NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-22-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. In the Middle East, the day began with the release of the first two of six Israeli hostages due to be freed today by Hamas. After a period of time, three more were released in Gaza. The hostages are being transported to Israel aboard Red Cross vehicles. These releases are part of the first phase of a fragile January ceasefire agreement. They were freed in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

It's the largest number of Palestinian prisoners to be released at once under the deal. A judge has blocked President Trump's executive orders seeking to remove DEI programs from the federal government, a judge ruled that some of the proposed actions violate the Constitution. And Piazayana 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, N PR News. The Senate wrapped up work on a budget resolution this week. The document from the Republican-controlled Congress acts as a framework to implement President Trump's legislative agenda and PR's Barbara Sprunt has details. The resolution would provide $175 billion for border security and $150 billion in military funding. The Senate's adoption is an early step in the process, which requires committees to

work out the details of spending, as well as any offsets to help pay for the additional funds. The budget resolution is at odds with the House's approach. The House wants to pass one bill that addresses spending for the border and extends the 2017 tax cuts. The Senate wants to break those elements into two distinct bills. Both chambers ultimately have to be on the same page to get the legislation across the finish line.

Barbara Sprint and PR News, Washington. Amid new questions about the handling of deadly wildfires in Los Angeles, the chief of the LA Fire Department, Kristen Crowley, was fired. Mayor Karen Bass told reporters mistakes were made. We have just experienced the worst natural disaster that our city has ever experienced. It would be wonderful to think that everything would be smooth every step of the way, but

I don't believe that that is realistic. Bass said her decision was influenced by the fact that a thousand firefighters who could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home. The mayor said she's appointed a 41 year veteran of the department, former chief deputy Ronald Villanueva as interim fire chief for LA. This is NPR. Reports on consumer sentiment and home sales came in weaker than expected yesterday, leading Wall Street to its worst day in two months. The Dow closed down 748 points. The tomb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who reigned anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 years

ago has been unearthed. And as NPR's Aya Batraoui reports, it's being hailed as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent years. Egypt's Antiquities Council says the discovery of King Thutmose II's tomb is the first to be unearthed since that of King Tutankhamun's in 1922, over a century ago. It's believed to be the last lost tomb of the kings of the 18th dynasty in Egypt. While the tomb's main passage was discovered two and a half years ago, recent excavation work revealed parts of alabaster vessels inside with inscriptions bearing the King's name along with that of his main royal wife Queen Hatshepsut. King Thutmose II's tomb was found about a mile and a half from the famed Valley of the Kings in Luxor and moved to its

unusual location by the ancient Egyptians after floods. The team of Egyptian and British archaeologists say fragments of the burial chamber's plaster show blue inscriptions and yellow sky stars, as well as excerpts from religious scripture specific to the tombs of pharaohs. A Abel Traoui, Ampere News. President Trump says he may put the U.S. Postal Service under the control of the Commerce Department. The action would amount to an executive branch takeover of the $78 billion a year independent agency. The president made the comments during a swearing-in of the newcomer secretary.

He said it would be a way to stop financial losses at the agency. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.