NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-20-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

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On the embedded podcast. No, no. It's called denying a sweetened speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to alternate realities on the embedded podcast from NPR.

All episodes available now. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Later today, President Trump is expected to move ahead with his plan to begin dismantling the Department of Education. NPR's Janaki Mehta has more. President Trump plans to sign an executive action that will tell Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education. The move has been expected since early February when the White House shared its intentions but held off on issuing the action until McMahon was confirmed in her position. The Education Department has already

notified nearly half of its staff that they will be laid off. Many of those employees will have their last day of work Friday before being placed on administrative leave. The order also says any programs will not be funded by the department if they quote, advanced DEI or gender ideology. Janaki Mehta and PR News. A federal judge has denied a request to temporarily block Doge's takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace or USIP. Some former members of USIP had sued the Trump administration. They say they were unlawfully removing their jobs. Doge agents used armed law enforcement officers to eject the members.

The U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said there was, quote, confusion in the members' lawsuit. NPR's Ryan Lucas says the judge said she was offended by how the Doge agents behaved. She declined to block Doge's takeover for now. Doge will be allowed to remain in control of the U.S. Institute of Peace for the time being as the court continues to consider this lawsuit. But still, Howell made very clear at this hearing that she had very serious concerns about Doge and how it had gone about gaining access to USIP.

NPR's Ryan Lucas reporting. Another federal judge is giving the Trump administration one more day to answer all his questions about deportation flights last weekend. NPR's Joel Rose reports the Justice Department is fighting the judge's order to submit details about the flights that deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. U.S. District Judge James Boesberg has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using wartime powers to quickly deport migrants from Venezuela that it accuses of being gang members.

Now, Boesberg is demanding answers from the Justice Department about whether it deliberately flouted his orders when it allowed two deportation flights to continue. But the Justice Department is pushing back. In an emergency filing, lawyers accused Boesberg of, quote, continuing to beat a dead horse. Boesberg agreed to extend his deadline for 24 hours to allow the Justice Department to consider invoking the state secret's privilege. The Justice Department has also appealed Boesberg's orders. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

Hamas is claiming responsibility for rockets fired at Tel Aviv today. The Israeli military says projectiles were fired from southern Gaza. The military says these were intercepted or fell in open areas. This comes as the Israeli military continues to attack Gaza. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed. This is NPR. The Defense Department is restoring some of its web pages that featured veterans such as the World War II Navajo Code Talkers

and black veterans such as baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Many web pages had been removed following a Trump administration order to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion items. NASA astronauts Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore are readjusting to Earth after spending nine months in space. And Pierre-Chandelis Duster has more on the recovery process for astronauts. NASA says the astronauts will go through a progressive

45-day post-mission program. During this time, they will have medical and performance testing, will participate in studies, and follow a structured reconditionmission program. During this time, they will have medical and performance testing, will participate in studies, and follow a structured reconditioning program. NASA flight surgeon Dr. Natasha Cho says their balance also has to be retrained. In weightlessness, your brain becomes almost entirely dependent on your visual input

for your sense of orientation, while your inner ear and your sense of balance, which are gravity dependent systems, have become relatively dormant in space. Wollmore and Williams will also spend two hours a day with trainers to get back to the fitness levels they had before going to space. Chandelis Duster, NPR News. The International Olympic Committee is selecting its next president.

There are seven candidates. One will succeed outgoing IOC leader Thomas Bach. The winner will lead the Olympic organization for the next eight years. The leader will need to address issues from transgender athletic competition to the ban on official Russian participation in the Olympic Games. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.