NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-15-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: March 15, 2025

NPR News: 03-15-2025 2AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts, perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, early access, and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The Senate passed a six month spending bill on Friday that avoided a partial government shutdown. Democrats opposed the bill saying it did little for such priorities as housing assistance and health care. But Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Democrats to vote for the measure saying a government shutdown would give Trump and Elon Musk even more power to damage the government.

Before the final vote, Trump praised Schumer's decision. I have great respect, by the way, for what Schumer did today. He went out and he said that they have to vote with the Republicans because it's the right thing to do. I couldn't believe what I heard. But you know, I think he's going to get some credit for it. I think let's see what happens tonight with the big vote as it comes. Ten Democrats helped to give the bill a final vote.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he's cautiously optimistic about a proposed 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. But Russia wants more talks. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. Wrapping up a visit to Canada where he took part in a G7 meeting, Secretary Rubio says it's been a good week on the diplomatic front. We certainly feel like we're at least some steps closer to ending this war and bringing

peace, but it's still a long journey. It's a journey of many steps. Rubio says the administration will decide on its next steps after consulting with special envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Asked if the U.S. should trust Putin, Rubio called it an irrelevant question, adding, quote, This is not a reality show. It's not about personalities. It's about doing things to end the war. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department.

Hamas leaders say they formally accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American Israeli hostage along with the bodies of four dual nationals who died while in captivity. Through what is not said though, what it hopes to receive in return, Israel's prime minister is accusing Hamas of using manipulation to sabotage ongoing peace talks in Qatar. Dozens of wildfires popped up across the southern plains on Friday as high winds and a band of very dry air moved across the drought-stricken region. Grayson Wheeler, member station KOSU, has more. Fires across Oklahoma have injured at least one firefighter and destroyed multiple structures,

including a church more than a century old with special significance to the people of the Kiowa Nation. Multiple communities were ordered to evacuate as flames moved towards them. The lack of moisture made it easy for fires to start, and strong winds helped the blazes spread. The winds brought gusts up to 80 miles per hour. Those are speeds you'd see in a hurricane. They kicked up a powerful dust storm, which made spotting smoke more difficult. There's relief in sight as winds calm down and humid air moves across the plains. For NPR News, I'm

Grayson Wheeler in Oklahoma City. In Texas, meanwhile, officials say that three people have been killed there in car crashes that took place during a dust storm. You're listening to NPR News. A large portion of Cuba has once again gone dark. Officials there say an outage at a substation on the outskirts of Havana on Friday night caused a significant loss of generation in the western part of that country, leaving the streets of the capital of Havana dark. The country also suffered three widespread power outages at the end of last year.

Government officials say they're working on a recovery process to get the power back on. A former reality TV star just won the longest I Did A Rod trail sled dog race in history. Alaska Public Media's Ava White has our details. It took Jesse Holmes more than 10 days to traverse more than 1,100 miles, the longest it's taken a champion to reach the finish line in over two decades. Holmes starred on the reality TV show Life Before Zero. He's originally from Alabama, but moved to Alaska about 20 years ago and had long dreamed of winning the Iditarod.

If I died tomorrow, I'd just die the happiest man. Holmes wins an Iditarod notable for its small number of mushers, tying with a record low, and its extra long trail after low snow near Anchorage forced organizers to reroute the race further north. For NPR News, I'm Ava White in Nome, Alaska. Akshay Bhatia and Min Wo Lee are in the lead after two rounds at the Players Golf Championship in Florida this weekend. Lee bogeyed the par 5 ninth hole to lose

the lead. Both Lee and Bautia finished with a round of 66. J.J. Spahn meanwhile is one stroke behind while Colin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy are two strokes off the lead. Scottie Scheffler is six back. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News. Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.