NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-21-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: February 21, 2025

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Shea Stevens, NPR News Anchor Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Several labor unions are suing to block mass firings of federal workers who are on probationary status. As NPR's Andrea Shue reports, the plaintiffs claim that the firings are illegal. Mike Walz, National Security Advisor, NPR News Anchor National Security Advisor Mike Walz says Ukraine's president needs to recognize the, quote, historic opportunity and strike a deal over critical minerals as part of a peace agreement.

The idea would be to pay back the US by giving access to vast amounts of Ukrainian critical minerals. President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky. The fact that he hasn't come to the table, that he hasn't been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered. Well, skirted questions about whether Russia or Ukraine was responsible for starting the war, but also criticize Ukraine for what he describes as insults against the president

that were coming out of Keefe. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, The White House. President Trump says his administration has made record-breaking progress during his first month in office. Trump told a gathering of Republican governors in Washington that the best is yet to come. My administration will be fighting to help your states succeed and prosper, and together we're going to bring back the American dream, something nobody talks about anymore. Trump says he's getting calls from many corporate leaders wanting to make that happen.

Trump says he also told the governors that their political futures rest with him and predicted a GOP victory in the 2026 midterm elections. Nearly 7,000 IRS workers are the latest group of federal employees receiving layoff notices. The agency says the job cuts will affect mostly probationary employees. Critics of the layoffs say they fear the cuts will affect efforts to go after wealthy tax cheats as well as customer service during the current tax filing season. Former NFL player Chris Cooey is facing charges of disrupting the city council in Huntington

Beach, California. The retired Minnesota Viking was arrested this week after opposing city plans for plaque and criticizing President Trump's MAGA movement. The plaque celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Huntington Beach Library and included a slogan in which the first letter of each word spelled MAGA. Kluwe says he's a 15-year-long resident

of the Orange County city. He was among several people who spoke at Tuesday's public meeting. On Wall Street, stocks closed lower. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are mixed down a fraction in Shanghai. This is NPR News. President Trump's top national security aide is expressing frustration over the Ukrainian president's refusal to accept terms of a potential deal.

Ukrainian President Zelensky says his nation will not accept any peace agreement that is not negotiated with his nation's involvement. Scientists say they have found a mystery around the black hole, NPR's Andrea Duster reports. A team of astrophysicists studying the black hole Sagittarius A star found flares of light in its orbit using the James Webb Telescope. Flares like this around a black hole are not new, but when it comes to Sagittarius A star, the flares are nonstop. Some are faint and some are very bright, lasting from hours to seconds. Farad Youssef Zadeh, an astrophysics professor at Northwestern University who led

the study, says this makes the black hole unique. Every time we looked at this black hole, we found something really interesting. It was really another big surprise to many of us. Scientists hope that by studying these flares, they'll gain a better understanding of black holes. Chandelis Duster, NPR News. A Scottish Highland Bull is the talk of the town in the rural hills of Western Connecticut, where it's been roaming for after a month after escaping from its confines. Animal Control Officer Lee Sol in Kent has said residents have reported sporadic

sightings of the bull in the past week, but no one's been able to catch it. Sol says the animal seems scared as it roams about in frigid winter temperatures. On Asia Pacific market shares are mixed. This is NPR.