NPR News: 02-24-2026 1AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now – February 24, 2026, 1AM EST

Host: Giles Snyder
Episode Theme:
A comprehensive five-minute update covering major national and international news, including U.S. tariff policy upheaval, significant developments in Mexico’s fight against cartel violence, Olympic hockey triumph, severe weather in the Northeast, and a groundbreaking FDA proposal.

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Key Stories and Insights

1. State of the Union, Tariff Policy, and Effects on Northwest Farmers

• [00:18] President Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address amid uncertainty, following a Supreme Court ruling that he exceeded his authority in imposing previous tariffs.
  • A new set of 15% import taxes have been announced but are limited to five months unless Congress extends them.
  • Impact: Northwest farmers are urgently assessing how these tariffs will affect their crops and markets.
• [00:49] On the Ground in Washington:
  • Anna King [Reporter]: Describes asparagus fields in Pasco, Washington, where spring planting preparations are underway.
    • “Tariffs could really shift the domestic asparagus market.” (Anna King)
  • [01:03] Alan Schreiber, head of the Washington Asparagus Commission, remarks:
    • “It has the potential to help the domestic industry in the short term, but it is disruptive to the marketplace.” (Alan Schreiber)
  • Other crops impacted include hay, wheat, potatoes, and apples due to their dependency on import/export dynamics and foreign competition.

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2. Mexico Cartel Leader Killed and Aftermath

• [01:38] President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announces highways and roads have been cleared following Sunday’s high-profile raid, which resulted in the death of cartel boss Nemesio “El Mencho” Ciguera Cervantes (Jalisco New Generation Cartel).
• [01:48] Carrie Khan [NPR Correspondent] explains:
  • The crackdown was in response to pressure from the U.S. on drug kingpins.
  • After the operation, airlines canceled flights and the U.S. warned its citizens in Mexico to shelter due to violence.
  • Sheinbaum emphasized: “There was no participation in the operation by US forces, she stressed, but added intelligence sharing always occurs.” (Carrie Khan reporting Sheinbaum, [02:13])
• [03:37] Additional context: Mexican government sends 2,000 troops to Jalisco State for continued security after the raid.
  • U.S. White House confirms intelligence support for Mexico during the initial action.

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3. U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team Wins Gold

• [02:35] The team returns to Miami to a hero’s welcome after an Olympic victory over Canada in Milan.
  • Notably, player Jack Hughes lost a tooth but scored the winning goal.
  • [02:50] “Honestly, the gold medal. It’s so important for us because we work so hard to get to that point... it’s for all the guys that have come before us. And, you know, all the young kids are going to come after us.” (Jack Hughes)
• Both men’s and women’s gold-winning teams invited by President Trump to join the State of the Union, though their seasons are ongoing.

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4. Severe Blizzard in the Northeast

• [03:14] Snowstorm causes blizzard conditions in Maine and record-breaking snowfall in Rhode Island (over three feet, breaking a 50-year record).
  • Power outages and impossible travel conditions have been reported.

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5. Groundbreaking FDA Policy Proposal for Rare Disease Treatments

• [04:16] Rob Stein [NPR] reports on a new FDA policy proposal aimed at facilitating patient access to innovative treatments, particularly for extremely rare diseases.
  • The FDA may approve new therapies (e.g., gene editing) without traditional studies if there is plausible evidence they work, requiring robust follow-up studies for confirmation.
  • “The new approach would only apply to situations where there is plausible evidence the treatment would work and a follow up study would be needed to confirm the treatment is effective and safe.” (Rob Stein, [04:39])

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Alan Schreiber (Washington Asparagus Commission):
  • “It has the potential to help the domestic industry in the short term, but it is disruptive to the marketplace.” [01:03]
• Carrie Khan (Reporting Sheinbaum):
  • “There was no participation in the operation by US forces, she stressed, but added intelligence sharing always occurs.” [02:13]
• Jack Hughes (Olympic hockey player):
  • “...it’s for all the guys that have come before us. And, you know, all the young kids are going to come after us.” [02:50]
• Rob Stein (NPR):
  • “The new approach would only apply to situations where there is plausible evidence the treatment would work and a follow up study would be needed...” [04:39]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:18] Presidential tariff policy & State of the Union preview
• [00:49] Impact on Washington state farmers
• [01:38] Mexican cartel raid and aftermath
• [02:50] Olympic hockey gold medal, player interview
• [03:14] Blizzard conditions in the Northeast
• [04:16] FDA rare disease treatment policy proposal

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In Summary:
This episode provides a brisk yet thorough update on policy developments affecting both domestic producers and international relations, key law enforcement actions in Mexico with U.S. ties, an Olympic triumph, extreme weather impacting millions, and emerging opportunities in rare disease treatment. The tone remains factual and urgent, in keeping with NPR’s concise news delivery.

