NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-24-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

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Jack Spear Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to block a lower court decision ordering the administration to reinstate fired federal workers. As NPR's Andrea Schrewe reports, the order covers some 16,000 employees. Andrea Schrewe The ruling in question came from U.S. District Judge William Alsop. He ordered six federal agencies to reinstate the probationary employees they'd fired since mid-February, after finding that the Office of Personnel Management

unlawfully directed the agencies to carry out the firings. The Trump administration maintains that agencies carried out the firings on their own, a claim Judge Alsop says he doesn't believe. The government appealed Alsop's ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined the government's request for emergency relief. Now the government has asked the Supreme Court for relief,

charging that Alsop's ruling, quote, inflicts intolerable harm on the functioning of the executive branch. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. President Trump continues to question a federal judge who blocked his plans to deport Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador. Trump's criticism and social media coming just hours before his administration asked an appeals court to lift the judge's order. Chief Judge James

Boasberg has refused to throw out the original order, ruling migrants facing deportation should be able to challenge claims that are members of the Venezuelan gang. The Trump administration has announced a 25 percent tariff on any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela. In a social media post, Trump calling this a secondary tariff, embarrassed Daniel Kurzleben as more. Danielle Pletka Trump said countries buying the oil and gas would pay the tariff.

This is not how tariffs work. An American tariff would be paid by a company in America importing foreign goods. The reason for the new tariff, Trump wrote, is violent immigrants from Venezuela. Trump claims without evidence that the Venezuelan government purposely sent criminals to the U.S. Multiple studies show no link between immigration and violent crime. On April 2nd, when this new tariff goes into effect, Trump also plans what he calls reciprocal tariffs on countries around the world. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News. Israel's considering a major ground invasion into Gaza.

NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv spoke with two people who reviewed the plans. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the classified military plans. They said the plans would have major forces occupy Gaza, pushing Palestinians into a small zone designated for civilians, and that Israel is examining options for the military to take control of distributing food at a minimal caloric amount. Both people who reviewed the plans said it was unclear if or when the plans would be carried out, or if they were a negotiation tactic to pressure Hamas to release more Israeli hostages. The military said it would not comment on future operational plans. It has announced it's mobilizing another army division for ground operations.

Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. On Wall Street, the Dow rose 597 points. This is NPR. Comedian Conan O'Brien received the Mark Twain Prize for American humor last night at the Kennedy Center. NBR's Elizabeth Blair reports comedians who were there joked about O'Brien and also about President Trump's recent takeover of the Kennedy Center. John Mulaney said he first became a fan of Conan O'Brien's

watching him on TV when he was 11. You showed me how a bizarre Catholic man who presents well but is deeply troubled on the inside could navigate the entertainment industry. Other comedians who paid tribute were Nikki Glaser, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman, Tracy Morgan and Will Ferrell, and a number of them made jokes about President Trump ousting Kennedy Center leaders and ending up chair of the board himself. Conan O'Brien said that accepting an award named for Mark Twain was a responsibility.

Twain wrote, patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News, Washington. Japan's famous cherry blossoms are beginning to emerge. Spotters today confirming the first sighting of blossoms, marking the start of the festive season in the Japanese capital after looking at trees at a Tokyo shrine. In Washington, D.C., meanwhile, the city's famous trees, a gift from Japan, are already

blooming at the Tidal Basin. D.C.'s Yoshino cherry trees reaching stage five in the blooming process. That's just before peak viewing for the trees, which national park officials think will be this coming weekend, March 28 through the 31st. Critical futures prices closed higher today, oil up 1 percent, rising 83 cents a barrel to settle at 69.11 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.