NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-15-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: March 16, 2025

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Here on Shortwave, we believe that science is for everyone and that every question is worth asking, no matter your age. My name is Willie and my question is, is magic real? Our podcast is for the curious at heart. Come embrace your inner child when you listen now to ShoreWave from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. President Trump has filed a presidential action invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. As NPR's Ximena Bustillo reports, the action targets members of a Venezuelan prison gang.

But a judge has already blocked Trump from carrying it out. A federal judge blocked the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport anyone. The order came down just hours after Trump issued an action that would expedite removal of all Venezuelan citizens 14 and older found to be members of the gang. The block came from a preemptive lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, asking for the court to first stop the government from deporting five men for two weeks. They later asked the judge to issue a broader block. The wartime authority allows for people to be deported without going through immigration courts. Immigration advocates

fear that invoking this also opens the door for targeting and deportations of other individuals regardless of their status or criminal records. Jimena Bustillo, NPR News. Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza today left at least nine people dead. That's according to Gaza Civil Defense. Witnesses in Gaza health officials say several of those killed were aid workers and journalists. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more. The Israeli military says it was targeting, quote, terrorists operating a drone in the area of Beit Lehi in northern Gaza.

It says it struck those individuals and then struck again when several other people ran to pick up the drone equipment. But the head of Gaza Civil Defense Mahmoud Basil told NPR that the group was aid workers from the London-based Al-Hair Foundation, along with two journalists working with the group. He says they were using the drone to film. A local worker with the Al-Hair Foundation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they're not authorized to talk to the media, confirmed those details to NPR, saying the workers were taking aid

to the neighborhood for a Ramadan Iftar celebration. The area where the strike happened is designated as a free movement area by the Israeli military. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. And the attack comes as negotiations for the continuation of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled. Severe storms that hit the Midwest and South overnight, leaving at least 18 people dead in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, moved to the deep south today. At least four people are dead in Mississippi, according to authorities. After severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit, officials in many states were out today assessing damage.

In Arkansas, where three people were killed and several others were injured, the state's governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, says her team is focusing on the immediate needs of those affected by the storms and that she sent dozens of state troopers and national guards to assist. We've already got about 50 of our Arkansas Guard on the ground here in the county and they'll continue to aid and assist our local partners as much as they need help. Meanwhile those winds from the storms also help to spread deadly wildfires in Oklahoma and a dangerous and deadly storm in Texas. It's also blamed for a blinding dust storm in Kansas. You're listening to NPR News.

Health care providers in Los Angeles saw thousands more patients than normal in the two weeks following January's wildfires. MPR's Alejandra Burunda has more. The number of patients seeking virtual or outpatient care skyrocketed after the fires started burning in Los Angeles. Normally in public health, we're looking at exposures that increase visits by one to two percent, you know, maybe up to 10 percent, but here we're talking about 30 to 40 percent. That's Joan Casey. She's a researcher at the

University of Washington and one of the authors of the new study. The researchers saw spikes in visits related to injuries. Cardiovascular and respiratory problems likely triggered by the smoke went way up too. They also saw big increases in visits for mental health issues. The numbers grew the most for people who lived within a few miles of the burns. Casey says climate-intensified disasters like these are putting more people at risk all the time. Alejandra Burunda, NPR News. Consumer sentiment fell again this month following declines in January and February. That's according to the latest survey results from the University of Michigan. Even consumers

who support President Trump's economic policies have been rattled by the chaotic way that tariffs and other moves have been rolled out. An index of Republicans' economic expectations fell by 10% this month while independents and Democrats were even gloomier as the outlook for the job market, business conditions, and personal finances have all worsened from a month ago. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.