NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-20-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

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NPR informs and connects communities around the country, providing reliable information in times of crisis. Federal funding helps us fulfill our mission to create a more informed public and ensures that public radio remains available to everyone. Learn more about safeguarding the future of public media. Visit ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today calling for the shutdown of the Department of Education. A draft of the order directs Education Secretary Lyndon McMahon to take steps to return education authorities to the states. It also calls for the elimination of any department funding to programs or activities involving

diversity, equity, and inclusion, or gender ideology. The Justice Department was given until today to comply with a judge's demand for more information on the weekend flights that carried some Venezuelan deportees to El Salvador. U.S. District Judge James Boesberg says DOJ lawyers must comply or make a claim that doing so would harm state secrets. At a briefing Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt was asked if the deportation flights are continuing. We don't have any flights planned specifically, but we will continue with the mass deportations. And I would just like to point out that the judge in this case

is essentially trying to say that the president doesn't have the executive authority to deport foreign terrorists from our American soil. That is an egregious abuse of the bench. This judge does not have that authority. It is the opinion of this White House and of this administration, and that's why we're fighting this in court.

Lennon says the White House is prepared to take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court. A federal judge is refusing to block the takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a taxpayer-funded think tank in Washington, while a lawsuit proceeds. The request came from former U.S. IP staff who say members of Elon Musk's Doge team, accompanied by armed police, forced their way into the institute on Monday and ordered staff to leave. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell says the Doge takeover was offensive but suggested

there are concerns about the way the plaintiffs crafted their lawsuit. President Trump is sounding upbeat about his phone conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Wednesday. Trump told Zelenskyy that the U.S. should take control of Ukraine's power plants to ensure their security. In their conversation came a day after Trump held a lengthy phone call with Russia's leader on a partial ceasefire deal. Osma Khalid reports.

Osma Khalid This all comes as Trump tries to broker a truce. He wants to end this now three-year war. The president posted on social media that he had a quote, very good telephone call with Zelensky and said much of their discussion was based on the conversation he had Tuesday with Russia's leader. Trump says he's trying to align Ukraine and Russia's requests and needs. After Trump spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin, Moscow agreed to stop strikes on energy infrastructure. But Zelensky says that even after that agreement, Russian drones hit energy targets

and two hospitals. Asma Khalid, NPR News. This is NPR. A federal jury in Minnesota has convicted two people of stealing $250 million from taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs during the COVID pandemic. Prosecutors say the founder of the nonprofit Feed Our Future and co-defendant set up fake meal distribution sites and submitted thousands of bogus reimbursement claims. The pair were among dozens of defendants charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery, including 37 who pleaded guilty. More Americans are taking prescriptions for ADHD than ever before and misuse of the medications are on the rise. That's according to a new study

from JAMA Psychiatry. NPR's Katie Arid are on the rise. That's according to a new study from JAMA Psychiatry, NPR's Katie Riddle has the story. Katie Riddle During the pandemic, many adults started taking stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The researchers who conducted this study looked at how people are using these drugs in light of this new demand. They underscored that most people do use stimulants safely and effectively and emphasized that it's important to keep them widely available. However, they did also find that more than 25% of adults with a prescription reported

misuse. That means taking too much of a drug or too often or any other ways their doctor did not prescribe. This kind of behavior is correlated with substance use disorder of other kinds that can be quite dangerous. The researchers called for careful monitoring of people using these drugs. Katie Rettl, NPR News. U.S. futures are higher in after hours trading on Wall Street following Wednesday's gains. On Asia Pacific market, shares are mostly lower, down 2 percent in Hong Kong. This is

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