NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-09-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: March 9, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Selma, Alabama is marking 60 years since historic voting rights marches there. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports thousands came today to symbolically cross Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge, where law officers attacked peaceful demonstrators in what became known as Bloody Sunday. A far cry from the violence back then, the crowd had police protection as they retraced the footsteps of those who braved Edmund Pettus Bridge 60 years ago. Turn it around, ain't gonna let nobody.

Sheila Bonds made the pilgrimage with the Indianapolis Coalition of 100 Black Women. This is really important for us to remember, for our youth to take a stand and to make sure as the U.S. government is making huge changes, that we are included in the change. Bonds and others say they fear a rollback of gains achieved by voting rights activists in 1965.

Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Selma. The Secret Service says a man brandishing a firearm in Washington, D.C. was shot by Secret Service officers near the White House this morning. NPR's Luke Garrett reports. By mid-morning in the shadow of the Eisenhower Executive Office building near the White House,

only remnants of yellow police tape remained. Around midnight, Secret Service officers saw a man who looked like someone local police had warned them about, described as a suicidal individual, possibly on his way from Indiana. Officers went up to him and saw he had a gun. The Secret Service says officers shot the man just steps away from the White House grounds. He was taken to a hospital. His condition is unknown. President Trump was at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida during the shooting.

Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, where he's to meet with his counterparts from Ukraine. They're to discuss ways to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukraine's military says Russian and North Korean troops are trying to surround Ukrainian soldiers who have occupied part of a western Russian region since last year. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports from Kyiv.

When Ukrainian soldiers occupied about 200 square miles of Russia's Kursk region last summer, it was the first time a foreign army had crossed into Russian territory since World War II. The surprise attack embarrassed the Kremlin. Russia has since managed to take back most of that territory with the help of thousands of North Korean soldiers. And now Ukraine's military confirmed to NPR that Russian special forces crept through miles of a gas pipeline to storm Ukrainian positions this weekend. In a statement

Ukraine's military grouping in Korsk said the situation remains, quote, difficult but under control of our command. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, Cave. This is NPR News in Washington. Congress is expected to vote this week on a proposal to pay for government programs through the end of September. If Congress does not act, there could be a partial government shutdown after some money runs out Friday. The National Endowment for the Arts has agreed to remove a requirement forcing artists to certify they will not promote gender ideology in their funding applications pending the results of a legal challenge. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports.

The NEA issued a declaration attesting to the removal of the new language by March 11th. It comes after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of four arts groups with the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island on Thursday. The suit seeks to evoke an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, preventing the use of federal funds for art that can be seen as promoting gender ideology. However, the NEA has not yet agreed

to remove its eligibility criteria, so applicants still won't get funding if the government thinks their project contradicts the executive order. Vera Adelman is the lead counsel on the case. This is a huge step towards initial relief. We won't stop fighting until these new requirements are struck down for good. A hearing date is scheduled for March 18th. Chloe Valtman, NPR News.

Thousands of people demonstrated in Nepal today calling for the South Asian nation to return to a monarchy. The last king gave up his throne in 2006 in response to street protests. Now protesters blame the republic for a struggling economy and widespread corruption. They're also calling for Hinduism to be reinstated as a state religion. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.