NPR News: 03-25-2025 11PM EDT

Summary

Summary of NPR News Now: March 25, 2025, 11 PM EDT

Host: Shea Stevens
Producer: NPR
Release Date: March 26, 2025

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Trump Administration Under Scrutiny for Intelligence Chat Incident

Shea Stevens opens the episode by discussing a controversial incident involving the Trump administration. Jeff Goldberg, the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, was inadvertently added to a National Security Council (NSC) intelligence group chat that was discussing potential U.S. military action in Yemen.

Deepa Shivaram reports that the NSC is actively investigating how Goldberg was included in the chat. President Trump has publicly defended National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, asserting, "as far as he understands, there was no classified information shared in the encrypted messaging app Signal" (00:41). Despite the administration's efforts to downplay the event, concerns remain about the security protocols within the NSC.

An unidentified speaker, presumed to be President Trump, made a notable statement at 00:56:
"If it was up to me, everybody would be sitting in a room together. The room would have solid lead walls and a lead ceiling and a lead floor. But, you know, life doesn't always let you do that."

Adding complexity to the situation, Kathryn Marr, CEO of NPR and chair of the board of the Signal Foundation, oversees the nonprofit that supports the Signal app, raising questions about potential policy changes regarding encrypted communications within the administration.

Senate Confirms Dr. J. Bhattacharya as New NIH Director

Transitioning to healthcare, Shea Stevens highlights the Senate's confirmation of Dr. J. Bhattacharya, a renowned health economist from Stanford University, as the new Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (01:20).

Rob Stein elaborates on the challenges Dr. Bhattacharya inherits, noting that the NIH has faced significant turmoil under the Trump administration. This includes a reduction in federal workforce, termination of numerous medical research grants to align with executive orders, and the potential for major restructuring as the administration seeks to realign federal health agencies. Dr. Bhattacharya's leadership is expected to navigate these difficulties and steer the NIH towards stability and growth.

Legal Battle Over Free Speech and Deportation: The Case of Mamadou Tal

Shea Stevens brings attention to a pivotal free speech lawsuit against the Trump administration, filed by Mamadou Tal, a doctoral student from Cornell University facing deportation (02:06).

Phoebe Taylor Fuolo from WSKG reports that the lawsuit contends the administration is infringing upon the First Amendment by threatening to deport international protesters. After initiating legal action, Tal's student visa was abruptly revoked, prompting his attorney, Eric Lee, to seek an injunction to prevent his detention.

A powerful statement from Mamadou Tal at 02:40 underscores the case's significance:
"Mamadou Tal is a test case that will determine whether the government can come to your house and grab you and put you in jail for the things you say criticizing the United States government and its policies."

However, the Department of Justice counters by asserting that Tal's visa revocation occurred before the lawsuit was filed, thereby claiming that the federal court lacks jurisdiction over the matter. Phoebe Taylor Fuolo further adds that similar legal challenges are emerging, highlighting the administration's broader approach to dissent and immigration.

Federal Appeals Court Rulings on Refugee Applications and Deportations

In related immigration developments, Shea Stevens reports that a federal judge has mandated the Trump administration to cease deportation attempts against a Columbia University student residing legally in South Korea (03:04). Additionally, a federal appeals court has permitted the temporary suspension of new refugee applications amidst legal disputes over an executive order that previously halted the refugee admissions program.

Importantly, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that refugees who received conditional approvals before President Trump's tenure must still have their applications processed, ensuring continuity and fairness in refugee processing despite administrative changes.

Evolution of Cannabis Strains: From Skunky to Aromatic

Shifting to lighter news, the podcast explores the evolving landscape of cannabis with new strains boasting diverse and pleasant aromas. Ping Wong visits Grove Farm in Maryland to delve into this trend.

Andrash Kirchner, founder and head grower of District Cannabis, explains at 03:57:
"Weed strains these days have a wide variety of smells, from berry to citrus, lemon, lime, cherry. A lot of the popular strains are kind of a combination between the gas and another flavor."

Kirchner attributes this diversification to a deeper scientific understanding of cannabis, particularly the sulfur compounds responsible for its traditional skunky scent. Consumer demand for more aromatic and flavorful options has driven breeders and growers to innovate, making cannabis more appealing to a broader audience. This shift not only enhances user experience but also supports the growing recreational market.

