NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-04-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: April 5, 2025

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This message comes from Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile took what's wrong with wireless and made it right. They offer premium wireless plans for less, and all plans include high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and nationwide coverage. See for yourself at mintmobile.com slash switch. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Internal Revenue Service is cutting more jobs ahead of the April 15th tax filing deadline. NPR's Shannon Bond reports the cuts are part of the Trump Administration's

directive to slash the size of the federal workforce. The IRS notified employees by email on Friday that mass reductions are coming across offices and job categories. The goal, it said, is to, quote, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS. The cuts come during the agency's busiest time of year, with the tax deadline looming and will roll out in phases. The IRS's Office of Civil Rights and Compliance is the first affected, the email said. The agency is cutting 75% of jobs in that office and says it will transfer remaining staff to another department. The IRS didn't say how many jobs it plans to eliminate in total. It already cut more than 6,000 positions

in February. Shannon Bond, NPR News. President Donald Trump has abruptly fired the head of the National Security Agency. That's according to officials and members of Congress who say 33-year intelligence vet Tim Hawk was let go after Trump met with the conservative activists this week. More from NPR's Greg Meyery. The White House and the NSA have not commented. However, far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who met Trump on Wednesday, praised the dismissals and seemed to take credit. Without providing evidence, Loomer claimed on X that Hawk and Noble were disloyal to President

Trump. She described Hawk as a Biden appointee who was quote, handpicked by now retired General Mark Milley. Now we know there's bad blood between Trump and Milley dating back to Trump's first term. NPR's Greg Meyry, senior military leaders say they were only informed about the firing of the four star general yesterday. A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to return a Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador by mistake. The decision is guaranteed to set up another high-stakes clash between the White House and the courts, appears Sergio Martinez Beltran reports. US District Judge Paula Zinis called the deportation of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia an illegal act. The man had been living in the US legally

and had a work permit when he was arrested and deported last month, despite having been granted deportation protection by an immigration judge in 2019. The Justice Department admits that Abrego-Garcia was deported because of an administrative error, but DOJ lawyers argued that he is a member of the criminal gang MS-13 and that the judge lacks the authority to order his return since Abrego-Garcia is now in El Salvador. But Judge Zinis did not agree. She ordered the government to return Abrego Garcia to the US by 11.59 pm on Monday, April 7. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News. Stocks in the Western freefall for a second day today as the defiant President Trump continues to push retaliatory tariffs against much of the world. The Dow fell more than 2200 points, the NASDAQ and

the S&P were both down near 6%. This is NPR. Cleanup is underway for parts of Tennessee hit by tornadoes but more severe weathers in the forecast. As Mariana Bakayow of Member Station WPLN reports, the storms have already claimed the lives of five people in the state. Some areas of Tennessee are expected to get up to eight inches of rain through the weekend, which could lead to flash flooding. Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, says the flooding could be worse than what hard hit areas have already experienced this week.

We do expect that much of Tennessee will experience or be near severe weather and flooding is almost guaranteed to happen or be worsened from what we're experiencing right now. Damaging winds will be the main concern when storms are strongest Saturday afternoon. The National Guard is stationed across the state and ready for potential rescue missions. For NPR News, I'm Mary on a Baca Yao in Nashville. It's another man against machine challenge, but this time it's putting a professional gambler against an artificial intelligence site in a $1 million wager to be decided by

the winner of the Duke Houston game in the final four. Vegas bookies say pro gambler Sean Perry has picked Duke a five and a half point favorite. The AI platform, 4C Predictions, is going with Houston. Both professional gambler Perry and the AI platform have done well over the 60 games of the tournament. Perry missed only 13 picks. The AI platform missed only 10. Both picked the final four teams correctly. Crude oil futures prices moved lower along with stocks today, oiled down nearly $5 a barrel to $61.99 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.

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