NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-02-2025 1PM EST

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

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Norah Romm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Romm. A summit of European leaders on ending the war in Ukraine wrapped up in London today. Host, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Europe must do the heavy lifting to secure a lasting agreement. Keir Starmer Our starting point must be to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position now so that they can negotiate from a position of strength and we are doubling down in our support. He said that every nation must contribute as best they can

that Ukraine must be at the table for any peace talks and any lasting peace must ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and security. The Oval Office meeting that turned into a shouting match between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week raises questions about a possible end to the Russia-Ukraine war. In a break from other Republicans, one lawmaker is criticizing both Trump and Zelensky and calls the meeting a missed opportunity. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York tells NPR no one at that Oval Office meeting left victorious. The only winner the other day was Vladimir Putin because this deal did not happen.

Lawler, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, remains hopeful that Trump and Zelensky will eventually sign a proposed mineral deal, one that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's critical raw materials in exchange for possible aid. When there is a final agreement, it's going to be a lot harder for Vladimir Putin to renege on it and invade Ukraine again with U.S. investment on the ground. Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump's approach to the Oval Office meeting and suggested Ukraine might need another leader. Despite his criticism of the meeting, Lawler says he hasn't received GOP blowback. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has ruled that President Trump cannot fire without cause the head of a federal watchdog agency. The Trump administration says it will appeal, likely sending the case to the Supreme Court. It's one of many cases pushing back against Trump's efforts to dismantle the government. NPR's Amy Held has more in the story. Amy Held 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. This is NPR News in Washington. Pope Francis issued a message from his hospital bed today, the third week he was unable to

lead Sunday prayers. He thanked his doctors for his care and well-wishers for their prayers. The 88-year-old pontiff has been hospitalized since February 14th with respiratory problems that developed into double pneumonia. The Brit Music Awards took place in London last night. And as Vicki Barker reports from London, they could have been called the Brat Awards. The night belonged to Charli XCX who won five awards, including Best Album for Brat, which became the slang word of the summer for Brits and Americans. Billy Eilish became the first non-Brit to appear on a Best Song

Winner for her guest vocals on Charli XCX's single Guess. Ezra Collective, Sam Fender, Stormzy and Best New Artist's The Last Dinner Party also took home Brit Awards last night. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Rocky the Bear has been rescued. The Associated Press reports an animal welfare organization rescued the seven-year-old black bear that had been kept in eastern Pakistan and used in fights. A team from Four Paws, an international animal welfare organization, cut off his chain in

nosering and took him to Islamabad for medical treatment. Bear baiting, fighting, and dancing are illegal in Pakistan, but they're still practiced in some areas. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.