NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-25-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: March 25, 2025

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On the embedded podcast. No, no. It's called denying a speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to alternate realities on the embedded podcast from NPR.

All episodes available now. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Kuhlmann. The White House says President Trump retains confidence in national security adviser Mike Walz. This is after journalist Jeffrey Goldberg reported Walz recently included him on a text chain on a secure message app. Goldberg says top Trump officials discussed impending U.S. military attacks on Yemen, and he says they went over specific information that could have harmed U.S. troops. Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crowe was infuriated.

The idea that they would be talking about war plans and highly classified, very top-secret information over a privately owned public system is shocking to say the least and put our troops at great risk. Some Republican lawmakers have downplayed the seriousness of the incident including Texas Senator Ted Cruz. This was obviously a mess to add a reporter to this this signal chain and I feel confident it's not something that will happen again. The White House Press Secretary claims that no classified material was sent to the text. That is not what Goldberg reported. And the White House National Security Council says those texts appear authentic.

Stocks opened lower this morning after a big rally on Monday. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped about 70 points in early trading. All the major stock indexes jumped on Monday on hopes President Trump's trade war will prove less damaging than feared. Trump says some countries may get a pass from his tariff threats. Detailed plans for reciprocal tariffs are set to be released next week. Home builders are warning Trump's tariffs could drive up construction costs, pushing

the already high cost of new housing even higher. Stock in KB homes fell after the builder lowered its sales forecast for the year. Gasoline prices are inching up as refineries make the switch to more expensive summer blends of gas. Triple A says the average price of the pump for regular fuel is about $3.14 a gallon. That's up six cents from a week ago, but still cheaper than this time last year. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. More than 15,600 children have been killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes and direct fire. That's according to the latest data released by Gaza's Health Ministry. MPR's Aya Batraoui has more on the war's toll on Palestinian children. Israeli

airstrikes over the past week have pushed the death toll in Gaza past 50,000 people killed in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry. Israel says among those killed are also thousands of militants. But in a newly detailed list naming the dead, the health ministry notes that children alone make up 31 percent of all those killed by Israeli fire in Gaza. The single-space list naming Palestinians killed in the war runs more than 1,500 pages long. Just the first 27 pages are the names of more than 800 babies under a year old killed in

Gaza. The Health Ministry notes nearly 34,000 other children have been wounded, many with amputations. Aya Beltraoui, NPR News, Dubai. This is NPR. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has a Senate confirmation hearing today. He's President Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a longtime supporter of Israel and a well-known evangelical Christian. He has spoken favorably of several of Israel's views. One of them includes the potential

Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory. That would contradict long-standing U.S. policy and would be opposed by other nations. Telehealth employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs are being summoned back into the office to work. Clinicians say this change in policy could compromise care for veterans. And Beers-Kedia Riddle has more. Doctors and therapists say there is just not enough space at VA facilities for them to work. Many were hired as telehealth employees. Now, many will still be doing telehealth but from one shared space.

H is one such provider. She has to be identified by only her initial for fear of losing her job. She says this arrangement could violate health privacy laws. It is very unclear how we could continue to deliver treatment because multiple people cannot be in one office trying to do treatment all at the same time. The VA said in a response that these concerns were quote nonsensical and promised to continue care for veterans. Katie Arrettel, NPR News. In South Korea, multiple wildfires continue to burn in southern provinces.

Cultural buildings are under threat. A Buddhist temple that is more than a thousand years old has burned down. Treasures inside the temple were relocated ahead of the flames. This is NPR.