NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-02-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

NPR News: 03-02-2025 9PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Support for NPR and the following message come from the Lemelson Foundation, working to harness the power of invention and innovation to accelerate climate action and improve lives around the world. Learn more at lemelson.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Europe is at the crossroads of history. He made the comment after a summit he hosted in London today with European and Canadian leaders along with Ukrainian President Zelensky on ways to help Ukraine. Vicki Barker has more 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. Starmor 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. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's cut off all food and supply deliveries

to Gaza as he accuses the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas of stealing the aid from Gaza. The United Nations calls the decision a violation of international law. Phase one of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended yesterday. This all comes as Hamas rejected a new Israeli proposal to extend phase one for seven weeks through Ramadan and Passover. During that time, we can discuss the conditions for a permanent ceasefire that will end the war in Gaza. In Witkoff's plan, half of the hostages would be released right away, and the remaining

half would be released if we reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire. But Hamas says that proposal is an attempt to evade the original deal and called for talks on phase two to start immediately. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has ruled that President Trump can't 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. In Piers, Amy Held reports it's one of many cases pushing back against Trump's efforts to dismantle the government. 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. Wildfires have broken out in the Carolinas fueled by strong gusty winds and bone dry vegetation. The largest in Carolina forest near Myrtle Beach has forced evacuations, though some have already been allowed to return home.

The fire has burned at least 1200 acres. No injuries have been reported and no buildings destroyed. And in North Carolina, a brush fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the border with South Carolina has burned around 400 acres and is 0% contained. This amid dry conditions and gusty winds along much of the East Coast. The National Weather Service issued advisories and warnings of increased

wildfire risk from Georgia to New Jersey today as that dry vegetation and relatively low humidity levels raise concerns. Some taxpayers are having trouble accessing the federal tax credit for buying a new electric vehicle. They might meet all the eligibility requirements, but as NPR's Kamila Dominovski reports, their dealers didn't follow the right steps. Christina Meyer bought a plug-in hybrid last year. She knew her car dealer wasn't offering the EV tax credit as an upfront rebate.

That was a new option last year, but her dealer said she could still claim the credit later, at tax time. Come tax time, her return was rejected. And that's when we realized this is not the right form that they gave us. Turns out the dealer did not use the IRS's new system for reporting sales, and now that system says it's too late to fix the mistake. And here's Camila Dominovski reporting. And I'm Janene Hurst, NPR News in Washington.