NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-03-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

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Hey, it's Amartines. I work on a news show. And yeah, the news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you just can't ignore las noticias when important world-changing events are happening. So that is where the Up First podcast comes in. Every single morning in under 15 minutes, we take the news and boil it down to three essential stories so you can keep up without feeling stressed out. Listen to the Upfirst podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Federal employees got another email late Friday demanding that they list what they accomplished in the prior week. It's part of billionaire Elon Musk's push to find and stop what he claims are fraud

and inefficiencies. But his math does not add up on the Doge website and he's offered no evidence to support his claims. A week ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed Pentagon workers to pause on their responses to the first email demand to discuss their work. He has since changed his mind. of the department's civilian workforce, just civilian, to provide those five bullets on what they accomplished in their specific jobs last week to reply to that email and CC their immediate supervisor. It's a simple task. He says not to put classified information in the emails.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is returning home after last Friday's testy visit to the White House. He had a more productive one yesterday in London. European leaders there said they would push for negotiations that would bring a lasting peace for Ukraine. NPR's Joanna Kikissus has more from Kyiv. Ukrainians made TikTok videos and posted to social media to show their support for Zelensky. One prominent politician, Mustafa Nayem, wrote

on social media that the Trump administration hates Zelensky and Ukraine and sees Ukrainians as quote barriers to backroom deals. At the Kiev food market, soldier Denis Sokolov says Zelensky wants what's best for Ukraine. Making peace versus making a deal, he says, are two different goals. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, Kiev. Israel has blocked supplies and goods from entering Gaza. Two million people there depend on that for survival. Israel's far-right government is seeking to pressure Hamas into a new ceasefire deal to release more Israeli hostages without ending the war, as Hamas demands. And Piers Ehebetrae reports international relief groups are alarmed over Israel's decision to hold up aid.

Everything from medicine and tents for shelter to food and winter supplies are now blocked from Gaza. The Norwegian Refugee Council, which is responsible for bringing in tents to Gaza after more than 90% of all homes were destroyed, says humanitarian aid is a right, not a privilege. It called on Israel as the occupying power to reverse its decision. The aid agency Oxfam says Israel's blockade is a reckless act of collective punishment prohibited under international law. Doctors Without Borders notes that prices for basic goods and food has already spiked due to the uncertainty. The UN humanitarian

relief agency says international law is clear. Israel must ensure life-saving aid reaches people. Ayah Batraoui, Ampere News. On Wall Street, stocks are lower. The Dow Jones industrials are down more than 30 points. You're listening to NPR. Wildfires continue to burn in parts of South and North Carolina. One blaze that is outside South Carolina's coastal city, Myrtle Beach, has consumed more than two square miles and blanketed much of a local forest with smoke. South Carolina's governor has declared an emergency. There are brush fires burning in North Carolina, close to the border with South Carolina. These have scorched several hundred

acres. There are blizzard warnings posted for parts of Colorado, Nebraska and a sliver of northwestern Kansas this morning. Several inches of snow are expected to fall. Winds could gust to the strength of a tropical storm. NPR's Christian Wright reports it's just the start of severe weather that is expected to bring rough conditions this week from coast to coast. National Weather Service forecasters say a system from the west will trigger a severe weather outbreak that will affect much of the country and bring potentially damaging and dangerous weather, including destructive winds across the plains and upper Midwest.

In addition to significant snowfall, thunderstorms and hail from Texas to Ohio and the threat of tornadoes in the southeast. Cities along the East Coast could also see storms. Tuesday is expected to be the worst of the intense storms and the Weather Service is warning of severe weather during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Kristen Wright, NPR News. The Vatican says Pope Francis has spent another night in a Rome hospital with good rest. This follows a respiratory crisis last week.

Vatican officials say the pontiff is now stable and he is off mechanical ventilation. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News. On the Embedded Podcast. No, no. It's called Denying a Sweetness Speech. It's misinformation. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.