NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-25-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

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Planet Money is there. From California's most expensive fires ever. That was my home home. Yeah. I grew up there. It's ashes. To the potentially largest deportation in U.S. history. They're going to come to the businesses. They're going to come to the restaurants. They're going to come here. Planet Money. We go to the places at the center of the story. The Planet Money podcast from NPR.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. There's growing confusion over whether federal employees are required to respond to a government-wide email sent last Saturday asking them to list five accomplishments from the past week. The Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance last night ahead of the midnight deadline. NPR's Kristen Wright reports. The memo from the acting director of OPM says agencies should review responses and evaluate non-responses. The guidance also says agencies should decide whether to take action against employees who don't answer. But earlier Monday, a government memo obtained by NPR indicated

OPM said something different. It was telling agencies that responses were voluntary. Adding to the confusion, over the weekend the departments of State, Defense and Energy told workers not to respond to the what did you do last week email and some agencies gave conflicting guidance. DOJ leader Elon Musk posted on his ex-platform last night, workers have another chance to give their list or will be fired. Kristen Wright, NPR News, Washington. The House meets this morning and is scheduled to take up a budget bill favored by President Trump. That's because it includes spending on all his priorities in a single bill.

Last week, the Senate passed a different version of a budget measure, but it splits Trump's priorities into more than one bill. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be visiting the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay today. It marks his first trip there since joining the Trump administration, NPR's Sasha Pfeiffer has warned. 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. The Vatican says Pope Francis remains in critical condition in a Rome hospital but that he spent a restful night. NPR's Fatima al-Khassab has more from Rome. In a one-sentence statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis had rested well the whole night.

The 88-year-old has been in hospital battling double pneumonia. This week, thousands gathered in the rain to pray for the Pope's health in St. Peter's Square, setting off what the Vatican announced will be a nightly marathon of prayers for his recovery. According to the Vatican, the pontiff showed a slight improvement in the last day and was able to resume some work, including calling the parish priest in Gaza, who he has kept in touch with since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Fatima Al-Khassab, NPR News, Rome. You're listening to NPR News. The atmospheric river that's pouring rain and snow on the Pacific Northwest is expected to let up today. There are still winter storm warnings posted for Washington state, along with high wind warnings. Winds are hitting parts of Oregon, too, along with some winter weather advisories. The tracking site, poweroutage.us, says more than 200,000 customers have now

lost power in those two states. There are more winter weather advisories posted for northern Idaho. An Alabama grandmother who received a genetically modified pig kidney is doing so well that her doctors are letting her return home today. And Pierce Robb Stein has more. Tawana Looney is heading back to Gadsden, Alabama to return to her husband, two daughters, and two grandchildren. Looney received the genetically modified pig kidney in November and has now survived longer than anyone ever has with a pig organ. Looney will continue to be monitored closely while in Alabama and return to New York City monthly so the doctors who transplanted the pig kidney can check her progress.

Doctors hope genetically modified pig organs will help solve the organ shortage. Rob Stein, NPR News. The new rulers of Syria have opened a conference billed as a national dialogue. Hundreds of people are meeting in Damascus to talk about rebuilding their country. Delegates from Syrian groups with fewer rights, such as women and minority religious groups, are participating. But a major player is not there.

The Kurdish-led militia that controls much of Syria's northeast was not invited to the conference. This is NPR. Hey, it's Amartinez. I work on a news show. invited to the conference. This is NPR.