NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-20-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

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Bella DiPaolo is glad if you're happily married, but she is perfectly happy being single. I would love to have someone who took care of my car or someone who cleaned up the dishes after dinner. But then I'd want them to leave. From yourself to your dog to your spouse are significant others. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Russian President Vladimir Putin is weighing in on this week's talks between

U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia. These marked the first high level communication between Washington and Moscow since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly three years ago. NPR's Charles Maines reports. Speaking to state media while touring a drone factory in St. Petersburg, Putin praised the US-Russian meeting as a first step towards restoring relations between the two countries. Putin also said he would gladly meet with President Trump but that it may take time for both administrations to prepare, adding the

leaders weren't meeting just to drink tea but find solutions acceptable to both sides over Ukraine and other issues. The budding U.S.-Russian détente marks a sharp departure from Biden-era efforts to isolate Moscow over its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. It has also unnerved Ukraine and traditional American allies in Europe who fear being sidelined from negotiations that determine their future. Charles Maines, NPR News. A federal judge held a hearing yesterday

to review the Justice Department's request to drop federal corruption charges against New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams. Several federal prosecutors have resigned over the matter. They allege the Trump administration is willing to end the case in exchange for Adams' help on immigration efforts. Trump officials and

Adams deny the allegations. NPR's Brian Mann was in the courtroom for the hearing held by Judge Dale Ho. Judge Ho acknowledged he has limited authority here. A DOJ request of this kind is normally a slam dunk. It's more or less rubber stamped by the courts. But yesterday the judge made it clear he thinks this case really is different. This is a very complicated situation, at least from where I sit, Ho said. And so at the end of the hearing, he declined to offer a quick ruling. He says he needs more time to sort through this, but he promised a ruling soon. And PR's Brian Mann reporting.

A Senate panel questioned Labor Secretary nominee Laurie Chavez-Steremer yesterday about her views on labor unions, as well as the minimum wage and more. And PR's Joe Hernandez has more. Chavez-Duriemer is a former Republican congresswoman from Oregon. While in Congress, she co-sponsored legislation called the PRO Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize. Under questioning from Republicans, Laurie Chavez-Duriemer called the legislation imperfect and said she supported the ability of states to pass right-to-work laws, which limit union efforts. Asked by Democrats whether she thought the federal minimum wage should be increased, Chavez-Duriemer said she recognized it hadn't been raised in over 15 years, but that some jurisdictions might need to have a different minimum wage than others.

Joe Hernandez, NPR News. This week, President Trump said he is moving to impose tariffs of 25 percent or higher on more foreign imports. Yesterday, he said he wanted to put tariffs on imported lumber, too. Trump says it could start in early April. This is NPR. Civil rights groups are suing the Trump administration over executive orders they call illegal. As NPR's Sandhya 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, end 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.

The U.S. conference of Catholic bishops is also suing the Trump administration. The bishops allege the administration has illegally stopped funding refugee resettlement programs, and they claim this violates the constitutional provision that gives Congress the power of the purse. The Vatican says that if Pope Francis remains in the hospital, he's being treated for a case of severe pneumonia. Vatican officials say he got out of bed today and that recent blood tests show some slight improvement

in his condition. Francis was visited yesterday by Italian Premier Giorgia Maloney. She found him alert and responsive and says he has not lost his sense of humor. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News. Planet Money is there. From California's most expensive fires ever. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.