NPR News: 03-31-2025 5PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now: March 31, 2025, 5 PM EDT

NPR News Now delivered a comprehensive update on the most pressing issues of the day, ranging from international developments to groundbreaking discoveries and significant political events. Below is a detailed summary of the key topics discussed in the episode released on March 31, 2025.

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1. Israel’s Controversial West Bank Construction Project

Reporter: Daniel Estrin
Location: Tel Aviv
Key Points:

• Israel's security cabinet approved a new road in the contested E1 area of the West Bank, a region previously opposed by U.S. administrations due to its implications for a contiguous Palestinian state.
• The approved road is intended to bypass a significant Israeli settlement near Jerusalem, facilitating further Israeli construction within the heart of the West Bank.
• The Trump administration chose not to comment on this development.

Notable Quote:

“The consequences of such a decision is a disaster for the people of the area.”
— Khalil Abu Rysh, Mayor of Bethany [01:09]

Implications:

• The Israeli monitoring group Peace Now warns that the new road could pave the way for Israel to annex a substantial portion of the West Bank, escalating tensions in the region.

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2. High-Stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

Reporter: Chuck Kormbach
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Key Points:

• The Wisconsin Supreme Court election, set for the following day, could shift the court’s majority from liberal to conservative.
• Brad Schimmel, a Circuit Court Judge endorsed by President Donald Trump and supported by Elon Musk-backed groups contributing $20 million, is a leading candidate.
• Republicans assert that the court’s composition will influence House redistricting in 2026 and impact the broader Trump agenda.
• Susan Crawford, Schimmel’s opponent and a Circuit Court Judge backed by prominent Democrats, vows a vigorous campaign effort.

Notable Quotes:

“I've never seen voters this revved up about a court race before.”
— Brad Schimmel [02:03]

“Fight for every vote we can get in Wisconsin, and I believe we can win this election on Tuesday.”
— Susan Crawford [02:14]

Outcome:

• The election results will be pivotal in determining the ideological balance of Wisconsin’s highest court, potentially affecting legislative processes and electoral maps.

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3. SpaceX’s Fram 2 Mission: Pioneering Polar Orbit Human Flight

Reporter: Scott Newman
Location: Washington
Key Points:

• A crew of four astronauts is gearing up for the Fram 2 mission, marking the first human flight in a polar orbit facilitated by private funding through SpaceX.
• Chuhn Wang, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and mission commander, financed the flight.
• The mission, lasting three to five days, will traverse the Earth from pole to pole, exposing the crew to higher radiation levels compared to equatorial orbits. However, experts deem the duration safe concerning radiation exposure.
• Innovative experiments include cultivating mushrooms in space, aiming to establish sustainable food sources for future long-duration missions.

Notable Quote:

“We're exploring new frontiers in how we sustain life during space missions.”
— Chuhn Wang, Mission Commander [02:36]

Scientific Impact:

• The mission’s success could pave the way for more sustainable and safe human space exploration, expanding our capabilities beyond traditional orbital paths.

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4. Search and Rescue Efforts for Missing U.S. Soldiers in Lithuania

Reporter: Scott Newman
Location: Lithuania
Key Points:

• The Pentagon confirmed that three of four missing U.S. soldiers, lost during a training exercise in Lithuania, have been found inside their armored vehicle trapped in a deep mud bog.
• The soldiers were conducting a recovery mission for another vehicle when they veered off the road into the treacherous bog.
• Search operations are ongoing to locate the fourth soldier, with challenges heightened by the vehicle’s heavy structure and the limitations of sonar technology in person detection.

Notable Quote:

“Finding the fourth will be tough.”
— Scott Newman [03:46]

Rescue Efforts:

• Advanced sonar equipment is being utilized to locate the armored vehicle, though locating the missing individual remains a significant difficulty.

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5. Discovery of a 13th-Century Merlin and King Arthur Manuscript

Reporter: Isabella Gomez Sarmentino
Location: University of Cambridge
Key Points:

• Researchers at the University of Cambridge unveiled a newly discovered 13th-century manuscript containing narratives of Merlin and King Arthur, part of the Suite Vulgat du Merlin.
• This manuscript, handwritten between 1275 and 1315, was ingeniously concealed within the binding of a 16th-century property record.
• The document, written in old French, details legendary battles, including conflicts between Saxons and Christians.
• Utilizing high-resolution imaging and X-ray scanning technologies, scholars were able to reveal and digitize the manuscript without damaging the original material.

