NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-19-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

NPR News: 02-19-2025 9AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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, President Trump's envoy to Ukraine. Keith Kellogg has arrived in Kyiv for talks. It's good to be back in Kyiv again. I've had some wonderful talks with President Zelensky and his staff and the country's

mayors. You know, it's kind of nice that I'm here just a few days before the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His comments come as President Trump said he blamed Ukraine for starting the war three years ago. That is not true. It was Russia that launched the surprise full scale of invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and it has continued to bomb that country ever since.

Kellogg's visit to Ukraine comes a day after Ukraine was excluded from talks between U.S. and Russian diplomats over ending the war. European officials were not allowed to attend either. More than 10,000 federal employees have been fired in the new Trump administration. Most of them were on probationary status. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports on the efforts to file class action lawsuits challenging the dismissals. Federal employees typically have to get through one or two years of probation before they have full civil service job

protections. Still, attorneys say even without those protections, they may still have a case. Many of the workers fired were told that their performance failed to demonstrate that their employment was in the public interest. David Branch is a longtime employment attorney in Washington, D.C. If you can prove that this statement is false, you probably have a claim for infringement upon your good name and reputation under the Fifth Amendment.

The Trump administration says the terminations are about cutting waste and making government more efficient. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering whether to remove New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams from office. The governor held meetings with top civic and political leaders from the city yesterday. NPR's Brian Mann reports the mayor is in the midst of an alleged corruption scandal. 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. Separately, a federal judge has called a hearing today about Mayor Adams' case. The judge has asked the U.S. Justice Department to be prepared to explain why it's trying to drop charges against the mayor.

An Arctic blast is parked across much of the central U.S. this morning. Windchill temperatures are 40 degrees below zero in North Dakota. You're listening to NPR. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has told agency staffers he will review the childhood vaccination schedule for dangerous diseases. He did not directly call for changes to the schedule. When he was under oath during his confirmation hearing, Kennedy had assured skeptical senators

he would not alter the vaccine schedule. The typical life expectancy for an American man is almost 76 years compared to 81 years for an American woman. Some researchers say that more men would live longer if more attention were paid to their health. Ashley Milne-Tight has more. 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. more research on the many factors that affect men's physical and mental health. For NPR News, I'm Ashley Milntight. Authorities in Australia say a pod of beached false killer whales is unlikely to survive. Scores of the whales have been stranded on a beach for days in the island of Tasmania.

Officials say it is not possible to save them. You're listening to NPR.