NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-22-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: March 23, 2025

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Support for NPR and the following message come from Yaral and Pamela Mohn, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. Seven people have been killed in a barrage of Israeli airstrikes Saturday into Lebanon. The Lebanese state media says more than a dozen towns and villages were hit. NPR's Jawad Rizkalo reports from Damascus. One mayor in Lebanon's south tells NPR an Israeli drone hit his village and that residents are panicking.

People are evacuating other villages. Lebanon's health ministry says the dead include at least one child. The Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah after rockets were fired earlier at Israel. No one was injured there. Hezbollah denied firing those and says it's committed to a ceasefire that began in November. The Lebanese army published photos of wooden rocket launchers it says it found and dismantled. It's not the type of weapon Hezbollah is known to have used.

These are the deadliest attacks since last year's ceasefire. UN peacekeepers say they've since tallied more than 680 attacks violating that truce, the vast majority of them by Israel. Jawad Rizqallah, NPR News, Damascus. President Trump is the 47th president of the U.S. He says Boeing will build the U.S. Air Force's next-generation fighter jet, the F-47. It says Boeing will build the U.S. Air Force's next generation fighter jet, the F-47. It is designed to be the next generation of air dominance, according to the White House, virtually unseeable on radar. Rebecca Rossman reports. Little is known about the F-47 fighter jets, including how much they will cost to produce.

Though early estimates suggest the price tag could exceed $20 billion. Though early estimates suggest the price tag could exceed $20 billion. The contract is a big win for Boeing, whose stock rose 5% following the announcement. The company has been working to recover from a series of crises in recent years, including the fatal 737 MAX crashes. Some of the president's own advisers, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, have questioned military spending on advanced warplanes, suggesting drones could be more effective. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth backed the decision, saying the newly announced planes show America's commitment to maintaining its leadership in military aviation.

Rebecca Rolzman, NPR News. After spending 38 days in the hospital battling double pneumonia, the Vatican says Pope Francis will be released on Sunday. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports. For weeks, doctors maintained their prognosis for Pope Francis' recovery as reserved, meaning his battle with pneumonia in both lungs remained potentially life-threatening. The 88-year-old pope suffered breathing crises that saw him placed at times on a non-invasive mechanical ventilator. Now, after two weeks of his condition remaining stable, doctors say he can return to the Vatican, but that he will need to continue his rest, rehabilitation and convalescence at the Vatican for a further two months.

The Vatican says before being discharged, the pope will appear to bless the faithful from his 10th floor suite at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Rome. And you're listening to NPR. Native American government leaders in Arizona are condemning a decision by the Trump administration that they say disrespects the legacy of tribal contributions. Reporter Michel Margreso of member station KJZZ has more. Last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new policy limiting which flags can fly over its facilities. U.S. flags, military service flags, POW flags, for example,

are allowed, but the flags representing the 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona are not. Local VA officials gave them to the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. President Martin Harviere said he hopes it's temporary. You would hope that the VA would change their policy to allow tribal flags to be flown in their facilities. The removal comes days after the Department of Defense stripped any mention of the Navajo Code Talkers from its web pages and then backtracked blaming a technical error amid a backlash. For NPR News, I'm Michel Marisco in Flagstaff, Arizona. The father of the last living American hostage that's being held by Hamas is

hoping that the Trump administration can bring the 21 year old, his name is Eden Alexander, home. But Adi Alexander now says he's worried with the renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas. He has concerns if the Israeli government can secure his son's release. Eden Alexander grew up in the state of New Jersey and later enlisted in the Israeli army. He is now one of 59 hostages still held in Gaza, more than half of whom are believed to have been killed. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Support for NPR and the following message come from the Kauffman Foundation,

providing access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity, regardless of race, gender, or geography. kauffman.org