NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-16-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: March 16, 2025

NPR News: 03-16-2025 7PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 deported around 250 migrants this weekend after invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. It's a rarely used law that gives wartime deportation powers to the president. A federal judge had blocked Trump's use of this law. And here's Luke Garrett has more. Luke Garrett Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U. A federal judge had blocked Trump's use of this law. And here's Luke Garrett has more. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. deported hundreds of people who he says are members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs on Sunday. Rubio posted on X that El Salvadorian president Nayib Bukele will take these migrants to quote, very good jails at a fair price.

The president of El Salvador then posted a video of the deportees in handcuffs and said the deportees would be held behind bars for one year. Bukele also responded to reports of a federal judge blocking the deportations with a post saying, quote, oopsies, too late. On Sunday, Trump's press secretary, Caroline Levitt, defended the president's use of the 18th century law, not invoked since World War II. With the migrants now in El Salvador, it's unclear what jurisdiction U.S. courts will have. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. The Census Bureau's internal watchdog says the agency hasn't been recruiting and retaining enough interviewers for key national surveys, raising concerns about the quality of the data used to produce the country's monthly jobs report. And Piers, Hansi Le Wong has more.

Hansi Le Wong, Piers, The Economic Indicators and other statistics the Census Bureau produces rely on survey responses that are often collected in person or over the phone by field representatives. A review by the Commerce Department Inspector General's Office has found that the Census Bureau has not met its staffing goal for those interviewers, including for the current population survey that produces the monthly jobs report. Many field representatives don't stay in their jobs for long, the inspector general's office found, in part because the pay is often relatively low and it can be difficult to persuade people to participate in a government survey.

The inspector general's report recommends that a plan for addressing staffing gaps be developed by the Census Bureau's director. President Trump has not yet named a nominee to fill that position. Anzila Wong, NPR News, Washington. In North Macedonia, prosecutors are investigating whether corruption and bribery are linked to a fire in a nightclub that killed nearly 60 people. Officials say the venue didn't have a legal license to operate. The BBC's Guy Delaney has more.

Pyrotechnics ignited on stage as part of the performance by the band DNK. Around 1,500 people had packed into the Pulse nightclub in Cochny. At first they watched as flames crept across the ceiling while staff tried to put out the fire with extinguishers, but the mood swiftly switched to panic as the conflagration intensified. Survivors described the chaos as people tried to escape through the only exit. The government has held an emergency meeting and declared a week of national mourning. It's also calling for an urgent safety inspection of all nightlife venues.

The BBC's Guy Delaney reporting. U.S. futures contracts are trading lower at this hour. Both the Dow and S&P 500 futures are down about a half percent. You're listening to NPR News. Students with disabilities have the legal right to a public education that meets their needs. At her confirmation hearing, Education Secretary Linda McMahon vowed to preserve that right and its funding even as she works to close the education department. Nebraska Public Media's Jolie Peel reports it's often left to parents

to advocate for that education. Families of students with disabilities are often on their own to make sure their child's needs are met. Celine Almazan is the legal director for the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, an organization working to protect the legal rights of students with disabilities. She says meetings with the school can be especially intimidating. Parent education is crucial for parents to understand that they are an equal member of the team, even though the dynamics and the way that it's set up, it doesn't necessarily make you feel like you're a member of the team.

Almazan says parents shouldn't be their child's only advocate, but that's often how it ends up. For NPR News, I'm Jolie Peel in Omaha, Nebraska. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts just got its biggest gift in history, $50 million from philanthropists Lynn and Richard Pescalano. The goal for the money is to transform the center's contemporary dance programming. The center's president says they are still recovering from the financial hit of the pandemic. The Lincoln Center is home to Juilliard, the renowned New York City Ballet, and the School of American Ballet, co-founded by George Balanchine.

I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for listening to NPR News from Washington.