NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-22-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Israel says it's intensifying its military operation in the occupied West Bank after multiple buses exploded in the Tel Aviv area. The buses were empty at the time. There were no injuries. But as NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports, Israeli officials are considering it a major attack. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz visited Israeli troops in the Tokarim refugee camp, a major Palestinian urban area currently besieged by the Israeli military. Katz said the visit was to quote, send a clear message to terrorists.

Yesterday's serious attempted attacks against civilians will not deter us, he said. Both Netanyahu and Katz told troops there that reinforcements are being sent. This current Israeli military operation in the West Bank began a month ago in Jenin, a longtime militant stronghold, but also a major city home to many families and civilians. It has since spread to several other areas. Israel says the purpose is counterterrorism. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN. At least 75, including multiple children, have been killed.

Kat Lonsdorf, MPR News, Tel Aviv. The day began in the region 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. Several hundred employees at FEMA were fired this past week, part of the Trump administration's layoffs of federal employees. Disaster experts say this could hurt.

NPR's Lauren Summer reports. FEMA has fired more than 200 employees, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. That includes new employees who took their jobs over the last year, and also long-time employees who recently took promotions. Disaster experts say that could hamper FEMA's ability to help communities hit by hurricanes, floods and wildfires. The agency deploys hundreds of staff when a disaster hits to sign up victims for financial

assistance. Government reports show the agency is already thousands of people short of its hiring goals and in major disasters has to rely on other federal agencies for staffing. Lauren Summer, NPR News. Carnival season is officially underway in the city of New Orleans amid multiple new security measures to keep partygoers safe. Traffic obstacles have been augmented after a New Year's Day vehicle attack. New Orleans Police Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick. It's weaving around barricades that will slow anybody down who thinks they're gonna use a vehicle as a weapon.

The National Guard will be standing by for the popular Mardi Gras festivities as will bomb sniffing dogs. The city's emergency operations center will be open around the clock. Items like coolers and ice chests will be prohibited in certain areas. This is NPR News. An acute heat wave in South Sudan has led authorities to close all schools for two weeks. In Juba City, officials say an average of 12 students every day had been collapsing. Most schools there are makeshift structures of iron sheets and have no electricity for air conditioning. The country's been struggling with the severe effects of climate change, including floods

and searing heat. Residents have been urged to stay indoors and drink water. It could be as hot as 107 degrees. In New York City, a pastor in Harlem is battling the stigma around mental health in his community and congregation. NPR's Katie Riddle reports. Pastor Michael Walron says black communities are especially vulnerable to misconceptions about mental health. It becomes, well, you know, so-and-so, and the language we use, well, so-and-so, you know, they crazy, or so-and-so is psycho,

or there's the language that makes it so that people don't want to talk about it, because no one wants to be labeled as, quote-unquote, crazy, right? At his church, Firstst Corinthian Baptist, Wahlrand regularly talks about his own mental health struggles. He tells his congregation, asking for help is a sign of strength. Katie O'Riddle, NPR News, Harlem. There are more houses to choose from, but sales of previously occupied homes in the U.S. fell

last month. The National Association of Realtors reports existing home sales in January were down almost 5% from December. The group says rising home prices and mortgage rates discouraged purchases. The national median sales price rose to $396,900 a month.