NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-01-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: March 1, 2025

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JANENE HIRST, NPR NEWS ANCHOR, WASHINGTON, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND,

TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND, TOWNSEND As you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom. Zalensky said he was happy to be there. I saw a lot of people and I want to thank you, people of the United Kingdom, for such big support from the very beginning of this war. Thank you, your team. Today's meeting was a far cry from the disastrous meeting with President Trump at the White

House yesterday. Zelensky was there to sign a deal between the two countries, giving access to Ukraine's rare mineral rights, but he left without signing. That leaves European countries to work out a way to support Ukraine as it fights Russia, which invaded the country leading to war. A summit of European leaders will be held tomorrow. 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 that request is being challenged.

And here's Amy Hild has more. 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 militant group Hamas is refusing an Israeli proposal to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal. This comes after an Israeli delegation returned home from talks in Cairo last night. MPH Hadil El-Shulchi reports the ceasefire hangs by a thread as negotiations for a second phase are underway. The first phase of the ceasefire deal expires today. The same day Hamas said it will not agree to an extension through the month of Ramadan,

which also began today. Israel wants to secure the return of more hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not have immediate comment about the refusal. Phase two of the ceasefire deal would see the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a commitment to end the war. Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages, including eight bodies, since the ceasefire began on January 19th in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli jails. NPR's Hadil El-Shulchi reporting. This is NPR.

Ten films are vying for a best picture at tomorrow night's Academy Awards. And Piers Vandalito-Barko reports viewers can watch on ABC and Hulu to see who wins. Among the contenders is Anora, starring Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Hi, I'm Annie. Anora is up against The Brutalist with Adrian Brody as a Jewish-Hungarian architect, also conclave with an ensemble cast of cardinals electing a new pope. The Brazilian film I'm Still Here, set during the 1970s military dictatorship, is a contender.

So is the body horror film The Substance with Demi Moore. Timothy Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in a complete unknown, another film in competition. Deniville Nouve's Dune Part II is on the list. So is Nickel Boys about a brutal reform school and Amelia Perez about a Mexican drug lord. Then there's Wicked, who stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Rivo are performing at the Oscars. Mandelit Dalbarco, NPR News, Los Angeles. The Vatican says Pope Francis remains hospitalized in stable condition. Francis has been given non-invasive mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy for a second day, this after a bronchospasm attack yesterday.

Officials say he remains alert and oriented and had a restful night last night and he's eating. The 88-year-old has been hospitalized in Rome for two weeks for respiratory problems that led to double pneumonia. The Vatican says his prognosis remains uncertain. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.