NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-16-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: March 17, 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. Liveine Hurst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.

President Trump ordered airstrikes on the Houthi-led regions in Yemen this weekend, promising to use overwhelming lethal force as long as the Houthis keep attacking shipping vessels. NPR's Luke Garrett reports now a cabinet member is saying Iranian targets could be next. Piers Luke Garrett, CNN. Piers Luke Garrett, CNN. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says these strikes are not retaliatory or reactionary

as they were during the Biden administration. Rubio tells CBS News... This is an effort to take away their ability to control global shipping in that part of the world. That's just not going to happen anymore. And Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, criticized Iran's support for the Houthis. He also took one step further, telling ABC News that Iranian positions in Yemen could be airstrike targets.

Other things that they have put in to help the Houthis attack the global economy, those targets will be on the table too. Around 50 people have been killed during these airstrikes, and the Houthi rebels vowed to quote meet escalation with escalation, according to the Associated Press. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. The Trump administration continues to push back against communities that help migrants. The Department of Homeland Security sent letters to nonprofits and cities suggesting they'd violated human smuggling laws. Texas Public Radio's Paul Flaff has more.

Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton has asked for the names of migrants helped and raised concerns these organizations and local governments had induced migrants to come, enter, or reside in the United States. The noncompliance letter said it was withholding $13 million from San Antonio and grant funding to feed and house reasoned to rivals,

largely through the Migrant Resource Center, which it set up with Catholic charities. FEMA has allocated more than $45 million in grants to the region, according to its website, explicitly to house and serve migrants. The city of San Antonio has said it will provide the information requested and noted the letter cited no specific allegations against the Migrant Resource Center or the city. I'm Paul Flav in San Antonio. A massive storm system that hit the Midwest and South this weekend has left at least 35 people dead across several states.

It's also caused lots of damage and left tens of thousands without power. In Mississippi, multiple tornadoes left at least six people dead, more than two dozen injured. The state's Governor, Tate Reeves, declared a state of emergency and says the National Weather Service is tallying up the number of tornadoes. And we could have as many as 12 tornadoes that came through our state over the last 48 hours. He says 23 counties in his state are reporting damage.

Meanwhile, President Trump says his administration is ready to assist state and local officials. The storm system has moved to the northeast and the National Weather Service has issued tornado watches for parts of Virginia and North Carolina. U.S. futures contracts are trading lower at this hour. Dow futures are down about four-tenths of a percent. You're listening to NPR News. Well, Francis was seen praying in a hospital chapel in a photo released by the Vatican today. As NPR's Joe Hernandez reports, it's the first time the pontiff has been seen since he was hospitalized in Rome more than a month ago.

The image published online by the Holy See Press Office shows Francis sitting in a wheelchair inside the hospital's private chapel. The Vatican says Francis, who was wearing a white robe and purple vestment, was praying after having just finished con-celebrating Mass Sunday morning. The 88-year-old pope entered the hospital on February 14th for a case of bronchitis. While there, he developed several other medical issues, including a polymicrobial infection and pneumonia in both lungs. But doctors now say Francis is stable and responding well to his ongoing treatments. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.

The two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station for nine months are finally set to come home this week. This after a SpaceX capsule arrived at the station this morning delivering their replacements. The four newcomers will spend the next few days learning the station's ins and outs from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Then they get to head home. They were supposed to be gone a week, only in June when they took the Boeing Starliner capsule up there, but that craft had so many problems, NASA thought it wasn't safe enough to bring them home. They will come back via SpaceX. Asian markets are trading higher at this hour. The Nikkei in Japan up 1.1 percent, the Hang

Sang in Hong Kong up 1 percent. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.