NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Doctors for Pope Francis say that he is in critical condition with a complex lung infection. The Vatican reports the 88-year-old pontiff had a peaceful night following an asthmatic respiratory crisis and blood transfusion Saturday. Doctors are treating the pope with high flows of oxygen to help him breathe as he battles pneumonia along with a lung infection. Of high concern to the Pope's medical team is the possibility of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can result from pneumonia.

President Trump took a victory lap among his supporters meeting in Washington at the conservative political action conference outside Washington, D.C., declaring that nobody's ever seen anything like his sweeping actions to remove federal employees and shrink the size of government. Later, speaking at the National Governors Association dinner at the White House, the president said his tough stand on immigration has already had a significant impact. All countries are now taking their illegal aliens back, even those that stated strongly, we will never take them back.

Don't ever send them to us. Trump noted he had designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. An email asking federal 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. In Lebanon today, the militant group Hezbollah is making final preparations for the delayed burial of leader Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah was killed in a September Israeli airstrike in Beirut. NPR's Jawad Rizkallah has more from Beirut.

Officials say they are expecting more than 100,000 people from dozens of countries to attend the funeral of Akih Hezbollah founder. The ceremony will be held in Beirut's biggest sports stadium. His body will then be transported to a newly constructed glass and marble shrine in Beirut's southern suburbs. Nasrallah was on the US terrorism list, but for millions of Shia Muslims, he is considered a hero who forced Israel to withdraw 25 years ago, ending its nearly two-decade occupation of south Lebanon. Officials from Iran and other countries are expected to attend the funeral.

Lebanon has said it will close the airport during the event for security reasons. Jawad Rizqallah, NPR News, Beirut. This is NPR News in Washington. New data from the CDC shows Puerto Rico reported a huge increase in cases of dengue fever last year. The island had nearly 6,300 cases of the mosquito-borne illness. NPR's Maria Godoy has more. There were nearly five times as many cases of dengue in Puerto Rico last year compared

to the year before. So many that by late March, the island issued a public health emergency. The CDC says about half of the people who came down with dengue were hospitalized, and a little over 4% experienced severe illness. 11 people died. Dengue continues to spread in Puerto Rico. Symptoms of mild dengue include fever, rash,

and muscle aches. Local health authorities have extended an outbreak declaration to the end of March of this year. The CDC says people who live in or visit Puerto Rico should take steps to prevent mosquito bites, such as wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants and using insect repellent. Maria Gadoy, NPR News. Former Vice President Kamala Harris last night accepted the NAACP Chairman's Award at the organization's Image Awards in Los Angeles.

She told the audience the story of America continues to be written not by the rich but by the people. It was her first major public appearance since her failed bid for the presidency. The 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards begin at 8 Eastern. Tonight will be streamed live on Netflix. They could offer some clues about outcomes in this year's unpredictable Oscars race. The BAFTAs, the Producer's Guild Awards, the Director's Guild, and the Golden Globes have already weighed in.

I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.