NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-17-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

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Anas Baba is NPR's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. Wherever you put your eye to the horizon, it's the same. Destruction everywhere. On The Sunday Story, what it's like to be a reporter covering the war in Gaza while also living through it. Listen now to The Sunday Story on the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakhshmi Singh. Under an 18th century wartime declaration, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of immigrants who officials say are gang members to El Salvador, despite a federal court order to temporarily halt the deportations. Border czar Tom Homan says it doesn't matter what the judge thinks, the enforcement won't

stop. Every day the men and women of ICE are going to be in the neighborhoods of this nation arresting criminal, illegal, alien, public, state, state threats and national security threats. Lawrence, you're not going to stop us. Tom Homan on Fox News. President Trump says he will speak with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, tomorrow. The administration continues to pursue a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump has said he's cautiously optimistic about a peace deal. And PRS Charles Mayne says that's despite a list of concerns that Putin raised about the ceasefire plan. President Putin is on record saying he supports Trump's ceasefire proposal in principle, but the Kremlin leader also laid out a laundry list of issues that he insists require further discussions. That includes how to keep Ukraine from using the ceasefire to rearm, who would monitor the agreement, and what penalties might exist for violating its terms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of stalling for time to improve

its battlefield position. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to demand what a senior Russian foreign ministry official called ironclad security guarantees, excluding Ukraine from NATO membership, and ruled out NATO-aligned European peacekeepers monitoring any ceasefire if and when it comes. Charles Maynes, NPR News. Danielle Pletka The U.S. Department of Education is investigating more than 50 colleges for alleged racial discrimination. As part of President Trump's campaign to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, here's NPR's Alyssa Nedwarnie.

The majority of the universities are public colleges that partner with an organization called the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get doctoral degrees in business. PhD project, a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get doctoral degrees in business. Others are under investigation for offering race-based scholarships. In her announcement, Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education, writes, quote, students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudiced by the color of their skin. Last month, the department issued a memo warning schools, both in higher ed and in K-12, that they could lose federal money if they used, quote, raced-based preferences in admissions,

scholarships, or any aspect of student life. Alyson Adworni, NPR News. The Federal Reserve's policymakers convened tomorrow for their two-day meeting. The gathering is being held against the backdrop of the Trump administration's sweeping cuts across the federal government and tariffs due to take effect next month. The uncertainty is raising fears of a recession this year and has roiled markets. This hour, the Dow is up more than 200 points. This is NPR News. Strong storms in the central and southeastern

United States are blamed for at least 39 deaths over the weekend. People lost their lives in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama. From Troy Public Radio, Emily Moser reports on what people in southern Alabama have experienced. People in Troy, Alabama who once considered themselves living in the woods say that has changed after a tornado toppled hundreds of trees around their homes. Don Wambles with the Alabama Disaster Relief Association has rushed to many scenes of destruction to provide aid. But he breaks down when talking about the tornado in his own neighborhood. You see the damage, the destruction to people's lives and the fact that they're just absolutely overwhelmed by the damage.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has expressed condolences to those across the state who have experienced property damage and loss of life. For NPR News, I'm Emily Moser in Troy, Alabama. The European Union says today it is weighing options for salvaging radio-free Europe, radio liberty, after the Trump administration cut funding to its parent company, the US Agency for Global Media. The NTT has long funded a number of outlets known for spreading democratic values

and reaching millions of listeners around the globe, including in heavily censored countries such as Russia, Belarus, China, and Iran. Staff at the Voice of America are also swept up in the cuts. Over the weekend, journalists showed up to VOA to broadcast their programs only to learn they had been locked out. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies, sending I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.