NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

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Noor Rahm 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. The FBI director also told employees to hold off on responding, according to a bureau source

who's not authorized to speak publicly. The State Department also told employees they aren't required to respond, that the department would answer on their behalf. Vivek Ramaswamy is set to announce his campaign for Ohio governor tomorrow. Most recently, he co-led the unit known as the Department of Government Efficiency. NPR's Luke Garrett reports. Luke Garrett- Ramaswamy, a 39-year-old Ohio native, is making his announcement in Cincinnati Monday night and then touring the Buckeye State. He ran for president in 2024 that endorsed Trump early on in the campaign and briefly co-led Doge with Elon Musk. Ramoswami told NBC News he decided to leave Doge in order to focus on his campaign for governor. But

he said as governor, he would bring, quote, the principles of efficiency and spending and deregulation to our state. Current Republican Governor Mike DeWine is term limited and Ramoswami is set to face Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who has already entered the race for governor. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Early projections of Germany's national parliamentary election show that Frederick Meyers, the candidate for the center-right Christian Democrats, is poised to become the country's next chancellor. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports. Exit polls show Merz's center-right block secured 29% of the vote, emerging as the

biggest vote-getter, nearly 10% ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AFD. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's social Democrats were in third place with 16%. It's too early to tell whether Merz's social Democrats were in third place with 16%. It's too early to tell whether the mayor's Christian Democrats will govern with one other party or two. This hinges on whether the Libertarian Free Democrats, which up to November had been part of Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition government, were able to get enough votes to cross the five percent threshold to enter parliament.

Exit polling shows that the free Democrats only receive 4.9%. If that sticks, it could mean that the Christian Democrats and the social Democrats would have enough votes to form a two-party coalition government. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. This is NPR News. The Vatican has issued another status report on Pope Francis, hospitalized with pneumonia and a complex lung infection. It said the 88-year-old pontiff remains alert and well-oriented, that he hasn't had any more respiratory crises since last night, and he's still receiving high flows of supplemental

oxygen. The pope remains in critical condition. The first and only museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci in the United States is scheduled to open in the fall. As NPR's Chloe Feldman reports, it will be located in southern Colorado. The Colorado Economic Development Commission greenlit plans to open the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of North America in Pueblo, Colorado. According to a statement, the new museum will feature life-size machine replicas based on the famous Renaissance artists' sketches,

science-related exhibitions and interactive displays. There will also be a cafe. Pueblo is a city of just over 110,000 people. The local economy long focused on steel but Pueblo has been working to reinvent itself. In a report for KOAA News 5, Craig Elliott Chisney, vice president of the museum's board, defended the choice of location. A lot of people say why Pueblo and we say why not Pueblo. Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked in Florence, Italy, where the main da Vinci Museum is located and his art can be found in major capitals like Paris and London.

Chloe Valtman, NPR News. Michaela Schifrin won her 100th Alpine Skiing World Cup today. She's the first skier, male NPR News.