NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-04-2025 11PM EST

Episode Date: March 5, 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 Giles Snyder. President Trump has just wrapped up his remarks

to a joint session of Congress, declaring his election win in November a mandate to enact sweeping change in the country. NPR's Tamara Keith reports Democrats protested from within the chamber. Trump boasted about his first month accomplishments and he repeatedly referred derisively to former President Joe Biden, at one point calling him the worst president in American history. This is my fifth such speech to Congress and once again I look at the Democrats in front of me

and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud. Nothing I can do. Democratic Congressman Al Green from Texas was escorted out of the chamber after standing and yelling his opposition to Medicaid cuts. Several other Democrats walked out in protest. Tamara Keith, NPR News. After Congressman Green was escorted from the chamber,

he spoke to reporters in the hallway saying he's willing to accept any punishment. I'm willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn't say to anyone, don't punish me. I've said I'll accept the punishment, but it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Other Democrats held up signs that said no king and this is not normal. Others invited fire to federal workers as guests. Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee say they want answers from their former

colleague, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, about the dismantlement of the lead U.S. aid agency. In the meantime, they're questioning other State Department nominees, as MPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. At a confirmation hearing for three top State Department officials, Senator Tammy Duckworth called Trump's aid freeze and the dismantling of USAID illegal. She says some U.S. companies are owed tens of millions of dollars for work they have already done. Some of them report that they have been told by USAID

that reimbursements for work done in December and January will only be provided for expenses that this administration deems legitimate or that they would have approved, even though these were contracts from the last administration for work done during the last administration. Trump's nominee to serve as deputy secretary of state for management, Michael Regas, told her that if confirmed, he will correct what he calls any disconnect or miscommunication. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department.

The White House is rejecting a Gaza reconstruction plan developed by Egypt and endorsed by other Arab states. The administration says in a statement that the plan does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and that President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza. Trump's plan calls for depopulating Gaza and redeveloping it as a beach destination. This is NPR News. it as a beach destination. This is NPR News. Two deaths are now being blamed on those powerful storms that tore through parts of the country today. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has confirmed the deaths in a social media post. He did not give specifics, but CNN says the two were killed in Madison County. In Oklahoma, the storms tore the roofs off an apartment building at a nursing home and

damaged schools and apartment buildings in Texas. Health officials in Texas say that measles outbreak has grown to 159 confirmed cases in the state. Most of the cases are centered in rural West Texas, spreading among members of the Mennonite community in Gaines County, which is now reporting 107 cases. Mamma Mia! The popular jukebox musical featuring ABBA songs, is returning to Broadway for a six-month run beginning in August. The original production ran for more than 14 years

and became a film with a sequel, as Jeff London reports. Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway in October of 2001, a little over a month after the 9-11 terror attacks. And its mixture of pop tunes and an escapist story set on a Greek island proved irresistible to audiences. It ran for 5,773 performances, making it the ninth longest-running show in Broadway history. After ten years away and numerous productions around the world and on cruise ships, it's coming back. Producer Judy Kramer told the New York Times, it celebrates women, it's about second chances,

it's about hope, and it's not political. It brings audiences together. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News. When she teaches her students how to write a song, musician Scarlett Keys says they need to ask themselves certain questions. What is the thing that keeps you up at night?

What's the thing you can't stop thinking about? As songwriters, we are repurposing human tropes and a new viewpoint with new words, with new music. The people and technology behind the soundtracks of our lives. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR.