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

Episode Date: March 15, 2025

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There's a lot of news happening. You want to understand it better, but let's be honest, you don't want it to be your entire life either. Well, that's sort of like our show, Here and Now Anytime. Every weekday on our podcast, we talk to people all over the country about everything from political analysis to climate resilience, video games. We even talk about dumpster diving on this show. Check out Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR. Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Officials say at least 14 people were killed overnight in Missouri and Arkansas after severe weather swept the central and southern U.S. Meteorologists are looking into

reports of more than two dozen tornadoes. NPR's Amy Held reports the severe storm risk continues today as far east as Florida. Buildings crushed, tractor trailers tipped, trees and power lines down. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said daylight dawning on the devastation helped crews assessing the damage. In Butler County, the coroner reported rescue workers found a man dead in a home turned upside down. Scenes from a massive system that swept from Texas Friday, where a wind-whipped dust storm led to three car crash fatalities, into the southeast a day later, where residents were told to take shelter,

as forecasters issued a rare, high-risk Level 5 warning of severe thunderstorms with the potential for violent, long-lasting tornadoes. In Texas and Oklahoma Saturday, dry winds continue to drive wildfires. Amy Held and PR News. Weather experts say recent cutbacks in the federal workforce may mean less accurate forecasts. The union representing the National Weather Service says hundreds of workers have left their jobs. With the help of Democrats, the Senate passed a stopgap spending bill yesterday to avoid

a partial government shutdown hours before the midnight deadline. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer had opposed the House passed measure, but changed his mind. NPR's Barbara Sprint has more. Barbara Sprint- Schumer had said Republicans didn't get input from Democrats when drafting this bill, and so they wouldn't get the Democratic votes they'd need to advance it. Instead, he wanted to pass a one-month funding bill to give them more time to negotiate a

deal. But on Thursday, he made a U-turn and he said he was going to vote to advance the bill. Schumer and the nine other Democrats who ultimately voted alongside him argued the bill was bad, yes, but a government shutdown would be worse. NPR's Barbara Sprunt. Canada is reconsidering the purchase of F-35 stealth fighters from the U.S. Defense Minister Bill Blair says Ottawa is now actively looking at potential alternatives. Dan Karpenschuk reports. The comment came just hours after Blair was reappointed as defense minister under the government of new Prime Minister Mark Carney. Portugal also says it would no longer go ahead

with the acquisition of the high-tech warplane. This comes as Canada is in the midst of a trade war with the Trump administration after Washington slapped punishing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Many Canadians also support getting out of the $19 billion purchase. Blair says Canada may accept the first group of F-35s already paid for, but also look at the Swedish-built Saab Gripen, which was considered before the F-35s. Sweden's proposal would allow the Grippens to be assembled in Canada. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpanchuk in Toronto. This is NPR News. Britain's King Charles III has scored what must be a first

for any reigning monarch anywhere. He has a number one hit in the charts. Vicki Barker reports from London. Diana Ross singing Upside Down is the track that King Charles says he couldn't not get up and dance to when he was young. Released on Monday to Mark Commonwealth Day, a one-hour playlist introduced by the King has reached number one on Apple's UK music podcasts chart. The 17 singles interspersed with royal reminiscences about their meaning to him

also include Bob Marley's Could You Be Loved and Kylie Minogue's Locomotion, as well as tracks from across the 56-nation commonwealth of former British possessions. If there is one common denominator among all 17 singles, the King says it is this. They bring him joy. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. A SpaceX rocket is on its way to the International Space Station on a mission to retrieve two astronauts.

Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams arrived at the orbiting outpost nine months ago on what was supposed to be a week-long mission. Their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned and it came back empty. The rocket is carrying their replacements, two from the U.S., mission. Their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned and it came back empty. The rocket is carrying their replacements, two from the US, one from Russia, and one from Japan. It's expected to dock with the International Space Station tonight. This will clear the way for Wilmore and Wilman's, Wilman Williams, to begin the trip home next week. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.

A lot happens in Washington.