NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-22-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: March 22, 2025

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Talking about race can get messy. We know. Yeah, whether it's who you date, where you live, what you eat, or who you call your friends. On Code Switch, we try to make sense of it with you. We're talking to new voices and bringing you new stories every week. About some of the biggest. Or just the chewiest questions of our time. So come rock with us. Listen to Code Switch from the NPR Network. Live from NPR Network.

Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C., I'm Dale Willman. Israel says it will annex parts of Gaza and it's warning Hamas that the longer it does not release the remaining hostages, the more territory Israel will take. Israel forces meanwhile have continued airstrikes on Gaza ever since it broke the ceasefire earlier this week. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more in the latest remarks from Defense Minister Israel Katz. In a statement, Katz said that the Israeli military will be intensifying the fighting until the hostages are freed. He said he had instructed troops to, quote,

seize additional territory in Gaza while evacuating the population, and that Israel would annex more and more land until Hamas agrees to the demands. More than 550 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire was broken, including hundreds of children, according to health officials there. Thirty-six-year-old Rami Fayez Abu Nasr helped pull his young brother from the rubble after their home in the north was hit in a strike. He talked to MPR's Anas Baba from a hospital. The war is back and it's stronger than before, he said. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News,

Tel Aviv. Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday, but why he was there caused some confusion. NPR and other news outlets reported that Musk was going to be briefed on China. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegcess said later he met with Musk to discuss potential defense budget cuts. NPR's Tom Bowman says the idea of a China briefing caused some consternation. Officials I spoke with on Capitol Hill, they were very concerned by the report saying it raised many questions. First of all, it does not appear Musk has the security clearance to see such highly

classified intelligence, which is very closely held. What was his need to know and who authorizes briefing even if it were to be an unclassified briefing? Now, the other concern is this. Musk is a businessman with Pentagon contracts. What would he be learning about the various weapons systems and technologies that could possibly be a conflict of interest? NPR's Tom Bowman reporting.

The Department of Homeland Security is cutting jobs as a part of a broader reduction in force effort across the federal government. As NPR's Jimena Bustillo reports, these workers are focused on civil rights and immigration oversights. The agency primarily responsible for immigration law enforcement has cut staff who are responsible for overseeing those activities. This includes an office that works with detainees who face issues with immigration and customs enforcement.

It also includes another office that helps resolve issues with those trying to seek immigration benefits like green cards. In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said DHS remains committed to civil rights protections but must streamline oversight to remove road blocks to enforcement. Jimena Bustillo, NPR News. Flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport have returned some 18 hours after a fire at an electrical substation knocked out power there. Heathrow is Europe's busiest hub and its closing caused major cancellations.

Some 200,000 passengers were also stranded. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Toward the end of the Biden administration, officials sought to protect a fund that compensates workers who develop black lung disease while working for coal companies that later go bankrupt. As Wyoming Public Radio's Chris Clements reports, House Republicans are now asking the Trump-appointed secretary of labor to get rid of the rule that guarantees those protections. Advocates say the rule closed a loophole that let bankrupt companies push the costs of their workers' black lung treatments onto the taxpayer-backed trust fund, which is more than $30 billion

in debt. Rebecca Shelton with the Appalachian Citizens Law Center says eliminating the rule would steer the fund deeper into debt, which might lead Congress to lower minors' monthly disability payments. Minors really feel that these companies that they gave so much for, now they need to get back when they're sick. A spokesperson said in an email that the Secretary of Labor is eager to, quote, find common-sense solutions that will boost our economy and put American workers first. For NPR News, I'm Chris Clements in Laramie.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned an ancient bronze griffin head to a museum in southern Greece. The 7th century BC artifact had been stolen almost 100 years ago. It was part of a ceremonial cauldron dedicated to the Greek god Zeus. Greece's cultural minister called the return a significant moment for the country. Stocks finished the week higher on Wall Street after being down for most of the day. Stocks have been losing ground for weeks over uncertainty about the direction of the economy. The tech-heavy Nasdaq added 92 points and finished up half a percent. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News in Washington. Following the news out of Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming. I'm Scott Willman, NPR News in Washington.