NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-19-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life, powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he'll talk with President Trump today by phone. He wants to hear about Trump's phone conversation yesterday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian leader has said he would stop striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure for the next 30 days. But Russia has continued to fire drones into Ukraine, even hitting two hospitals overnight. In an interview last evening, Trump discussed his phone call with Putin. NPS Asma Khalid has more. Trump says he wants an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, though his conversation with Putin did not result in that. Putin has been insisting on a stop to military aid and foreign intelligence sharing with

Ukraine. In an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, Trump was asked whether Putin had demanded a stop to all aid in order to reach a ceasefire deal. Trump said it didn't come up during their call. No, we didn't talk about aid, actually. We didn't talk about aid at all. We talked about a lot of things, but aid was never discussed. Ukraine's president says Russia doesn't seem

ready to end the war. He said his country remains open to a peace deal but needs to be a part of the negotiations. Asma Khalid, NPR News. Israel's prime minister says any further talks before a new ceasefire deal with Hamas will only take place under fire. More than 400 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes yesterday. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports hospital records show 60% of them were women and children. Israel's offensive, dubbed Operation Strength and Sword, began with targeted strikes killing several mid-level and senior Hamas officials.

The attacks shatter a weeks-long ceasefire after talks to free Israeli hostages and permanently end the war-hidden impasse. Hospitals in Gaza report that more than 170 of those killed in Israel's initial wave of bombardment have been children. It comes as hospitals are partially functioning or destroyed in Gaza, and as Israel continues to block the entry of fuel, food, medicine, and other basic goods that Gaza's 2 million people rely on for survival.

Hamas says it remains committed to the initial ceasefire agreement that was supposed to lead to a lasting truce. Israel's defense minister says Hamas must understand, quote, the rules of the game have changed. Aya Batraoui, NPR News. A federal judge has ruled billionaire Elon Musk and his cost-cutting entity Doge likely violated the U.S. Constitution when they started dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. Several fired workers it sued. And Piers Fatmatianis says the judge found that Musk and his allies acted improperly.

He said that the evidence showed that, quote, Musk made the decisions to shut down USAID's headquarters and website even though he lacked the authority to make that decision. He said that Musk and Doge team members likely violated the Constitution in multiple ways and deprived Congress of its authority to decide what to do with an agency that it created. NPR's Fatima Tanis. This is NPR. Specialized pharmacies have been making cheaper versions of the weight loss drug ZepBound,

but NPR's Sydney Lepkin reports that as of today, they'll have to stop producing copies of Eli Lilly's blockbuster obesity medication. For patients whose health insurance doesn't cover ZepBound, compounding pharmacies have helped them get an affordable alternative. Jackson and Christina Agar in Minnesota each lost 20 pounds on one. It is completely life-changing to take a bite of these triggering foods and just be like, enjoy it, say, yep, that was good, and now I'm full. The pharmacies are allowed to make copies of brand-name drugs during shortages. But on March 19th, the Food and Drug Administration says compounding pharmacies have to stop because

the Zep-bound shortage is over. That's left patients like the agars scrambling. Sydney Lepkin, NPR News. There's a big change coming at the Social Security Administration. Agency officials say starting March 31st, people who want to sign up for benefits or change their bank information for their checks can no longer do this on the phone. To do any of that, Americans will have to go into a Social Security office or do it online. Critics say this will immediately affect people with disabilities and older recipients.

People who don't live near a Social Security office will be significantly affected too. This is also coming as Social Security is planning to close many of its offices and lay off thousands of workers. The Trump administration says it is cracking down on fraud. Remember, this starts March 31st. You're listening to NPR. On Throughline from NPR. On Thru Line from NPR. The consequences for the country would have been enormous.

It would have been a crisis. The man who saw a dangerous omission in the U.S. Constitution and took it upon himself to fix it. Find NPR's Thru Line wherever you get your podcasts.