NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-19-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

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These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community. The Consider This podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The White House continues its attacks on judges who are ruling against President Trump on foreign aid deportations and fired federal workers. As NPR's Marlison explains, the latest clash between the president and the judiciary involves Venezuelan migrants who the White House says are gang members. President Trump has called for impeaching judges who he calls radical left lunatics who are destroying our country. And today White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt says activist judges are trying to

usurp presidential powers. Judges in this country are acting erroneously. We have judges who are acting as partisan activists from the bench. They are trying to clearly slow walk this administration's agenda and it's unacceptable. A federal judge ordered the administration to stop deportation flights to El Salvador,

but the flights continued. Although the White House has lost several rounds in court, Levitt says, quote, "'We know we will win even if we have to go all the way to the Supreme Court. Mara Eliasson, NPR News, The White House. The European Union has unveiled a new plan to reduce its dependency on the U.S. for security while beefing up its ability to repel potential Russian aggression.

Terry Schultz reports the Readiness 2030 plan also aims to maintain EU support for Ukraine. This strategy outlines four priorities for EU defense, reducing dependency on US military capabilities, buying more weapons from European manufacturers, strengthening assistance to Ukraine, and simplifying regulations in defense markets. The plan also includes ways the EU will help countries pay for new military purchases with loans and a loosening of restrictions on national debt levels. EU foreign policy chief Kayakales says the EU has no choice. The international order is undergoing changes of a magnitude not seen since 1945. This is a pivotal moment for European security.

EU leaders will discuss the strategy at a summit Thursday and Friday. For NPR News, I'm Terri Schulz in Brussels. The interest rate setting Federal Reserve left short-term interest rate targets unchanged at the conclusion of its two-day meeting in Washington. Fed policy makers saying despite continued inflationary pressures, the economy continues to expand at a solid pace. Where Fed Chair Jerome Powell also said there were signs that Trump administration's tariff policies are beginning to bite in terms of inflation.

Goods inflation moved up pretty significantly in the first two months of the year. Trying to track that back to actual tariff increases, given what was tariffed and what was not, very, very challenging. So some of it, the answer is clearly some of it, a good part of it is coming from tariffs. In their end-of-meeting statement, Fed members also said uncertainty around the economic

outlook has increased. Still, stocks responded positively to the Fed's minutes. The Dow up 383 points to 41,964. The Nasdaq rose 246 points. This is NPR. Israel says its troops have retaken an important section of a corridor that bisects Gaza. The area divides northern Gaza from the south. A truce there was shattered yesterday by Israeli airstrikes. The Gaza Health Ministry says killed more than 400 Palestinians. Israel's defense minister warned the attacks will intensify until Amos frees dozens of hostages it's still believed to be holding. U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has extended the opioid emergency first declared by President Trump. Kennedy says

emergency status allows the federal government more flexibility in responding to the overdose crisis. Here's NPR's Brian Mann. In a statement, Secretary Kennedy acknowledged drug deaths are starting to decline, but he said the Trump administration will continue to treat opioid addiction as a national security emergency. President Trump has linked fentanyl smuggling to his tariffs against Canada, China and Mexico, often making factually inaccurate claims. Democrats in Congress, meanwhile, have criticized the White House for firing roughly 10 percent

of workers focused on addiction at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This renewed emergency declaration, which lasts for 90 days, also comes at a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting fentanyl overdoses have plunged 30% since the peak in 2023. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. Lawmakers in Mexico City have voted to ban bullfighting in the capital city. The decision this week setting off a firestorm among bullfighters and celebrations on the part of animal rights activists. Their unanimous vote would ban the killing of bulls as well as the use of

sharp objects that injure the animals. It would also set a time limit on the length of time they can stay in the ring. This is NPR.