Decline in Consumer Confidence Hits a 12-Year Low

Concluding the episode, Shea Stevens reports a significant downturn in consumer sentiment. The Conference Board's latest confidence index reveals a drop of over 7 points, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline and reaching a 12-year low (04:38).

This decline reflects growing uncertainty among Americans regarding their financial futures, potentially influenced by economic policies, job market fluctuations, and broader geopolitical tensions. The sustained drop in consumer confidence could have widespread implications for economic growth and stability in the coming months.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the NPR News Now episode released on March 26, 2025. For more detailed information, listening to the full episode is recommended.

Transcript

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[Shea Stevens]

Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The Trump administration is trying to downplay the incident in which a journalist was added to an intelligence group chat discussing plans for a US Military strike in Yemen. The Atlantic editor in Chief Jeff Goldberg says National Security Adviser Mike Walz or someone in his office added him to the chat. NPR's Deepa Shivaram has more.

[Deepa Shivaram]

The National Security Council is investigating how Jeffrey Goldberg got looped in. President Trump is defending Waltz and says he does not need to apologize. The president also says as far as he understands, there was no classified information shared in the encrypted messaging app Signal.

[Unknown Speaker]

If it was up to me, everybody would be sitting in a room together. The room would have solid lead walls and a lead ceiling and a lead floor. But, you know, life doesn't always let you do that.

[Deepa Shivaram]

The president did not specify if he would ban the use of Signal for his administration officials. Kathryn Marr, the CEO of npr, also chairs the board of the Signal Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the messaging app. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, the White House.

[Shea Stevens]

The Senate has confirmed a Stanford University researcher as the next director of the national institutes of health. NPR's Rob Stein reports.

[Rob Stein]

Dr. J. Bhattacharya, a Stanford health economist, was easily confirmed by the Senate. Bhattacharya takes over the NIH at a time when the world's biggest public funder of biomedical research is in turmoil. The NIH has lost hundreds of employees so far in the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce, terminated hundreds of grants to medical researchers across the country to comply with executive orders, and could be facing a major restructuring as the administration refocuses the nation's federal health agencies. Rob Stein, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

A federal judge in Syracuse has heard arguments in the first hearing in a free speech lawsuit filed against the Trump administration. From member station wskg, Phoebe Taylor Fuolo reports that the case was filed by a Cornell University student who's facing deportation.

[Phoebe Taylor Fuolo]

The lawsuit argues the administration is violating the First Amendment by threatening international protesters with deport. After filing the lawsuit, doctoral student Mamadou Tal was told that his student visa had been revoked. Attorney Eric Lee asked a judge to block the government from detaining him.

[Mamadou Tal]

Mamadou Tal is a test case that will determine whether the government can come to your house and grab you and put you in jail for the things you say criticizing the United States government and its policies.

[Phoebe Taylor Fuolo]

The Department of Justice says Tal's visa was revoked a day before the lawsuit was filed and that the federal court no longer has jurisdiction over the case. For NPR News, I'm Phoebe Taylor Voor Wolo in Syracuse, New York.

[Shea Stevens]

Meanwhile, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt attempts to deport a Columbia University student from South Korea who has legal residency. This is npr. A federal appeals court says the Trump administration may temporarily suspend approval of new refugee applications amid ongoing legal proceedings over an executive order that suspended the refugee admissions program. But the 9th U.S. circuit Court of Appeals also ruled that applications by refugees who received conditional approval before President Trump took office must still be processed. Cannabis has a distinct skunky smell, but as the drug grows in popularity, new strains have cropped up with notes of lavender, cloves and cognac. NPRs Ping Wong went to a Grove farm in Maryland to check it out.

[Andrash Kirchner]

Andrash Kirchner is the founder and head grower of District Cannabis, which sells weed in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. He says weed strains these days have a wide variety of smells, from berry.

[Mamadou Tal]

To citrus, lemon, lime, cherry. A lot of the popular strains are kind of a combination between the gas and another flavor.

[Andrash Kirchner]

This trend is related to a better understanding of the science behind the gassy, skunky smell of weed, which has been traced to a sulfur compound, and to consumer demand. As recreational use grows, cannabis breeders and growers are developing new strains that are more pleasant smelling to more people. Ping Huang, NPR News.

[Shea Stevens]

Consumer confidence has slipped again. For the fourth month in a row, the conference board, which measures Americans views about their future finances, says its confidence index fell over 7 points to a 12 year low. This is NPR News.

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