NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-19-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

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Man, I mean, that might have been the only time I've really faced myself. I'm Jesse Thorne. On Bullseye, George Lopez on the time that he swung a bat at a piñata of George Lopez. You know, like I wasn't supposed to hit it that many times that hard. Getting very real with George Lopez on Bullseye from MaximumFun.org and NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump says on social media that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for about an hour today. He said, quote, much of the

discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs when it comes to a ceasefire between the countries. Trump also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would provide more details in a statement. The US Institute of Peace is asking a judge in Washington to stop what has effectively been a hostile takeover by the Trump administration's government efficiency group. The institute was created and funded by Congress.

And Piers Michelle Kellerman has the latest. The Trump administration took over the headquarters on Monday installing a new acting president after firing most of the board members last week. The U.S. Institute of Peace is asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order, saying the president can only fire board members for cause. The plaintiffs in the case are the board members who the Trump administration claimed to have sacked. That includes John Sullivan, who was Trump's ambassador to Russia during Trump's first

presidential term. The U.S. Institute of Peace is not a government agency. It's a think tank funded by Congress. Many retired diplomats work there. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. A court-ordered deadline is now up for the Trump administration to answer questions about last weekend's deportation flights carried out under an 18th century wartime law. U.S. District Judge James Boesberg is seeking more details about the administration's actions,

even though he had ordered the planes carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members out of the U.S. to be turned around. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz tells Fox News the gangs are the new ISIS. I think if you had some of those, you know, tattooed shaved head men labeled ISIS, then we wouldn't even be having this debate. So this is about a wholesale shift on what a terrorist is and how they should be treated in the United States. President Trump called for the judges impeachment that remark drew swift condemnations from various groups and from the US Chief

Justice John Roberts who argued yesterday that disagreements with judges should be handled through the appellate process in the US not through impeachments. US stocks are trading higher this hour as the markets, investors, await the latest information from the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting. The Dow is up 273 points, roughly half a percent at 41,854. S&P is up 42 points. NASDAQ is up more than 1%. points, Nasdaq is up more than 1%. It's NPR. The White House is launching a new self-deportation app that's aimed at people living in the US illegally. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports the move is part of a broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration. In a video posted on social media, President Trump

says people without legal status can use the app to leave the country voluntarily and keep the option of coming back legally. But if they don't, immigration advocates are raising concerns regarding the collection and potential use of personal and biometric data. They're advising people to seek legal advice before using the app, warning that utilizing it without proper guidance could lead to unintended legal consequences. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. Some doctors say they will keep mailing abortion pills over state lines despite January's historic indictment of a New York physician.

That doctor is wanted in Louisiana for prescribing the abortion pills a Louisiana woman allegedly gave her underage daughter. Despite the threat of criminal prosecution, the head of Maine family planning, Dr. Kohart DeSimonian, says she and other staff plan to keep assisting out of state patients. According to hashtag We Count, at nearly 60%, Louisiana has the highest rate of telemedicine abortions among states with strict bans. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.