NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-17-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

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Should you throw out your black plastic cooking utensils? Can we decode whale language? And how do you stop procrastinating? I'm Mike and Scott. Every week, the Pulse digs into health and science issues that matter to you and your life. Listen to the Pulse podcast from WHYY, part of the NPR Network. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman.

The Trump administration has deported some 250 people it claims are gang members from Venezuela. But the people were not returned to Venezuela. They were flown to El Salvador. Salvadoran officials have imprisoned them. No evidence has been presented to support the accusations of crime against the deportees. A federal judge in the U.S. verbally told the federal government to turn the deporting flights back, but that didn't happen.

President Trump invoked a rarely used wartime power to justify his actions. But the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela. Sky Perryman is the CEO of the legal organization Democracy Forward. She says her group has filed suit along with the ACLU to block Trump's use of the wartime power. This is an expansion of presidential power that could essentially say, I mean, these people have now been, you know, removed or the president is seeking to remove them without any type of due process.

And that's against our constitution, but it's also a threat to everyone. She spoke to NPR's morning edition. President Trump ordered airstrikes on the Houthi-led regions in Yemen over the weekend. He is vowing to use overwhelming lethal force as long as the Houthis keep attacking shipping vessels. NPR's Luke Garrett reports now a Trump cabinet member is saying that targets in Iran could be next. 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. Stocks opened higher this morning as the Commerce Department reported a modest rebound in retail sales last month. NPR Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones

industrial average rose about a hundred points in early trading. Retail spending rose by two-tenths of one percent in February after a sharp drop the month before. The spending picture was mixed, however. Shoppers spent more money on groceries, but less on restaurant meals. Spending at department stores was down last month, but spending at online stores was way up. Tomorrow, the Commerce Department will offer a snapshot of the home building business. President Trump's tariffs on lumber and other building materials are expected to raise

the cost of building a single-family home by $7,500 or more. Mortgage rates are another big factor in housing affordability. Rates have come down a little bit in recent weeks. Brady Max says the average 30-year home loan now costs just over 6.6 percent. NPR's Scott Horsley. This is NPR. Deadly storms across the central and southeastern u.s. killed at least 39 people over the weekend sudden dust storms in Texas and Kansas turned

deadly a 71 car pile up in Kansas killed at least eight people when visibility plunged to near zero tornadoes killed more people in Missouri and Mississippi March madness is here the women's college basketball tournament tips off this week. South Carolina and its head coach Don Staley are looking to defend last year's title. But MPR's Becky Sullivan reports they have tough competition this year. The Gamecocks went undefeated last season from start to finish, winning the championship. This year, they earned a one seed but look a bit more vulnerable.

The top overall seed went to UCLA, a school whose men's team is full of history, but the women have never reached the final four. With stars Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice, anything less than that will be a disappointment this time. Southern Cal and Texas are the other top seeds. The presumptive number one pick in the upcoming WNBA draft is Paige Becker's. Her UConn Huskies haven't won a championship since 2016. They're a two-seed now.

The women's tournament tips off Wednesday with a pair of playing games, and the round of 64 begins Friday. Becky Sullivan, NPR News. Closing arguments are set forth today in a civil lawsuit in North Dakota. The suit is against climate action group Greenpeace. The parent company of the Dakota Access pipeline is suing Greenpeace and others. The company claims their protests delayed the start of the pipeline and increased company costs.

Greenpeace claims the lawsuit was filed to try to bankrupt the group and silence free speech. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.