NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-25-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

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Whatever your job is, wherever you're from, NPR is a resource for all Americans. Our mission is to create a more informed public. We do that by providing free access to independent, rigorous journalism that's accountable to the public. Federal funding for public media provides critical support of this work. Learn more about how to safeguard it at ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. how to safeguard it at ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Matiglay. President Trump says he's hopeful Russia's war in Ukraine could end within weeks. Trump was speaking at the White House yesterday after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

They met on the three-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump also says he believes Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, might soon travel to Washington to sign a deal giving the U.S. access to the country's minerals. Trump is pushing the idea as a way for Kyiv to help repay some of the billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Ukraine since that war began. The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution drafted by the U.S. that takes a neutral stance on Russia's war in Ukraine, as Linda Fasula reports five European Council members abstained from yesterday's vote.

The three-paragraph, legally binding Security Council resolution mourns the loss of life in the war and reiterates that the U. the UN's purpose is to maintain international peace and settle disputes. It also calls for a swift end to the ongoing conflict and a lasting peace. It does not allude to Russia's invasion of Ukraine or Kiev's territorial integrity as the Europeans wanted. US acting ambassador Dorothy Shea said the resolution quote, puts us on the path to peace. Russia's U.N. ambassador called it a starting point for future efforts towards a peaceful settlement. Earlier Monday, the U.S. did not support, as it had previously

done, a General Assembly nonbinding resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. For NPR News, Linda Fasulo in New York. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be visiting the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay today. It marks his first trip to the island since joining the Trump administration, as NPR's Sasha Pfeiffer reports. The Pentagon says while at Guantanamo, Hegseth will be briefed on operations at the base,

including at the detention facility and prison complex where the administration has been holding migrants deported from the United States. The Defense Department says Hegseth will also meet with service members at the base and aboard the USS Thomas Hudner naval destroyer. Back in 2004, Hegseth served at Guantanamo for about a year when he was a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard. Now he'll be the second senior Trump administration official to visit Guantanamo this month. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled there a few weeks ago. Sasha Pfeiffer, NPR News.

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square last night to pray for Pope Francis. The 88-year-old pontiff remains in critical condition at a hospital in Rome where he's being treated for pneumonia in both lungs. He's been hospitalized for more than a week and a half. Doctors say the pope is showing slight improvement. This is NPR News from Washington. Sections of an elevated highway under construction in South Korea collapsed today, killing at least four workers and injuring six others.

The sections gave way about 45 miles south of Seoul. At least one video shows two sections of the bridge toppling to the ground from about 160 feet in the air. It's unclear what triggered that collapse. A new study from a team of scientists in California offers new evidence of a possible lost ocean on Mars and a goof with member station KQED reports. Billions of years ago when Mars had a thicker atmosphere and a warmer climate, abundant water likely blanketed the planet. A new study found signs of waves, sand, and a shoreline on the red planet, suggesting that the water there was an ancient ocean. UC Berkeley's

Michael Manga and his colleagues analyzed data from a Chinese rover on Mars, probing below the surface with the radar. This is the first time we've really looked underground with this resolution. We identified old beaches beneath the surface of Mars that record the past existence of a huge ocean. The researchers say their new study strengthens the case for past life on Mars. For NPR News, I'm Anna Guth in San Francisco. Crafts and fabric retailer Joanne says it's going to close all of its roughly 800 stores

across the U.S. after being unable to find a buyer. The announcement comes about a month after Joanne filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a second time. The company has about 19,000 employees, most of them part-timers. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington.