NPR News: 02-25-2026 7PM EST

This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, we look for stories that are surprising, that you won't hear anywhere else. Like, for example, this one astronaut who went to the moon. You know what he's not into? Space. Was it cool to float around weightless? No, no, no. This American Life, unexpected stories, wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump broke a record last night with his especially long State of the Union address. He came into the speech with an underwater approval rating and with Republicans facing political headwinds in this year's midterm elections, as NPR's Tamara Keith explains. When it came to the economy, he didn't say there was more work to do or suddenly start channeling the pain of voters. Instead, he boasted of a transformation like no one has ever seen before. and he doubled down on his tariffs, the bulk of which were just thrown out by the Supreme Court. So despite the disappointing ruling, these powerful country saving, it's saving our country, the kind of money we're taking in, peace protecting. Many of the wars I settled was because of the threat of tariffs I wouldn have been able to settle them without We remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes And a reminder tariffs are widely unpopular NPR Tamara Keith reporting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says he spoke by phone with President Trump and as talks to end the four-year-long war are set to resume in Geneva tomorrow. NPR's Joanna Kikisis reports. In a post on social media, Zelensky says Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were also on the call. Zelensky says he thanked them for their efforts and that they talked about how to handle sticking points in negotiations. He says he proposed a series of steps to resolve, quote, complex and sensitive issues, though he does not detail those steps. Zelensky says Trump endorsed the idea. The issue of territory remains the most difficult. The Kremlin wants Ukraine to hand over land in the east that is not occupied by Russia. Ukraine has refused and is pushing for binding security guarantees so Russia does not invade again. Joanna Kakesis, NPR News, Kiev. Cuba says it has killed four people who crossed into their territory on a speedboat. NPR's Ada Peralta reports the boat was registered in Florida. According to Cuba's interior minister, a speedboat was spotted by its border patrol. When they approached the boat to identify it the Cuban government says the occupants opened fire Cuban authorities fired back killing four people and wounding six The government says the injured were given medical aid It unclear who the people on the boat were but the incident comes at a moment of heightened tension between the U.S. and Cuba. 30 years ago this week, the Cuban government shot down an airplane run by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based group who rescued Cuban migrants at sea. Cuba insisted the plane violated their airspace. The United States Congress responded with sweeping sanctions that are still in place today. Ada Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City. Light snow is moving across the northeast as cities dig out from a massive storm and deal with dangerous ice. Cities are working to clear towering snow heaps that aren't showing any signs of melting anytime soon. This is NPR News from Washington. The head of international soccer says he has complete confidence in Mexico as a men's World Cup host this summer despite days of cartel violence that have left at least 70 people dead. FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he trusts Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the country's authorities. He says FIFA is monitoring events closely. Obesity rates among U.S. adults have declined in some groups, including those under age 40. According to new government reports rates among children continue to increase as NPR Yuki Noguchi reports Every two years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes reports on obesity rates based on household reviews and health exams For the most recent time period 2021 to 2023 the results are mixed. Obesity among adult men, for example, is falling, in particular among those under age 40. The rate in that group fell from 40.3 percent to 34.3 percent since the 2017-2018 report. Obesity rates also decreased for women under 40 from 39.7 percent to 36.8 percent. But it increased in most other groups of women as well as for children. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News. The telescope in Chile has revealed the swirling splendor of star-forming gases at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. The clouds of gas and dust surround the supermassive black hole at the galactic dead center. It's the largest image ever taken by the ALMA antenna network in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. This is NPR News from Washington. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.