NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-22-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Hamas Early Today released five of six Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails. That's the largest number of Palestinian prisoners to be released at once since the beginning of the ceasefire, which began in January. NPR's Hadil al-Shalshi has details on the releases as the day began. To chance of God is great in Rafah, Hamas Gunman led 40-year-old Tal Shoham and 39-year-old Avera Mangistu to a stage. NPR Gaza producer Enes Baba was at

the scene. And those are the cheers of the crowds that at the meantime seeing the ICRC official, which is checking at the meantime on the health and the identity of two of the Israeli hostages. Shaham, an Austrian Israeli, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Berry on October 7, 2023. Mangistu, an Ethiopian Israeli, has been in captivity for almost 10 years when he crossed into Gaza himself. The men are two of six Israeli hostages Hamas promised to release this weekend. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President Trump has fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General

Charles Q. Brown Jr. Trump said he'd be nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Cain to succeed Brown as the nation's highest-rank ranking military officer. NPR's Tom Bowman reports the Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti is also being replaced. I've been covering the military for 27 years now. This is highly unusual that early into an administration you would remove the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and also the Chief of Naval Operations. Clearly, the Trump administration and Secretary Haggis have long said,

the military is woke. It's all about DEI. And it's clearly important to note that this is the second black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after Colin Powell and Lisa Franketti is the first woman to run the Navy. So it appears that what they're basically saying here is the first woman to run the Navy. So it appears that what they're basically saying here is these folks got their jobs because of DEI. There's no question about that. NPR's Tom Bowman.

President Trump's moves to slash the federal workforce and make diversity policy-related changes in military leadership, as well as his handling of foreign policy and the economy are having an impact. NPR's Domenico Montanaro reports. The bottom line is that it looks like leadership as well as his handling of foreign policy and the economy are having an impact and PR's Domenico Montanaro reports. The bottom line is that it looks like that the honeymoon for Trump appears to be over.

The country has largely always been split on Trump, slight majority disapproving. And that's what we saw in back to back polls with CNN and Washington Post Ipsos. People were split on Trump's approach to the presidency, uh, uh, approach to immigration, rather, but both polls found a majority think that he's exceeding his power as president. CNN's poll also found that 62% think that he hasn't done enough to reduce the price of goods. NPR's Domenico Montanaro, this is NPR News. Citing the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech, the Associated Press is suing Trump administration officials over access to presidential events. For almost two weeks, the AP's journalists have been blocked from White House access because the news organization uses the name Gulf of Mexico

instead of Trump's new name for it under an executive order, Gulf of America. The AP is seeking relief in US District Court in Washington. Doctors for Pope Francis say he's not in mortal danger, but he's not fully out of the woods. Two spoke at a press conference in the Rome hospital where the pontiff is being treated. NPR's Sarah Ventry reports. The doctors said the pope would be hospitalized for at least the entirety of next week.

Though one doctor also said he was confident Francis would leave the hospital at some point and return to the Vatican. They also said he is struggling with breathing, though he is not attached to a ventilator. Earlier this week it was announced that the 88-year-old suffered from a double pneumonia following bronchitis. At that time, the Vatican said his condition continued to present a, quote, complex picture. Francis had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man and is prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter.

Now, doctors say their greatest fear is that he could develop sepsis. Sarah Ventry, NPR News. PepsiCo CEO Ramon LaGuarda has notified employees the company is rolling back some of its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In Atlanta, meanwhile, Coca-Cola told its shareholders it is reaffirming support for diversity efforts. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.