NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-28-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A high-stakes meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky escalated into a heated confrontation at the White House today. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports the discussions were aimed at brokering a deal that Trump is touted as a step towards ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The talks deteriorated as Trump and Vance accused Zelensky of ingratitude toward the U.S. At one point, Vance accused Zelensky of being disrespectful.

And do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country? Trump also accused Zelensky of leveraging U.S. involvement for Ukraine's benefit rather than pursuing genuine peace efforts. The confrontation culminated in the abrupt termination of the meeting and the cancellation of a planned press conference. And the highly anticipated minerals agreement with Ukraine, meant to shore up U.S. support

for Ukraine as it seeks to end the war, did not get signed. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. Two notorious Mexican cartel leaders have entered not guilty pleas in federal court in New York. The arraignments took place a day after the drug lords were among 29 high-level figures transferred to the U.S. by the Mexican government. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas. Rafael Caro-Quintero and Vicente Carillo Fuentes faced charges in separate cases related to their alleged roles in smuggling huge quantities of drugs into the United States. Caro Quintero has been a target for U.S. law enforcement for decades. He was convicted

in Mexico in the 1980s for the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. Caro Quintero was released from a Mexican prison more than a decade ago and went into hiding before eventually being taken back into custody. Here's the acting U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, John Durham. You can never kill a DE agent and you will never get away with it. Both defendants are expected back in court next month. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The Vatican says Pope Francis's condition has worsened after a breathing crisis two

weeks after he was first admitted to a hospital in Rome with bronchitis. NPR's Fatima Al-Khossab reports. The latest statement from the Vatican says the Pope suffered what it called an isolated episode of bronchospasm or a breathing crisis early in the afternoon, which led to him vomiting and caused a sudden worsening of his respiratory condition. It meant the 88-year-old had to use an oxygen mask on his nose and mouth to help him breathe. The statement also said the pontiff always remained vigilant and oriented, cooperating with therapeutic maneuvers.

This comes after a couple of days in which Vatican statements had described a slight improvement in the Pope's condition. For now, the Vatican says his prognosis remains guarded. Fatima Al-Khassab, NPR News, Rome. Stocks closed higher in choppy trading on Wall Street today. The Dow up 601 points. The Nasdaq rose 302 points. This is NPR.

Are sky-high egg prices solely the result of a bird flu outbreak, which has led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of chickens, or might some producers be taking advantage? That question is being posed by at least some advocacy groups, Democratic lawmakers, and a member of the Federal Trade Commission who wants a government investigation. Egg prices last month spiked to a record $4.95 a dozen, much more in some other parts of the country. Skype, the pioneering free video calling app, will be shuttered in May. That is according to Microsoft, which has owned the service since 2011. MPUROS Scott Newman has more. Remember this sound?

Skype was founded in 2003 and for a few years was at the top of its game, providing video calls that seemed to many like something out of science fiction. It was later bought by eBay, then sold to Microsoft. Along the way, there came a bevy of imitators, apps such as FaceTime and WhatsApp, and video conferencing options like Zoom. Now Microsoft says it's winding down Skype and will pull the plug in May to concentrate on its Microsoft Teams platform. Scott Newman, NPR News. Today is being dubbed Blackout Friday, a day consumers are being urged to slam shut their wallets

to resist what organizers have described as the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations, and both major political parties. A fledgling activist group calling on people not to spend money for 24 hours as a signal to those groups and launching an online campaign to promote it. Not clear as how many people have chosen to take part. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.