NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-18-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: March 18, 2025

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Neuroscientist Ethan Cross says you may think it's healthy to vent about what's bothering you, but... The problem is you often leave that conversation feeling really good about the person you just communicated with, but all the negative feelings are still there. Sometimes they're even more activated. Tools for managing our emotions. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear.

Israel says the ceasefire in Gaza is over. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports Israel has launched devastating airstrikes that have killed more than 400 people and injured at least 500 across Gaza. Israel says these strikes were targeting senior Hamas officials and that this new offensive is to pressure Hamas to accept a proposal by President Trump's special envoy Steve Wittkopf for the release of more Israeli hostages. Just to be clear, the Wittkopf plan that they're pushing is different than the original deal that both sides agreed to back in January. The first phase of that deal expired at the beginning of this month. Hamas has been

pushing to go to the second phase of that plan, but Israel is now demanding the Witkoff Plan. Senior Hamas officials said Netanyahu's decision amounts to a death sentence for remaining hostages. In mid-January, Israel and Hamas agreed to an initial ceasefire of six weeks, in which Hamas released more than 30 Israeli and foreign hostages, some living, some dead. In exchange, Israel released close to 2 to 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The Trump administration continues to double down on its use of an 18th

century wartime power to deport some migrants with little or no due process. Federal courts have asked the administration for more details. Imperial's Sergio Martinez Beltran reports. Federal judge James Bolsberg has questioned whether the Trump administration violated his orders from Saturday to turn around the flights carrying alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a US-designated foreign terror group in Venezuela. The Trump administration has now partially replied. The DOJ provided a sworn declaration that no one was deported under the Alien Enemies

Act after Judge Bolsberg's written order. But Judge Boussberg wants more details about the first two flights. He ordered a response by noon Wednesday. He wants to know when the flights left US airspace and when they landed in El Salvador. He also wants to know how many people aboard were subject to the Alien Enemies Act. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News. The White House says it has installed Wi-Fi service from Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink. NPR's Bobby Allen reports the arrangement is raising concerns about conflict of interest.

The Trump administration says Starlink terminals were donated to the government as a way to boost Wi-Fi connectivity on the White House campus. Relying on internet service from a company owned by Elon Musk comes as other conflict of interest questions surround the top White House adviser. Musk companies have received billions in federal support and are under numerous investigations by U.S. regulators. Last week, Musk used the cell phone of the White House to publicly sell President Trump a Tesla.

On top of conflict questions, experts say using Starlink Wi-Fi terminals also poses security risks. It's unclear if the system is encrypted, and security researchers say Starlink could make White House servers vulnerable. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Stonks took another swing to the downside today amid concerns about the Trump administration's tariff proposals. The Dow dropped 260 points, the NASDAQ fell 304 points. This is NPR. Apparently, as far as Google is concerned, nobody beats the Wizz. We're talking the cybersecurity company, not the now bankrupt,

largely East Coast electronics chain. Google announcing today that it has struck a $32 billion deal to buy cybersecurity company Wizz, which it plans to fold into its Google Cloud operations next year. It would be the largest ever acquisition by Google, at a time the company is facing increased competition from companies like Microsoft and Amazon. The all-cash transaction would still need to be approved by regulators. Honduran folk musician, Ariello Martinez, has died. The 55-year-old Martinez was a respected proponent of a tradition dating back to the 17th century

along the Caribbean coast of Central America. Martinez and 11 other people died in a plane crash. NPR's physics contrarious has this remembrance. The Garifuna culture of Central America is a mix of West African indigenous and other cultures, and Aurelio Martinez was considered the most recognized cultural ambassador for that tradition. He grew up in a remote area of northern Honduras, moved to the provincial capital of La Cebo to study music, then launched his career alongside musician Andi Palacios of Belize, performing

and promoting Garifuno culture. In 2005, he took a break from music to become the first Afro-Honduran elected to the country's National Congress. His return to music included international tours, songwriting workshops for Guarifano Youth and even an appearance on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series in 2015. Felix Contreras, NPR News. Oil fell 68 cents a barrel today. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.