NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-02-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

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Noura Rahm, NPR News in Washington. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noura Rahm. Leaders from 20 countries met in London today to discuss the next step towards ending Russia's war in Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they must work together to secure a lasting peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can't mean that we sit back. Instead those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency. The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground

and planes in the air. Together with us, Europe must do the heavy listening. Starmer said every nation must contribute as best they can and any agreement 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 war. In a break from other Republicans, one lawmaker is criticizing both Trump and Zelensky and calls the meeting Friday a missed opportunity.

NPR's Luke Garrett reports. 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. Johnson told CNN today that Russian President Vladimir Putin is an old school communist, dangerous and not to be trusted. President Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at increasing American lumber production

and potentially increasing tariffs on lumber imports. NPR's Danielle Kurtz-Lehmann reports. One order directs agencies to find ways to increase lumber production. Another directs the Secretary of Commerce to investigate possible lumber tariffs. Laman reports. Canada accounts for around 40% of American lumber imports, by far the largest of any country. Trump has also threatened blanket 25% tariffs on Canada as well as Mexico, saying those could take effect as early as March 4th. Danielle Kurtzleib in NPR News, West Palm Beach, Florida. This is NPR News. An international non-governmental organization placed a full-page ad in the New York Times today asking Americans to give money to make up for deep cuts in U.S. foreign aid.

The International Rescue Committee said a private donor paid for the ad designed to highlight the severe consequences of the cuts, that at least 2 million people will lose access to critical services. A new study shows a decline in cancer death rates among black Americans over the past 30 years. For Member Station WYPR, Silat Marcioni reports. The study from the American Cancer Society found that cancer death rates for black men fell nearly 50 percent since 1991.

For black women, the rate dropped 33 percent. The study credits a decrease in smoking for the improvement as well as better cancer treatment and screening methods. Still, black Americans continue to have higher cancer mortality rates than their white counterparts. The disparities stem from inequalities in health that trace back to structural racism, according to the authors of the study. Those disparities include differences in medical access, socioeconomic status and insurance coverage. For NPR News, I'm Scott Mos Yoni in Baltimore. Rocky, the bear has been rescued. The Associated Press reports an animal welfare organization rescued the seven-year-old black bear who had been kept in eastern Pakistan and used in bear fights. A team from the animal welfare group cut off his chains

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