NPR News Now - NPR News: 02-28-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: March 1, 2025

NPR News: 02-28-2025 8PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from Wondery. Scam Factory, the explosive new podcast series, exposes a multi-billion dollar criminal empire where thousands are being forced to scam others under the threat of death. Follow Scam Factory wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A potential deal between the U.S. and Ukraine to pave the way for an end to war is now up in the air. The ZNPR's AsthmaHolic reports, it follows a heated public spat between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump accused Ukraine's president of being disrespectful and unthankful for American support. The meeting became so heated that Zelensky left the White House earlier than expected. Zelensky was in town to finalize a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukrainian minerals. But that deal was not signed. And Trump later told reporters that Zelensky does not want to make peace. But after Zelensky left the White House, he did an interview with Fox News' Brett Baer and insisted he does. We want peace. That's why I'm in the United States.

That's why I visited President Trump. But he also repeatedly made it clear he wants security guarantees from the U.S. so that Russia will not reinvade Ukraine. Asma Khalid, NPR News, The White House. Even as U.S.-Ukrainian relations seem to be faltering, it looks like the U.S. and Ukrainian foe Russia are moving in a different direction. Russia's foreign ministry says it suggested restoring direct air links between Russia and the U.S. during the latest round of consultations in Washington.

Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul yesterday to discuss normalizing the operations of the respective embassies. It was also apparently offered to restore direct traffic. It's not clear what the U.S. response was. Drug Lord Rafael Caro-Quintero was arraigned in a New York court today on sweeping drug trafficking charges. NPR's Amanda Bastille reports the arraignment came a day after he and 28 other drug cartel figures were extradited by Mexico as the Trump administration aims to crack down on drug trafficking.

President Trump has pressured Mexico's leadership with the threat of tariffs and military action if they did not cooperate to tackle drug trafficking in the border region. Rafael Caro Quintero had previously served time in a Mexican prison for the murder of a drug enforcement agent, kidnapping and trafficking. He was released from prison early, then charged by the U.S. in 2020 with smuggling thousands of kilograms of illegal drugs across the border. Attorney General Pam Bondi says his transfer to the U.S. was made possible by Trump's executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Ximena Bustillo, and Peer News, New York.

Last night's decision by a San Francisco court judge that mass firings of probationary federal workers by the Trump administration are likely illegal continues to reverberate. The decision is granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and others that have sued the administration, seeking to stop the dismantling of the federal workforce. The judge in his decision ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform federal agencies that had no authority to order mass firings. Lawyers for OPM, however, say the decisions were made by the individual agencies. Stocks gained ground on Wall Street. The Dow was up more than 600 points.

This is NPR. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins tonight. In Gaza, many Palestinians are trying to put together what little they have to prepare for festivities and to mark the holiday. In Israel, security officials have been preparing in a different way. More from NPR's Kat Lonsdorf. 33-year-old Khalid Abu Sultan sits in the rubble of his destroyed family home in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. He has just been to the nearby market, asking the price of every item, trying to figure out what he can afford.

Ramadan usually brings joy and delight, but this year it will be bleak, he tells NPR's producer in Gaza, Anas Baba. Meanwhile, Israel announced that security preparations for Ramadan have been completed, including reinforcements of border and district police in various locations. Specifically, police will be focused on the old city of Jerusalem, home to many holy sites, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israel says it will implement, quote, safety restrictions throughout the holy month. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

The decision by the Associated Press not to relent to the Trump administration and recognize the name change of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America has thrown relations with the White House press corps into disarray. The administration in retaliation has moved to limit the AP's access to certain events. The AP has filed a lawsuit accusing the White House of violating the Constitution. The Trump appointee hearing the AP lawsuit says the administration seems to want to punish people based on their opinions, something he referred to as viewpoint discrimination. Critical futures prices moved lower today with the market posting its first monthly drop

since November, oil fell 59 cents a barrel to 69.76 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. When she teaches her students how to write a song, musician Scarlett Keys says they need to ask themselves certain questions. What is the thing that keeps you up at night? What's the thing you can't stop thinking about? As songwriters, we are repurposing human tropes and a new viewpoint with

new words with new music. The people and technology behind the soundtracks of our lives. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR.