NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C. on Saturday. He received a warm welcome when he told the crowd that nobody has ever seen anything like his administration's first month in office. NPR's Stephen Fowler was at the event and says it was a celebration of all things Trump. It's unlike anything else in politics. I mean, there were multiple cardboard cutouts of Trump

and the MyPillow founder, Mike Lindell, that people were lining up to take selfies with. There was merchandise simultaneously calling the January 6th, 2021 insurrection a Fed surrection, implying that it was a setup and also celebrating people as political prisoners. And it felt like every third person that was attending was somebody who was either present at, supportive of, or pardoned for their actions on January 6th.

That's NPR's Stephen Fowler. Federal employees are being sent an email this weekend that asks them to outline what work they did over the past week. If they do not respond according to the email they'll risk losing their jobs. Employees at a number of agencies have confirmed they received the email which was sent from the Office of Personnel Management they have until Monday night to respond. The shutoff of funding by the US Agency for International Development continues to take a toll. Now it's forcing major lay offs at a Washington DC think tank that monitors democracy overseas. MPR's Frank Lankford reports. Freedom House, which does an annual analysis

of political freedom around the world, plans to lay off 76 people at its headquarters here by mid-April. The organization receives most of its funding from the federal government. Freedom House, along with the National Endowment for Democracy, is among a number of pro-democracy organizations that are laying off

or furloughing workers because of the funding halt. A federal district judge has twice ordered USAID democracy organizations that are laying off or furloughing workers because of the funding halt. A federal district judge has twice ordered USAID to restart millions in payments to the organizations, but the Trump administration says it has the right to cancel contract grants one by one. Lawyers for the organizations have asked the judge to find the government in contempt of court, potentially setting the stage for a constitutional crisis. That's NPR's Frank Lankford reporting.

Stocks fell this week. As Americans got more gloomy about the economic outlook in the country, NPR's Scott Horsley has our reports. The University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment shows people are increasingly nervous about a rebound in inflation. Some worry that President Trump's threats to impose big tariffs could make it harder to bring prices under control. Minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting show that until there's more progress on inflation, Fed policymakers are unlikely

to make further cuts to interest rates. High mortgage rates continue to weigh on the housing market, which also drags down demand for furniture and appliances. Stocks fell after retail giant Walmart warned of a possible slowdown in sales this year. For the week, the S&P 500 index fell one and two-thirds percent, while both the Dow and the Nasdaq dropped two and a half percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. And you're listening to NPR News. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that's been in place for a month appears to have

stalled. After Hamas released six Israeli hostages early Saturday morning, Israel refused to the agreed release of 620 Palestinian prisoners in return. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the prisoners will not be released until the return of more Israeli hostages is assured. Hamas, meanwhile, is condemning the decision and accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal. The Trump administration cut off funding last week to legal services for unaccompanied minors who entered the U.S. Now the Interior Department, which provides funding for the program, has rescinded its stop work order. Texas Public Radio's Paul

Flaff reports. The Acacia Center for Justice, the prime contract holder for the unaccompanied minors' attorney, says it's been notified it can get back to work. Acacia Center CEO Sh, the prime contract holder for the unaccompanied minors' attorney, says it's been notified it can get back to work. Acacia Center CEO Shana Abert says it's a huge relief. I honestly burst into tears. I have two young kids. I have elementary school age boys, and I've been up at night for the last 48 hours just thinking about kids, kids arriving in court without lawyers.

The nonprofit program's contract is up for renewal at the end of next month, and Abert says she won't speculate on what the Trump administration may do, but she said she hopes the groundswell of support she witnessed from the community and Congress sent a message. I'm Paul Flav in San Antonio. A police officer was killed Saturday morning after confronting a gunman in a York, Pennsylvania hospital who had taken staffers hostage in the intensive care unit. The gunman was also killed while five other people were wounded. Officials say 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel Ortiz was holding a female staff member at

gunpoint when the shooting began. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.