NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-24-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C., I'm Dale Willman. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says the U.S. has continued its attacks on Houthi militants in Yemen. We've taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer. We've hit their headquarters. We've hit communications nodes, weapons factories, and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities just in the last couple of days. Waltz was speaking on CBS Sunday. The military campaign against the Houthis began a little

more than a week ago. The Houthis launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea soon after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Congressional lawmakers are returning to Washington today after spending a week back in their home states, as NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, Democrats got an earful from constituents demanding the party take more aggressive steps to combat the actions of the Trump administration. I heard a lot of other people ask, is there a plan? And it really doesn't seem like there's a plan. This question from a constituent named Amanda

during a town hall in Golden, Colorado, was one of many asked to Democratic Senator Michael Bennett about what Democrats can do to push back on the GOP agenda. 19-year-old Jackson Armenta said it's personal. Yeah, I have family that's on Medicaid. I have family that collects Social Security. And they need that to survive month to month.

And so we just really want to make sure that there's a real plan. Bennett acknowledged Democrats are limited in what they can do on Capitol Hill as members of the minority party, but said mobilizing ahead of next year's midterms will be critical to put a check on the Trump administration. Barbara Sprint and Pure News, Washington. The U.S. Supreme Court takes up another voting rights case later today. It's a case that will indicate whether the court is going to stick to its own recent gerrymandering precedent. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports that the case from Louisiana is nearly identical to a 2023

case that came from Alabama. Louisiana, like Alabama, has a large black population. Roughly a third of the state is black. But after the 2020 census, the Republican-dominated state legislature once again created only one majority black district in a state with six congressional seats. Just a year earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered Alabama

in similar circumstances, to create a second majority black district. So, seeing the handwriting on the wall, the Louisiana legislature gave up the fight and created a second district. In doing that, it also preserved a safe seat for the current U.S. House Speaker, Mike Johnson. A group of self-described non-black voters, however, have challenged the redistricting, contending it illegally discriminates based on race. Now the Supreme Court must decide. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. And you're listening to NPR News. South Korea's constitutional court has dismissed

the impeachment case against Prime Minister Han Deok-soo. NPR's Se Woon-gong reports from Seoul that Han will now resume serving as the acting president. In December, the opposition-led National Assembly impeached Han Deok-soo less than two weeks after impeaching President Yoon Sung-yeol. Han was the first acting president to be impeached in South Korea's history. The parliament accused Han of aiding and abetting the president in declaring martial law and refusing to appoint constitutional court justices. In today's ruling, five of the eight justices dismissed the accusations or considered them not serious enough to warrant Han's impeachment.

Two other justices said the case itself is invalid because the impeachment motion needed two-thirds of the parliament to pass, as Han was an acting president. Only one justice upheld Han's impeachment. Han thanked the court and returned to his office immediately. Sehun Gong, NPR News, Seoul. At least seven people were killed overnight after Russia launched a barrage of drones across Ukraine. The attacks occurred ahead of ceasefire negotiations getting underway in Saudi Arabia.

The sound of explosions were heard in the early hours of the evening across the capital city of Kiev, where air raid sirens blared for more than five hours. Second Lady Usha Vance is traveling to Greenland on Thursday, where she's expected to visit historical sites and learn about Greenland's heritage. The trip comes as President Trump continues to suggest that the U.S. could take control of the mineral-rich island. Greenland is a self-governing region of Denmark. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.