Notable Quote:

“This discovery is paving the way for how to digitize other medieval documents.”
— Isabella Gomez Sarmentino [04:10]

Cultural Significance:

• The find enriches the limited corpus of Suite Vulgat du Merlin manuscripts and offers new insights into medieval storytelling and literary preservation techniques.

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6. Financial Markets Update

Key Points:

• Wall Street concluded the day with mixed results:
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 1%, closing at 417 points higher.
  • The NASDAQ experienced a slight decline, falling by 23 points.

Impact:

• The mixed performance reflects ongoing volatility and investor uncertainty in the current economic climate.

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NPR News Now continues to provide real-time updates on critical issues shaping our world. Stay informed with NPR’s unparalleled journalism and in-depth reporting.

Transcript

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[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. Israel's government says it's approved a construction project in a part of the occupied west bank where previous U.S. administrations have opposed Israeli building. NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from Tel Aviv.

[Daniel Estrin]

Israel's security cabinet has approved a new road for Palestinians bypassing a big Israeli settlement near Jerusalem. Israel says the road would allow for Israeli building in the heart of the west bank in an area known as E1. In the past, the US opposed Israeli building there because it would make it hard to establish a contiguous Palestinian state. The Trump administration issued no comment. Khalil Abu Rysh is the mayor of the Palestinian village of Bethany in the area.

[Khalil Abu Rysh]

The consequences of such a decision is a disaster for the people of the area.

[Daniel Estrin]

The Israeli monitoring group Peace now says the road would allow Israel to annex a large area of the West Bank. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Both Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates are out campaigning today ahead of an election tomorrow that will determine if the court's majority flips from lib to conservative. Chuck Hornbach of member station WUWM in Milwaukee has more.

[Chuck Kormbach]

Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimmel has been endorsed by President Trump, and groups backed by business executive Elon Musk have poured in $20 million of support. The Republicans say the state Supreme Court contest could affect House redistricting in Wisconsin for 2026 and the Trump agenda. Schimmel says he and his supporters are energized. I've never seen voters this revved up about a court race before Schimmel's oppone. Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford has backing from some prominent Democrats. She's promising to fight to the finish.

[Susan Crawford]

Fight for every vote we can get in Wisconsin, and I believe we can win this election on Tuesday.

[Chuck Kormbach]

Crawford says she's not made any promises on House redistricting. For NPR News, I'm Chuck Kormbach in Milwaukee.

[Scott Newman]

A crew of four astronauts are preparing.

[Jeanine Herbst]

To become the first humans to fly in polar orbit aboard the latest privately funded SpaceX launch. NPR Scott Newman reports.

[Chunh Wang]

The Fram 2 mission is commanded by Chunh Wang, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur who also bankrolled the flight. It's expected to last three to five days but unlike other human spaceflights, which orbited west to east, roughly parallel to the equator, this mission will circle the Earth from pole to pole. That means the crew will be exposed to higher doses of radiation, but scientists say it shouldn't be a problem for such a short duration mission. The crew is also expected to try growing mushrooms while in orbit to see if they could become a staple meal for future spacefarers. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Wall street ended the day in mixed territory. The Dow was up 1%. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

[Scott Newman]

The Pentagon says the bodies of three.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Of four missing army soldiers who went missing in Lithuania during a training exercise last week have been found in their vehicle in a deep mud bog. The search for the 4th continues. Officials say the soldiers were sent out to extract another army vehicle and may have drifted off the road into the bog.

[Scott Newman]

The soldiers appear to have been trapped in the 63 ton armored vehicle. Finding the fourth will be tough.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Search crews use sophisticated sonar technology to.

[Scott Newman]

Find the vehicle, but that doesn't work as well in finding a person.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered a new and very old hidden manuscript. The 13th century document contains stories, stories of Merlin and King Arthur.

[Scott Newman]

NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmentino has more.

[Isabella Gomez Sarmiento]

There are only a couple dozen surviving manuscripts of the Suite Vulgat du Merlin. It's the sequel to the original story of King Arthur. All of the copies were scribed by hand, and one written between 1275 and 1315 has just been unveiled at Cambridge. The story is written in old French and had been stitched into the binding of a property record from the 16th century. It includes the tale of a battle between the Saxons and Christians. Researchers at Cambridge had to use special technology to capture high resolution images and X ray scans of the manuscript. They say this discovery is paving the way for how to digitize other medieval documents. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.

[Scott Newman]

On Wall street, the dow was up.

[Jeanine Herbst]

417 points, the NASDAQ down 23. I'm Jeanine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.

[NPR Announcer]

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