NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-09-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: March 9, 2025

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Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts, perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. House Republicans have unveiled their plan to fund the government through September. In the meantime, some funding is set out to run out on Friday. Based on the text of the just released bill, Republicans appear to think they won't

need support from Democratic representatives in order to pass it. NPR's Eric McDaniel has more. Overall, the stopgap measure doesn't make big changes to government funding, but the changes that are there are consequential. A little more money for the Pentagon, a little less money for non-defense programs. Democrats are blasting the changes and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has needed their support to pass previous funding bills. This time, he thinks, though, with President Trump's backing, he can ride his one-vote

margin all the way to the finish line. But that, of course, is just half the story. The Senate has a de facto 60-vote threshold to pass legislation, and there are just 53 Republican senators. It remains to be seen whether Republican Majority Leader John Thune could get at least seven Dems on board and get this bill to the President's desk. Eric McDaniel and Peer News Washington. Thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles Saturday morning for International

Women's Day. Elias Evan Jacoby was there and filed this report. Protesters are marching from Pershing Square to City Hall. People with megaphones, Tongva tribal members, people of all ages chanting and holding signs. My name is Ruby Via. My sign says if you don't fight for all women, you fight for no women. My name is Alexa Krupat. And my sign says we're not overreacting, ovary, like women's reproductive system.

Via and Krupat are here with their mothers and grandmother. Here's Krupat's mom. I'm Marissa Krupat, and I'm here to make sure that they have at least the same rights that I had when I was their age. Emiliana Guereca is the founder of Women's March Foundation. Our daughters, our granddaughters, our kids' kids, they are inheriting a world with less rights for women. For NPR News, I'm Evan Jacoby in downtown Los Angeles.

Ukraine is facing new pressure in its war with Russia. The U.S. has suspended military aid to Kiev, and on Friday, President Trump also stopped sharing real-time satellite images with Ukraine's military. Phillips O'Brien is a professor of strategic studies at St. Andrews University in Scotland. He says it's now up to Europe to fill in the looming strategic gap. They should have done more to now in the sense that they should have planned on a Trump presidency resulting in the U.S. switching sides to support Putin. They didn't believe it was possible. Maybe they didn't want to believe it was possible. There is now, I think, a greater understanding of the actual reality of the U.S.'s position

and its support of Putin. And so the Europeans are desperately trying to pay some kind of catch-up. They do have resources. They're much, much richer than the Russians, but they wasted the time they should have had getting ready for this. Russia meanwhile is continuing strikes on eastern Ukraine this weekend. You're listening to NPR News. Major disruption to travel is expected in Germany as staff are prepared to walk out of most of that country's airports. As Esme Nicholson reports, passengers are advised to check with airlines before embarking on their trips.

Airports across Germany are set to grind to a halt on Monday when ground staff plan to lay down tools. The 24-hour strike marks a major escalation in negotiations over pay. Trade union Verdi has advised passengers to prepare for widespread cancellations and disruption at Germany's two major international hubs, Frankfurt and Munich, and nine more airports including Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The union is demanding an 8% raise, higher bonuses and additional vacation for airport ground staff. Airport operators say Union demands are not financially feasible. For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin.

More than 1,000 people have died in two days of fighting in Syria. The fighting has taken place between the country's security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. There were also a number of revenge killings that took place after the initial fighting. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 745 of the people killed were civilians. Colin Morikawa sank a 12-foot pot on the final hole on Saturday to finish with a 67 and the lead at the Arnold Palmer Golf Invitational now underway in Orlando this weekend.

Russell Henley is one stroke off the pace and Corey Connors of Canada sits two back going into today's final round. Shane Lowry, meanwhile, went from a two shot lead to trailing by six shots after shooting a 76. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. Bella DiPaolo is glad if you're happily married, but she is perfectly happy being single. I would love to have someone who took care of my car or someone who cleaned up the dishes after dinner, but then I'd want them to leave. From yourself to your dog to your spouse are significant others.

That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.