NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-24-2026 5AM EDT

Episode Date: March 24, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, and I'm Dave Mattingley. Flights have resumed at New York's LaGuardia Airport following Sunday night's deadly runway collision involving an Air Canada regional jet and a fire truck. Two pilots aboard the Jazz Aviation flight were killed when the jet slammed into the truck while landing at LaGuardia on a flight from Montreal. At the time, the fire truck was responding to a call about an odor on the United Jet at the airport. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says, as the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating along with investigators from Canada.

Our two countries work very well together. There's a well-worn path where we collaborate together when there's aviation crashes in either of our countries. There were 76 people aboard the plane. Several passengers were seriously injured. A flight attendant was thrown from the plane still strapped in her seat and survived without serious injuries. President Trump's choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security has been approved by the Senate. Former Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma was confirmed in a 54 to 45 vote, mostly along party lines. Mullen replaces former DHS Secretary Christine Nome, who was fired by Trump. Here's NPR Sam Gringlass. Mullen is inheriting a department at the center of a national debate about immigration after

federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year. While ICE still has billions of dollars at its disposal despite the funding lapse, employees at other agencies under DHS, like TSA, are going without pay, and absences are causing long waits at major airports. Some lawmakers hope their colleague will be a steadier hand compared to his predecessor, Christy Noem, who Trump ultimately fired. But most Democrats still opposed his nomination, saying they don't believe a change in leadership is enough of a course correction. Sam Gringlass, NPR News, Washington. President Trump was in Tennessee yesterday, where he touted his administration's efforts to lower crime in Memphis.

It's one of the cities where Trump deployed members of the National Guard, as NPR's Deepa Shiverom reports. Some city residents joined members of the administration on stage in Memphis to laud the president for his efforts to cut crime rates. Trump himself declared crime in the city, quote, fixed. But for years prior to our involvement, Memphis had become known for something else. Being the murder capital of the USA, that's not a good title. It was averaging far more than one murder per day with a crime rate higher than Columbia, Mexico, City, or Baghdad. I shouldn't be saying this.

I would say no, because, but here's the good news. It's been fixed. The city has seen a decline in violent crime. The issue will likely be a major focus for Republicans in the midterm elections. Deepa Shiverarm, NPR News, the White House. This is NPR News from Washington. Authorities in Washington, D.C. are describing yesterday's shooting of a U.S. Park Police officer as an ambush by two men. The chief of the Park Police says the officer was seriously wounded when the two opened fire on the officer as he was driving in an unmarked vehicle.

He says the officer was working on an ongoing Park Police investigation at the time. No arrests have been made. California's Attorney General is suing the Trump administration over an order that compels oil to flow through. through pipelines on the state's central coast. Gabriella Fernandez with member station KCBX has more. Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the lawsuit against the Department of Energy. Challenging an order, he says unlawfully lets Texas Bay sable offshore restart oil production. The order was issued under the Defense Production Act, citing a National Energy Emergency.

But Bonta argues, They're violating the state sovereignty of California, and they're invoking the Defense Production Act based on a so-called national energy emergency that doesn't exist. The site has been non-operational since one of the pipelines burst about a decade ago, spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Sable says the pipelines have since been repaired. The case is now before a federal court. For NPR News, I'm Gabriella Fernandez.

A jury in California has found actor and comedian Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1970. Jurors in the civil case in Santa Monica are awarding Donna Mutsinger nearly $60 million. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.