NPR News: 03-21-2025 2AM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: March 21, 2025 – Comprehensive Summary

Hosted by Shea Stevens, NPR News Now delivers the latest headlines and in-depth reporting every hour. In the March 21, 2025, episode released at 2 AM EDT, the program covered significant political developments, legal battles, international conflicts, environmental lawsuits, immigration cases, and groundbreaking scientific research.

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1. President Trump's Executive Order Affecting Education and Federal Agencies

Shutdown of the Department of Education

The episode opens with concerns from parents and educators regarding President Trump's executive order aimed at shutting down the Department of Education. While this move has sparked apprehension among some, it has found support among certain Republican leaders.

• Governor Mike Braun of Indiana praised the executive order, stating at [00:36] MM:SS, "I think all of the things that the federal government has been doing, if the states want the responsibility, yes, we're going to have to find out entrepreneurial ways to do it and do it sustainably. The things that we know are good, we need to keep around." Braun believes that state and parental control could lead to more sustainable and innovative educational solutions.

Legal Challenges to FTC Firings

The discussion shifts to President Trump's recent actions to remove two Democratic members from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a move that is now poised to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Jared Davidson, representing the legal advocacy group Protect Democracy, explains at [01:09], "The White House says that Trump has the authority to fire whomever he wants from independent agencies such as the FTC or the National Labor Relations Board or the Merit Systems protection board." He emphasizes the importance of maintaining the independence of these agencies, stating, "It's important that independent agencies remain above politics." This stance is further supported by an Unnamed Commentator at [01:35], who asserts, "They're supposed to be working for the American people and not supposed to be working in service of any one president."

The Trump administration contends that restricting presidential authority over these agencies is unconstitutional and is prepared to defend its position before the Supreme Court.

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2. Legal Action Against Elon Musk's Doge Team Accessing SSA Data

A federal judge has intervened to prevent Elon Musk's Doge team from accessing personal data from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

• U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Hollander issued a temporary block, ordering Doge to delete any identifiable personal information already obtained. According to Shea Stevens at [01:54], Doge members claim their intentions are to "reduce waste and fraud at the administration." However, the judge's decision underscores the sensitivity and legal protections surrounding personal data.

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3. Ukrainian Drone Attack on Russian Airbase

The episode reports on a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, highlighting a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian airbase.

• Eleanor Beardsley provides detailed coverage at [02:28], stating, "The Ingalls Air base is in the Saratov region, about 450 miles from the front lines in Ukraine." Social media footage revealed extensive damage, including fires and smoke from explosions and ammunition detonations. The base is strategically important as it houses Russia's nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers.

Ukraine has accused the base of initiating missile strikes and terrorist activities against its civilians. The Governor of Saratov labeled the incident as the "most massive drone attack of all time," noting that approximately 30 nearby houses were damaged. This event underscores the escalating role of drone technology in modern warfare, with both Ukraine and Russia advancing their drone capabilities.

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4. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Sued Over Clean Energy Funding

California, along with three other states, has initiated a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its decision to freeze $20 billion allocated for clean energy projects.

• According to Shea Stevens at [03:12], the plaintiffs argue that the EPA is "breaking the law by ending funding that was already approved by Congress." This legal challenge highlights the ongoing tensions between federal environmental policies and state-level initiatives aimed at combating climate change and promoting sustainable energy sources.

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5. Immigration Case: Georgetown University Graduate Detained

The episode covers a high-profile immigration case involving Badr Khan Suri, a Georgetown University graduate fellow from India who has been detained in Arlington, Virginia.

• Shea Stevens reports at [03:12], "A federal judge says the government may not deport a detained Georgetown University graduate fellow from India." Suri faces accusations of spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media. His attorney, Hassan Ahmad, contends that Suri has not engaged in political activism and suggests that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s allegations may be influenced by the actions of Suri's father-in-law.

This case underscores the complex interplay between national security concerns and individual rights within the U.S. immigration system.

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6. Breakthrough Research: Seals Can Sense Internal Oxygen Levels

In a remarkable scientific discovery, new research has revealed that seals possess the ability to perceive their internal oxygen levels, allowing them to manage their breath and avoid drowning more effectively than previously understood.

