NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-03-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

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March is Women's History Month, so on NPR's Book of the Day podcast, we're kicking it off with a week of women writers, including one novel about a woman who ditches society and heads to a secluded religious community. It's something that has really preoccupied me as a writer, that the question of how much should I be in the world, how much should I be out of the world? That's this week on NPR's Book of the Day podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Trump administration in an apparent further effort

to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says it is pausing aid to Ukraine. That's according to a White House official speaking on background who said the president has been clear he's focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure it's contributing to a solution. It comes just days after a disastrous meeting between President

Trump and Zelensky. Europe, meanwhile, is working to forge a coalition to support Ukraine. President Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress and the nation tomorrow night in the first major address of his new term. and Piers Lou Gehrig says security will be high. Outside the U.S. Capitol, workers are installing anti-scale fencing, an added security measure for Trump's joint address, according to Capitol Police. Since returning to the White House, Trump has signed more than 75 executive orders aimed at reducing the federal government and securing the border, among other issues. Senior adviser Jason Miller told Fox News on Sunday that the president's speech will

highlight his executive actions and push lawmakers to support his agenda. That's going to be a big component, getting this one big, beautiful tax bill done. The House has already made some great steps. We need more money for the border to keep it permanently secure. The president now needs Congress to approve new spending that supports his priorities by March 14th. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. A major investment by giant chipmaker Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company has been

announced today by President Trump, the $100 billion investment the U.S. promised over a four-year period. TSMC is the world's largest semiconductor maker and produces chips for Apple, Intel, and Nvidia. Companies already announced plans to invest more than $65 billion in the US, including in three plants in Arizona, after receiving money under the Biden administration's Chips Act, which is designed to encourage domestic production

of semiconductors. Linda McMahon, the billionaire and former professional wrestling exec, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next U.S. Secretary of Education, and Bureaus Corey Turner has more. McMahon's confirmation vote broke along party lines. At her confirmation hearing, she told lawmakers she would faithfully execute President Trump's plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The department notably provides funding to help schools serve two vulnerable student

groups, those living in low-income neighborhoods and children with disabilities. McMahon told lawmakers she would not seek to cut that funding, but she would try to have responsibility for it moved to other federal agencies. In a recent NPR-PBS News Marist poll, 63% of Americans polled said they opposed or strongly opposed getting rid of the education department. Corey Turner, NPR News. Major sell-off to start the week on Wall Street as investors and business leaders worry about the ramifications of Trump administration tariffs.

The Dow fell 649 points today. You're listening to NPR News. Israel is out with what it's calling a new ceasefire plan and is seeking to force Hamas militants to accept it by imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip. The plan is different from one the two sides agreed to in January. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the new proposal comes from US President Trump's Mideast envoy, though the White House has yet to confirm that. The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Preliminary results

of a study tied to NPR's stressless series shows a set of eight skills can help to improve positive emotions and reduce anxiety. Here's Allison Abbey reports. The thousands of people who signed up were offered the chance to practice a series of skills through an online course, including positive reappraisal, noticing positive events, and savoring them. One of the most striking findings is that participants' sense of self-efficacy increased,

which means they started to believe more in their own ability to set a goal and accomplish it. Judy Moskowitz of Northwestern University, who developed the program and ran the study, says self-efficacy can go hand-in-hand with feeling more positive. It's an upward spiral where you maybe take the first step. You feel some progress toward your goal. And this can increase positive emotion, which can then help people take the next step. Alison Aubry, NPR News. Critical futures prices fell 2% today to a 12-league low on tariff worries coupled with

an announcement by OPEC plus Russia. The group intends to proceed with a planned oil output increase in April. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.