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Live from NPR in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. During an appearance at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, President Trump praised [称赞] special forces [特种部队] for last month's raid [突袭] that removed Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro. Trump told troops [军队] and their families that the operation against Maduro shows America's military might [力量] and makes enemies fear the U.S. Sometimes you have to have fear because that's the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of. We have a situation right now where we sent a very big carrier [此处指航空母舰aircraft carrier] group to Iran. I'd love to see if we could make a deal. They've been difficult to make a deal. I thought we would have had a deal last time. They wish they did. Trump says he's moving a second aircraft carrier into the Middle East as he presses Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program. Trump says, quote, in case we don't make a deal, we'll need it. Days ago, Trump suggested another round of talks with Iran was at hand. That hasn't materialized [实现].
The Munich Security Conference [慕尼黑安全峰会] kicked off [开幕] today, drawing leaders from around the world. The chancellor [总理] of Germany told attendees that his country will build the largest army in Europe. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports. In one of the first speeches of the three-day conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told those gathered that Russia's GDP is currently worth two trillion euros. The GDP of the European Union is ten times higher, Merz said. And yet today, Europe is not ten times stronger than Russia. Merz called on European leaders to flip the switch [拨动开关] in our minds. He said that in the era [时代] of great powers, Europe's freedom is no longer simply a given. It is under threat. Rob Schmitz, Munich.
The Trump administration appears to be shaking up parts of the Health and Human Services Department. According to CNN, two top aides [幕僚] are leaving. NPR's Rob Stein has the story. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced several Trump administration officials were adding new roles to help him oversee the department's main agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, two of the Secretary's top aides are reportedly leaving. Kennedy's general counsel [总法律顾问], Mike Stewart, and Kennedy's second-in-command, Jim O'Neill. O'Neill has also been serving as the interim [代理的] director of the CDC. An HHS spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The replacements for the astronauts [宇航员] involved in NASA's first medical evacuation [医疗撤离] are on their way to the International Space Station. SpaceX launched the fresh crew this morning from Florida. The four astronauts are representing the U.S., France, and Russia and should reach the orbiting lab tomorrow. NASA had put spacewalks on hold after an astronaut experienced a serious medical problem.
U.S. stocks steady today after an encouraging update on inflation [通货膨胀].
The State Department [国务院] has ordered non-profit public libraries to stop taking passport [护照] applications. The agency started sending cease-and-desist [停止并终止] orders, which take effect today. Librarians say the service has worked for years, and residents still call every day. Members of Congress from several states pushed back in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They say the change is abrupt [突然].
At the Winter Olympics in Italy, an appeal [上诉] by a Ukrainian skeleton [钢架雪车] athlete who wanted to wear a helmet [头盔] honoring victims of the Russian-Ukraine war has been rejected. Steve Futterman reports. Vladislav Hariskevich was banned [禁止] from participating in his event on Thursday after insisting on wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes killed during the war. The International Olympic Committee said the helmet was a violation [违反] of rules that specifically prohibit [禁止] expressing views on the field of play. The IOC does allow comments when an athlete is not competing, like at news conferences and on social media. Hariskevich took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an arbitrator [仲裁者] ruled that the IOC's rules on expression do provide a reasonable balance. Hariskevich was removed from the competition 45 minutes before his event was set to begin.
The first solar eclipse [日食] of the year is almost here, but very few people will see it. The Ring of Fire eclipse [日环食] will only be visible in Antarctica [南极洲]. More people will see a partial eclipse [偏食] with small bites taken out of the sun from the tip of Chile [智利] and bits of southeastern Africa.
