NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-08-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: March 8, 2025

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Noor Ram live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Noor Ram. Russia launched a second night of aerial attacks against Ukraine last night. At least 14 people were killed. This follows the confirmation by the U.S. that it had limited Ukraine's access to commercial satellite imagery, as well as pausing military and intelligence aid. A former Ukrainian minister, Major Volodymyr Omelian, who's now serving on the front line, says the satellite imagery has been very significant for the defense of his country. VOLODYMIR OMELIAN, Former Ukrainian Minister of Defense of Ukraine Using this intelligence, using satellites, we are able to foresee Russian actions to

understand what kind of supplies they provide to the front line. By cutting that, we become almost blind. We still have our own surveillance, but it's mainly short, mid-range. You cannot destroy the enemy if you don't understand its actions. He spoke to the BBC. With the spring and summer travel seasons approaching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

is asking doctors and public health officials to be on the lookout for signs of illness that comes with rash and fevers. This comes amid a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. NPR's Maria Kudoy has more. The CDC says thanks to high vaccination rates and strong surveillance programs, the risk for widespread measles in the United States remains low. It emphasizes that the measles mumps rubella vaccine remains the most important tool for preventing measles.

The agency is urging all U.S. residents to make sure they're up to date with their measles vaccinations, especially before traveling anywhere internationally. That includes infants 6 months or older who are traveling abroad. The CDC says teens and adults in areas with an ongoing measles outbreak who previously only got one dose of measles vaccine should get a second dose. Maria Godoy, NPR News. President Trump has signed an executive order that attempts to make changes to who qualifies for a long-standing federal loan forgiveness program.

Advocates vow to file a legal challenge. NPR's Janaki Mehta reports. The federal government's public service loan forgiveness program, known as PSLF, has been in place since 2007. It forgives a portion of loans for employees who work in the public sector or for nonprofits after they've completed 10 years of service and 120 qualifying payments. What's left of their debt after that is forgiven by the government.

Now, President Trump's executive order is attempting to limit who qualifies for the program. The order says PSLF would exclude, quote, individuals employed by organizations whose activities have a substantial illegal purpose. Legal expert, Pursus Yu of the Student Borrow Protection Center, a nonprofit that advocates for student loan borrowers, says any steps a Trump administration takes to modify the

law would require a lengthy federal rulemaking process. Janaki Mehta, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. The Vatican says Pope Francis is showing gradual improvement in his fourth week in the hospital. A statement says the 88-year-old pontiff shows a good response to therapy and that his prognosis remains guarded. He's being treated for pneumonia. The world's largest iceberg, which has been adrift for years, has finally stopped moving

in the South Atlantic Ocean, short of colliding into a remote island. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports. The giant iceberg known as A23A measures about 1,300 square miles. That's more than four times the size of Manhattan. It broke from the Antarctic shelf decades ago in a process known as calving, but remained stuck until it headed towards South Georgia Island in 2020. British researchers on the island feared a direct hit could hurt breeding and feeding

for millions of mammals and birds, but now believe the iceberg is far enough offshore, about 50 miles, that it may not cause damage and might even enhance nutrients and ocean productivity. Huge icebergs are normal, but scientists warn the world's ice shelves are experiencing massive losses due to global warming. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.

Swiss police say they've solved a dognapping. A man returned to his home near Zurich to find his two Belanca dogs gone and a note manning a ransom of more than a million dollars. He called the police, who arrested a Norwegian man at the airport. Upon further leads, police in Poland detained another suspect and recovered the dogs, who were returned home yesterday. A Bolonka is a toy breed of Russian dogs and can sell for thousands of dollars. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.