NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have 48 hours to explain what they accomplished in their jobs over the last week or risk being fired. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports that the move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to slash the government workforce. Federal workers were sent an email on Saturday asking them to provide bullet points summarizing what they accomplished in their jobs last week.

President Trump's cost-cutting chief, Elon Musk, posted on social media that failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. Musk has been leading a massive effort to cut back on what the Trump administration calls wasteful spending. In a statement, the American Federation of Government Employees said Musk and the Trump administration have once again shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the

critical services they provide. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. 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 walked into a hospital intensive care unit on Saturday and took some employees hostage. The man was killed in a shootout with police. A police officer was also killed and five people were injured, including three hospital workers. Governor Josh Shapiro says the response to the incident was swift. three hospital workers. Governor Josh Shapiro says the response to the incident was swift. My office has been in direct communication with the White House all day today. We want to thank President Trump and his administration for their concern for our community. We have all the resources that we need. Officials have not said what prompted the incident. NBC has settled a defamation suit filed by a Georgia gynecologist who had been falsely labeled a uterus collector.

NPR's David Fulkenflick says the segments aired on the shows of MSNBC stars Nicole Wallace, Chris Hayes, and Rachel Maddow. The coverage at issue kicked off in September 2020 after advocacy groups presented a whistleblower complaint to federal authorities. The whistleblower was a former nurse at a facility run by Immigrations and Customs

Enforcement. She alleged the doctor had performed mass hysterectomies. The presiding judge ruled in June that, quote, the undisputed evidence establishes that multiple NBC statements are false and found that the plaintiff, Dr. Mahendra Amin, had performed only two hysterectomies there. NBC was not protected by the fact it was relaying false claims by others, the judge noted. The announcement in court papers of the settlement follows a number of high-profile settlements of cases by media companies, several involving President Trump. David Folkenflick, NPR News.

Election polls are now open in Germany, where voters will be choosing their new government this weekend. The campaign has been dominated by worries about the continuing stagnation in what is Europe's biggest economy. The center-right opposition is favored to win and polls show a possible strong showing for the country's far-right party as well. You're listening to NPR News. A cholera outbreak in the southern Sudan city of Costias killed more than 50 people and sickened some 1,300 others over the past three days. Health officials say the primary source of the outbreak was contaminated drinking water. The city's water treatment plant was damaged by an attack by a paramilitary group.

The first and only museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci in the United States is scheduled to open in the fall. As St.Pierre's Chloe Veltman 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 this week. According to a statement, the new museum will feature life-size machine replicas based on the famous Renaissance artist's sketches, science-related exhibitions and interactive displays. There will also be a cafe. Pueblo is a city of just over a hundred

and ten thousand 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.

Rose Byrne was named best performer this weekend at the Berlin International Film Festival for her role as an overwhelmed mother in the movie If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You. Andrew Scott, meanwhile, won as supporting performer for playing composer Richard Rogers in the movie Blue Moon. The Norwegian film Dreams, Sex, Love won the Golden Bear for Best Movie. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.