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

Episode Date: February 24, 2025

NPR News: 02-23-2025 11PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The Trump Administration is putting almost all employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development on paid administrative leave beginning at midnight tonight. And the agency says hundreds of layoffs will follow. NPR's Fatma Tanis reports. America's aid agency has around 4,700 full-time employees. In a memo distributed to agency staff on Sunday afternoon, the administration also announced that a reduction in force would follow with a termination of 1,600 positions. Some exceptions would be made for

mission-critical functions, core leadership, or special designated programs. This is the latest development in the administration's effort to significantly downsize USAID. Before President Trump's inauguration, more than 10,000 people worked there, most of them contractors who've already lost their jobs. On Friday, a federal judge allowed the Trump administration to proceed with its plan to dismantle the agency and put the bulk of USAID staff on leave. Fatma Tanis, NPR News. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he would step down in exchange for a lasting peace or NATO membership for his country.

NPR's Jironek Akissas reports from Kyiv. Speaking to Ukrainian and international media, Zelensky said NATO membership remains the strongest and cheapest way to guarantee Ukraine's security against more Russian attacks. He says he would leave office in exchange for Ukraine's quick entry into the security alliance. If there is peace for Ukraine, I'm ready to leave my position, he says. I focus on Ukraine's security right now, not in 20 years. Both Russia and the Trump administration oppose NATO membership for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelensky also said his team is still working with the

U.S. on a deal to exchange hundreds of billions of dollars in critical raw materials for security guarantees. Zelensky says the deal must be fair to Ukrainians. Joanna Kekises, NPR News, Cave. Tech investors are waiting for a crucial report card on artificial intelligence this week. NPR's Maria Aspin reports the 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. And you're listening to NPR News. Prayers are pouring in from around the world for Pope Francis who remains hospitalized and critical condition in Rome with double pneumonia and signs of mild kidney failure. But as Emperor John Hernandez reports, the Vatican said this morning that the pontiff had a peaceful night. Pope Francis entered the hospital on February 14th after suffering a case of bronchitis. He had been in stable condition but a polymicrobial infection required him

to remain in the hospital. The 88-year-old later developed bilateral pneumonia, for which he's receiving supplemental oxygen. Francis has also gotten blood transfusions to treat a low platelet count. The Vatican announced that a new round of testing showed, quote, early mild renal insufficiency, but that it was under control. Francis was elected Pope in 2013. Joe Hernandez NPR News. Tens of thousands of people turned out Sunday for the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. He was killed five months ago in an Israeli airstrike. His death was a major blow to the Iran-backed group. Israeli warplanes flew at low altitude over Beirut as

Nasrallah's coffin was carried at the site of the funeral. Captain America Brave New World has come back down to Earth in its second weekend on North American movie screens. In its debut last week, the movie earned $100 million over four days, but this week it brought in just $28.2 million in ticket sales. That was still good enough for first place though. The Stephen King adaptation The Monkey was in second with $14.2 million in North American theaters, and Paddington in Peru was third with $6.5 million.

I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.