NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-26-2025 1PM 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, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The White House continues to downplay reports that a journalist was included in a group chat of top officials discussing US military plans. NPR's Franco Ordonia's reports criticism is increasing after more texts were released. The Atlantic magazine published

more messages from the group chat of senior Trump officials detailing precise launch times and the specific fighter jets that would carry out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The White House insists such details were not classified. Alina Habba, counselor to the president this morning, continued to minimize the significance and attack the media for its coverage. Look, it is what it is. At the end of the day, this is, in my opinion, something that they're making big to do about nothing. But top officials continue to be questioned about the leak at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, The White House.

NPR CEO Catherine Maher chairs the board of the Signal Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the messaging app. The Supreme Court has upheld a Biden-era rule requiring serial numbers and background checks for ghost guns. Justice has voted today 7-2. The Justice Department has reported a surge in the number of hard-to-trace ghost guns found at crime scenes from fewer than 1,700 in 2017 to more than 27,000 in 2023. However, the DOJ says since a federal rule targeting ghost guns was finalized in 2022, the numbers in several major cities flattened out or declined. NPR CEO Catherine Maher appeared on Capitol Hill today along with Paula Kerger, her counterpart

from PBS. Heads of the two largest U.S. public broadcasting networks fielded questions from lawmakers about what many Republicans view as a liberal bias in their news coverage. Here's NPR's Scott Newman. Scott Newman, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter,

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NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR News Reporter, NPR. I've lost confidence in public radio. I don't think, Madam Chair, they should get a penny of federal funds. House Democrats pushed back, calling the hearing a distraction for more serious issues, such as the recent breach of U.S. security when war plans for a strike on Houthi rebels were inadvertently shared with a journalist. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington. Brazil's Supreme Court has voted to put former President Jair Bolsonaro and several close

allies on trial. They are accused of conspiring to stage a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss to President Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing and claims he is being politically persecuted. Hundreds of supporters of Bolsonaro stormed the Capitol on January 8th of 2023, just one week after Lula took power. Bolsonaro denies any involvement in the Capitol riot. US stocks trading lower this hour.

This is NPR News. California fire officials have released new maps showing millions of acres are at risk of wildfires. NPR's Lauren Summer has the latest. 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. Lauren Sommer, NPR News. Atlanta rapper Playboy Carti has the number one album in the country. NPR's Hazel Syll says his third album comes after years of delays. Playboy Carti has been teasing his third album titled Music for years now. This week the album debuts at number one on

the Billboard albums chart, the rapper's second album to do so. The album has had the biggest week for a rap album in 2025, and it marks the biggest streaming week for an album since Taylor Swift released the Tortured Poets department last year. Playboi Carti also has two songs in the top 20, Evil Jordan and Rather Lie, featuring The Weeknd. in the top 20, Evil Jordan and Rather Lie, featuring The Weeknd. Hazel Sills, NPR News. The Nasdaq is down 344 points or 1.8 percent.

The S&P is down more than 1 percent. This is NPR. Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life. Powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave Podcast from NPR.