NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-22-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: March 22, 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 Giles Snyder. A federal judge is voicing skepticism about the White House's push to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th century wartime law. And U.S. District Judge James Boasberg pledged to get to the bottom of whether the administration

defied his order that temporary block deportation flights under the law. And then PRS Joel Rose was in the courtroom. Judge Boasberg seemed really focused on this question of due process and whether the alleged gang members have had a meaningful opportunity to present their cases. He called this use of the Alien Enemies Act incredibly troubling, quote, unprecedented, and agreed with the ACLU lawyer that the way the law is being used is, quote, a long way from the heartland of the act. Boasberg seemed very interested in whether these men had a chance to defend themselves

before being sent to a Salvadoran prison. President Trump is defending his administration's use of the law. And in remarks to reporters yesterday, he said he did not sign the proclamation invoking it, although the document appears in the Federal Register with his signature on it. Britain has become the latest country to warn its nationals about visiting the U.S. Vicki Barker reports from London. The British Foreign Office this week joined Denmark, Finland, and Germany in warning its citizens of a risk of arrest if they travel to the U.S.

A British backpacker crossing from Canada was recently stopped and held for three weeks in a detention facility after a visa mix-up. And this week, members of a British punk band were detained after they landed in Los Angeles. The monitoring group Tourism Economics cites, quote, polarizing Trump administration policies and rhetoric as one reason it has revised downward its forecast of visits to the U.S. this year from a 9 percent rise to a 5 percent fall, costing the U.S. tourism industry up to $64 billion in lost business.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Former Massachusetts First Lady Kitty Dukakis has died. She was 88 years old. She was an outspoken advocate for people with mental illness and addiction. Her son, John Dukakis, says she died peacefully overnight with her family at her side. Lisa Mullins of member station WBUR reports that her openness about her own substance abuse became part of her legacy. Lisa Mullins People closest to Kitty Dukakis praise her for turning her experience with depression and addiction into positive change for others.

Phil Johnston served under Governor Michael Dukakis. He saw the First Lady of Massachusetts use her position to raise awareness and help people who were struggling. Phil Johnston Whether it was the Holocaust or the homeless or whether it be people who have addiction problems, she was there for them. She was as caring a human being as I've ever met. LESLIE KENDRICK Johnson says Kitty Dukakis personally reached out to people in state government who were dealing with addiction and got them help. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Mullins.

RICK SCHNEIDER And you're listening to NPR News. London's Heathrow Airport says it is fully operational following the chaos linked to a fire at an electrical substation. The fire knocked out power, causing widespread cancellations and rerouting headaches. New York City officials are warning that road salt is endangering the drinking water supply for more than 90 million city and area residents.

NPR's Ava Pukac reports that higher levels of salt can't easily be filtered out or treated and could damage pipes and pumps, bringing the water into homes. The high salt levels in the drinking water could be harmful to people on low sodium diets and pose an environmental threat. Rohit Agrawala is New York City's

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner. We've protected the environment by reducing and stopping the use of harmful chemicals, whether it was DDT or PCBs or as we look forward things like PFAS and the forever chemicals. We now need to focus on road salt as something that is harming our environment. If salt level trends continue, city officials say the reservoirs that supply 10% of the city's drinking water may eventually need to be abandoned. Eva Pukac and PR News. State officials in Texas say they expect the measles outbreak in the western part of the state to continue for several more months. The number of cases continues to rise with 309 in Texas and another 42 in neighboring

New Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 18 states have now reported measles infections. I'm Gile Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington. A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. NPR News from Washington.