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Episode Date: March 2, 2025

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Planet Money is there. From California's most expensive fires ever. That was my home home. Yeah. I grew up there. It's ashes. To the potentially largest deportation in U.S. history. They're going to come to the businesses. They're going to come to the restaurants. They're going to come here. Planet Money. We go to the places at the center of the story. The Planet Money podcast from NPR.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Gile Snyder. Britain's prime minister is hosting EU and Canadian leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at an emergency defense summit today. The meeting was called before Friday's fiery confrontation in the Oval Office. Vicki Barker is in London where that blow up in the White House is adding an air of urgency to the meeting. A number of EU leaders have expressed horror over President Trump's shouting match with

his Ukrainian counterpart on Friday. But sources close to Prime Minister Keir Starmer have made it clear this summit is not about shaming the U.S. president. Rather, it will be an attempt to come up with a pragmatic way out of the impasse. A Ukrainian peace deal, complete with new European spending and security guarantees. Any draft proposal hammered out today will then be finalized at an EU defense summit in Brussels on Thursday. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Israel says it's bringing a halt to the entry of all aid and supplies into the Gaza Strip,

and is warning of additional consequences if Hamas does not accept a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. Hamas accuses Israel of trying to derail the truce. The first phase ended yesterday. The two have yet to agree on the second phase. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has ruled that President Trump cannot fire without cause ahead of a federal watchdog agency. The Trump administration says it will appeal, likely sending the case to the Supreme Court. NPR's Amy Held reports it's one of many cases pushing back against Trump's efforts to dismantle the government. Amy Held, NPR News, News 8

Judge Amy Berman Jackson blocked Trump from firing Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency charged with protecting the rights of federal workers. On February 7th, Dellinger was fired without explanation. Allowing that, Jackson ruled, would give the president, quote, a constitutional license to bully officials in the executive branch into doing his will. The Trump administration has argued reinstating Dellinger would interfere with the president's power to determine who runs executive agencies. Trump has been steadily expanding his control over entities designed to be independent of the White House. Illegally, say many lawsuits working their way through the courts.

Amy Held, NPR News, Washington. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is attempting a political comeback using a 17-minute video to announce a run for New York City mayor and acknowledging his mistakes. I believe I learned from them and that I am a better person for it. And I hope to show you that every day. Cuomo was forced to resign as governor more than three years ago over sexual harassment accusations. He's joining a large field of Democrats in the race, including the embattled incumbent,

Eric Adams. And you're listening to NPR News. Officials in South Carolina are calling on residents of the community of Carolina Forest to evacuate. Carolina Forest is about 10 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach, a wildfire is burning. Local reports say the fire doubled in size overnight to around 1,200 acres. That fire started yesterday. Its cause is not clear. Hollywood is rolling out the red carpet for the 97th Academy Awards this evening as NPR's Mandoli Del Barco reports. The show's producers say the ceremony will honor the city of Los Angeles, parts of which

were devastated by wildfires recently. The show will raise money for relief efforts. Comedian Conan O'Brien will host the Oscar ceremony for the first time. I'm gonna host it, host it, host it. I'm gonna host all night long. In a promotional video, O'Brien says he's up for anything.

I'm someone who hopes that things sometimes go a little off the rails because that's where the real memorable moments happen, in late night television and on the Oscars. Producers say there will be some surprises. The ceremony will pay tribute to the late musician Quincy Jones and will include a performance by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, whose hit film Wicked is nominated for 10 Academy Awards. Mandelit Del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles.

The private space company Firefly has put a spacecraft on the moon. The landing early this morning by the craft the company calls the Blue Ghost kicked off a two-week research mission for NASA. Firefly is based in the Austin area. It's the first private company to pull off a fully successful lunar landing. A Houston-based company put a lander on the moon last year, but it tipped over. I'm Gile Snyder. This is NPR. On the Embedded Podcast. No, no. It's called denying us freedom of speech. It's misinformation.

Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to Alternate Realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR, all episodes available now.