NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-23-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

NPR News: 02-23-2025 6PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. Several federal government agencies, including the State Department, the FBI, and the Pentagon, have told their staff not to comply yet with an email telling them to summarize their work accomplishments for the past week. Billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk says the government workers have to comply or they risk losing their jobs. The email went out to federal workers yesterday with the deadline of midnight tomorrow. It's part of President Trump and Musk's efforts to cut the size of the federal government. The legality of the request though is questionable and many federal workers are covered by civil

service protections that prevent them from being fired without cause. Top military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown Jr., and chief of naval operations, Lisa Franketti, were fired late Friday. President Trump's defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is now defending the move while a top Democrat calls foul. And here's Luke Garrett has more. Defense Secretary Hegseth told Fox News Sunday that the military firings were not personal or political. I have a lot of respect for CQ Brown.

I got to know him over the course of a month. He's an honorable man, not the right man for the moment. Hegseth says President Trump deserves to nominate his own defense team, including his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Air Force Lieutenant General John Dan Raisen-Kane. The president respects leaders who untie the hands of warfighters in a very dangerous world. I think Dan Kane's the man to meet the moment. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a veteran, criticized the firings on ABC's This Week.

Apparently, what Trump and Hec says they're trying to do is to politicize the Department of Defense. Kane will need to earn Senate approval. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky says he would step down in exchange for a lasting peace or NATO membership for his country. NPR's Joanna Kikissas reports from Kyiv, Zelensky made the comments at a wide-ranging press conference as Ukraine marks three years since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Speaking to Ukrainian and international media, Zelensky said NATO membership remains the strongest and cheapest way to guarantee Ukraine's security against more Russian attacks. He says he would leave office in exchange for Ukraine's quick entry into the security alliance. exchange for Ukraine's quick entry into the security alliance. If there is peace for Ukraine, I'm ready to leave my position," he says. I focus on Ukraine's security right now, not in 20 years. Both Russia and the Trump administration oppose NATO membership for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelensky also said his team is still working with the U.S. on a deal to exchange hundreds of billions of dollars in critical raw materials for security guarantees.

Zelensky says the deal must be fair to Ukrainians. Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kiev. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. In Beirut, thousands paid their last respects to the slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The Iranian-backed group held an elaborate funeral in a large crowded stadium with many more mourners outside, some carrying photos of the former Hezbollah leader. Nasrallah was killed in September after Israel dropped 80 bombs on his bunker in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israel and Hezbollah

agreed to a ceasefire in November, ending the months-long war, but Israel continues to strike what it calls Hezbollah targets. New York Yankees players may look a little hairier this season, as because of the changes to the team's famously strict beard policy, which had been in place for 49 years. MPR's Shier-Stuster has more on the reason for the rule change. New York Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced the team will no longer prohibit facial hair such as beards. He said he came to the conclusion after speaking with current and former players, and that he worried the old policy was keeping them from recruiting star players.

I did make the decision that the policy that was in place was outdated and given how important it is to that generation and given that it is the norm in this world today, that it was somewhat unreasonable. He added that there will be parameters for the new policy and that he told players it's going to be a well-groomed clean look. Chandelis Duster, NPR News. And I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.