NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-20-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

NPR News: 03-20-2025 7PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A federal judge has said the government provided a quote, woefully insufficient response to his prior orders in a case over the Alien Enemies Act. As NPR's Manipus Steel reports, Judge James Boesberg has been asking for additional details about weekend flights that deported hundreds of alleged Veilswane gang members to El Salvador. Boesberg had issued an emergency order to temporarily block President Trump's use of the wartime authority known as the Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport people. But some planes carrying hundreds of people still flew to El Salvador.

Boesberg is seeking details about the government's compliance with his order. In a filing, a regional immigration and customs official said that cabinet secretaries are considering whether to refuse to provide evidence in the court case on grounds that it's information that could harm national security or foreign relations. Boasberg ordered the government to explain by 10 a.m. on Friday any discussions regarding this matter known as invoking the privilege of state secrets and to decide whether to invoke such privilege by March 25th. Ximena Bustillo, NPR News.

The Veterans Affairs Homeowner Program has rescued 15,000 vets from foreclosure, but as NPR's Quill Lawrence explains, the program's future is uncertain. During the pandemic, federally-backed mortgage programs, including VA, gave homeowners a pause on payments. Except the VA then abruptly ended a key part of the program, leaving tens of thousands of veterans facing foreclosure. Now there's a rescue program for them, which VA says has helped 15,000 veterans so far. But at a recent House hearing, Republicans presented bills to scrap the program and replace

it, arguing it leaves taxpayers on the hook for troubled loans. VA officials had no comment on those bills. VA officials also had no answer for how many staff have been cut from the Home Loan Office in the ongoing force reductions made by the Doge team led by Elon Musk. The White House says it will cut about 80,000 VA jobs. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. With March Madness in full swing, so too is sports gambling. Americans expected to wager three billion dollars this year on the NCAA tournament. Some experts warn there's not

enough understanding of the dangers of addiction and gambling. NPR's Katie Riddle reports. The entire industry of gambling has undergone a tectonic shift in recent years, as gambling is now legal in 38 states. More people are struggling with problem gambling. Experts warn it triggers the same pathways in the brain as substances can. Ben Yu struggled for years with problem gambling. I wanted to chase it no matter what, even if it meant my death, even if it meant like everybody hated me. But I also was really good at lying and hiding. Yu is in recovery now. He says some parts of his life are damaged permanently.

Katie O'Riddle, NPR News. Stocks edge modestly lower on Wall Street today. The Dow was down 11 points. The NASDAQ fell 59 points. This is NPR. The head of Amtrak, the government subsidized passenger rail service, has announced he is stepping down Amtrak CEO the government-subsidized passenger rail service, has announced he is stepping down. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner's departure, coming just weeks after billionaire Elon Musk floated the idea of privatizing the rail service.

In commenting on his decision, Gardner said he was stepping down, quote, to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration. New research shows seals can perceive internal oxygen levels to keep themselves from drowning. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert explains, it's the first time such an ability has been demonstrated in animals. When humans hold their breath, the urge to breathe is driven by a buildup of carbon dioxide in our blood,

not oxygen. That's the case for virtually all other mammals, but not for grey seals, according to a study published today in the journal Science. Researchers varied the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide captive gray seals could breathe, and then watched how long they stayed underwater to find food. The higher the oxygen levels, the longer seals stayed under. But carbon dioxide levels had little effect, suggesting seals evolved a new way

of not drowning. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. The happiest country in the world? That would be Finland. A number of other Scandinavian countries are also high up there on the joy scale, according to an annual report that ranks global happiness. What's known as the World Happiness Report shows Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands as the next happiest countries. Costa Rica was number 6. The U.S. meanwhile has now fallen to its lowest ever position on the Global Happiness Index to the 24th spot after peaking at number 11 just over a decade ago. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.