NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-22-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

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Noor Aram, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Aram. CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is wrapping up its annual meeting today at a hotel outside Washington, D.C. Attendees heard a short time ago from President Trump, who says Republicans are united. You know, in theory, the one that wins the presidency does not do well in the midterms, but I think this is going to be a change. We're at a level, I don't think we've been at this level maybe ever as the Republican

Party. We're a bigger, better, stronger party than ever before. Trump has fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Air Force General Charles Q. Brown was the second black officer in that job. Trump is also replacing Lisa Franghetti, chief of naval operations. She was the second woman to be promoted to four-star admiral. The Pentagon has also announced it's freezing hiring next week and firing 5,400 probationary workers.

A judge has blocked President Trump's executive order seeking to remove DEI programs from the federal government. A judge ruled that some of the proposed actions violate the Constitution. NPR's Aya Archie has more. Shortly after taking office, the president signed an executive order that shuttered diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government and placed those employees on paid leave. A federal judge in Baltimore found that some of the stipulations in the executive order

breached the right to free speech. The judge also said that the Trump administration is temporarily barred from changing or ending government contracts that have equity goals. The motion was granted after being filed by the mayor of Baltimore and organizations representing the education and restaurant sectors. Ayanna Archie, NPR News. The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been removed from his post.

As NPR's Joel Rose reports, the shakeup at ICE comes as frustrations grow in the Trump administration over the pace of deportations. President Trump picked a career ICE official, Caleb Vitello, as the acting head of the agency. Now Vitello has been removed from that post, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, though he will remain at ICE, leading the office that's responsible for arrests and deportations. ICE arrests are up compared to the previous administration, but not enough to satisfy the White House.

President Trump promised during the campaign to build the biggest deportation operation in U.S. history. Administration officials have said they want to see at least 1,200 immigration arrests per day nationwide, but ICE field offices have been falling well short of those goals. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Monday marks the third anniversary of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The U.N. General Assembly is to vote Monday on a resolution to mark the day. Ukraine and Europeans won a version that says Russia violated the U.N. charter by attacking

Ukraine. The U.S. is offering its own version that acknowledges tragic losses but does not mention that Russia started the war. This is NPR News. Health officials say the measles outbreak in West Texas has now grown to 90 cases. As vaccination rates drop and cases rise across the country, experts say some groups of adults may need to get re-vaccinated. NPR's Maria Godoy reports.

Measles is incredibly contagious. Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University says the best defense is vaccination. If you have been vaccinated with two doses of vaccine as per routine, you have a 95 plus percent chance of being completely protected throughout your life. However, if you were vaccinated before 1968, talk to your doctor about getting revaccinated because early versions of the measles vaccine did not work as well as the current shot. People vaccinated between 1968 and 1989 got one dose of the vaccine. In most cases experts say that's plenty of protection. Certain people such as those living amidst the measles outbreak should ask their doctor if they need a second dose. Maria Godoy, NPR News. Carnival season is underway in New Orleans. Authorities have heightened security after

a truck attack on New Year's Day that killed 14 people. New Orleans police superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says they've implemented special traffic patterns to discourage motorists from driving at high speed. Anne Kirkpatrick, New Orleans Police Superintendent It's weaving around barricades that will slow anybody down who thinks they're going to use a vehicle as a weapon. The festivities continue every day until March 4th, that Tuesday, the final day before Lent begins. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.