NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-26-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

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A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. That's where we come in. On the NPR Politics Podcast, we keep you up to date on what happens inside Washington and what it means for you and your community. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen wherever you listen. Live from NPR News in Washington, Ankora Vakulman, the media outlet The Atlantic, has published

the group chat in which the U.S. defense secretary provided highly specific details of imminent U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. The Atlantic said it decided to publish the material after President Trump and other top officials claimed the chat did not contain classified information. NPR's Greg Meyry has more. Defense Secretary Pete Hickseth offered a real-time description of the U.S. airstrikes before, during, and after they were carried out on March 15th. Two hours before the attack, Hickseth wrote,

We are a go for mission launch. He then provided updates when F-18 warplanes and drones were taking off to carry out attacks. Information of an imminent military attack is highly secretive. Yet President Trump and other officials claimed Tuesday that the chat did not contain classified information. The editor of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, says he was mistakenly added to the group chat which was on the publicly available messaging app Signal and not a secure government network. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington. A note the CEO of NPR, Catherine Maher, also chairs the

board of the Signal Foundation. It is a nonprofit that supports the messaging app. President Trump is ordering sweeping changes to elections in the U.S. NPR's Jude Jaffe block reports voting rights advocates worry the changes could block millions of Americans from casting their ballots. The executive order would require showing proof of citizenship like a passport to register to vote when using the federal registration form. It also grants federal agencies and the head of the Doge cost-cutting team access to state voter rolls and give states access to federal data. It would also block states from counting mailed ballots received after

election day. Last year, Trump and his allies made baseless claims about the threat of non-citizens voting in large numbers. In fact, such cases are extremely rare. But almost one in ten American adults lack a proof of citizenship document or easy access to one. Opponents say Trump does not have the legal authority to make this change through executive order and legal challenges are likely. Jude Jaffe Block, NPR News. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is said to visit a prison in El Salvador today.

NPR's Giles Snyder reports it is at the heart of a confrontation between the Trump administration and federal courts. The prison that Secretary Noem is visiting is where more than 200 Venezuelans are jailed after they were deported from the U.S. The Trump administration alleges that many are violent gang members, justifying the president's use of wartime powers under the Alien Enemies Act to deport them. The administration is seeking to overturn a federal judge's order, members justifying the president's use of wartime powers under the Alien Enemies Act to deport them. The administration is seeking to overturn a federal judge's order, putting a hold on

Trump's use of the law. NPR's Giles Snyder reporting. On Wall Street, the Dow is up about 200 points. This is NPR. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a rule on ghost guns. It was enacted during the Biden administration. The vote on the court was 7-2. The rule requires that ghost guns have serial numbers

and that purchasers go through background checks. Ghost guns are created using 3D printers. They're virtually untraceable. The high court says these are considered firearms and ghost guns are subject to regulation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A contest is on to name two internet famous baby bald

eaglets. Tens of thousands of people from around the world have been tuning into a live stream to watch the baby eagles hatch and grow. They're in a nest in the mountains east of Los Angeles. From member station KVCR, Madison Amundt has more. The gangly gray chicks that hatched three weeks ago are about eight inches tall now, and they've stolen the spotlight from their parents, Jackie and Shadow. Sandy Steers, who runs the camera, says the two surviving eaglets — a third didn't make it — are just getting the hang of things. They have learned to wing their size, flap their wings up and down, and build up their muscles and build up their balance. And so, they're now able to fly.

They're now able to fly. a third didn't make it, are just getting the hang of things. They have learned to wing their sides, flap their wings up and down, and build up their muscles and build up their balance. And Steers is working to get them names. She's invited viewers to submit their ideas for $5 a pop. The money goes to maintaining the livestream. On Friday, a random list of up to 25 finalists will be generated. Next week, local third through fifth graders

will vote for their favorites. For NPR News, I'm Madison Aumond. Whether forecasters say parts of southern Texas could get excessive rain and flash flooding today, the flooding risk could linger through Friday. You're listening to NPR. On the Embedded Podcast.