NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-02-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

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Noor Aram, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Aram. A summit on the war in Ukraine attended by European and Canadian leaders and Ukraine's president Vladimir Zelensky has wrapped up in London. The host, Britain's prime minister, said Europe is at the crossroads of history. Vicki Barker reports from London. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that in the coming days, the UK, France and other nations in what he called a coalition of the willing will put together a peace deal for and with

Ukraine to present to the United States, a deal that would come with billions in new European pledges of military aid. Europe must do the heavy listing, but to support peace in our continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing. Starmer making it clear that the U.K. at least is prepared to put boots on the ground to ensure peace in Ukraine is achieved and maintained. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. The International Red Cross has called on Israel and Hamas to maintain their ceasefire

in Gaza as fears grow that the six-week deal will collapse. Israel has stopped all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza as tensions rise with Hamas after the ceasefire deal ended yesterday. The Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sarr explained his country's position. Are you going to give this ceasefire for free without hostages to be released? This is something we will not accept. So yes, we are ready to negotiate on the second phase according to our principles. We also agreed to the American proposal to a longer framework of further 50 days during the Ramadan and the Passover, but in this framework, according to the American

proposal, a release of hostages. Hamas insists Israel should move immediately to the agreed second phase of the plan. More than 800 employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been cut this past week, including staff from the National Weather Service. Weather data, including wind and wave height, is essential to fishermen's safety and their bottom line. From Maine Public Radio, Polly Ankin spoke to some commercial fishermen about how the cuts are affecting them. At an annual conference for fishermen, Eric Hess of West Barnstable, Massachusetts says fishermen like him

need access to more weather data, not less. All these things, you know, are structured and are part of our daily life on the water and to suddenly lose part of that could really disrupt our fisheries. Details on who exactly was laid off are still emerging, although various reports say meteorologists, space weather forecasters, and computer modelers are some of those affected. For NPR News, I'm Molly Nking. This is NPR News in Washington.

A federal judge in Washington has ruled that President Trump acted unlawfully when he fired Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel. That office enforces ethics laws, the employment rights of military veterans, and protects whistleblowers. Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that the special counsel can only be removed for cause and that Dellinger must remain in the job. A Texas-based company has successfully landed a robotic probe on the surface of the moon, the first private company to do so without it crashing or falling over.

As NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports, more landings could be coming soon. The small probe was built by Firefly Aerospace. Early Sunday morning it left its orbit around the moon and began its descent to the lunar surface. After a nail-biting few minutes, mission control confirmed touchdown. IMU reports lunar gravity and it is stable. Y'all suck at landing. We're on the moon. The landing makes the company the second commercial venture to land on the moon, and more private probes are on their way. In just a few days, the firm Intuitive Machines is set to make a landing attempt near the South Pole, and

in May a Japanese company will also try to get its probe to the surface of the moon. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. Hollywood honors its own tonight at the 97th Academy Awards. It takes place in Los Angeles, where parts were devastated by wildfires this year. The producers say the show will raise money for relief efforts. The hit film Wicked is nominated for 10 Academy Awards. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.