NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-10-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

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Hey, I'm Scott Schaefer. And I'm Marisa Lagos. We host Political Breakdown. With the 2024 election over and President Trump in the White House, there's going to be a lot to keep up with this year. Political Breakdown has got you covered. We'll bring smart analysis, a wide range of voices, and even some laughs. Join us for Political Breakdown every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from KQED, part of the

NPR Network. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A major development in Syria, Kurdish forces who've controlled part of the country for more than a decade are now agreeing to be incorporated into the Syrian state. NPR's Jane Raffa is more from Damascus. US-backed Kurdish forces have agreed to give up control of northeastern Syria, its territory they've controlled since breaking away from the former regime in 2012. The leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces agreed with Syria's new president that the Kurds would hand over control to the central government of security, borders, and oil and

gas fields. In return, the Syrian state guarantees Kurdish rights as Syrian citizens. The semi-autonomous Kurdish-led region has been under intense pressure, including from the U.S., to integrate within the new Syria since the fall of the former regime last December. Jane Araf, NPR News, Damascus. A federally funded database helps track long-term missing person cases, yet an NPR investigation finds even in two states legally required to use it, more than 2,000 people have not been added.

More from NPR's Jacqueline Diaz. There are tens of thousands of people in the United States who are considered long-term missing cases. Those are people who go missing and stay missing for more than one year. NamUs is supposed to serve as a tool to help find those people. The system pulls info from police, families, and medical examiners. Sixteen states have laws mandating the use of NamUs in some way. But an NPR investigation found that about half of all law enforcement agencies in the United States are not listed in the NamUs system. And NPR found that in Washington

and New Mexico alone, two states legally required to use NamUs, nearly 2,400 missing people were not listed. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News. A Wall Street sell-off that began last week accelerated today over worries about the effect of Trump administration tariffs on both U.S. consumers and the global economy. Adding fuel to the fire was an interview of the weekend in which President Trump refused to rule out the prospect of recession. Matthew Maguire is a former executive director of the World Bank

and an expert on international development. He says average Americans are concerned. Consumers are 70% of our economy. So as more and more people worry about losing jobs, as more and more businesses are worried about increasing costs that consumers are going to have to pay for, there are a lot of people who are very worried right now about where we're headed. The White House issued a statement tonight saying since Trump's election, industry leaders have responded with quote, trillions in investment commitments that will create thousands of The Los Angeles District Attorney says he doesn't support the re-sentencing of Eric

and Lyle Menendez. DA Nathan Hockman said today that the brothers have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers are serving life terms without the possibility of parole. Hockman said last month he opposes a new trial for them. His predecessor had recommended the brothers be sentenced to 50 years to life that would make them immediately eligible for parole. A resentencing hearing is slated for later this month.

As marijuana becomes legal in more states, more people are using the drug and millions are doing so before driving. As NPR's Meg Anderson reports, police are grappling with how to prevent people from driving under the influence. Studies show THC, the chemical in marijuana that makes you high, can impair driving. But THC can stay in your body for hours or even days. So it's hard to know if someone was high when they got pulled over. Police are searching for a tool that would work as well as the alcohol breathalyzer. They're piloting THC breathalyzers, saliva tests, even goggles to measure a person's

pupils. Jordan Wellington, a consultant who works on marijuana policy, says there's also a role for the public, to police themselves. If people wouldn't get on the road when they're impacted and unable to drive a car, we wouldn't be as worried about how to assess them. Meg Anderson, NPR News. Crude oil futures prices followed the general market lower today. Oil was down a dollar a barrel to $66.03 a barrel. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. On through line from NPR News in Washington.