NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-01-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

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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 Janene Herbst. European leaders are still reeling from the contentious meeting at the White House yesterday between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. Terry Schultz reports about a dozen heads of state and government will gather tomorrow in London where they will brainstorm about what to do next. European leaders came out strong for Ukraine after the demise of the White House meeting.

A coordinated message between the presidents of the European Union institutions urged Zelensky to be strong, be brave, be fearless, saying the EU will keep working with him for a just and lasting peace. EU foreign policy chief Kaya Callis had a more provocative message saying the free world needs a new leader and that Europe should step up. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the Sunday summit to focus on how to strengthen Ukraine's position for eventual negotiations with Russia and what security guarantees Europe may be able to offer for a peace deal. But the new crisis between Ukraine

and the US is overshadowing all else. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. The Pentagon is deploying as many as 3,000 additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President Trump's efforts to prevent illegal crossings. Empire Scott Newman has more. The Pentagon says the active-duty troops being sent are part of a striker brigade combat team and a general support aviation battalion. They will join others sent shortly after Trump took office in January and some 2,500 National Guard troops already there since the Biden

administration. The latest deployment comes despite a sharp drop in border crossings. Meanwhile, a U.S. official who spoke to NPR in condition of anonymity, because they are not allowed to talk about troop movements, said site inspections have wrapped up at Fort Bliss, Texas, where thousands of migrants are expected to be detained. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has officially declared he's running for mayor of New York City to unseat fellow Democrat Eric Adams. Are you ready to fight to save our city? I know that I am.

Let's do it. Let's do it together. And let's do it now. That's Cuomo from his YouTube video announcement that he released on his website. He's jumping back into politics just three years after he resigned the governorship following multiple sexual harassment allegations. This comes as Mayor Adams has been

embroiled in scandal for months following a federal indictment on corruption charges. But the case against Adams is on hold as the Trump administration's Justice Department seeks to dismiss the charges. Adams denies all of the charges. But it's already a crowded race. A handful of other Democratic candidates are also running ahead of the June 24th primary, challenging Adams' path to a second term. This is NPR. A senior Hamas official says there's been no progress in the latest round of talks on

the second phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas. It's not clear whether the talks will resume. 33 hostages were released, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in the ceasefire's first phase, which expires today. But under the terms of the deal, fighting isn't supposed to resume while negotiations are underway on the second phase, which could see an end to the war in Gaza and the remaining living hostages returned to Israel. Thousands of Alzheimer patients are being treated with a pair of new drugs that can sometimes slow down the disease.

But as NPR's John Hamilton reports, it's often hard for family members to know whether the drugs are working. Sue Bell started taking the drug leukembi in 2020 as part of a clinical trial. It's one of two drugs approved since 2023 that can remove sticky amyloid plaques from the brain. Neither drug can stop the disease, but Sue's husband, Ken Bell, thinks leukembi may have given them more time. So many of the people who were diagnosed have deteriorated a lot quicker than I think Sue did. He's not sure, though, because Alzheimer's course varies from person to person.

Sue Bell stopped taking LeCembe in 2024 when cognitive tests indicated it was no longer likely to help her. John Hamilton, NPR News. In Alaska, a ceremonial start to the Iditarod dog sled race got in underway today. The official start takes place on Monday. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News. Here on Shortwave, we believe that science is for everyone and that every question is worth asking, no matter your age. My name is Willie and my question is, is magic real? Our podcast is for the curious at heart.

Come embrace your inner child when you listen now to ShoreWave from NPR.