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Episode Date: April 6, 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 Giles Snyder. Forecasters say that extreme rainfall and flooding threat is moving into the Appalachians and southeastern U.S. today after pounding the Mid-South. The severe weather blamed for killing at least 16 people since last week, including 10 in Tennessee.

The weather, however, did not stop thousands of Tennesseans from a hands-off protest of the Trump administration's policies in Nashville. From Member Station WPLN. Justin Barney reports. Lanny Glip is one of several veterans who braved the rain to attend the rally in Nashville. He said he's worried about Social Security benefits and veterans' health care. The Trump administration set its sights on altering the Social Security administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. A lot of veterans are going to be facing catastrophic living situations and I don't think they've thought this through, you know?

It could get really, really bad. Protesters also decried Elon Musk's role in the Trump administration and his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, effort in chants as they headed to the state capitol. For NPR News, I'm Justin Barney in Nashville. The Nashville protest was just one of the demonstrations that attracted huge crowds in cities and towns across the country. Following the protests against President Trump, supporters of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen will be on the streets of Paris today demonstrating against a court ruling that convicted her of embezzlement

and banned her from running for president in 2027. With President Trump's new tariffs taking effect, including an additional 20% tariff on products from the European Union, due to start later this week, advisor Elon Musk is expressing hope that the US and Europe can create a close partnership. I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view

to a zero tariff situation. Moss speaking there to Italy's League Party Congress on Zoom Saturday following a week in which stock markets plunged after President Trump's tariffs escalated to trade war. Trump administration plans to end a VA mortgage program that, by the administration's own estimate, had saved 17,000 veterans from losing their homes, NPR's Quill Lawrence reports. During the pandemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs made an error implementing the VA home loan that left tens of thousands of veterans facing foreclosure through no fault of their own. VA finally stood up a fix called VASP late last year. Since then it has rescued 17,000 veterans facing foreclosure. But some Republicans in Congress don't like the program because it means the VA takes

on the mortgages and the risk. They've proposed a different kind of rescue program. Now VA says it will end the VASP program on May 1st, but has not yet announced any alternative to replace it. Housing advocates and the Mortgage Bankers Association have warned without any rescue program, thousands of veterans could lose their homes. Quill Lawrence, NPR News. This is NPR News. The Israeli military has acknowledged that its initial account of the

incident that led to the killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month was incorrect. Israel made the admission after video footage emerged. Israel had initially said the workers' convoy was approaching nearby troops without any headlights or flashing emergency signals. The video contradicts that. The all-white board of one of Britain's wealthiest family trusts has resigned to make way for leaders of color. Figgy Barker reports from London. In recent years, the family behind the $400 million Tudor Trust had increasingly focused

on issues of racial justice. And they ultimately decided to be the change they wanted to see, seeking replacements who had both experience of and expertise in racism and colonialism. Of the eight new trustees on the board only one is white. The new CEO is a woman of South Asian descent who's helped charities and large organizations affect social change. The chairman of the board is a black philanthropy advisor who's written extensively about race in Britain. He replaced the founder's grandson, who says he hopes other family trusts might learn from this example.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Well, Francis has made his first public appearance since being discharged from the hospital two weeks ago in St. Peter's Square today, Francis greeted the crowd from his wheelchair. He spent more than five weeks in a hospital for a bout with bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News. You want to follow what's happening in Washington, D.C., but you don't want to be scrolling your phone all day. I'm Scott Detro, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms,

stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. They're short, they're focused episodes that tell you calmly, factually, what is happening and what isn't. Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.