NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-20-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Sirens sounded around Tel Aviv today. They were followed by a series of explosions. The Israeli military said projectiles were fired from southern Gaza and were either intercepted or fell in quote, open areas. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports from Tel Aviv, Hamas later claimed responsibility. It was the first military response by Hamas since Israel broke the ceasefire in Gaza earlier this week with a series of airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians, including many children,

and wounded hundreds more. Israel then launched a ground invasion into Gaza and has continued with airstrikes, especially in the north, killing dozens more. On the militant group's Telegram channel, Hamas said it fired rockets at Tel Aviv in response for Israel's strikes and the killing of civilians. Earlier this morning, sirens also sounded throughout much of central Israel as the Iran-backed Houthis fired a missile from Yemen. The group said the target was Ben Gurion Airport. Israel says it was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory. Kat Lansdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the media President Trump was attentive during their phone call yesterday. NPR's Eleanor Beersley reports. Zelensky told reporters he had a wide-ranging talk with President Trump about all the issues facing Ukraine, the destruction of power plants and civilian infrastructure, the kidnapped children, the bombed churches and lost historical identity. He also said Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he's in a strong position on the battlefield so doesn't really want to end the war now. We see him amassing troops to put pressure on us said Zelensky scaring people with drones and missiles all to give the Russians

better conditions for ending the war. Zelensky said Ukraine needs more air defense while it waits for the ceasefire. Eleanor Beersley, NPR News, Kyiv. NPR has learned President Trump is poised to sign an executive action today. It directs the U.S. Secretary of Education to move toward closing the Department of Education and giving oversight to the states. This move has been expected for weeks. About half of the Education Department's staff has already been told they're being laid off. The American Federation of Teachers is suing the U.S. Education Department. The union says the Trump administration has improperly shut down access to a program. This program

lets students apply for affordable repayment plans for student loans. A federal jury in Minnesota has convicted two people in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. Minnesota Public Radio's Matt Sepick reports this is in connection with a pandemic-era federal nutrition program. Jurors found Amy Bach, the founder of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, and former restaurant owner Salim Said guilty in the 250 million dollar scheme. Prosecutors say the two exploited pandemic-era rule changes in federal child nutrition programs

and submitted thousands of phony meal reimbursement claims. The two are among 70 people who've been charged since 2022. Matt Sepick reporting. You're listening to NPR. The head of the passenger railroad Amtrak is resigning. Steven Gardner has led Amtrak for three years. He's leaving after billionaire Elon Musk, who's also the head of Doge, called to privatize Amtrak. California highway officials say a major entrance to Yosemite National Park is closed.

Heavy rain triggered a rock slide. The highway is thickly covered with debris. California officials don't know when they'll be able to clear the road. Yosemite is more than 100 miles east of San Francisco. A new study out today makes the case that most art museums should be free to the public. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports the study analyzes the operating costs and visitor numbers of more than 150 US museums. High entry fees are a major reason why people don't go to art museums. The study's findings show that making museums free actually lowers the cost per visitor, especially for small and mid-size museums.

Stephen Reilly is the founding director of ReMuseum, the think tank behind the report. Museums are not businesses. They're philanthropic institutions providing a public good for people. Reilly says choosing to get rid of entry fees doesn't make sense for every museum, and the study does not address how art institutions might recoup the lost revenue if they choose to go free. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. An annual report finds that once again the happiest country in the world is Finland. The University of Oxford has released its World Happiness Report. It examined kindness and how people care for one another. The U.S. fell one rung to 24th

place on the World Happiness Report. The U.N. says today is the International Day of Happiness. This is NPR.