War plans on Signal; Usha Vance; Alien Enemies Act : NPR

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Today’s top stories

In a significant security breach, a journalist was unintentionally added to a group chat with top U.S. national security officials to discuss plans to bomb the Houthis in Yemen. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlanticwas invited to the chat on March 11 on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which isn’t a secure government network. Goldberg revealed the message chain’s existence yesterday in a story in The Atlantic.

• 🎧 Goldberg initially thought the invitation was a hoaxNPR’s Greg Myre tells Up First. However, over the next few days, Goldberg said the texts increasingly looked more real. He told All Things Considered that just two hours after receiving a war plan, U.S. bombing started in Yemen. The National Security Council released a statement yesterday saying the material “appeared to be authentic.” Based on Goldberg’s account, no senior national security official raised concerns about sharing war plans on Signal.

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., is reviewing whether the White House can deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely-used wartime authority. The Trump administration invoked the state secrets privilege last night and plans to continue withholding key information about the deportation flights that may have violated court orders.

• 🎧 The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times in U.S. history, all when the country was at waraccording to NPR’s Joel Rose. The Trump administration argues the act should apply to these deportations as well because it has designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization. A judge reaffirmed his temporary restraining order barring the administration from using the act to deport Venezuelans on the grounds that these migrants have not been given due process to argue that they are not members of the gang. The White House says it’s confident that all of the people deported using the act are part of the violent gang. The administration conceded in legal findings that “many” don’t have criminal records in the U.S.

Second lady Usha Vance is traveling to Greenland this week, raising eyebrows because of President Trump’s repeated comments suggesting that the U.S. should take it over. Denmark controls the territory, which is a strategic location rich in minerals used in technology. Greenland and Denmark have rebuked Trump’s statements, making it known the land is not for sale. The White House says Vance’s trip is a cultural excursion, and she is expected to visit historical sights, learn about Greenland’s heritage and attend its national dogsled race.

• 🎧 NPR’s Deepa Shivaram says this is an unusual trip for Vance. People who have studied first and second ladies tell Shivaram they were surprised about the trip announcement because of how contentious the politics are. Because it’s early in the administration, it is unclear what Vance’s portfolio is or what issues she’ll focus on. It’s possible she could carve out space to convey a positive image of the U.S. and herself. The reaction from Greenland has been negative, Shivaram says. The prime minister said in a Greenlandic newspaper that the territory has to face the seriousness of the U.S. wanting to annex it.

Deep dive

Over the last six months, NPR’s Brian Mann has been tracking the mystery behind why drug deaths are plummeting in the U.S. at a rate experts say is hopeful yet baffling. Previously, the most ambitious efforts to slow drug deaths only resulted in reducing fatal overdoses by 8% or 9%. At the time, that was a big win. Now, nationwide, deaths have plunged over 26% from the peak in June 2023, according to the latest preliminary data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is roughly 30,000 fewer people dying every year. Here are some leading theories behind the decline, according to experts:

• ➡️ Public health workers say Naloxone, also known as Narcan, has had a huge impact. The nasal spray quickly reverses opioid and fentanyl overdoses and has been distributed free in many high-risk communities.
• ➡️ In many parts of the U.S., the fentanyl sold by drug dealers has seen a significant drop in purity, according to organizations that test the drug.
• ➡️ It’s possible the deaths are declining in part because a heartbreaking number of people using fentanyl and other street drugs didn’t survive. Over the past five years, roughly 110,000 people have died due to drug overdoses every year in the U.S.
• ➡️ Research suggests fewer young people and teenagers are using drugs other than cannabis. This trend matters because new users have low physical tolerance for opioids, making them more likely to overdose and potentially die.

Living better

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

TikTok has become a popular go-to source for sharing ADHD advice and experiences for teens and young adults. ADHD-related hashtags have garnered millions of views. Content creators tap into humor and themes that feel relatable to many living with the mental health condition. Therapists say the content has helped lead many adults to a diagnosis after being overlooked for years. However, a new study found that much of the information was misleading.

• 📱 Many content creators oversimplified or overstated the symptoms of ADHD without reliable sources to back them up.
• 📱 A constant stream of this content could lead to people becoming “hyperaware of lapses in concentration,” says Vasileia Karasavva, the study’s author and a postdoctoral student at the University of British Columbia. That could explain why people view symptoms as more severe when they watch more of these videos.
• 📱 In the videos, lines can be blurred between ADHD symptoms and symptoms that may point to other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, says Kevin Antshel, a clinical psychologist at Syracuse University.
• 📱 The average American may have two or three ADHD symptoms, but that doesn’t correlate to a diagnosis. It is a largely genetic condition, says Maggie Sibley, a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine. It isn’t a temporary response to a person’s environment.

3 things to know before you go

1. Lindsay Vonn, one of the world’s most decorated skiers, made history on Sunday by becoming the oldest woman to earn a medal in a World Cup race at age 40.
2. An overdue copy of Wild West by Bertrand W. Sinclair was returned to a Cincinnati library last year — 98 years late. The book was due back on Nov. 23, 1926. (via WVXU)
3. Jim Pollard, 70, has had a lifelong fascination with fossils and their stories. He opened his own museum called the Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History. The small storefront near the Minnesota-Iowa border is set up with fossil displays. (via MPR News)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.