NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-15-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: March 15, 2025

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There's no place like the garden, and this season, Garden Variety wants to help you flourish. Each week, the Heartland's top horticulturists, insect experts, foresters, and others drop by with fresh tips about everything you want to grow or grow better. Dig in to Garden Variety from Iowa Public Radio, part of the NPR network. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. President Trump says the U.S. launched a decisive and powerful attack on Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. The Pentagon says U.S. warships and airstrikes targeted radars and air defense sites along with drone launch points, and Houthi rebels say a series of airstrikes hit the capital Sana'a today. It's

an escalation against the group that has four months attacked commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea. Trump says the last time an American warship went through the Red Sea was four months ago and that it was attacked by the Houthis more than a dozen times. Trump also warned Iran that their support for Houthi terrorists must end immediately, and he says the U.S. will hold them fully accountable. President Trump is ordering that seven federal agencies be dismantled within a week. That includes the parent organization that funds Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, whose journalists showed up to work today to find their studios locked.

And here's Emily Fang has more. Trump said in an executive order that the seven agencies should be, quote, eliminated to the maximum extent the law allows. Among them are agencies which deal with homelessness and labor mediation, and the US Agency for Global Media, which funds Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. The agency said it reached a global audience of more than 420 million people a week. And for decades, these outlets have been some of the only uncensored media easily accessible

in authoritarian countries. Radio Free Asia already had its funding frozen this week and was preparing to furlough nearly all of its 300 U.S.-based staff. Emily Fang and Pure News Washington. Emily Fang severe storms ripped through parts of the Mississippi Valley and deep south today, leaving at least 14 people dead, mostly in Missouri. That state was pounded by scattered twisters overnight. Texas and Arkansas were also hit. Abe Cook is the director of emergency management in Franklin County, Missouri.

Abe Cook With a storm like this, it can take some time to really get some of the more rural areas clear. And so we're seeing that as the day progresses. We're getting in deeper and seeing some different damage. More than 100,000 customers are without power in Missouri and tens of thousands are out in Texas and Arkansas. Today there are tornado watches and warnings across the deep south. Severe storms and hail along with heavy winds and heavy rain are possible. Meanwhile wildfires have

broken out amid dry windy conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and are threatening to spread to Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico. Many states have red flag warnings up. Consumer sentiment fell again this month following declines in both January and and New Mexico, many states have red flag warnings up. Consumer sentiment fell again this month following declines in both January and February. That's according to the latest survey results from the University of Michigan index. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic caused lasting disruptions, the U.S. is still facing a shortage of health care workers. From Iowa Public Radio, Natalie Krebs has more. Workforce experts say the number of health care workers has fully rebounded back to pre-pandemic levels. But the workforce is still not growing fast enough to meet today's needs. And the number of doctors and nurses needed in the future. Kristi Taylor is the president of the Iowa Medical Society. She says the stress of the

pandemic pushed many doctors into early retirement or other fields. Some of them made it through COVID and like, let's get us through this public health crisis. And then they came out of it and saying, okay, and now, now, now I'm exhausted. The Association of American Medical Colleges has projected that the U.S. could face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. For NPR News, I'm Natalie Krebs. Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., has removed historical sections about prominent black, Latino, and female veterans from prominent spots on its website. And that includes General Colin Powell, the first black chair of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff, and its pre-court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Pages on their lives and their place in history can still be found, but they're no longer on the front. The change is in line with President Trump's directive to remove references to and support for diversity, equity, and inclusion from the federal government. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from NYU Langone. The NYU Langone Health App gives you access to your electronic health record. Keep track of your visits, lab results, and images all in one place. Better health starts with a better health system.