NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

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Noor Rahm, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. As the Trump administration continues to trim the federal workforce, an email asking workers to document what they did in the past week is causing confusion across agencies. NPR's Shannon Bond reports. The email sent by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday told workers to list five things they accomplished in the past week, but not to share any classified information. In a post on X, White House adviser Elon Musk said failure to respond to the email would

be taken as a resignation. But many federal workers were left confused as supervisors gave conflicting advice. Defense Department staff were told to wait for internal guidance before replying. At the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, officials told employees the email was a, quote, valid request. The OPM email gives workers until Monday night to respond. Shannon Bond, NPR News. In a rare move, Israel says it's deploying tanks in the occupied West Bank and the military plans to remain in several refugee camps there for the next year. Israel's defense minister also said tens of thousands of Palestinians who fled those areas

in recent weeks will not be allowed to return. NPR's Kat Lanzdorf reports. Defense Minister Israel Katz made the announcement as Israeli military tanks were preparing to enter the Jenin refugee camp, a built-up urban area in the northern part of the West Bank. It's the first time tanks have been deployed to the West Bank in more than two decades. Israel says this is a counter-terrorism operation. It started in Jenin more than a month ago

and has since spread to other refugee camps like Tulkaram and North Shams. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced. Many fled without belongings and have been living in makeshift conditions for weeks. Kat says that the Israeli military will continue to quote clear the refugee camps. Palestinian leaders fear that this might allow for Israel to begin to annex parts of the West Bank. Kat Lonsdorf, MPR News, Tel Aviv. Tens of thousands of people gathered

in Beirut today for a funeral for Hassan Nasrallah, nearly five months after the Hezbollah leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Voters in Germany head to the polls today to take part in a national parliamentary election that will lead to a change in government. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports from Berlin. Today's election was supposed to happen later this year, but in November, the government of Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed over a debate on how to revive Europe's biggest economy. Voter Sabina Pagel says this election is a crucial one for Germany. Politicians in the press make a big deal about immigration, said Pagel, but the real issues

are the economy, the gap between the rich and poor, the war in Ukraine, and the fact that the world is splitting apart. Latest polling data shows a center-right Christian Democratic Union Party as the most likely to emerge as a top vote getter and be in the position of forming a coalition government. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. This is NPR News. The Vatican says Pope Francis remains in critical condition today, but he had a peaceful night. He's been in the hospital since February 14th with respiratory problems and has since been

diagnosed with pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff had part of one lung removed as a young man. Tech investors are awaiting a crucial report card on artificial intelligence this week. As NPR's Maria Aspin reports, chip company NVIDIA will report its quarterly earnings on Wednesday. The AI arms race has made NVIDIA into one of the most valuable companies in the world. Large tech companies are investing tens of billions

into AI infrastructure, including NVIDIA's computing chips. But last month, a Chinese startup called DeepSeek rattled tech investors and made them question all this spending. After DeepSeek unveiled a lower-cost AI model, tech stocks plunged. Nvidia alone lost more than half a trillion dollars in market value, a record one-day loss.

The company's shares have since mostly recovered, but investors will be watching Nvidia's earnings for reassurance that demand for its chips remains high, and that the tech industry's AI spending will eventually pay off. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. Michaela Schifrin won her 100th Alpine Skiing World Cup today. She's the first skier, male or female, to reach triple digits in World Cup race victories. She finished the slalom.61 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. She came back after she crashed during a giant slalom race in Vermont in November and had

just returned to skiing last month. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.