NPR News: 03-11-2025 1PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: Detailed Summary of March 11, 2025 Episode at 1PM EDT

Release Date: March 11, 2025

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1. Government Funding and Potential Shutdown

Speaker: Lakshmi Singh
Timestamp: [00:14]

House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the pressing issue of federal funding, emphasizing the need for bipartisan cooperation to avert a government shutdown. He stated, “Democrats ought to do the responsible thing, follow their own advice in every previous scenario and keep the government open” (00:35). Johnson highlighted that the GOP is prepared to pass a continuing resolution to maintain funding for federal agencies through September. However, some Republicans have expressed reservations, adding uncertainty to the resolution's passage. With the deadline set for Friday, the first 100 days of President Trump's term are hanging in the balance, contingent on securing the necessary votes.

2. Elon Musk Accuses Ukrainian Hackers of Cyber Attack on X.com

Speakers: Lakshmi Singh & Jenna McLaughlin
Timestamps: [00:43] & [01:09]

In a significant development, Elon Musk, President Trump's advisor and tech billionaire, accused Ukrainian hackers of orchestrating a cyber attack against his social media platform, X.com (formerly Twitter). Musk stated he was “tracing the attack” and identified its origins in the “Ukraine area” (01:09). However, cybersecurity experts have refuted this claim, finding no evidence linking Ukraine to the disruption. Jenna McLaughlin reported that the outage was likely due to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack launched from a botnet, making it challenging to trace the perpetrators. The group responsible, known as Dark Storm Team, has been identified by Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point as a pro-Palestinian hacking faction.

3. Greenland Parliamentary Elections Amid Trump's Acquisition Hopes

Speakers: Lakshmi Singh & Terry Schultz
Timestamps: [01:53] & [02:15]

Greenlanders are currently voting to elect a new parliament, a political event that has gained international attention due to President Donald Trump's interest in incorporating the semiautonomous Danish territory into the United States. Terry Schultz reported, “Residents of Greenland, the world's largest island, will elect 31 lawmakers to represent the some 56,000 people who live there” (02:15). Despite Trump's repeated statements about seizing Greenland and the presence of a U.S. military base on the island, local leaders have firmly stated that Greenlanders do not wish to become Americans. In the final debates, all five party leaders expressed distrust towards Trump, reflecting the island’s desire for self-determination despite the mineral-rich land's strategic value.

4. U.S. Stock Markets Drop Sharply

Speaker: Lakshmi Singh
Timestamp: [02:56]

U.S. stock markets experienced a significant downturn, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by over 1.5%, down 653 points to 41,246 (04:45). Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq saw declines of nearly 1%. This sharp movement reflects investor concerns amid ongoing political uncertainties and global economic pressures. The market's volatility underscores the fragile state of economic recovery and the impact of recent geopolitical tensions.

5. Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte Arrested

Speaker: Lakshmi Singh
Timestamp: [02:56] & [03:35]

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested en route to The Hague on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Captured Tuesday morning in Manila, Duterte faced charges related to numerous extrajudicial killings during his administration's war on drugs (2016-2022). In a tense moment captured on video, Duterte confronted his arrestors, asking, “You are the person who arrested me. May I know the reason why?” (03:35). The ICC's investigation focuses on human rights violations, bringing international scrutiny to Duterte's legacy and the Philippines' judicial processes.

6. Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy

Speakers: Lakshmi Singh & Kristen Wright
Timestamps: [03:42] & [04:06]

The Special Olympics World Winter Games are underway in Turin, Italy, featuring over 1,500 athletes from more than 100 delegations competing in eight events such as figure skating, floorball, alpine skiing, and snowshoeing. Kristen Wright highlighted the event's emphasis on “inclusion, acceptance and unity” (04:06). Originally scheduled to occur in Russia in 2023, the Games were postponed twice—first due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The lighting of the Flame of Hope at the opening ceremony symbolizes the resilience and spirit of the athletes participating. The Games will conclude with a closing ceremony on Saturday, celebrating the achievements and camaraderie of the competitors.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the NPR News Now episode aired on March 11, 2025, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners and those who missed the broadcast.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. House Speaker Mike Johnson says, quote, we'll have the votes telling reporters in the Capitol today that the GOP can pass a short term measure known as a continuing resolution that keeps federal agencies funded through September. But Democrats, Johnson says, should be on board.

[Mike Johnson]

Democrats ought to do the responsible thing, follow their own advice in every previous scenario and keep the government open.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Some Republicans have also said they're not in favor. Congress has until Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown during the first 100 days of President Trump's term. Earlier this week, Trump adviser and tech billionaire Elon Musk accused hackers in Ukraine of launching a cyber attack against his social media platform x. But as NPR's Jenna McLaughlin tells us, experts have found no evidence for that claim.

[Jenna McLaughlin]

Social media site X.com previously known as Twitter, was knocked offline for several hours Monday afternoon. Musk said he was, quote, tracing the attack and found it was coming from what he described as the Ukraine area. While data confirmed X.com experienced an outage, cybersecurity experts found no evidence linking Ukraine to the disruption. Distributed denial of service attacks are by nature launched from a vast number of compromised devices around the globe, making up what's called a botnet. Determining who operates a botnet can be challenging. The group claiming responsibility for the attack goes by the name Dark Storm Team. Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point has identified them as a pro Palestinian hacking group. Jen McLaughlin, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Greenlanders are going to the polls to choose a new parliament in an election that probably wouldn't be making international headlines if President Donald Trump had not said he wants the semiautonomous Danish territory to become part of the United States. Terry Schultz supports the island's leaders have repeatedly told Trump Greenlanders do not want to be Americans.

[Terry Schultz]

Residents of Greenland, the world's largest island, will elect 31 lawmakers to represent the some 56,000 people who live there. Whether Greenland should become independent from Denmark is not on the ballot. But this new legislature is expected to deal with that question, which has been a debate for many years with public opinion now favoring it. The status of the mineral rich island has gained an international spotlight, with President Trump repeatedly saying he wants to seize it and refusing to rule out military force to do that. The US Already has a military base on the island. In the final debate between leaders of the parties currently holding seats in Parliament, all five said they do not trust Trump. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz.

[Lakshmi Singh]

U.S. stocks are sharply lower this hour. The dow is now down 600, or more than 1.5% at 41,246. The S&P down 1%. The Nasdaq is down nearly 1%. It's NPR. Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is now en route to the Hague. He was arrested Tuesday morning in Manila on a warrant from the International Criminal Court. According to video widely circulated online from his daughter Veronica, the 79 year old former president was taken into custody at an airport on his return from Hong Kong.

[Rodrigo Duterte]

You are the person who arrested me. May I know the reason why?

[Lakshmi Singh]

The ICC is investigating large numbers of extrajudicial killings during the Philippines war on drugs when Duterte was in power from 2016 to 2022, the Special Olympics World Winter Games are underway in Italy, more than 1500 athletes competing. NPR's Kristen Wright reports. These games had to be postponed twice due to world events.

[Kristen Wright]

Athletes representing more than 100 delegations are in Turin competing in eight events, from Figure skating to floorball to alpine skiing to snowshoeing. Special Olympics as the Games, played mostly by athletes with intellectual disabilities, are about inclusion, acceptance and unity. The Special Olympics World Winter Games hadn't been held since 2017. They were first postponed because of the COVID 19 pandemic and then plans to hold the event in Russia in 2023 were canceled after its full scale invasion of Ukraine. The flame of Hope was lit at the opening ceremony over the weekend. The games continue all week with the closing ceremony on Saturday. Kristen Wright, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The dow is down 1.5% or 653 points. This is NPR News.

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