NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-17-2025 2PM 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 in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. The White House denies that it ignored a judge's order to temporarily halt deportations. The Trump administration invoked an 18th century wartime law to transfer hundreds of immigrants alleged to be Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. But the American Civil

Liberties Union accuses the administration of flouting due process. The deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, Lee Glert, tells MSNBC. The plaintiffs raised several questions in a filing overnight. Whether any flights left after the court's order, whether any flights landed after the court's order, and then whether anybody was handed over to the Salvadoran government after the court's order. If any of that happened, it's a violation of the court's order and a very, very serious matter. Clarence says fundamentally the case is about the separation of powers, and as he sees it, the administration, quote, thumbing their nose at Congress and the courts, end quote.

Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working to negotiate a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, designed to win the release of more hostages in Gaza. NPR's Danielle Estrin reports disputes remain on the numbers of hostages to be released and how to reach a permanent end to the conflict. Israel is demanding the immediate release of 11 out of the 24 living hostages still held in Gaza.

The U.S. is calling for an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners and an extension of the ceasefire for many weeks to try to reach a permanent end of the war. Hamas says it will release one living American Israeli hostage, but is demanding immediate talks on permanently ending the war. Israel is not yet ready to commit to an end of the war with Hamas still ruling Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to fire his domestic intelligence chief because he has lost trust in him. The security chief has been a main proponent of a hostage release deal with Hamas.

Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President Trump's gutting a federal agency that oversees homelessness policy. A White House memo says the agency is no longer needed, even though homelessness in the US hit a record high last year. Here's NPR's Jennifer Lunn. The move targets the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, which coordinates policy

among 19 agencies. It was created in 1987 precisely to make government more efficient, says Jeff Olivet, who led it most recently. The memo calls for reducing the agency to the minimum required by law. But with just 20 people, he says it's already bare bones. It's doing a lot with very little. And any cuts will make it impossible for the agency to fulfill its statutory mandates.

All of it credits the agency with helping dramatically reduce veteran homelessness and helping certain cities stem the rise in people sleeping outside. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington. This is NPR. It's a very green day across the country. The annual St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City, many people decked out in green. The event expected to draw millions of spectators to New York City's Fifth Avenue and other cities today. Tens of thousands

turned out for celebrations in London. The Princess of Wales got in on the fun as the BBC describes it. Catherine sipped half a pint of Guinness as she celebrated St. Patrick's Day with the Irish guards. She missed last year's festivities after she was diagnosed with cancer. March Madness is here. The women's college basketball tournament tips off this week. South Carolina and its head coach are looking to defend last year's title but NPR'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. U.S. stocks higher this hour, the Dow up more than 400 points now or more than 1% at 41,912.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News. When you take a shower or get ready in the morning, how many products are you using? Everything from your shampoo to your lotion. In our study, we found that the average woman used about 19 products every day, and the average man used about seven. These products might come at a cost.

The ingredients they contain can be harmful to our health. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from NPR to learn more about the risks of personal care products.