NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-14-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: April 14, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The man who oversaw the dismantlement of the U.S. Agency for International Development has left the State Department. NPR's Michelle Kalman reports his departure comes just months into the Trump administration. The State Department says that Pete Morocco was brought to the Department to conduct an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance.

The statement says Morocco, quote, exposed egregious abuses, adding, quote, we all expect big things are in store for Pete on his next mission. The department did not say what that might be. A Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Brian Schott, says Morocco's tenure brought what he called reckless and unlawful policy to the State Department. He says he wants to hear directly from Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the future of U.S. foreign assistance. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. The man accused of setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor's residence is now in the hospital.

Rachel McDevitt of Member Station WITF reports the suspect is charged with attempted homicide, arson and terrorism. Arraignment for 38-year-old Cody Balmer is delayed while he's being treated. Pennsylvania state police say Balmer was hospitalized due to a medical event not connected to the incident or his arrest. According to a criminal complaint, Balmer hopped the fence surrounding Governor Josh Shapiro's home in the early morning hours on Sunday. He broken through a window with a hammer and set fire to the dining room using beer bottles

filled with gasoline. Balmer turned himself into police. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, but investigators say Balmer told them he would have beaten the governor with the hammer if he'd encountered him during the break-in. For NPR News, I'm Rachel McDevitt in Harrisburg. Despite a federal judge's order, the Associated Press should be allowed to again cover the if he'd encountered him during the break-in. For NPR News, I'm Rachel McDevitt in Harrisburg. Despite a federal judge's order, the Associated Press should be allowed

to again cover the White House. The Trump administration today barred a reporter and a photographer from the news service. The two were preparing to cover an Oval Office news conference featuring Trump and the president of El Salvador. The AP found itself banned from the White House press pool after refusing to adhere to Trump's renaming the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America.

The FTC's anti-trust trial against Metta is underway. NPR's Bobby Allen reports Metta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg are set to take the witness stand. The case is centered on whether Metta's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp violated competition laws. Years before the purchases Zuckerberg wrote in an internal email, quote, it is better to buy than compete. The FTC says Metta became dominant only after competing unfairly to box out rivals and should be forced to break up Instagram and WhatsApp into separate

companies. Metta says regulators approved the takeover of Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago and that the FTC is punishing Metta for its success. Dozens of witnesses will testify under oath, including Zuckerberg, who is expected to take the stand for seven hours. Zuckerberg has lobbied the Trump administration for the case to be dropped. It was originally filed during Trump's first term. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

The Dow is up 312 points today. This is NPR. Nobel Prize-winning novelist Mario Vegas-Yosa has died. He was 89 years old. NPR's Mendeleito Barco reports Vargas Llosa was one of Latin America's most celebrated writers. Mario Vargas Llosa grew up in Peru writing poetry. He told WHYY's Fresh Air in 1988 that his father reacted by sending him to military school. My father, as many middle-class people in Latin America in the 50s, thought that to

be a writer was to be an eccentric, someone marginal. His debut 1963 novel depicted the corruption of that school and Peruvian society, themes he tackled in many essays, plays and novels. Vargas Llosa ran for president of Peru in 1992 and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010. We have to keep dreaming, reading and writing, he said in his acceptance speech, to alleviate our mortal condition. Mandelit Del Barco, NPR News.

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook Southern California this morning with aftershocks continuing to hit the region hours later. The quake centered northeast of San Diego was felt as far away as Los Angeles County. While lights swayed and cups rattled on shelves, there were no reports of serious damage or injuries. The earthquake did send boulders tumbling onto some roadways outside of San Diego. The U.S. Geological Survey says the temblor was centered in San Diego County, near the mountain town of Julian, home to about 1,500 people and famous for its apple pie shops.

Crude Oil futures prices gained ground oil up three cents a barrel to $61.53 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.