NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-14-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: March 14, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

The Senate is considering a government funding bill written only by Republicans. If Congress does not pass the legislation, the federal government will partially shut down at midnight. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has astonished colleagues. He switched his position and says he will vote for the GOP bill. He says President Trump would use a shutdown to gut the federal government and fire thousands of federal workers. But MPR's Deirdre Walsh says Democratic base voters still want Democrats to block the bill.

They want Democrats on Capitol Hill to use this one moment where they actually have some leverage in the minority to fight back. But since Schumer said last night he will vote for the spell, we're already seeing some major blowback from other Democrats. All three top House Democratic leaders put out a statement last night saying they remain strongly opposed to the bill. And Pierce Deirdre Walsh reporting. Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary federal government employees. They had been fired by the Trump administration.

One federal judge in California says workers were lied to when they were told they were fired for poor performance. From member station WYPR in Baltimore, Scott Massioni reports on the decision by a second federal judge in Maryland. Federal Judge James Bidar ruled that the Trump administration effectively issued a reduction in force when it fired about 23,000 probationary federal workers earlier this year. Bidar granted a temporary restraining order that will reinstate those employees and block further layoffs for at least 14 days.

States that sued the federal government say they were irreparably harmed by the mass layoffs because they had to provide unemployment benefits and other services to the newly fired employees. In most cases, the government must give 60 days notice of any reduction in force. In a separate case, a U.S. district judge in California halted layoffs of probationary federal workers in a decision earlier Thursday. For NPR News, I'm Scott Massioni in Baltimore. China hosted a meeting of officials from Iran and Russia to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing this comes after President Trump's message to Iran

last week to either negotiate or face possible military action. A statement put out after the meeting of the three nations vice foreign ministers said that the only way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue is through diplomacy and dialogue, not sanctions and the threat of force. It added that China and Russia welcome Iran's reaffirmation that it does not seek nuclear weapons and that Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy should be respected. The International Atomic Energy Agency says that Iran is close to enriching uranium that is pure enough to make nuclear weapons. Iran has rejected President

Trump's call for talks, calling them coercive and not aimed at resolving real problems. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing. On Wall Street in pre-market trading, Dow futures are higher. This is NPR. Hamas officials say they're willing to release the one living American hostage they've been holding. They may also release bodies of four dual American citizens held since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. The online statement comes after the US has held direct talks with Hamas in recent weeks. The Vatican says Pope Francis continues to rest

in a Rome hospital where he was treated for pneumonia. Vatican officials say last night, Francis celebrated the 12th anniversary of his election to the papacy. An American social media influencer sparked outrage in Australia after posting a video of herself. She was snatching a wild baby wombat from its mother.

Christina Cuclio reports the video prompted swift reaction from animal rights groups and Australian leaders. The video shows the woman taking the wombat from its mother on a dark roadside and running away towards someone laughing. An online petition called for her to be deported. Officials confirmed that the woman known online as Sam Jones left Australia voluntarily as a review into a possible breach of her visa conditions was ongoing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned her actions. I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals. Take a baby crocodile

from its mother and see how you go there. Jones returned the baby marsupial moments after taking it, but it's unclear if it was reunited with its mother. She has since apologised. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kukala in Melbourne, Australia. And I'm Corva Kuhlman, NPR News. Listen to this podcast, sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Brian membership or any podcast in Australia. And I'm Corva Kuhlmann, NPR News.