NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-15-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

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On the Wild Card Podcast, author John Green fights to be optimistic. I keep learning again and again that hope is the right response to the human condition. And I have to learn this over and over again because despair is an incredibly powerful force in my life. I'm Rachel Martin. Join us for NPR's Wild Card Podcast, the show where cards control the conversation. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. Lawyers for the Trump administration are due back in a federal courthouse in Maryland today. The administration says it cannot bring back an immigrant who was wrongfully deported from Maryland to El Salvador. NPR's Jimena

Bustillo reports that's despite several federal court orders. Kilmar Armando Abrego-Garcia was deported by mistake to El Salvador last month. A Maryland judge ordered the Trump administration to take steps to facilitate his return, a decision later supported by online Supreme Court justices. But President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele both said they have no plans to return him. A federal judge is expected to raise more questions today about whether the administration is doing enough to, quote a big oh Garcia's return.

He meant a bustier and PR News Washington. Trump also talked to the Salvadoran president yesterday about the possibility of deporting American criminals to El Salvador. The Salvadoran president says that he has quote room. The Trump administration has pulled more than $2 billion of federal funding from Harvard University. Harvard has refused to comply with several Trump administration demands. Some of these include getting rid of all DEI programs and tracking students who, quote,

support terrorism or anti-Semitism. Harvard says no government, no matter which party is in power, should dictate what private universities can teach or whom they can admit or hire. NPR's Janaki Mehta reports, Harvard says it will lose funding for programs that benefit all Americans. Harvard actually updated the homepage of its website to reflect how federal dollars support research they do.

They list research on treatments for several forms of cancer, heart disease, organs and transplantation. And they say federal funding is the university's largest source of support for what Harvard calls cutting-edge groundbreaking research. And Piers Jnacki-Metha reporting. The president is commenting on the Harvard issue, writing online, President Trump suggested that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status and be treated as a political entity. Trump says that is for, quote,

pushing political, ideological, and terrorist-inspired supporting sickness. Hamas says it's considering a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. Mediators say they're optimistic about reaching a deal within a few weeks. And Piers Daniel Estrin has more from Tel Aviv. An Egyptian official involved in mediating the ceasefire talks says Israel is proposing a month and a half ceasefire in Gaza, during which Hamas would release about half of the hostages who are still alive, and Israel would release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The Egyptian mediator, who is not authorized to speak publicly, tells NPR Israel is willing to negotiate a permanent end of the war, but demands Hamas disarm, which some Hamas officials say is not up for negotiation. Hamas in a statement said it is considering the ceasefire proposal. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Lawmakers in Hungary have passed amendment to the country's constitution. It will let the Hungarian government ban public events held by the LGBTQ community.

The amendment has been pushed through the Hungarian parliament. Backers say efforts to protect children supersede all other rights. Foreign ministers from 20 countries are meeting in London today. They're opening a diplomatic effort to restart stalled peace talks on the civil war in Sudan. This comes on the two-year mark of the conflict that has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the UN. NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu reports it has also triggered the worst famine in decades. Despite the unprecedented impact of the war, killing as many as 150,000 people and displacing 15 million, there has been little concerted international action to address it.

The conference co-hosted by the UK, France and Germany is taking place without both sides of the war, the Sudanese armed forces, widely held as the de facto government, and the paramilitary rapid support forces, the former ally it's at war with. The conference is taking place amid a major assault by the RSF on aid camps in the western region of Darfur, where it's been accused by the US and others of committing a genocide. Hundreds of people have been killed, including nine aid workers from the aid group Relief International. Immanuel Akinwotu, NPR News.

The National Weather Service says more than two dozen rivers remained at moderate or major flood stage in the eastern U.S. The rivers were swamped earlier this month by catastrophic rainstorms. Flood warnings are up for much of eastern Kentucky and parts of Tennessee. This is NPR. Hey, it's Amartinez. Even as the host of a news show, it can be hard to keep up with the headlines. That is why we make the Up First podcast.

Every morning in under 15 minutes, we cover three major stories with context and analysis from reporters around the world. So you can catch up on lo que está pasando while getting ready, making desayuno, or going to work. So listen to the Up First podcast from NPR.