NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-28-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump canceled an event with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a deal that would have shored up U.S. support for Ukraine. After a meeting in the Oval Office today turned hostile, NPR's Lexi Shapil has details. Trump and Zelensky were expected to sign a deal on rare earth minerals, one that Trump had touted as an important step toward ending the war between Ukraine and Russia. But a meeting between the two leaders quickly became heated. Your country is in big trouble.

Can I answer? Wait a minute. No, no. You've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. I know. You're not winning. You're not winning this.

You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us. Repeatedly, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance told Zelensky he should be thankful for U.S. support and accused him of being disrespectful after he questioned the prospects of diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lexi Shapiro and PR News, Washington. After the Oval Office meeting broke up, Zelensky and his delegation went into a hold room. The two leaders are supposed to have a working lunch before holding a joint press event where the mineral deal was to be signed, according to a White House official. That official spoke on condition

of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations. But Trump put out his statement on social media and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's national security advisor went in to break the news to the Ukrainian delegation. Zelensky left shortly afterwards saying, I think everybody is having conversations about next steps and what that looks like according to the White House official. Moscow says it will soon deploy a new ambassador to Washington and Piers Charles-Mains has more. Russia's foreign ministry said the head of its North America department, Alexander Darcheev, will be its new ambassador to the U.S., filling a months-long vacancy.

The U.S. endorsed the appointment during talks in Istanbul with Darchiyev heading the Russian delegation. Discussions also focused on normalizing embassy staffing levels, gutted by years of tit-for-tat expulsions. The Russian side also suggested the resumption of direct commercial flights. American carriers suspended service amid the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. The 64 year old Darcheev has held previous postings to the US. A vocal critic of recent American policy, he's also argued the US and Russia needed to re-engage if they hope to avoid a direct military conflict.

Charles Maynes, NPR News. For a second day employees with the US Agency for International Development who were fired or placed on leave are being given 50 minutes to collect their belongings from their former work spaces. Andrew Natsio is a former head of USAID during George W. Bush's administration responded to President Trump's claim that USAID is rampant with waste, abuse, and fraud. Andrew Natsio Absolutely not. That's all nonsense. And in terms of accountability, there are layer upon layer of institutions

and controls within the system. 40% of the aid officers, what they do is they make sure all the laws are complied with, but most importantly, that none of the money is misspent or stolen. It's NPR. The Vatican is reporting a setback in Pope Francis' recovery today. Officials say the 88-year-old pontiff experienced an isolated coughing fit that resulted in him inhaling vomit, necessitating non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Officials say the pope's been recovering from double pneumonia. Given Francis' hospitalization in Rome, the Vatican says it has already made

alternative plans for Ash Wednesday observances next week. The first all-female team is headed for the edge of space. Apparently sometime this spring, NPR's Amy Held reports the private space company Blue Origin announced the historic lineup, including a pop superstar on its space tourism rocket flight. In fireworks, she sings about shooting across the sky. Now, Katy Perry is set to do it for real, some 62 miles above the earth. Jeff Bezos' private space company has long leveraged celebrity for a boost in the tourism

space race. Also set to ride is his fiance, Lauren Sanchez, a helicopter pilot, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Boe, civil rights champion scientist Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Carrie-Anne Flynn, and CBS news broadcaster Gayle King. I'm so afraid, but I'm also so excited about it. The six-woman team will be on an autonomous flight, no pilot. 1963 marks the last all-female and solo spaceflight when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. Amy Held, NPR News. US stocks are trading higher this hour. The Dow is up 250 points, or roughly half a percent.

It's NPR.