NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-05-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: March 5, 2025

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A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. That's where we come in. On the NPR Politics Podcast, we keep you up to date on what happens inside Washington and what it means for you and your community. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen wherever you listen. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. In a major policy shift, a Hamas official tells NPR that the United States has held direct talks with the Palestinian militant group in recent months. The White House has confirmed the talks, saying they're ongoing. It's the first known time the U.S. has engaged directly

with the group since designating it a terrorist organization. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more from Tel Aviv. The talks began as early as January and were over the release of several American-Israeli dual citizens taken hostage in the October 7th, 2023 attacks on southern Israel, according to a Hamas official who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity,

as he's not authorized to speak to the media. The official did not specify if the talks, which were originally reported by Axios, were with members from the Biden administration or President Trump's administration. Both were present at talks for a ceasefire that took effect in January before Trump took office. The U.S. designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997. It has been longstanding U.S. policy to not negotiate with groups it designates as terrorists. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. An independent federal board has ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to temporarily

reinstate more than 5,000 probationary workers who've been fired. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports the board found reasonable grounds to believe the firings were unlawful. Merit Systems Protection Board member Kathy Harris issued the decision. She granted a request from the Office of Special Counsel, which is investigating the firings of probationary employees across the federal government. That investigation has found that nearly 6,000 probationary employees at USDA had received identical letters telling them that they were being fired for performance reasons, when in fact the agency had not considered performance or conduct when deciding to fire

them. Instead, the special counsel said they were fired as part of a reorganization, which requires a number of procedures which USDA failed to do. The 45-day pause on the terminations will allow the investigation to continue. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. A divided U.S. Supreme Court's delivering a legal setback to the administration in upholding a federal judge's order to release about $2 billion in foreign aid. In a vote of five to four, justices left in place a lower court ruling that the administration must pay contractors for work that has already been completed. More from NPR's Nina Totenberg. It's an unsigned order and it's only a page. And the court said that Judge Ali's temporary

restraining order has now expired, but there are ongoing proceedings about whether he'll make that order permanent. And so the court did something then rather unusual. It actually gave Judge Ali some guidance on how to proceed, instructing him to, quote, clarify what obligations the government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order. NPR's Nina Totenberg, Justice Samuel Alito led other conservative justices in dissent. This is NPR. Sesame Workshop, which has spent the last half century bringing a weekly dose of upbeat educational content and sunny theme songs to generations of children, is announcing

plans to significantly downsize CEO Sherri Rollins-Weston informed staff today. The layoffs come about two months after Max said it would stop distributing Sesame Street episodes after 2025 and within a day after more than 200 of its employees asked for Sesame Workshop to recognize that they want to form a union. A spokesperson tells NPR that the organization is reducing its size amid the changing media and funding landscape. For many Christians worldwide, this is Ash Wednesday. Churches damaged or destroyed during the recent LA fires in January are taking stock. NPR's Jason DeRose reports

on their fragility and resilience. Jason DeRose Palisades Presbyterian Church burned to the ground on the first night of the fires in early January. The flocks now scattered across L.A. County and from San Diego to Sacramento. Pastor Grace Park has served the congregation for nearly two decades. Grace Park, Lent's Father, Lent The symbol of Lent is ashes. And we are definitively surrounded by ashes. The imagery of ashes is destruction and loss and grief. Peter Robinson Many Christians use Lent to focus on self-reflection and service in the weeks leading up to Easter. Park says it's from ash-covered ground that new life can also grow.

Jason Derose, NPR News, Los Angeles. This is NPR. Hey, it's Scott Detter, the host of Trump's Terms, a podcast where we bring you short, focused episodes about the 47th president and the biggest changes he is trying to make. A lot of those changes will be front and center during his address to a joint session of Congress on March 4th. In the days after, we will bring you stories not just about what he said, but about what is actually happening and what isn't happening.

Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.