NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-24-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

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This message comes from Wondery. At 24 years old, Monika Lewinsky was in a scandal that defined who she was for the entire world. And now she's ready to draw from her own experience on what it means to redefine yourself on her new podcast, Reclaiming with Monika Lewinsky. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. French President Emmanuel Macron was at the White House today looking to show there was still solidarity between President Trump and European allies when it comes to Ukraine. NPR's Marla Iason reports the meeting comes on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While Macron spoke about the need for any peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine to have security guarantees, which would include European peacekeeping troops and an American backup, Trump didn't talk about any role for the US to guarantee the peace. He did say he would end the war soon. I've spoken to President Putin and my people are dealing with him constantly and his people in particular and they want to do something. I mean, that's what I do. I do deals.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. made a stunning break with its allies at the United Nations, voting with North Korea, Iran, and Russia against a resolution that marked the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mara Liason, NPR News. With a deadline fast approaching for federal workers to submit their weekly list of accomplishments or risk being fired, the Office of Personal Management sent a message

to the federal workforce today saying the reporting is voluntary. Health and Human Services workers were told in an email if they did choose to respond, they should, quote, assume that what you write will be read by blind foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly. Other agencies, including the State Department, National Intelligence, and the FBI,

also told employees not to respond to the email sent over the weekend by Elon Musk and endorsed by President Trump. The Trump administration has placed thousands of USAID workers on paid administrative leave. Some are speaking out about the impact of the disruption. Chris Wemington, remember station WAMU as more. Liz is a 16 year USAID employee who spent much of her career

working on youth issues across the developing world. We are using her first name only to protect her from retaliation. She says the effective closure of the agency will have dramatic impacts on global health, like the spread of HIV. If our clinics were open, we could have prevented the transmission from mother to newborn, but we haven't been able to do that. That is a gut punch because it's so easy and it doesn't

cost us a lot of money to save other people's lives. Among the thousands of employees placed on administrative leave, 1,600 positions will be eliminated, according to a memo published on the agency's website. For NPR News, I'm Chris Romington in Washington. A judge hearing the case of the Associated Press versus members of President Trump's staff who barred the news agency from presidential events is declining to immediately reinstate full White House

access. AP sued in federal court. Spute centers on the agency's refusal to conform to Trump's renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The AP cites the fact its audience is global and the waters involved are not only in US territory. Stocks continue to drift for much of today. The Dow is up 33 points. You're listening to NPR. He's had a varied career that's included writing best-selling books, serving as a conservative pundit on TV shows and a popular podcast.

He also ran out successfully for office. Now, it looks like Dan Bongino will have a new job, serving as the FBI Deputy Director. President Trump announcing the appointment of Bongino over the weekend and praising him, saying it's, quote, great news for the nation's law enforcement and judicial system. Bongino joins Cash Patel at the bureau, another staunch Trump loyalist. New tariffs on aluminum and steel set to take effect next month may cause your grocery bill to go up.

As NPR's Joe Hernandez explains, the two materials are used in the packaging of a variety of everyday products. Soups, soda, beer, and more come in aluminum and steel cans, which could become costlier to make under the new tariffs. President Trump announced earlier this month that he would impose the 25 percent tax on imported aluminum and steel beginning in March.

American can makers rely on materials sourced from abroad. According to the Can Manufacturers Institute, 10 percent of aluminum and 70 percent of steel used to make cans in the U.S. come from foreign sources. Food and beverage industry experts say the increased costs of making aluminum and steel cans will likely end up being passed on to consumers. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. Veteran NBC anchor Lester Holt, who's been with the network since 2000, has announced he is stepping down from the flagship nightly news broadcast. Holt who's been in the anchor chair for 10 years plans to remain at the network and setting a note to staff. He intends to expand his duties with

Dateline. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. Donald Trump is back in the White House and making a lot of moves very quickly. Keep track of everything going on in Washington with the NPR Washington.