NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-20-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

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SOT Donald Trump is back in the White House and making a lot of moves very quickly. Keep track of everything going on in Washington with the NPR Politics Podcast. Every day we break down the latest news and explain why it matters to you. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen every day. SOT Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. President Trump says time is running out to end the Russian war in Ukraine. Trump told a business conference in Miami on Wednesday that he'll push to end the conflict and had some choice awards for Ukraine's leader.

A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move faster. He's not going to have a country left. Got to move, got to move fast because that war is going in the wrong direction. In the meantime, we're successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia, something I'll admit that only Trump is going to be able to do in the Trump administration. We're going to be able to do it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his nation will reject any peace deal that is negotiated without its participation. He also said that Trump is trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to find $50 million in programs to cut next year. That would be about 8 percent of the Pentagon's budget. Hegseth says the savings would be diverted to President Trump's funding priorities. Civil rights groups are suing the Trump administration over executive orders they call illegal. As NPR's Sandi and Dirks reports, the Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal are suing on behalf of three nonprofits. The nonprofits provide housing, work programs, and medical care to black, queer, and trans

communities. The lawsuit claims the Trump administration, by banning anything it labels diversity, equity, and inclusion, and trans people, violates the right to free speech and due process and prevents the nonprofits from helping those disproportionately impacted by systemic racism and bigotry. Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings says the consequences of the president's orders are more than just overturning decades of civil rights. If people cannot get preventative care, if people cannot get care once they have HIV,

people will die. Trump has said his executive actions are about doing away with programs that he calls discriminatory. Sandhya Dirks, NPR News. A federal judge in New York City says he needs more time to decide whether to pause a criminal case against Mayor Eric Adams. Attorneys for both sides argue that a trial will distract on the Mayor's duties. More from NPR's Brian Mann. Mayor Adams was indicted on corruption and bribery charges last year,

but the DOJ now wants federal Judge Dale Ho to shelve the case, in part so Adams can focus on helping round up migrants living in the city without legal status. Critics say the DOJ agreed to halt its prosecution in exchange for Adams' assistance, cracking down on illegal immigration. Speaking in court under oath, Adams denied any such quid pro quo deal. Judge Ho said he'll issue a ruling soon. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is weighing whether to remove Adams from office. After four of his deputy mayors quit this week, Hokel said the controversy may be making it impossible for Adams to run the city.

Brian Man, NPR News, New York. You're listening to NPR News. Speaking to supporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump says he's in favor of a congressional takeover of Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia is a city that rests on land that was ceded by Maryland and Virginia. Its residents pay federal taxes but do not have voting representation in Congress, which has the authority over its laws and budget.

An Alabama grand jury is recommending the abolishment of a northern town's entire police department over corruption allegations. From member station WBHM, Noel Ananen reports that the recommendation follows the arrest of several officers and the death of a 911 dispatcher. The grand jury indictment found that members of the Hanceville Police Department tampered with physical evidence, sold and distributed illegal drugs, and used an official position for personal gain. Coleman County District Attorney Champ Crocker reads the grand jury's unanimous findings, which call the Hanceville police an active threat to public safety.

There is a rampant culture of corruption in the Hanceville Police Department, which has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency." The jury calls for another local or state agency to take over law enforcement for Hanceville. The city's mayor says the city council will act quickly to address the problems in the police department. For NPR News, I'm Noelle Annenen in Birmingham. The Kentucky Fried Chicken Chain is moving its corporate headquarters from Louisville

to Plano, Texas. Its parent company Yum Brand says about 100 employees will be relocated. Kentucky Governor Beshear says he hopes the company will reverse its decision. This is NPR News. There's been a lot of attention on loneliness lately. 16% of Americans report feeling lonely all or most of the time. The former Surgeon General even declared a loneliness epidemic. On It's Been a Minute, we're launching a new series called All the Lonely People,

diving deep into how loneliness shows up in our lives and how our culture shapes it. That's on the It's Been a Minute podcast on NPR.