NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-20-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Internal Revenue Service is eliminating thousands of jobs in the middle of tax filing season. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the cuts are part of the Trump administration's widespread downsizing of the federal government. More than 6,000 IRS jobs are being eliminated, or more than 6 percent of the agency's total workforce. Under the Biden administration, the IRS had added staffers

in an effort to improve customer service and crack down on wealthy tax cheats. Nina Olson, who heads the Center for Taxpayer Rights, says cutting the agency's workforce will likely end up costing the government money. The Internal Revenue Service is the accounts receivable function of the federal government. And no business would under fund their

accounts receivable function they wouldn't continue because the funds aren't coming in the union representing IRS workers is asked to judge to halt the job cuts there and at other government agencies Scott Horsley MPR News Washington president Trump's nominee for FBI director cash Patel is confirmed the yeas are 51 the nays are 49el, is confirmed. The yeas are 51, the nays are 49, the confirmation is confirmed. The results of the U.S. Senate vote were read aloud a short time ago. Most Republicans rally behind Patel, including Senator Mitch McConnell, who announced this afternoon that he would not seek reelection to an eighth term next year.

However, Republican Senators Susan Murkowski of Maine and Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, that is, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Maine and Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, that is, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in voting against Patel. His critics raised concerns that he will sidestep his responsibilities as FBI director to do President Trump's bidding. Sources tell NPR member, station WNYC, that New York Governor Kathy Hochul will not remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office. Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges last year, but the incoming Trump administration ordered the Department of Justice to drop the case. Nearly three

years since Russia invaded Ukraine, the European public's reacting to the war of words between the U.S. and Ukraine after President Trump call President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator from Paris, and PR's Eleanor Beardsley reports. On the streets of Paris, Emmanuel Parisot doesn't mince words. It's you Americans who have the dictator, she says. He's exploding the 80-year transatlantic alliance. Parisot says the only good thing is Europe is waking up. European leaders have gathered twice this week amidst the growing crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron will travel with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet President Trump next week in Washington. German tourist Smela Menting can't believe what Trump said about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Very scary to hear that such an important person in politics says something like this. She says Ukraine has been fighting and dying for Europe for three years. We can't abandon Ukraine. Eleanor Beardsley in PR News, Paris. From Washington, this is NPR News. Sugar is a quick form of energy, but many people crave it even when they are full. NPR's Emily Kwong reports on a new study looking at why. When you're out to eat and the server comes by and says, hey, you got any room for dessert? Where does that voice inside that says, yes, I will take a slice of cake, come from? A study in the journal Science offers a new clue.

Heading Fenzlau of the Max Planck Institute fed mice to the point of fullness and then gave them sugar. His team noticed that the same neurons which signaled that the mice were full, also released naturally occurring opiates, which triggered a feeling of reward. His team then found the same neural pathway in humans.

Because sugar is so easy to metabolize, its consumption beyond energy needs is favorable for animals. The team ultimately hopes this research can help create better weight loss drugs. For NPR News, I'm Emily Kwong. More people put in for unemployment assistance last week, the Labor Department says claims rose by 5,000 to 219,000. However, the four-week average, which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations, fell slightly. Overall, the number of people who were on unemployment the week of February 8th rose from the previous week to 1.87 million.

The Sauer U.S. stocks trading lower, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down now more than 500 points or more than 1% at 44,125. The Nasdaq is down more than 100 points, roughly half a percent. The S&P is also down half a percent. This is NPR News.