NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-20-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

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Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts, perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The longest serving Senate Party leader in U.S. history, Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell says he is retiring. The Republicans' departure at the end of his term next year will cap 40 years in Congress. Today, on his 83rd birthday, McConnell paid tribute to his mother. I've never lost sight of the fact that without my mother's devoted care, a childhood encounter

with polio could have turned out a lot worse. McConnell still walks with a limp and suffers health problems related to polio. His support for childhood vaccinations put him at odds with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccination advocacy. Earlier this month, McConnell was the sole Republican to join Senate Democrats in opposing Kennedy's confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary. Cash Patel is the next director of the FBI. He was confirmed today, largely along a party line vote, but two Republicans, Maine Susan

Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, joined Democrats in voting no. New York Governor Kathy Hochul will not remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the governor's thinking. John Campbell of Member Station WNYC reports. State and city law give the governor power to oust the mayor, but Governor Hochul doesn't intend on using that authority, at least not for now. Instead, she'll push bills to rein in the mayor's power and give the state more oversight. Hockel weighed Adam's fate in a series of meetings with city leaders this week. The Trump administration moved to dismiss federal corruption charges

against the mayor earlier this month. That led a handful of prosecutors to quit. Two accused the mayor of cooperating with Trump's immigration crackdown in exchange for a dismissal, which the mayor denies. For NPR News, I'm John Campbell in Albany. Danielle Pletka The Palestinian militant group Hamas returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages today in a ceremony run by mass militants in the south of Gaza. It's the first group of hostage bodies to be handed over under the ceasefire that went into effect January 19th. And Piers Hadil Al-Shalchi reports Hamas had a defiant message for the United States.

Piers Hadil Al-Shalchi reports Hamas had a defiant message for the United States. Hamas gunmen stood on a stage with the four coffins of the Israeli hostages draped in black behind them, a poster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a fanged vampire. A masked militant from the Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military arm, spoke from the stage with a message directed at President Donald Trump. He called Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza and rebuild the strip under US ownership nonsense. What do you think might frighten us? That we've made very good friends with death lately. Equally receiving and delivering it. Hamas is expected to release six live hostages on Saturday.

Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Jericho. From Washington, this is NPR News. As the Trump administration works to shrink federal government spending on Air Force One today, the president shared his vision for the District of Columbia. We should govern DC. I think the federal government should take over the governance of DC and run it really, really, really. And I like the mayor. I get along great with the mayor. But they're not doing the job. Mayor Muriel Bowser noted DC Home Roll is not up to the White House. It's a congressional issue. Home Roll was done by act of Congress, and it is in the hands of the

Congress. This hour, President Trump's holding a White House event marking Black History Month. The former head of the Spanish Soccer Federation has been found guilty of kissing a star player on the field after Spain's victory at the 2023 Women's World Cup final in Sydney. From Seville, Miguel Macias has details. The video immediately went viral. Luis Rubiales was on the stage where victory medals were being handed out, a few steps away from the Queen of Spain. Rubiales grabbed player Jennifer Hermoso's head and kissed her on the mouth without apparent consent. The moment sparked a kind of me too movement in Spain under the motto Se acabó, it's over. The saga arrived at its last chapter

this week with Rubiales being found guilty of sexual assault and fined about $11,000. He was also ordered not to go within 200 meters of Hermoso for one year. The verdict, however, is bittersweet for Hermoso and the players who testified in court as Lluviales and his closed circle were cleared of the charge of coercion. They were accused of pressuring Hermoso repeatedly to say publicly that the case was consensual. Miguel Macías, NPR News, Seville, Spain.