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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, on Corva Coleman, President Trump has deported hundreds

of migrants to El Salvador this past weekend. Around the time the deportation flights began on Saturday, a federal court judge verbally ordered Trump officials to stop and even to turn the planes around in the air. The Trump administration ignored that, but the order apparently was not included in the judge's written order. The White House claims the order apparently was not included in the judge's written order. The White House claims the order was not lawful. NPR's Luke Garrett reports Trump relied on a law from 1798 to order the deportations.

The roughly 250 people were flown to El Salvador after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act on Saturday. The ACLU's top lawyer on this case, Lee Gelernt, is suing the administration. The Alien Enemies Act cannot be used during peacetime for regular immigration enforcement. Congress was very clear in the statute that it can only be used against a foreign government or foreign nation. Trump invoked the Wartime Act to deport people he says are members of the MS-13 and Trend de Aragwa gangs. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. President Trump says he will talk

with Russian President Putin tomorrow about the proposed 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. Ukraine has accepted it. Putin has not and has put conditions on any agreement. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports this comes as Ukraine continues to lose Russian territory in Kursk that it seized last August. Ukraine had wanted Russian territory in Kursk that it seized last August. Ukraine had wanted to use its Kursk conquest as a bargaining chip in any ceasefire negotiations.

President Vladimir Putin used North Korean troops to try to get back the territory in a lightning offensive that has reduced the area under Ukrainian control from 500 to about 40 square miles. In his nightly address Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin had ignored the U.S.-Ukrainian ceasefire proposal to, quote, steal another week of war. Eleanor Beardsley in Per News, Kiev. Recovery efforts are underway across the Midwest and South today after tornadoes and powerful storms hit multiple states over the weekend. Officials say at least 39 people have been killed. From member station WWNO, Matt Bloom reports hundreds more people have lost their homes. In Kentwood, Louisiana, a tornado destroyed nearly 30

people's homes. Sheriff Gerald Sticker says farmers have been using their tractors to haul away downed trees. They were working right alongside of first responders helping to clear roadways once the once we were sure power lines were dead. You know they're very resourceful, resilient, couldn't be more proud of them. Emergency management officials are now focused on getting power back to tens of thousands of people. Governors in at least four states have declared states of emergency to help fast track the setup of shelters and rebuilding efforts.

For NPR News, I'm Matt Bloom in New Orleans. On Wall Street and pre-market trading, Dow futures are lower. This is NPR. Closing arguments are set for 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. March Madness is here. The women's college basketball tournament tips off this week. South Carolina and its head coach, Dawn Staley, 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 Keke 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. The Vatican says that Pope Francis continues to rest quietly in a Rome hospital. Officials released a photo of the pontiff praying in a hospital chapel. It's the first time he's been seen publicly in a Rome hospital. Officials released a photo of the pontiff praying in a hospital chapel. It's the first time he's been seen publicly in a month. The Vatican says the pontiff's medical condition remains stable after he battled severe pneumonia and other ailments. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington. On the Embedded Podcast. No.

It's called Deny a Sweet No, no. It's called denying a speech from a speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to Alternate Realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR, all episodes available now.