NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-21-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life, powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kori Voekelmann. President Trump has signed an executive action ordering the closure of the U.S. Department of Education. He says this will direct education responsibilities back to the states, even though for the most

part that is already what is happening. Trump has also slashed about half of the staff that works at the Education Department. That includes researchers at the National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES. NPR's Janaki Mehta says this could jeopardize critical funding for public schools. Part of what NCES works on are known as formula grants for schools, things like Title I, which goes to low-income schools, and also funding for rural schools through the Rural Education Achievement Program. Those are just two examples, but if there aren't data people crunching these numbers,

employees tell us it's going to be really hard for schools to get that money. And Piers Janaki-Metta reporting. A federal judge will try again today to get answers from the Justice Department about the deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants last weekend. The agency has not been forthcoming. President Trump has called for the impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge James Boesberg. The judge wants to know if the agency has violated his orders.

Two high-profile progressive members of Congress are holding rallies across the country to speak out against President Trump's agenda. They stopped for an event in suburban Phoenix. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports the lawmakers are also calling for stronger pushback by the Democratic Party. At a packed hockey arena on Arizona State University's campus, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders denounced Trump.

Sanders painted Trump's Department of Government efficiency effort to fire federal workers and slash government agencies as morally wrong and illegal. Every single day, Trump and his friends are ignoring the Constitution of the United States of America. But the pair also joined the growing chorus of voters who say the Democratic Party needs to do more to defend those institutions and have stronger plans to counter Trump's agenda. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Tempe, Arizona. The busiest airport in Europe is closed for the day after a nearby power outage.

As Willem Marx reports, this is likely to affect up to a thousand flights at London's Heathrow Airport. A fire at a substation west of London has caused a shutdown at Heathrow, forcing the diversion of more than 100 flights that were already in the air. Australian carrier Qantas has diverted planes to Paris, while United has diverted a flight from New York to Ireland. A spokesperson for Heathrow has warned of quote, significant disruption in the days ahead and warned passengers to avoid travelling to the airport quote, under any circumstances. Dozens of international airlines will be forced to reconfigure their schedules to avoid Heathrow, which serves as a global hub for British Airways and several of

its partners. For NPR News, I'm Villamarks in London. On Wall Street, Dow futures are lower. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Officials with Sudan's army say they have recaptured the presidential palace in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. It has been controlled for the past two years by the rival rebel group, the Rapid Support Forces or the RSF. The Sudanese civil war has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of citizens.

The new president of the International Olympic Committee is Kirsti Coventry of Zimbabwe. Kay Barlow reports Coventry is a two-time gold medalist in swimming, who has achieved a number of firsts. It's the trifecta of superlatives for an IOC president. First woman, youngest person, first African. She decisively beat six male candidates for the position in the vote for the body's new president.

Glass ceilings have been shattered today, she said in a speech afterwards. As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought that I would be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours. 41-year-old Coventry was born and raised in post-independent Zimbabwe. She went on to win seven Olympic medals in swimming,

including gold in the 200-meter backstroke in 2004 and 2008. For NPR News, I'm Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg. In the U.S., federal regulators are recalling nearly all cyber trucks. These are produced by billionaire Elon Musk's EV maker Tesla. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says a panel on the outside of the cyber trucks can fall off while driving.

That could increase the risks of a crash. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington. Singapore is one of the busiest cities in the world. NPR News in Washington.