NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-26-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

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There's a lot of news happening. You want to understand it better, but let's be honest, you don't want it to be your entire life either. Well, that's sort of like our show, Here and Now Anytime. Every weekday on our podcast, we talk to people all over the country about everything from political analysis to climate resilience, video games. We even talk about dumpster diving on this show. Check out Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee have grilled Trump administration officials on a messaging app Group Chat that shared sensitive military information with a journalist. CIA Director John Ratcliffe

acknowledged that the incident should not have happened and that the government has secure communication systems to use. As NPR's Ryan Lucas reports, top intelligence officials denied that any classified material had been shared, but Democrats want more answers. The administration is very much trying to say that this is all much ado about nothing. But I will say the information discussed in the chat is exactly the sort of intelligence a sophisticated adversary like Russia or China would want on the US and the officials in the chat are all top of the target list of foreign intelligence services. Now as for what's next, Democrats on the Intelligence Committee made this clear

that they want to get to the bottom of it. Ryan Lucas reporting. NPR's EO Catherine Maher is chair of the Signal Foundation board, which supports the encrypted app that was used during the controversial group chat. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to back off attempts to deport a Columbia University student who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. NPR's Adrienne Filiro reports that immigration agents have been trying to arrest her for weeks. Yonsei Oh Chung is a 21-year-old South Korean national who's lived in the U.S. since she

was seven. She's a legal permanent resident. On March 5th, she was one of several students that New York police arrested at a pro-Palestinian sit-in protest at a campus building. She was cited and let go. Her lawyers say that days later ICE agents showed up at her parents' house looking for her. Officials said her green card had been revoked. A few days after that, federal agents searched her Columbia dorm room. Chung sued in New York

federal court to block the government from arresting or deporting her. She says she's being targeted for her activism. Now a judge has temporarily granted Chung's request while she fights the government's case against her. Adrienne Flaherty, NPR News. California fire officials have released new maps showing millions of acres are at risk of wildfires. NPR's Lauren Summer reports that it will change the way some homeowners are rebuilding after the wildfires in Los Angeles last January. California is one of the few states that maps where homes are at risk of wildfires.

In some of those areas, that means new houses must be built with wildfire resistant materials. Those building codes have been shown to increase the chances that a house will survive. The new maps mean that in Altadena, where the Eaton fire burned, some additional 500 buildings will have to rebuild with fire resistant materials. But the majority of buildings, almost 8,000, will not. Some of the requirements could add to the cost of construction, but experts say building houses to resist wildfires helps make entire neighborhoods safer, especially as wildfires get more extreme. Lauren Sommer, NPR News.

This is NPR. The nominee for Social Security Commissioner says he's never considered privatizing the agency. Frank Bixignano faced tough questioning before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday amid anger over Doge cuts at the agency. Democratic lawmakers cited field office closing, difficulty using the Social Security website, scheduling appointments, or reaching anyone by phone. They're cited field office closing, difficulty using the Social Security website, scheduling appointments or reaching anyone by phone.

The Social Security Administration pays out $1.4 trillion to retired and disabled Americans who've paid into the system while working. Campaign finance reports released in a Wisconsin State Supreme Court election show a new record for spending on a judicial race. Chuck Quermbach of Member Station WUWM has the story. Chuck Quermbach, Member Station WUWM, has the story. President Trump has endorsed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel. Business executive Elon Musk has spent about $18 million backing the suburban Milwaukee circuit judge who's

trying to flip control of the state court to conservatives. Democrats, including former president Barack Obama, have endorsed Schimel's opponent, Madison area circuit judge Susan Crawford. New totals showing that $73 million has been spent on the contest so far trouble Marquette University law professor Janine Geske. You know, it is really an attack on the independence of our judiciary and I'm very concerned.

Geske is a retired state supreme court justice. The Wisconsin election is April 1st. For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News.