NPR News: 03-22-2025 2PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: March 22, 2025, 2 PM EDT – Detailed Summary

Published on March 22, 2025

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1. President Trump's Revocation of Security Clearances

Host: Nora Rahm

Key Points:

• Revocation Actions: President Donald Trump has revoked security clearances for over a dozen political adversaries, including notable figures from the Biden administration.
• Affected Individuals: The list includes former President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
• Reasoning: In a memorandum, Trump stated that granting access to classified information to these individuals is no longer in the national interest.
• Context: This move is widely interpreted as retaliation for President Biden stripping Trump's security clearance in 2021.
• Practical Impact: Despite the attention, the actual effects are minimal since security clearances for former officials are typically revoked post-tenure unless they are involved in ongoing national security matters. Many on the list haven’t had active clearances for years.

Notable Quote:

"In a memorandum, Trump said it was no longer in the national interest for them and around a dozen others to access classified information."
(Rebecca Rossman, 00:28)

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2. U.S. Stock Markets Experience Volatility Amid Tariff Concerns

Host: Nora Rahm

Key Points:

• Market Performance: Despite a volatile week influenced by fluctuating tariffs, U.S. stock markets edged into positive territory by the end of trading on Friday.
• Dow Jones: The Dow closed up by 1.2% for the week.
• Economic Uncertainty: Consumers, businesses, and investors are increasingly concerned about the potential impacts of President Trump’s new steep tariffs targeting the largest U.S. trading partners.
• Federal Reserve Actions: The Federal Reserve has reduced its economic growth forecast while increasing its inflation expectations. Fed Chair Jerome Powell attributed a significant portion of the inflationary pressures to the imposed tariffs.
• Future Outlook: The Fed remains on track to cut interest rates two more times later in the year.
• Trump’s Response: President Trump suggested there would be flexibility regarding the tariffs, providing some optimism to investors and consumers.

Notable Quotes:

"Clearly some of it, a good part of it, is coming from tariffs."
(Jerome Powell, 01:50)

"There would be flexibility on his tariffs."
(Maria Aspen, 01:54)

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3. Legal Victory Against Meta’s Targeted Advertising

Host: Nora Rahm

Key Points:

• Case Overview: A British mother, Tanya O'Carroll, successfully took legal action against Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company) to gain the right to opt out of targeted online advertising.
• Background: In 2017, upon becoming pregnant, O'Carroll was inundated with baby-related ads on Facebook. Her attempts to disable these ads were unsuccessful, leading to a protracted three-year legal battle.
• Settlement: Meta settled the case, agreeing to cease using O'Carroll’s personal data for direct marketing purposes.
• Regulatory Support: British regulators supported O'Carroll, aligning with European laws that grant consumers the right to object to targeted advertisements.
• Impact: This ruling empowers users to have greater control over their personal data and reduces the prevalence of invasive targeted advertising on platforms like Facebook.

Notable Quote:

"On the eve of trial now has agreed to do what I originally asked all along, which is cease using my personal data for direct marketing purposes, which in non-legalese means I've essentially been able to turn off all that creepy, invasive targeted ads on Facebook."
(Tanya O'Carroll, 02:44)

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4. Heathrow Airport Reopens After Power Substation Fire

Host: Nora Rahm

Key Points:

• Incident: A fire at a power substation led to the shutdown of Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest airport, causing significant travel disruptions.
• Impact: The fire resulted in the damage or destruction of over 16,000 structures and affected hundreds of thousands of travelers worldwide.
• Resolution: Flights resumed at Heathrow Airport the day after the incident, alleviating some of the widespread travel chaos.

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5. Preserving Los Angeles Wildfire History Through Online Archives

Host: Nora Rahm

Key Points:

• Wildfire Aftermath: Over 16,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in recent wildfires in Los Angeles.
• Preservation Efforts: An organization is working to "fireproof history" by preserving information about lost landmarks and community hubs online.
• Wikipedia Edit-a-thon: At the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, volunteers gathered to update and create Wikipedia entries related to the affected areas, ensuring that the history of these lost sites is not forgotten.
• Volunteer Impact: More than 40 articles have been created or updated during such events, garnering over 200,000 views since their edits.
• Quote:

"We have the potential ourselves to preserve what we lost and make sure that what was destroyed in the fires isn't forgotten."
(Andrea Dominick, 04:03)

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6. Tribute to George Foreman

Host: Nora Rahm

Key Points:

• Passing: George Foreman, the legendary boxer and entrepreneur, died at the age of 76.
• Boxing Career: Foreman became the world heavyweight champion in his 20s and is renowned for his iconic match against Muhammad Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle." Remarkably, he returned to boxing at 45, becoming the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship.
• Entrepreneurial Success: Beyond boxing, Foreman was the face of the George Foreman Grill, which sold over a million units, cementing his legacy in both sports and business.

