NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-18-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: March 18, 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 Lakhshmi Singh. The White House says Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin of Russia have agreed to work toward a ceasefire in Ukraine beginning with an energy and infrastructure truce. According to a readout of their phone call today, negotiations leading to Russia-Ukraine

peace talks will begin immediately in the Middle East. The leaders spoke broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts. The White House says Trump and Putin also shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel. The Israeli military says the ceasefire has officially ended in Gaza with a new Israeli offensive that has killed hundreds of people, according to Gaza health officials. A senior Hamas official says international mediators have not presented it with a new ceasefire proposal since Israel's newest offensive began.

NPR's Danielle Estrin has the latest from Tel Aviv. Israel's offensive is dubbed Operation Strength and Sword. An internal Israeli government memo obtained by NPR says, quote, Israel is returning to intensified fighting in Gaza. Israel says its offensive is to press Hamas to accept a proposal by President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff for the release of more Israeli hostages. Hamas offered a counterproposal last week, which the U.S. and Israel rejected. Senior Hamas official Bassam Naim, based in Qatar, told NPR that mediators have not presented

Hamas with a new framework for a ceasefire. Naim says the U.S. must, quote, intervene immediately to stop this aggression. And for Israel to adhere to a January agreement to enter talks for a permanent end of the war. Danielle Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President Trump's encountering a rare public rebuke from the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts. Trump had called for the impeachment of a judge who ordered a temporary halt to migrant deportation flights.

NPR's Windsor Johnson reports Trump's statement on social media spurred a pointed response from the head of the federal judiciary. Chief Justice Roberts issued a statement emphasizing that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreements with judicial decisions. Carl Tobias is a law professor at the University of Richmond. Carl Tobias, Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S.

Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United States of America, U.S. Chief Justice of the United years of history, a grand total of 15 judges have been the subject of impeachment that arises from the House. And only eight of them have been convicted. Tobias says the Chief Justice's statement underscores the longstanding principle that judicial decisions should be subject to appellate review rather than political retribution. Windsor-Johnston NPR News, Washington. At

last check on Wall Street the Nasdaq was down 314 points or 1.7 percent S&P also off more than 1 percent and the Dow is down roughly three-quarters of a percent. It's NPR News. Harvard University is offering free tuition to more undergraduate students who may not otherwise be able to afford the Ivy League school. NPR's Kristen Wright reports the university says it's furthering its commitment to bring together students from many different backgrounds. Harvard announced students whose families earn $200,000 or less will get free tuition

starting this fall. Students with family incomes of $100,000 or below will get a full free ride, including housing and health insurance. This comes as some colleges and universities try to figure out how to balance campus diversity goals and the Supreme Court's 2023 decision banning race-conscious admissions programs at colleges and universities. Harvard was at the center of the pivotal case. After the ruling, black and Hispanic student enrollment fell at Harvard and other schools. Harvard costs about $82,000 a year, including

room and board. That's more than the median household income in the U.S. Kristin Wright, NPR News. Federal Reserve policymakers are meeting in Washington, DC. NPR's Scott Horsley reports they're expected to hold interest rates steady when their meeting wraps up tomorrow. The Fed cut interest rates by a full percentage point last year, but policymakers want to see more progress on inflation before they go any further. Inflation did come down a bit in February, but prices are still climbing faster than the central bank would like and President Trump's tariffs could make it harder to bring prices under control

NPR Scott Horstley markets will be watching for updated forecasts from Fed policymakers about where they think Inflation and the job market are going in the months to come. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR news When you take a shower or get ready in the morning I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.