NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-09-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: March 9, 2025

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On the Embedded Podcast. No, no. It's called denying a speech and mis-speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to Alternate Realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR, all episodes available now.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. House Republicans are attempting another stopgap extension to avoid a partial government shutdown this week. They released a bill yesterday that would pay for the government through September 30th. NPR's Tamara Keith has more. It basically punts the big decisions, the deep cuts that conservatives want until later this year.

It keeps the top line budget number the same as the last fiscal year, but shifts around some funding. It increases defense spending and decreases non-defense spending. It boosts funding for immigration enforcement, but doesn't include additional disaster assistance for the California wildfires or the hurricanes last year. In short, it's meant to keep congressional Republicans content and buy time for them to work on what President Trump really wants,

which is big tax cuts and a significant boost in immigration spending. NPR's Tamara Keith. Crowds marched over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama today to mark the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Troy Public Radio's Kyle Gassett has more. Heavy rains did not deter the large crowd of people crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge

as part of the 60th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday March for voting rights. Whenever the original marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, they were greeted by Alabama State troopers who beat them savagely. This time around, participants are concerned with a number of issues including voting rights and the rollback of progress they say the original marchers were fighting for. For NPR News, I'm Kyle Gassett in Selma, Alabama. In Washington, D.C., plans will begin tomorrow to remove the Black Lives Matter mural on

a street near the White House. It was painted five years ago and has been used for celebrations and protests. Republicans in Congress threaten to withhold federal money from Washington unless the mural is removed. The Syrian government has sealed off coastal communities where security members and hundreds of members of a religious minority were killed over the past few days. The Syrian president called for peace. NPR's Jane Arraff has more. Jane Arraff, NPR Spokesperson, NPR

Syrian President Ahmad Ishara spoke briefly at mosque prayers on Sunday. Only a shaky cell phone video seemed to record the moment. He said the country has to preserve national unity and that Syrians were capable of living together. Hundreds of Syrians, many of them Alawite civilians, the religious sect of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, were killed in Latakia and Tartus provinces after government security forces were ambushed there. Syrian government blamed it on fighters not under control of the government. The UN and the US called on Ashara to protect Syrians. Jane Araf, NPR News, Damascus.

And you're listening to NPR News in Washington. 2, NPR News in Washington. France says it will send Ukraine an additional $200 million in military aid to help Ukraine fight Russian forces. Officials say the money will come from interest on Russian assets frozen by France. France and other European countries are trying to compensate for cuts in assistance by the U.S. A group of religious and social service organizations has issued a statement of interfaith solidarity with refugees and immigrants. NPR's Jason DeRose reports that it takes the Trump administration to task for terminating refugee resettlement agreements.

The statement, signed by the leaders of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim groups, says ending refugee resettlement has made already at risk people even more vulnerable. It says the commitment to welcome and care for the stranger is rooted in a common understanding of quote, our Creator's love for all and the call to serve our neighbors. The statement points specifically to refugees who have been vetted and approved for entry but had their plane tickets canceled at the last minute. And it urges all people of faith to express their concern to elected leaders. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restart refugee resettlement and has set

a deadline of Monday to produce a status report on compliance with that order. Jason DeRose, NPR News. The Secret Service reports officers shot a man near the White House this morning when he brandished a gun at them. He was hospitalized. His condition has not been released. President Trump was not at the White House at the time of the shooting since he's spending the weekend at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.

I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.