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Episode Date: March 21, 2025

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On the Embedded Podcast. No, no. It's called denying a speech and mis-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 Cora Vickolman. A federal judge has set another deadline today for the Justice Department to provide the details he's seeking about deportation flights last weekend of Venezuelan migrants. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says, so far, the U.S. government has given a quote woefully insufficient explanation. The judge had temporarily blocked President Trump's use of a wartime power the U.S. government has given a quote, woefully insufficient explanation. The judge had temporarily blocked President Trump's use of a wartime power to deport the Venezuelan migrants. The Justice Department says it never violated the judge's order, but it still has not provided

the judge with the full details. And Piers Jimenez-Bustillo reports, Judge Boasberg also wants to know if the Trump administration is now going to declare that revealing details of the deportation flights will mean divulging state secrets. He's asking the government today to explain any of its discussions about invoking this privilege of state secrets, and they must make a final decision by March 25th. Justice Department spokesperson said the department sees the questions from Boesberg as, quote, inappropriate judicial overreach. And more of this might be discussed in a hearing this afternoon.

And Piers Jiménez-Postillo reporting. The Israeli government has accepted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ouster of Israel's domestic intelligence chief. The security agency known as the Shin Bet recently accepted responsibility for failures that led to the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. NPS Hadil Al-Shilchi has more. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's move to fire Shin Bet's head Ronan Barr came after the agency blamed the Prime Minister for creating the conditions that led to the attacks of October 7, 2023.

The Shin Bet is Israel's version of the FBI and is responsible for thwarting attacks by Palestinian militant groups. Bar's dismissal comes as Netanyahu ordered the resumption of the war in Gaza this week, and his ouster is viewed as an attempt to limit oversight on Netanyahu. Thousands of Israelis have been demonstrating in the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the past days, calling for new elections and for Netanyahu to step down. Many say they are worried that Netanyahu is sliding Israel into an authoritarian-style regime.

Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Ukraine has carried out a massive and damaging drone attack on an airbase in southern Russia. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports. The Ingolz airbase is in the Saratov region, about 450 miles from the front lines in Ukraine. Video on social media showed fires and huge plumes of smoke fed by explosions and secondary detonations of ammunition. The base hosts Russia's nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers. Ukraine said the base is used to launch missile

strikes on its territory and quote, terrorist attacks against the civilian population. The governor of Saratov called it the most massive drone attack of all time. Some 30 houses around the airfield were also damaged. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet billionaire Elon Musk today at the Pentagon. Hegseth says he'll be talking about what he calls innovation, efficiencies, and smarter production. Musk oversees the Trump administration's cost-cutting efforts. The Pentagon has already announced that it will cut its budget by hundreds of billions of dollars. The power remains out at London's Heathrow Airport. A fire at a nearby substation is

to blame, but Heathrow Airport is closed for the day. Flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers worldwide have been disrupted. Librarians in Cincinnati, Ohio got a shock recently when an overdue book was returned after 98 years. From member station WVXU, Tana Weingartner reports it was in such good condition, it's being put back into circulation. The copy of Wild West by Bertrand W. Sinclair was due back on November 23rd, 1926. Christopher Smith is a reference librarian with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. I've seen books come back that were due in the 80s,

in the 90s, and even the 70s, but this is the first time I've come across a book that was almost a century overdue. Family members discovered the book after an elderly loved one died, though Smith says it's unclear who actually checked it out all those years ago. The library no longer charges late fines, but if it did, he calculates it would be roughly $730. For NPR News, I'm Tana Weingartner in Cincinnati.

Tana Weingartner On Wall Street and pre-market trading, stock futures are lower. You're listening to NPR.