to present a complex picture. A CT scan showing pneumonia has caused them to adjust his treatment, which now includes antibiotic and drug therapy. Francis had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man and is prone to bouts of bronchitis in the winter. Now he's reported to be in fair condition and is said to be eating breakfast every day, reading the newspapers and even doing some work from the hospital.

breakfast every day, reading the newspapers and even doing some work from the hospital. Given his condition, some Vatican events have been canceled. There will be no weekly general audience on Wednesday, and it's not clear if Francis will miss his Sunday noon blessing for a second week in a row. Sarah Ventry, NPR News. According to state media, a British couple being detained in Iran have now been charged with espionage. Britain's Foreign Office says the couple, identified as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, were arrested in the southern city of Kerman last month. The Foremans reportedly had been on a bike tour around the world. On Asia Pacific market, shares are mostly lower, up a fraction in

Shanghai. This is NPR News.