NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-02-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

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There's been a lot of attention on loneliness lately. 16% of Americans report feeling lonely all or most of the time. The former Surgeon General even declared a loneliness epidemic. On It's Been a Minute, we're launching a new series called All the Lonely People, diving deep into how loneliness shows up in our lives and how our culture shapes it. That's on the It's Been a Minute podcast on NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. European leaders are in London today following that contentious meeting at the White House Friday between President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Terry Schultz reports that about a dozen European heads of state and government are gathering to discuss 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 Calles 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. A group of immigrant rights and legal aid organizations suing the Trump administration to try to stop the transfer of migrants from the US to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Here's NPR's Sasha Pfeiffer reporting. The lawsuit does not challenge the US government's

authority to detain migrants on U.S. soil or deport them directly to their home country or another country allowed under immigration law. Instead, the American Civil Liberties Union and its partner civil rights groups argue it is illegal for the U.S. to first send those migrants to Guantanamo. The suit says there's no legitimate reason to do that because the government has ample detention capacity inside the United States. And it says holding migrants in the US makes far more sense logistically and financially.

The lawsuit alleges the reason the Trump administration is first sending migrants to Guantanamo is to instill fear in the immigrant community. Sasha Pfeiffer, NPR News. Israel has stopped all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza in a standoff with Hamas over the ceasefire deal. The first phase ended yesterday. The Israeli Prime Minister's office says it will not accept a truce, which does not include the release of its hostages from Gaza. Here's the BBC's Paul Adams reporting. It's a negotiation that began in Cairo on Friday and so far has not resulted in an agreement. release of its hostages from Gaza. Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Israel has been seeking an extension of phase one, which would see, yes, more releases of hostages and prisoners, but no Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas says, no, we should stick to the original agreement and go ahead with phase two. This is NPR news. Protesters gathered at more than 100 national park sites this weekend to push back on the Trump administration's firing of federal employees at the parks. Rachel Cohen from the Mountain West News Bureau reports. People carrying signs and chanting line the street entering Rocky Mountain National Park about 70 miles from Denver. Save our parks! Save our parks!

About 4 million visitors come here annually. That is people like Aubrey Andries worried about the upcoming summer season. She was a visual information specialist for the park until she was fired February 14th. For example the park map, I was in the middle of getting those ordered for the year and so we're not gonna have maps for people. In a statement the National For example, the park map, I was in the middle of getting those ordered for the year, and so we're not going to have maps for people. In a statement, the National Park Service says it's hiring seasonal workers as it embraces new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management.

For NPR News, I'm Rachel Cohen. Elon Musk is facing a backlash over his efforts to downsize the federal government on President Trump's behalf. Protesters have been turning out at Tesla dealerships around the country, including this weekend in Boston, Jacksonville, Florida, and Tucson, Arizona, New York City. Police arrested nine demonstrators. More than 50 demonstrations were listed for Saturday on the website Tesla Takedown. The White House says they will not deter Trump and Musk. The 97th Academy Awards are tonight, the ceremony being held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles,

Conan O'Brien hosting for the first time as Los Angeles recovers from last month's wildfires. There is no clear front runner for best picture. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News.