NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-23-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

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This message comes from Wondery. Kiki Palmer is that girl, and she's diving into the brains of entertainment's best and brightest to have real conversations on her podcast, Baby, This is Kiki Palmer. Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C., I'm Dale Willman. The Health Ministry in Gaza says the number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel's war with Hamas has surpassed 50,000. The latest toll comes after Israel resumed the war in Gaza following about two months of relative Palestinians killed since the start of Israel's war with Hamas has surpassed 50,000. The latest toll comes after Israel resumed the war in Gaza following about two months of relative quiet during a ceasefire that ended this month. And Piyar's Hadil Al-Shaltzi reports.

The new death toll in Gaza includes hundreds of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes since the war started up again last week. This comes as the Israeli military said it launched an offensive near Rafah in southern Gaza, where the military has also ordered mass evacuations of Palestinians. Hamas says among those killed in Israel's latest strikes was one of the group's last political leaders based in Gaza. The Israeli Defense Minister said last week that the military was getting ready to seize more territory in Gaza. It's been more than three weeks that Israel blocked all aid,

including food and medical supplies, into the Strip. Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. One of the largest unions of U.S. postal workers held rallies across the country today to protest the Trump administration's proposals to transform the agency. As NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports, Trump officials have floated the idea

of bringing the independent mail agency under the White House's control. U.S. mail is not for sale! Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers in cities including Silver Spring, Maryland demonstrated against comments last month by President Trump. He cited trouble finances at USPS and said his administration is considering having the Commerce Department take control of what Congress set up to be an independent postal service. Legal experts say that would likely violate federal law.

NALC union steward Kevin Abernathy says he's also concerned about talk of privatizing the country's mail service. If they carve up and sell the postal service, we will lose small businesses, seniors, veterans, royal families and everyday customers who trust us to deliver. The Union of Rural Letter Carriers is sent to Rally Tuesday on Capitol Hill. Hansi Luang and Pierre Nus, Silver Spring, Maryland. Wildfires have burned more than 4,000 acres across parts of western North Carolina this weekend. The fires have prompted mandatory evacuations there.

As Gerald Albert III from Blue Ridge Public Radio reports, the region is still recovering from last year's Hurricane Helene. The fires in Polk County are some of the biggest the area has seen in decades. Officials say low humidity, high winds, and lots of downed trees from Hurricane Helene are making fighting the fire unusually challenging. Bobby Arledge is the county's fire marshal. People are still trying to recover. So this fire now, on top of that, it's been a nightmare. All the debris and the blowdowns and stuff from the hurricane is doing nothing but fueling these fires. The North Carolina Forest Service is leading the firefighting efforts and plans to receive help from crews

throughout the South and as far west as California. For NPR News, I'm Gerard Albert III in Asheville. And you're listening to NPR News. The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma is making an historic push to support tribal sovereignty. As Elizabeth Caldwell of Member Station KWGS reports, more than a hundred cases involving native defendants have been sent to tribal courts despite pushback from the governor. Charges from assault to speeding were shifted to the purview of

the Muskogee and Cherokee nations. 24-year-old Andreas Mondu says he's ready to get his traffic tickets out of the city and into tribal court. You know the tribal people, you know they help people rather than these people they want your money. They don't care about you at all. At least with tribal you can have people who can actually help you. You have benefits from them. People who actually like genuinely care for you.

The push to send cases to tribes is part of Mayor Monroe Nichols' plan to support native autonomy. Tulsa's first black mayor is setting himself apart from Oklahoma's governor, who's accused Nichols of giving away local law enforcement power. For NPR News, I'm Elizabeth Caldwell in Tulsa. The White House says Second Lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland this week to visit historical sites. President Trump has repeatedly said he wants the U.S. to buy the island. The Prime Minister of Greenland has sharply criticized Trump for his proposal, saying that the island is not for sale.

Pope Francis is back at the Vatican following five weeks of treatment at a Rome hospital. He was being treated for a life-threatening bout of pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff was seen wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen as he arrived there. Chance of viva il papa erupted from the crowd when his car arrived at the Vatican. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. 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.