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

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

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My defining characteristic for him is love. I'm Jesse Thorne on Bullseye Kelsey Grammar on the thing that makes Frazier Frazier. That he loves so deeply that it almost harpoons him. Plus sideshow Bob, cheers, and so much more. On Bullseye for MaximumFun.org and NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The Trump administration is backing off a requirement that federal workers respond to an emailed request to list five things they accomplished last week. Some agency officials had pushed back against the directive announced by billionaire Elon

Musk. More from NPR's Shannon Bond. The government-wide email sent on Saturday gave federal workers until Monday night to send their lists. But as that deadline loomed, some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, State, and Energy, told staff not to respond. Other departments gave conflicting guidance, leaving employees confused about whether and how to comply. Late Monday afternoon, the Office of Personnel Management, which sent the email, told agencies that responses are voluntary and that not responding would not be considered a resignation.

That contradicts claims by President Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, that federal workers who do not reply to the email are at risk of losing their jobs. Shannon Bond, NPR News. Shannon Bond, NPR News. The Trump administration is developing plans to build detention facilities on U.S. military bases to house migrants. Details from NPR's Joel Rose. The Department of Homeland Security is asking the Defense Department for help detaining immigrants without legal status. That request is laid out in a memo from DHS that was obtained

by NPR. The plan would begin with a deportation hub at Fort Bliss, near El Paso, that could eventually hold as many as 10,000 immigrants, and could serve as a model for as many as 10 other holding facilities on bases in New Jersey, Florida, Utah, Wyoming, and elsewhere. The request is still in the planning stages, according to a DoD official who was not authorized to speak publicly, but if activated, it could dramatically expand detention capacity to support President Trump's push for mass deportations. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. French leader Emmanuel Macron says it is crucial that Ukraine not be required to surrender

as part of any peace deal with Russia. Meanwhile, President Trump says he believes Russian President Putin would accept the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine, the two leaders met today at the White House. There's finally some good news about the current flu season. As NPR's Rob Stein reports, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the surge in flu cases may finally be waning. According to the CDC data, the rate at which people are getting treated by a doctor for the flu or ending up in the hospital looks like it has finally started to decrease,

after rising sharply for weeks. But lots of people are still getting hit by the flu in the worst flu season in seven years. In fact, doctors around the country are reporting that kids may be developing neurological complications from the flu more than usual this year. Experts say it's still not too late to get a flu shot. Rob Stein, NPR News. On Wall Street, stocks close mostly lower, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 33 points.

This is NPR. Weeks after its second bankruptcy filing in less than one year, Ohio-based Joanne Fabrics is going out of business. The 80-year-old Fabrics and Crafts chain initially said it would keep stores open during a planned restructuring. It now says its locations will be shut down and that a disposition company will oversee the liquidation of Joanne's remaining assets.

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark meeting in biology when scientists gathered to discuss the potential dangers of mixing DNA from different sources. NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boysch reports that hundreds of researchers are back at the same spot to talk about the latest science into genetic engineering. Back when the tools for combining DNA from different life forms were brand new, concerns about unintended consequences led scientists to call for an unusual moratorium. In February of 1975, they gathered in a conference center at a Silimar State Beach in California

and hammered out safeguards to let lab work with recombinant DNA go forward. The anniversary is being observed this week by researchers, historians, and others who are meeting at the same place. They're pondering the future of genetic engineering and the risks posed by advances like synthetic cells and artificial intelligence. Nell Greenfield, Boyce, NPR News. Nell Greenfield, Boyce, NPR News.

U.S. futures are flat in after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia Pacific, market shares are lower, down 1 percent in Tokyo. I'm Shea Stevens. This is NPR News. Whatever your job is, wherever you're This is NPR News.