NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-08-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

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Wait, wait, don't tell me. Fresh Air, Up First, NPR News Now, Planet Money, Ted Radio Hour, Thru Line, the NPR Politics Podcast, Code Switch, Embedded, Books We Love, Wildcard, are just some of the podcasts you can enjoy sponsor free with NPR+. Get all sorts of perks across more than 20 podcasts with the bundle option. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Lakshmi Singh Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The U.S. Supreme Court is clearing the path for the Trump administration to lay off more than 16,000 probationary employees, at least for now. The dismissals are part of a much bigger cost-cutting campaign that has cost the jobs of tens of thousands of people throughout the federal government. In a 7-2 decision affecting probationary workers, the court granted the government's

request for a stay on a preliminary lower court injunction that blocked the firings. The stay is temporary. It is centered on the question of whether nine nonprofits who are challenging the dismissals have standing to sue. After a three-day nosedive, U.S. stocks are rebounding sharply on hopes that U.S. and its trading partners will put their trade war to rest. President Trump's betting his policies will give U.S. industries the upper hand. NPR's Tamara Keith reports the stakes are high. Tamara Keith- If the dire warnings about prices rising because of tariffs become a reality, a reality that voters feel, or if the economy slows down or falls into recession,

there won't be any question about whose economy this is. President Trump has made a historically dramatic economic policy move here based on a conviction that he has held since the 1980s. If he succeeds, he can claim all the credit, but if he fails, he and his party will get all of the blame. Tamara Keith reporting. The administration's telling migrants who enter the U.S. using an online app to leave immediately. Here's NPR's Joel Rose.

The Department of Homeland Security says it sent formal termination notices to migrants who are allowed to enter the U.S. through the CBP-1 app, though DHS did not say how many have received those notices. More than 900,000 migrants used the app to schedule appointments at ports of entry. CBP-1 was a central part of the Biden administration's strategy to relieve pressure at the border by creating temporary legal pathways under an authority known as humanitarian parole. The Trump administration quickly dismantled that policy

and is now urging migrants to leave immediately. It's not clear how the termination notices will affect migrants who've already applied for asylum or other protections in the U.S. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Egypt, France and Jordan say they held a joint phone call with Trump yesterday about reinstating an Israel Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. More from NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi.

Egyptian officials close to talks to end the war in Gaza tell NPR that the mediator's latest proposal includes a 40-60-day ceasefire in exchange for a number of hostages, seven of whom are alive. One of the released hostages would be American-Israeli Edan Alexander. It also includes the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which Israel has blocked completely for more than a month. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump this week and said they discussed a new hostage deal. Trump has proposed moving Palestinians out of Gaza and rebuilding the territory under US ownership. The leaders of Egypt, France and Jordan rejected the displacement of

Palestinians from Gaza. Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR. The Reuters News Service is reporting that the Indian government's attempting to insulate religious learning from the influence of its Chinese neighbor by implementing its first school curriculum for hundreds of Buddhist monasteries this month. The Indian government is saying it wants to unify education programs and foster patriotism in Himalayan religious centers near its border with China. Across America with Mega Jackpots, it's Mega Millions. A new ticket price is in place for tonight's Mega Millions lottery drawing, the lottery

betting that its price hike will lead to better odds and bigger jackpots. Here's NPR's Joss Snyder. Mega Millions players are now forking over $5 per ticket, more than double the previous $2 price. The ticket price went up after Friday's drawing, but while it's now more expensive to play Mega Millions, the lottery is expecting to see more billion dollar jackpots that grow faster and lead to more ticket sales.

And lottery officials hope the new price will improve the odds of winning the grand prize that can now start at $50 million rather than $20 million. With bigger jackpots as well as an increase in the value of non-jackpot prizes, the change in price is aimed at drawing more attention to the mega-millions game from potential players who may not otherwise buy a ticket. Trial Snyder, NPR News. Now, the American Psychological Association has warned that as gambling becomes more accessible, more people are at risk of developing an addiction.

A 2023 report had said, while it's still too soon to know what the long-term effects will be, evidence is growing to suggest young people, in particular boys and men, are among those particularly vulnerable to gambling addiction. You're listening to NPR News. Hey, it's Amartinez. You're listening to NPR News.