NPR News: 02-22-2025 12AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: February 22, 2025

Host: Dale Wilman
Release Date: February 22, 2025
Duration: Approximately 4 minutes

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1. President Trump's Relations with Moscow and Kyiv

Overview: In the opening segment, Dale Wilman reports on President Donald Trump's escalating criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump claims to have better relations with Moscow than with Kyiv, intensifying pressure on Ukraine amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Key Points:

• Trump's Criticism: President Trump has intensified his scrutiny of President Zelenskyy, particularly regarding negotiations over critical minerals.
• Security Guarantees: Trump is pressing Ukraine to accept a deal where critical minerals are exchanged for security guarantees.
• Comparative Talks: He asserts, “I’ve had very good talks with Putin” (00:23), juxtaposed with less favorable talks with Ukraine.
• Allegations Against Zelenskyy: Trump has labeled Zelenskyy a dictator lacking legitimate elections, urging swift action to prevent Ukraine from losing its sovereignty.
• Exclusion from Diplomatic Talks: Zelenskyy has been excluded from President Putin’s negotiations, raising tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine.

Notable Quote:

“I’ve had very good talks with Putin. And I’ve had not such good talks with Ukraine,” – Donald Trump (00:25)

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2. Leadership Changes at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Overview: Joel Rose discusses the recent removal of Caleb Vitello from his position as acting director of ICE, highlighting the administration's frustration with the agency's deportation rates.

Key Points:

• Leadership Removal: Caleb Vitello, a career ICE official, has been removed as acting head but will continue to lead the arrests and deportations office within ICE.
• Deportation Goals: The Trump administration aims for at least 1,200 immigration arrests per day, a target that ICE field offices have struggled to meet.
• Increased Arrests: While ICE arrests have risen compared to the previous administration, they fall short of the administration's ambitious targets.
• Campaign Promises: President Trump pledged to establish the largest deportation operation in U.S. history during his campaign.

Notable Quote:

“President Trump picked a career ICE official, Caleb Vitello, as the acting head of the agency.” – Joel Rose, NPR News (01:09)

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3. Early Polls Reflect President Trump's Approval

Overview: Domenico Montanaro analyzes the initial polling data following President Trump's first month in office, revealing a predominantly unfavorable public opinion.

Key Points:

• Honeymoon Phase Over: Polls indicate that any initial support for President Trump has diminished, with a slight majority expressing disapproval.
• Public Division: The American populace remains split on Trump’s presidential approach and immigration policies.
• Exceeding Presidential Power: A majority believe that Trump is overstepping his presidential authority.
• Economic Concerns: "62% think that he hasn't done enough to reduce the price of goods," according to a CNN poll (02:03).

Notable Quote:

“The honeymoon for Trump appears to be over. The country has largely always been split on Trump, slight majority disapproving.” – Domenico Montanaro, NPR (02:03)

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4. Dismissal of Air Force General C.Q. Brown Jr.

Overview: President Trump has dismissed Air Force General C.Q. Brown Jr. from his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, part of a broader effort to replace military leaders advocating for diversity and equity.

Key Points:

• Significant Appointment: Brown was only the second Black general to hold the position of chairman.
• Tenure Highlights: During his 16-month tenure, Brown managed critical issues related to the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.
• Administration's Intent: The move aligns with Trump's campaign to depose military leaders supportive of diversity initiatives within the armed forces.

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5. Pope Francis' Health Update

Overview: Sarah Ventri reports on the current health status of Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized with pneumonia but is not in immediate danger.

Key Points:

• Hospitalization Duration: The Pope is expected to stay in the hospital at least through the next week with plans to return to the Vatican thereafter.
• Medical Condition: The 88-year-old pontiff is battling double pneumonia following bronchitis and struggles with breathing but is not on a ventilator.
• Historical Health Issues: Pope Francis has a history of lung problems, including a lung removed due to a pulmonary infection in his youth.
• Potential Complications: The medical team is most concerned about the risk of sepsis.

Notable Quote:

“The doctors said the pope would be hospitalized for at least the entirety of next week, though one doctor also said he was confident Francis would leave the hospital at some point and return to the Vatican.” – Sarah Ventri, NPR (03:15)

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6. Investigations into Damaged Undersea Cables

Overview: Recent damage to an undersea cable in the Baltic Sea has raised suspicions of Russian sabotage and espionage, intensifying regional security concerns.

Key Points:

• Latest Incident: A cable running from Germany to Finland, passing near a Swedish island, has been damaged.
• Pattern of Sabotage: This incident is part of a series of ruptured undersea cables in the area, heightening fears of targeted sabotage.
• Geopolitical Implications: Such actions could signify attempts at spying or disrupting communications in the Baltic region, possibly linked to Russian intelligence activities.

