NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-01-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: March 1, 2025

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Noor Aram, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Aram. John Bolton, who was national security adviser during the first Trump administration, called yesterday's meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a disaster for the U.S. President Trump berated Zelensky for not ending the war that Russia started. Bolton told NPR this morning that Trump was mouthing Russian propaganda, that Ukraine's self-defense threatens World War III. It was a very sad day, not just for Ukraine, but really for the United States to see the

president and the vice president confirming what was already apparent in prior statements. They have now shifted the American view on the war in Ukraine 180 degrees. They are on Russia's side. Bolton called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Wolk to resign. Trump advisor Elon Musk is doubling down on what he's called a pulse check. Federal employees have started to receive a second email instructing them to lay out what they did over the past week, even as the legality of the request is being challenged. NPR's Amy Held reports.

The email from the Office of Personnel Management asks workers to describe five accomplishments from the past week, and says to expect to do the same every week going forward. The White House says about half of federal workers, roughly a million people, did not respond to the initial request sent the week before. Musk first said failure to respond would be taken as a resignation. OPM later said responses were voluntary. But workers say they are afraid their responses could be used as justification to fire them. The Trump administration has

already fired thousands of workers, making good on a campaign pledge to dismantle government bureaucracy. Labor unions and other groups have sued, alleging the moves violate federal law. Amy Held and PR News. The White House said yesterday the FBI has returned materials to President Trump that had been seized during its classified documents investigation. The documents were recovered in the 2022 FBI raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports.

A White House spokesperson said that around 20 boxes were returned. Reporters traveling with the president on Friday saw the boxes in the back of a van pulled up to Air Force One as it was loading. The White House did not say, however, what exactly was in the boxes. The FBI investigation resulted in 37 felony counts against Trump related to allegedly mishandling documents. Special Prosecutor Jack Smith requested the case be dismissed after November's election, saying the Justice Department cannot prosecute a sitting president.

In a social media post, Trump said the box is, quote, will someday be part of the Trump presidential library. Danielle Kurzlaib in NPR News, West Palm Beach, Florida. This is NPR News in Washington. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hamas expires today. Hamas says it will not extend it. It's released 33 Israeli hostages since the first phase began January 19th.

In exchange, Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Negotiations are underway on a second phase, which would see the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a commitment to end the war. The pioneering free video calling app known as Skype will be shut down in May. NPR's Scott Newman reports. 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. The Florida Man Games are back. The first one last year was so popular it's been moved to a larger venue.

Teams from around the state will compete in events such as Beer Belly Sumo Wrestling and the Evading arrest obstacle course. A new one this year is hurricane party prep grocery aisle brawl. It's a play on the state's reputation for bizarre stories that begin a Florida man. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.