Transcript

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[Giles Snyder]

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump is preparing to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday evening amid uncertainty about tariff policy following the Supreme Court's ruling that he exceeded his authority. The president has moved to replace him with a new set of 15% import taxes, but they can only remain in place for five months unless Congress votes to extend them. In the Northwest, farmers are scrambling to make sense of the new tariffs. As Northwest Public Broadcasting's Anna King reports.

[Anna King]

In this field north of Pasco, Washington, are recently mown down asparagus ferns. The ground will be tilled up soon, readied for spring tariffs could really shift the domestic asparagus market.

[Giles Snyder]

It has the potential to help the domestic industry in the short term, but it is disruptive to the marketplace.

[Anna King]

That's Alan Schreiber, who heads up the Washington Asparagus Commission. He says farmers might not have to ship crops far away if they're not competing with Peru and Mexico, but it's still not yet clear if the tariffs will stick. Other Northwest farmers are worried, too. Hay, wheat, potatoes and apples, they're all crops that get exported and depend on imported supplies. For NPR News, I'm Anna King.

[Giles Snyder]

The president of Mexico says security forces have cleared all highways and roads of drug gangs following Sunday's killing of a drug Cartel Leader. Here's NPR's Carrie Khan.

[Carrie Khan]

President Claudia Sheinbaum says practically all activities are back up and running following yesterday's military action that killed the leader of the Jalisco new generation cartel, Nemesio Ciguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho. Mexico has been under intense pressure from the US to crack down on drug kingpins. Major airlines canceled flights, stranding travelers. The US Warned Americans in Mexico to shelter in place as gang members burned shops, cars and battled police. Shanebaum says the operation against El Mencho was conceived and executed only by Mexico. There was no participation in the operation by US Forces, she stressed, but added intelligence sharing always occurs. Carrie Conn, NPR News.

[Giles Snyder]

The U.S. olympic men's hockey team is back, arriving to a hero's welcome in Miami on Monday after winning the gold medal over Canada at the Milan Winter Olympics. Player Jack Hughes lost a tooth in the game but scored the winning goal.

[Jack Hughes]

Honestly, the gold medal. It's so important for us because we work so hard to get to that point. And you know, it's for us. But the best part is it's for like I was saying this the day of the gold medal. It's for all the guys that have come before us. And, you know, all the young kids are going to come after us.

[Giles Snyder]

President Trump has invited both the gold medal winning men's and women's teams to attend his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but their seasons resumed this week. The this is npr. Snow is piling up in the Northeast. The National Weather Service is warning of blizzard conditions into the morning across Maine as the storm moves off the coast. The storm has knocked out power and has made travel impossible in some areas. A record breaking amount of Snow, more than 3ft, is reported in Rhode island, exceeding a previous record set nearly 50 years ago. Mexican government sending in more soldiers following a military raid on Sunday that killed the country's most wanted cartel leader. Authorities say an additional 2,000 troops were deployed Monday to the western state of Jalisco, where security forces are battling cartel gunman. The White House has confirmed that the US Provided intelligence support to the initial raid in which authorities say dozens of people were killed. The Food and Drug Administration is proposing a new policy designed to make it easier for patients with very rare diseases to get access to cutting edge new treatments. NPR's Rob Stein reports.

[Rob Stein]

The FDA says the policy would allow the agency to approve new treatments in some cases without requiring a study be done first to demonstrate the therapy works. The new policy is designed to make state of the art technologies like gene editing available to patients in situations where the disease is so rare that it would be impossible to conduct a study first. The FDA says the new approach would only apply to situations where there is plausible evidence the treatment would work and a follow up study would be needed to confirm the treatment is effective and safe. Rob Stein, NPR News.

[Giles Snyder]

And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News.

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