NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-03-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

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On the Thru Line podcast, the myth linking autism and vaccines was decades in the making and was a major moment for vaccine hesitancy in America, tapping into fears involving the pharmaceutical industry and the federal government. No matter how many studies you do showing that this is not a problem, it's very hard to unring the bell. Listen to Thru Line from NPR, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a meeting Sunday with other European leaders to show support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. And as Starmer outlined in the news conference, they came up with an agreement for moving

forward. So we agreed some important steps today. First, we will keep the military aid flowing and keep increasing the economic pressure on Russia to strengthen Ukraine now. Second, we agreed that any lasting peace must ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and security. And Ukraine must be at the table. Third, in the event of a peace deal, we will keep boosting Ukraine's own defensive capabilities to deter any future invasion.

Terry Schultz has been monitoring the talk. She says the proposed plan will not be an easy undertaking. Now this is going to require a lot more money, sustained funding, sustained weapons transfers to Ukraine, and eventually the Europeans say several countries are willing to put their own troops on the ground to monitor a ceasefire. But there's a big contingency clause here. This will require American help and backup to keep Russia on its side of a ceasefire line. Asked whether he thought Donald Trump would agree to this, Starmer said he'd spoken with Trump last night and would not be moving ahead if he wasn't confident of that.

Terry Schultz reporting from Brussels. A Russian drone, meanwhile, hit a multi-story apartment building in Harkeev overnight. Three other buildings were also damaged. The city's mayor says the strike triggered a fire and injured at least eight people. None of those injured required hospitalization. President Trump will give an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. MPR's Mara Liason has more. New presidents often use these big set piece speeches to Congress to lay out their agenda.

But Trump has already done that. In just a little over a month, he's shaken up American politics. He's well on his way to drastically shrinking the federal government and dismantling the administrative state. And he's upended world politics by breaking with America's erstwhile allies and pressuring Ukraine instead of Russia. When he speaks to Congress this week, Trump is expected to talk about his victory in November and his plans for tax cuts and more deregulation.

He'll also talk about how he's ended DEI and had the most productive five weeks in American history. Michigan Senator Alyssa Slotkin will give the Democratic response. Mara Eliason, NPR News. At the 97th Academy Awards Sunday night, there were some surprises. Mikey Madison won the Best Actress Award for her performance in Enora, which also won Best Picture. Demi Moore was considered the favorite in that actress category. Adrienne Brody, meanwhile, won Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist. Zoe Saldana won Best Supporting Actress, while Kiernan Kolkin won the Best Supporting Actor statue.

You're listening to NPR News. A private lunar lander touched down on the Moon's near side You're listening to NPR News. A private lunar lander touched down on the moon's near side on Sunday. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander was carrying a number of experiments for NASA. Blue Ghost is named for a rare species of firefly. It blasted off from Florida in January. Two other landers from private companies were also slated to touch down this year, with one trying to do so later this week.

The Special Olympics World Winter Games take place this month and an Idaho man will be one of the athletes representing Team USA. For Member Station Northwest Public Broadcasting, Lauren Patterson has more. Dozens of people gathered in the small town of Peck, Idaho for a send-off celebration for Jeff Green. Green has Down syndrome and he'll be representing Team USA at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy in the 25 and 50 meter snowshoe races.

All my friends are so happy for me to support the baby with Team USA. The crowd cheers as he demonstrates a snowshoe race for the party on the practice track his dad built for him in the backyard. Green has been participating in Special Olympic sports for more than 30 years. Now he finally gets the chance to compete abroad. The athletes are flying to New York this week and then on to Italy. The games start on March 8th. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Patterson in Peck, Idaho.

Pope Francis remains in stable condition this evening at a hospital in Rome. Doctors say he did not need mechanical ventilation on Sunday. That's a sign that he's overcome possible complications from a respiratory crisis he had on Friday. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.