NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-25-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: March 25, 2025

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When you take a shower or get ready in the morning, how many products are you using? Everything from your shampoo to your lotion. In our study, we found that the average woman used about 19 products every day and the average man used about seven. These products might come at a cost. The ingredients they contain can be harmful to our health. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from NPR to learn more about the risks of personal care products. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear.

President Trump and the White House are trying to downplay the incident in which a journalist was added to a group chat of administration officials who are sharing plans for a U.S. military strike on Yemen. The journalist added was Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. He says National Security Advisor Mike Waltz or someone in his office added him to the chat. The National Security Council is investigating how Jeffrey Goldberg got looped in. President Trump is defending Waltz and says he does not need to apologize.

The president also says, as far as he understands, there was no classified information shared in the encrypted messaging app Signal. If it was up to me, everybody would be sitting in a room together. The room would have solid lead walls and a lead ceiling and a lead floor. But you know, life doesn't always let you do that. The president did not specify if he would ban the use of Signal for his administration officials. Catherine Maher, the CEO of NPR, also chairs the board of the Signal Foundation, a nonprofit

that supports the messaging app. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News, The White House. President Trump's pick to head the Social Security Administration went before the Senate Finance Committee today. Tech CEO Frank Bisignano took questions about long wait times for services, as well as the ongoing influence of Doge on the agency. Here's NPR's Ashley Lopez. Frank Bisignano fielded questions about a host of problems facing the Social Security Administration.

That includes office closures, wait times for phone services, and staffing shortfalls. Democratic senators also pressed the nominee on the role of billionaire Elon Musk's team, known as Doge, at the agency. Bisignano told lawmakers he thinks current problems at the Social Security Administration stem from the interim commissioner who has been working closely with Musk's team. So I don't know if this is a doge issue. I think we have a leadership issue. Democratic senators argued during the hearing that much of the recent chaos at the agency has been created by Musk in particular.

Ashley Lopez, NPR News. New home sales picked up last month, but builders are bracing for higher expenses. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on how the Trump administration's trade policies could affect the housing market. 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. AAA says the average price of the pump for

regular fuel is about three dollars fourteen cents a gallon. That's up six cents from a week ago but still cheaper than this time last year. Scott Horsley in Pear News, Washington. Consumers appear to be a bit rattled by the tariffs. The business research group the the Conference Boards, as its consumer confidence index, slipped more than seven points in March while American short-term expectations fell nearly 10%. Stocks gained ground on Wall Street today.

The Dow was up four points. The NASDAQ rose 83 points. The S&P was up nine points. This is NPR. An appeals court says it will allow the Trump administration to suspend entry of new refugees as a lawsuit plays out over the executive power of the president. Under the judge's order, refugees who were conditionally approved before Trump took office must still be processed. The lower court said presidents have only limited authority to suspend the refugee program,

which was created by Congress. A production of Shakespeare's Othello starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal opened this week to middling reviews but robust box office. With many tickets going for over $900, reporter Jeff London says some students will be able to see it for considerably less, some for free. On Tuesday, the producers of Othello on Broadway announced that about 2,000 New York area school kids will be seeing the hottest show in town for free because of a partnership with the New York Department of Education, the Boys and Girls

Clubs of America, and several anonymous donors. In addition, a limited number of $49 student rush tickets will be available for each performance. With tickets that top out at $921, Othello has been setting box office records for a play. Last week, it took in over $2.5 million. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. There have been a plethora of injuries involving baseball pitchers lately. The cause is not so tough to figure out. They're hurling the ball at ever-increasing velocities.

What will be more difficult to come up with is a solution. Some of the findings were detailed in a 62-page report issued by Major League Baseball back in December. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.