NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-24-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: February 24, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Washington for talks with President Trump. European leaders are alarmed at Trump's growing closeness to Russia. And Piers Joanna Kikissus reports Ukrainian President Zelensky says he wants to work with all partners toward peace. President Zelensky says he wants a fair and just peace for Ukraine, but Ukraine cannot protect itself without allies. Zelensky continues to work with the Trump administration on a deal that would give the

U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars of Ukraine's critical raw materials in exchange for security guarantees. Today, he's welcoming a dozen world leaders to the Capitol to mark three years of Russia's full-scale war, and among them are European Union leaders who see Russia as a threat not only to Ukraine but to all of Europe. And Piers Joanna Kikissis reporting. Israel has deployed tanks in the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than 20 years. They're in the northern city of Jenin. This comes as Israel's defense minister announced tens of thousands of Palestinians who fled won't be allowed to return. And Piers-Kat Lonsdorf reports from outside Jenin.

Sana'a Ashrim fled her home in the Jenin refugee camp with her family and one-month-old granddaughter weeks ago, when Israeli troops entered her neighborhood. They left in a hurry, with barely any belongings. Now they're living in a school outside the city. I'm so stressed, she says. I miss my home. I keep asking, when can we go back? More than 40,000 Palestinians have fled the violence in the West Bank, as Israel has intensified

what it calls a counterterrorism operation. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz announced over the weekend that troops will remain in several areas for the coming year, and continue to quote clear refugee camps. Palestinian leaders worry this could lead to Israel annexing parts of the West Bank. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Janine. Federal employees across the US government got an email over the weekend asking them to account for their work activity last week. It's part of the push to slash federal spending by Elon Musk and his Doge unit. Musk suggested that workers who don't respond will lose their jobs.

As NPR's Emma Bowman reports, some employees are being told not to reply. Workers were asked to provide five bullet points that outlined their accomplishments the previous week and to cc their managers. The Saturday notice was sent by the Office of Personnel Management. Suzanne Summerlin, a federal sector labor attorney in Washington, D.C., says that office has no authority to manage employees of federal agencies other than its own. This is a violation of collective bargaining laws, unfair labor practice laws. Some supervisors told workers to wait to answer the email until they hear more.

Others said the OPM email is a valid request. These kinds of mixed messages have added to workers' frustration. Emma Bowman, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow is up 30 points. This is NPR. Singer Roberta Flack has died, according to a representative. No cause of death was given, but in 2022, Flack announced she was diagnosed with ALS. She broke into stardom in the 70s with hits such as,

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly with His Song. Roberta Flack was 88 years old. A measles outbreak has grown to at least 90 cases in West Texas. Now, health officials in central Texas are warning of possible exposures there. Texas public radio's Marianne Navarro reports it's the largest measles outbreak in Texas in 30 years. A person with measles from Gaines County in West Texas traveled to San Antonio, San Marcos, and New Braunfels earlier this month. Health officials say the individual visited two major universities, restaurants, a large travel center, and the San Antonio Riverwalk, one of the nation's busiest tourist attractions.

There have been no confirmed cases in central Texas so far, but health officials say anyone who may have been exposed to the highly contagious disease should monitor for symptoms. Nearly all of the infections are in unvaccinated people. Measles cases have also been confirmed in neighboring New Mexico. I'm Marianne Navarro in San Antonio. American skier Michaela Schifrin won her 100th World Cup race yesterday. She has also tied an all-time World Cup record for women and men. Schifrin is now finished in one of the top three places in 155 races in which she has

competed. Yesterday's win comes after Schifrin suffered a major injury in a ski racing crash last November. I'm Corva Kuhlmann, NPR News.