NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

NPR News: 02-23-2025 1AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have two days to explain what they accomplished in their jobs over the last week or risk being fired. NPR's Emma Bowman reports that the move comes during a massive effort led by tech billionaire Elon Musk to slash the federal workforce. Musk gave notice about the apparent ultimatum hours before it was sent out. Writing on X, he said, quote, failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. The emails were sent by the Office of Personnel Management

and ask workers to reply with a summary of their work by the end of Monday. It's unclear what legal weight the threat carries. Many federal workers have job protections that protect them from being fired without cause. Musk is leading the Doge team, a project to slash federal spending that's behind the recent mass firings of government workers. It's a familiar tactic for Musk. The billionaire pulled a similar move at Tesla and after he bought Twitter where he mandated

weekly reports from his employees on productivity. Emma Bowman, NPR News. Some employees meanwhile are being told by their agencies to wait for internal guidance before they reply to the email. Police in York, Pennsylvania say a gunman entered a hospital's intensive care unit on Saturday and took staff members hostage. He was shot and killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead.

York County District Attorney Tim Barker says, officers did the right thing. It is absolutely clear and beyond any and all doubt that the officers were justified in taking their action and using deadly force. Quite frankly, they needed to use deadly force because by doing so, they potentially saved even more lives. Five other people, including three hospital staff staffers were injured in the shootout.

So far police have offered no motive for the incidents. One airman is dead and another one wounded following a shootout early this morning at an Air Force base in New Mexico. Officials later said the shooting occurred during an off base pursuit and was not a terrorist attack. The Vatican says Pope Francis remains in critical condition after facing a respiratory crisis on Saturday. As NPR's Jason DeRose reports, the 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to a hospital in Rome

last week to be treated for a complex lung infection. The Holy See Press Office says Pope Francis experienced a quote, asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity Saturday morning. The event required the administration of high flow oxygen. The Vatican also says blood tests have revealed a condition called thrombocytopenia, which is associated with anemia. That condition required the 88 year old pope to undergo a blood transfusion. The Vatican press office says Francis remains alert and spent Saturday in an armchair, although

he's more uncomfortable than in recent days. The prognosis, it says, remains guarded. Francis has served as Pope since March of 2013. Jason DeRose, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. Health officials in Sudan say a cholera outbreak in a southern city has killed more than 50 people over the last three days. Some 1,300 others have been sickened. Officials say the outbreak in the city of Kosti occurred primarily because of contaminated drinking water.

A 69-year-old man from Portugal was stabbed to death on Saturday in eastern France. Authorities say three police officers were also injured in that attack. An Algerian man is in custody. Police say he's an Islamic extremist and has a schizophrenic profile. An investigation into the attack is now underway. In New York City, a pastor in Harlem is battling the stigma around mental health in his community and congregation. MPR's Katie Riddle has this report. Pastor Michael Walron says black communities are especially vulnerable to misconceptions about mental health.

It becomes well, you know, so-and-so, the language we use, well, so-and-so, you know, they crazy, or so-and-so is psycho. 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, 1st Corinthians 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. Sean Baker's movie Enora has won best film, best director, and best actor at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film about

a Brooklyn sex worker and a whirlwind affair with a Russian oligarch son has emerged in recent weeks as an awards season front-runner. The awards are considered to be a possible preview of next week's Oscar Awards. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.