NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-09-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: March 9, 2025

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Neuroscientist Ethan Cross says you may think it's healthy to vent about what's bothering you, but... The problem is you often leave that conversation feeling really good about the person you just communicated with, but all the negative feelings are still there. Sometimes they're even more activated. Tools for managing our emotions. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Liveza Johnston Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Winza Johnston.

House Republicans have released the details of a temporary spending plan that they're hoping to pass by Friday when some government funding runs out. But NPR's Amy Held reports the GOP has little wiggle room, but leaders are expressing confidence that they can get it done. LESLIE KENDRICK, HOST, CREDITS AND STORY President Trump posted a plea to social media for Republicans to stay united and vote yes on the legislation that funds the government through September, slightly boosting defense spending with moderate cuts to other programs. To pass, it will need some Democratic support.

And Republicans are daring them to tank it and risk getting blamed for a partial government shutdown. But it is Republicans who have full, if extremely narrow, control of Congress. And Democrats have signaled they are not ready to bail them out, framing the bill as another power grab for the White House. Amy Held and PR News. The European Union's first-ever defense chief is describing the bloc's plan to spend more than $800 billion on defense over the next four years as historic. Andres Kabilia spoke to the BBC.

Andres Kabilia, U.S. Defense Secretary, U.S. Defense Secretary We are sending, first of all, signal to Moscow that they will not be able to achieve anything in Ukraine. If they are still dreaming about occupation of the whole of Ukraine, that will not come. Kabiliya says the proposal sends a strong message to Russia. The proposal comes nearly a week after President Trump announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine. The city of Selma, Alabama is marking the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday with a commemorative march today.

That pivotal event of the civil rights movement led to the passage of the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports voting rights advocates are calling on Congress to bring back key parts of the landmark federal law that the Supreme Court has dismantled. Democratic Representative Terry Sewell of Alabama is helping to lead the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. And so on March 7th, 1965, police bludgeoned civil rights icon John Lewis and other peaceful protesters. If we are to truly honor John's legacy and the legacy of those who marched, bled, and died, we must work to restore the law they fought so hard to enact.

Sewell has reintroduced a bill in Congress to restore a key part of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court ruled was out of date in 2013. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's Law Sewell has found that ruling has contributed to a growing turnout gap between white voters and voters of color. Hansi Luong, NPR News.

The Secret Service says it shot a man following a confrontation with officers overnight just a few blocks from the White House. The incident is under investigation by police in Washington, D.C. The Secret Service says President Trump was not at the White House at the time. This is NPR. British scientists have confirmed what many owners of Labrador dogs can tell you. They eat a lot. But as Vicki Barker reports, the findings may shed light on their owners' dietary habits as well. Why do some Labrador dogs waddle around swathed in fat while others remain

sleek and slim? On the off chance that this was not down to overindulgent owners, Cambridge University scientists analyzed the genes of 250 Labradors looking for a genetic basis for that urge to overeat. They found changes in one gene in particular present in the heavier dogs and then discovered the same over-eater gene was associated with high body mass in humans, suggesting that genetic predisposition, not willpower, keeps the pounds off. Or as one of the authors told the BBC, owners of slim dogs are not morally superior and the same is true of slim people.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Police in London arrested a man who had climbed the Big Bend Tower on Saturday while barefoot and holding a Palestinian flag. The man, who appeared to be staging a protest, stepped off the building and onto a cherry picker, following an hours-long standoff with authorities. The incident forced traffic to come to a standstill around the Palace of Westminster as crews tried to talk them down. I'm Windsor Johnston, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.