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7. Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen's Charitable Endeavor

Overview: Magnus Carlsen, the top-ranked chess player, is auctioning a pair of designer jeans to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of America following a fine he received for attire violations during a tournament.

Key Points:

• Fashion Violation: Carlsen was fined $200 at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships for wearing designer jeans, which are against tournament dress codes.
• Charity Auction: He is now auctioning the jeans to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, turning a penalty into a philanthropic effort.
• Community Impact: The initiative underscores Carlsen's commitment to supporting youth mentoring programs through unexpected avenues.

Notable Quote:

“He’s auctioning the jeans off to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.” – Dale Wilman, NPR (03:55)

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Conclusion: This episode of NPR News Now covers a broad spectrum of current events, from high-stakes political tensions and administrative changes in U.S. immigration policy to international security concerns and personal stories of public figures engaging in charitable activities. Notable moments include President Trump's strained relationship with Ukraine, leadership shifts within ICE, early polling data reflecting public sentiment towards Trump's presidency, and updates on global and personal narratives such as the health of Pope Francis and Magnus Carlsen's charitable initiatives.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the beginning of each segment as provided in the transcript.

Transcript

[Dale Wilman]

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump says he's having better talks with Moscow than Kyiv. And NPR's Franco Ordonez reports on how Trump continues to escalate his criticism of the Ukrainian presidents.

[Donald Trump]

President Trump dug into the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy again as he pressed Zelenskyy to accept a deal on critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees.

I've had very good talks with Putin.

And I've had not such good talks.

With Ukraine, especially speaking at a White House gathering for Republican and Democratic governors. Trump added that Kyiv likes to play tough, but that they don't have the cards to do so. Those comments followed earlier attacks by Trump calling Zelenskyy a dictator without elections who needs to act fast or risk losing his country. Trump has been increasing pressure on Zelenskyy since excluding him from talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, the White House.

[Dale Wilman]

The acting director of U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement has been removed from his post. As NPR's Joel Rose reports. The shake up at ICE comes as frustrations grow in the Trump administration over the pace of deportations.

[Joel Rose]

President Trump picked a career ICE official, Caleb Vitello, as the acting head of the agency. Now Vitello has been removed from that post, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, though he will remain at ice, leading, leading the office that's responsible for arrests and deportations. ICE arrests are up compared to the previous administration, but not enough to satisfy the White House. President Trump promised during the campaign to build the biggest deportation operation in U.S. history. Administration officials have said they want to see at least 1200 immigration arrests per day nationwide, but ICE field offices have been falling well short of those goals. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

[Dale Wilman]

It's been a month since President Trump was sworn in. The time has been filled with a flurry of executive orders and other actions. Now the first polls are out assessing just how he's done, and NPR's Domenico Montanaro says the results are not kind to the president.

[Domenico Montanaro]

The bottom line is that it looks like that the honeymoon for Trump appears to be over. The country has largely always been split on Trump, slight majority disapproving. And that's what we saw in back to back polls with CNN and Washington Post Ipsos. People were split on Trump's approach to the presidency, approach to immigration, but both polls found a majority think that he's exceeding his power as president. CNN's poll also found that 62% think that he hasn't done enough to reduce the price of goods.

[Dale Wilman]

That's NPR's Domenico Montanaro reporting. President Trump has fired Air Force General C.Q. brown Jr. As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The move is part of a campaign to remove military leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks. Brown is just the second black general to serve as chairman. His 16 months in the job were spent dealing with dealing with the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. You're listening to NPR News. Pope Francis is not in danger of death, but he's also not fully out of danger. That's according to members of his medical team. As NPR's Sarah Ventri reports, two of the pope's doctors spoke at a press conference in the Rome hospital where the pontiff is being treated.

[Sarah Ventri]

The doctors said the pope would be hospitalized for at least the entirety of next week, though one doctor also said he was confident Francis would leave the hospital at some point and returned to the Vatican. They also said he is struggling with breathing, though he is not attached to a ventilator. Earlier this week, it was announced that the 88 year old suffered from a double pneumonia following bronchitis. At that time, the Vatican said his condition continued to present a, quote, complex picture. Francis had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man and is prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter. Now doctors say their greatest fear is that he could develop sepsis. Sarah Ventri, NPR News.

[Dale Wilman]

Officials in Sweden are investigating yet another damaged undersea cable. This time the cable runs under the Baltic Sea from Germany to Finland. It passes by a Swedish island. It's the latest in a string of ruptured undersea cables. That's increased fears of possible Russian sabotage and spying. Throughout the region, top ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is selling a pair of jeans for charity. The Norwegian chess Grandmaster was fined $200 during December's World Rapid and Blitz CH Championships for wearing a pair of designer jeans. Jeans are not allowed to be worn during those tournaments. Now he's auctioning the jeans off to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.