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Conclusion

The March 22, 2025, episode of NPR News Now covered a broad spectrum of pressing issues, from high-level political maneuvers and economic uncertainties to significant legal victories in the tech industry, infrastructure challenges, community-driven preservation efforts, and a heartfelt tribute to a sports icon. Each segment provided listeners with timely and relevant information, enriched by direct quotes and authoritative insights from key figures involved.

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For more detailed information, listeners are encouraged to tune into the NPR News Now podcast or visit the NPR website.

Transcript

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[Nora Rahm]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. President Trump has revoked security clearances for more than a dozen political adversaries, including former officials from the Biden administration. NPR's Rebecca Rossman has more.

[Rebecca Rossman]

Among those affected are former President Joe Biden, former vice president, Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In a memorandum, Trump said it was no longer in the national interest for them and around a dozen others to access classified information. The move is widely seen as retaliation for Biden's decision to strip Trump of his clearance in 2021. While the withdrawals have drawn attention, their practical effects are minimal. Security clearances for former officials are typically revoked after they leave office unless they're involved in national security matters. Many on the list haven't had active clearances in years. Rebecca Rossman, NPR News.

[Nora Rahm]

U.S. stock markets had another volatile week full of tariff whiplash, but they inched into positive territory by yesterday's end of trading. NPR's Maria Aspen reports. The Dow closed up 1.2% for the week.

[Maria Aspen]

Consumers, businesses and investors are all facing mounting economic uncertainty. They're especially worried about the potential impact of President Trump's steep new tariffs against the country's largest trading partners. The on again, off again tariffs could raise prices on a wide range of goods. This week, the Federal Reserve cut its forecast for economic growth and raised its expectations for inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that tariffs are playing a role in that inflation.

[Jerome Powell]

Clearly some of it, a good part of it, is coming from tariffs.

[Maria Aspen]

But the Fed also said that it's still on track to cut interest rates two times later this year. Meanwhile, Trump on Friday offered investors and consumers a glimmer of hope when he said there would be flexibility on his tariffs. Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York.

[Nora Rahm]

In a case that could have far reaching consequences, a British mother who took Facebook's parent company Meta to court has won the right to opt out of its targeted online advertising. Vicki Barker reports.

[Vicki Barker]

When Tanya O'Carroll became pregnant in 2017, Facebook knew even before her closest friends did, bombarding her with baby related ads. Her unsuccessful attempts to turn the ads off led to a three year legal battle, which Meta finally settled on Friday. As O'Carroll told the BBC, Facebook just.

[Tanya O'Carroll]

On the eve of trial now has agreed to do what I originally asked all along, which is cease using my personal data for direct marketing purposes, which in non legalese means. I've essentially been able to turn off all that creepy, invasive targeted ads on Facebook.

[Vicki Barker]

O'Carroll had the backing of British regulators because British consumers, like their European counterparts, have the legal right to object to targeted ads. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

[Nora Rahm]

This is NPR News in London. Flights resumed at Heathrow Airport today after being shut down yesterday. A fire at a nearby substation knocked down power to Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport. The fire disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. After more than 16,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfire, one organization is attempting to fireproof history by preserving it online. Enter a Dominic of Member station KCRW has the story.

[Emery D'Alessio]

On a recent Sunday afternoon at the Hammer Museum in la, two dozen volunteers gathered over laptops and cups of coffee for a Wikipedia edit a thon. They're writing new entries about the landmarks and community hubs lost in the wildfires, adding citations, updating information and uploading photos.

[Andrea Dominick]

We have the potential ourselves to preserve what we lost and make sure that what was destroyed in the fires isn't forgotten.

[Emery D'Alessio]

That's Emery D'Alessio, a facilitator with WikiLeaks who's helping train newcomers. So far, more than 40 articles have been created or updated at edit a thons like this one, and they're already resonating. D'Alessio says those articles have racked up more than 200,000 views since their edits. For NPR News, I'm Andrea Dominick in Los Angeles.

[Nora Rahm]

George Foreman has died. He was 76. He became the world heavyweight boxing champion in his 20s, but lost to Muhammad Ali in a match dubbed the Rumble in the jungle. Twenty years later, he came back at 45 to become the oldest man to win the championship. Outside the ring, he was the face of the George Foreman Grill, which sold more than a million units. I'm Nora Ramm, NPR News, in Washington.

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Listen to this podcast sponsor, free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.