• Jonathan Lambert reports at [04:14], "When humans hold their breath, the urge to breathe is driven by a buildup of carbon dioxide in our blood, not oxygen. That's the case for virtually all other mammals, but not for gray seals." The study, published in the journal Science, involved varying the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide that captive gray seals could breathe while observing their underwater foraging behavior. The findings indicate that higher oxygen levels enable seals to stay submerged longer, while carbon dioxide levels had minimal impact. This suggests that gray seals have evolved a unique mechanism to regulate their breathing independently of carbon dioxide buildup, enhancing their ability to dive and forage efficiently.

This discovery marks the first demonstration of such an ability in animals, potentially leading to new insights into respiratory physiology and evolutionary adaptations.

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Conclusion

The March 21, 2025, episode of NPR News Now provided listeners with a comprehensive overview of critical issues spanning political maneuvers, legal battles, international conflicts, environmental policies, immigration cases, and scientific advancements. Through detailed reporting and expert commentary, NPR continues to inform the public on matters that shape our world.

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This summary synthesizes content from the NPR News Now transcript while excluding non-content segments such as advertisements, intros, and outros to focus solely on the substantive news covered in the episode.

Transcript

[Pemco Mutual Insurance Company]

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[Shea Stevens]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Some parents and educators are expressing concern over President Trump's executive order to facilitate the shutdown of the Department of Education. But Indiana's Republican Governor Mike Braun is among those applauding the move, saying it will be better for states and parents.

[Mike Braun]

I think all of the things that the federal government has been doing, if the states want the responsibility, yes, we're going to have to find out entrepreneurial ways to do it and do it sustainably. The things that we know are good, we need to keep around.

[Shea Stevens]

Any shutdown of the Education Department will require congressional approval. President Trump's firing of two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission is likely headed to the U.S. supreme Court. As NPR's Andrea Shub reports, opponents of the move call it an abuse of power.

[Jared Davidson]

The White House says that Trump has the authority to fire whomever he wants from independent agencies such as the FTC or the National Labor Relations Board or the Merit Systems protection board. A 1935 Supreme Court ruling holds that presidents can only fire members of such agencies for cause. Jared Davidson from the legal advocacy group Protect Democracy says it's important that independent agencies remain above politics.

[Unnamed Commentator]

They're supposed to be working for the American people and not supposed to be working in service of any one president.

[Jared Davidson]

But the Trump administration has argued that limiting the president's authority over them is unconstitutional and says it's prepared to make its case at the Supreme Court. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk's Doge team from accessing the Social Security Administration's personal data on millions of Americans. U.S. district Court Judge Ellen Hollander also ordered Doge to delete any identifiable personal information already obtained. Doge members say they're trying to reduce waste and fraud at the administration. Officials in Kyiv and Moscow confirm that a Ukrainian drone attacked has severely damaged an airborne base in southern Russia. The Tales from NPR's Eleanor Beardsley.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

The Ingalls Air base is in the Saratov region, about 450 miles from the front lines in Ukraine. Video on social media showed fires and huge plumes of smoke fed by explosions and secondary detonations of ammunition. The base hosts Russia's nuclear capable heavy strategic bombers. Ukraine said the base is used to launch missile strikes on its territory and, quote, terrorist attacks against the civilian population. The governor of Saratov called it the most massive drone attack of all time. Some 30 houses around the airfield were also damaged. The war has put both Ukraine and Russia at the forefront of drone innovation and production. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv.

[Shea Stevens]

This is npr. California and three other states are suing the Environmental Protection agency for freezing $20 billion in clean energy. GR the plaintiffs say that the EPA is breaking the law by ending funding that was already approved by Congress. A federal judge says the government may not deport a detained Georgetown University graduate fellow from India. Badr Khan Suri, was arrested Monday at his home in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington. He's accused of spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti Semitism on social media. Attorney Hassan Ahmad says his client has not engaged in political activism and believes that DHS's allegations allegations stem from the actions of Surrey's father in law. Some new research showed that seals can perceive internal oxygen levels in order to keep themselves from drowning. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, it is the first time that such an ability has been demonstrated in animals.

[Jonathan Lambert]

When humans hold their breath, the urge to breathe is driven by a buildup of carbon dioxide in our blood, not oxygen. That's the case for virtually all other mammals, but not for gray seals. According to a study published today in the journal Science, researchers varied the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide captive gray seals could breathe and then watched how long they stayed underwater to find food. The higher the oxygen levels, the longer seals stayed under. But carbon dioxide levels had little effect, suggesting seals evolved a new way of not drowning. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

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