NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-07-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: April 7, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Sunday that a Justice Department attorney has been placed on leave after he failed to vigorously defend the government's handling of a man who was erroneously departed to El Salvador. A judge has called that action a wholly lawless detention. Speaking on Fox News, Bondi said the Trump administration will do what's right. The president is going to comply with the law. He was overwhelmingly elected by an overwhelming majority of the United States citizens to be our commander in chief and that's what he's been doing. Just since January 20th we've had over 170 lawsuits filed against us. That should be the constitutional crisis right there. The administration has been ordered to return the man from El Salvador so far. They have not done so

There's been what analysts are describing as a bloodbath on Asian stock markets over mounting fears of the cost of President Trump's trade policies shares in Hong Kong and Taiwan opened down 9, while Japan's Nikkei at one point traded more than 8 percent lower before recovering. The BBC's Mariko Ooi has more. You can clearly see how investors are just not liking these latest announcements and the potential impact on the global economy. We've been talking about how these tariffs could push up prices in the U.S. and how it could push the U.S US and how it could push the US economy into

a recession. But many are now concerned that this could actually trigger a global recession, something that we've experienced during the global financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, and of course, more recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. It takes an enormous shock to trigger something like that. But some investors are now thinking that these tariffs might be enough to push the global economy into recession. That was the BBC's Mariko Oye with our report. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Texas on Sunday

after a second child there died from complications from measles. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies has this report. David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio, Kennedy posted on social media that he went to Gaines County in West Texas to comfort the families who had lost two young children due to measles. Gaines County is the center of the spreading outbreak with nearly 500 cases in Texas alone. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the latest Texas measles death was a school-aged child who was hospitalized, was not vaccinated, and had no reported underlying conditions. This is the third measles-related death in this outbreak. The first was another Texas child.

The other was a New Mexico adult. Neither were vaccinated. In his post, Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, wrote, the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine. I'm David Martin Davies in San Antonio. I'm Dale Willman, and you're listening to NPR News. For the first time this year, Hollywood is a blockbuster, and NPR's Bob Mandelo says

it actually looks like a block. Minecraft the Movie is a kids' flick inspired by a video game. Anything you can imagine is possible. As long as what you imagine can be built out of blocks. Reviews were mixed, and estimates suggested an opening weekend of around $55 million, but Minecraft topped that on its opening day. This place makes no sense.

It will close out the weekend with about $157 million in North America alone. That's almost double this year's previous biggest opening, and it's the highest opening ever for a movie based on a video game. Minecraft is doing nearly as well overseas. Its worldwide ticket sales after three days total more than $300 million. Bob Mandello nearly as well overseas. Its worldwide ticket sales after three days total more than $300 million. Bob Mandelo, NPR News. Jay North has died. The actor played the star of TV's Dennis the Menace show, which ran for four seasons beginning in 1959. He died on Sunday at his home in Florida after dealing with colon cancer. He was 73 years old. North was just six years old when he

was cast to play Dennis in the beloved television show. Dennis the Menace was based on a long-running comic strip. The University of Connecticut beat South Carolina on Sunday 82 to 59 to claim its 12th NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship. Sarah Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds in the win while Ozzy Fudd added another 24 points for the Huskies. It's UConn's first championship since 2016. Defending champion South Carolina had been trying for a third title in four years in what would have been their fourth championship overall. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.